Roshd will soon be the most popular student network across the nation, a purpose fulfilled by its giving an opportunity to the audience to personalize content, providing the possibility of interaction, creating a “teacher learning center” and providing content for all educational levels.
According to Public Relations and International Affairs Office at Organization for Educational Research and Planning (OERP), the Iranian Ministry of Education is in charge of an extensive education network and every one must pass through this channel to become literate and to experience progress in science, as well.
As a vital unit of the ministry, OERP is a content-producing body for 15 million students. Given that all students living in 31 provinces do not enjoy the same talent, educational facilities and geographical place, three decades ago, the organization sought to establish a network that created textbook content for all students.
With the spread of e-learning across Iran and the globe, this accomplishment was rapidly recognized. The aim of launching the network was, at first, to provide services to all those who would like to utilize educational content.
Why Roshd was at first unpopular?
This tool was less popular with people in the previous decade as students, teachers and families had not properly been informed about this network through the mass media.
Another reason for its unpopularity was that Ministry of Education did not stress on using Roshd's content by various addressees. The ministry notified using Shad Network to all schools while no notification on enjoying Roshd was communicated to them.
Then, the officials believed that there must be no compulsion for students to use Roshd since its content was to enrich their leisure time and its role was assumed to be complementary. Furthermore, they were worried about the purity of cyberspace.
A Turning Point
In 2006, the network's name was altered from Shad (not the current Shad Network, though) to Roshd. For about the first 15 years, Roshd Network had produced scientific articles as well as the required content for Olympiad students; yet, since 2006, it started producing some content appropriate to the curriculum.
With this turning point, it came to initially produce content solely for certain educational stages, but, in the present decade, it has produced content for the entire levels. The maximum content has been produced for elementary stage, followed by first secondary and second secondary levels. Last summer, circa 3,000 videos and educational pieces were added to the content produced on this network.
The network’s present goal is to enrich the content for the secondary as well as technical vocational levels. In order to achieve this goal in the next few years, teachers’ skills will be used to produce content; therefore, the electronic content poverty in the entire educational system will be somehow eliminated. Another measure taken by OERP to enrich the network has been the establishment of a “teacher learning center.”
The Netwrok Content
Generally, the network content has been divided into four types of educational videos, audio files, interactive contents and the Roshd Magazines, as well.
Educational films have been provided to teachers and students; audio files contain religious, Persian, Arabic and English lessons. Interactive content includes tests, experiments, repetitions and exercises; and, lastly, the Roshd Magazines contain stories and poems appropriate to each stage and lesson. Students can receive these materials and use them in their spare time.
Shad and Roshd are not supposed to merge
The education content in Roshd is not online as it supports classrooms and teachers. Here, teachers play the role of an educational guide. The Roshd contents are suitable for students who do not have specialist teachers or use multi-grade ones; here, they can enjoy more specialized content.
The content produced in Roshd has been designed to meet students’ needs in the Corona era and the issue of distance learning has not been regarded in this network. Roshd is the result of a need but Shad Netwrok is the product of a crisis. However, Shad can help to enrich the former’s contents.
The future of Roshd
With the outbreak of Covid-19, the number of those visiting Roshd was initially decreased; yet, after a while, studies showed that over 50% of the classroom population, especially teachers, use the network’s content in the courses they have to send content to students.
In the coming years, Roshd Network, according to its intended goals, ought to literally be transformed and realize its state of being national. Here, all the required services by students, teachers, parents and school staff such as counseling, academic guidance and choosing a field should be prepared and provided. According to the growing rate of those who enjoy the network, Roshd is expected to acquire its real status in the future.
Another ultimate goal defined for this tool is content personalization. By giving an opportunity to students to personalize content, providing the possibility of interaction, doing specialized study on the content produced, creating a "teacher learning center" and providing content for all educational levels, Roshd will soon be the most popular student network across the nation.