Hybrid Learning Project

Building an online infrastructure is no longer a luxury, it’s a necessity.

Pilot Project

All over the world, the pandemic brought educational institutions into crisis. In the rural South Indian district we serve, the impact was devastating.

For most families in our schools, education is the only long-term way out of extreme poverty. Parents of sponsored students were already deeply in debt, unable to afford the most basic medical services or necessities.

Thanks to a special grant and your generous donations, the Hybrid Learning Pilot Project got off to a solid start in 2021. Since then, additional hardware has been purchased, and more teachers have been trained teachers in basic computer knowledge.

Our schools faced daunting challenges.

The closure of both of our schools during the pandemic, and the significant hardships faced by students and teachers, led to an innovative plan to conduct classes outdoors in students’ home villages. This was an inspiring success, providing continuity and hope. But it was not enough.

We saw this as an opportunity for innovation and change.

The Pilot Project led to a fundamental rethinking of the structure of the schools. Faculty and students underwent rigorous new training in more holistic, interactive, and collaborative methods that introduced high tech into the learning process.

This 18-month pilot project for 50 students and 8 teachers became the basis for a long-term online infrastructure project.

How your initial donations were used:

$19,590 – Equipment

30 Computers and headsets
6 Overhead projectors
10 iPads
2 TV Screens
2 Printers, cables, wiring, Wi-Fi, internet, paint, etc.
Online curriculum

$10,000 – Training

Training for 8 teachers for 8 months, 3-5 days/week, 3-4 hours/day. Team meetings were held online until the pandemic eased.
Project management – Dr. Durai Ganesh and his team. Dr. Durai Ganesh is Managing Trustee of SRDT and chief administrator of the school development programs.

Achievements to date:

Network set up for online systems
Agile projects and 2 project rooms set up
Formed a team for hardware and software management and accounting process
Set up “Microsoft Teams (MS Teams) workspaces for the school
Equipped and enabled 30 teachers with MS Teams software
Developed a 4-day training in basic, practical computer skills leading to computer literacy for 30 teachers
Held “Train-the Trainers” workshop
Equipped 4 classrooms with computer technology & software
Acquired laptops for classroom teaching
Researched and made available online resources for developing the syllabus
Set up Support Service Desk
Integrated online resources into curriculum for 10^th – 12^th grade classrooms
Developed demo sessions for online distance teaching when class attendance is not possible

The new online infrastructure offers a crucially important building block for meaningful 21st century education. These basic technologies have been used in U.S. schools for 10-20 years, but are completely new to the teachers here. All 70 teachers are now eager to learn online teaching skills and to have access to the extensive new resources available online.

Our schools are desperately underfunded. Your gifts have launched a build-out for critical infrastructure and have led to a significant shift in ways of thinking about education. Continued financial support is needed to build on this early success.

Support the Hybrid Learning Project

Please consider making a contribution to this critically needed effort today.