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Encompass Digital Media has completed “the world’s first broadcast of a digital shortwave school lesson with the transmission of interactive maths content from the U.K. to students in The Gambia — almost 4,000 km away. Developed in collaboration with members of the Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) consortium, the broadcast is a major milestone in improving access to education in regions with limited or no connectivity.”
The technology uses shortwave digital radio to deliver the lesson materials, including text, images and quizzes designed to support interactive learning, which are then stored in the radio and served to student devices over a Wi-Fi hotspot. As the technology requires only a single transmitter thousands of miles away, the lessons can be delivered entirely remotely, or supported by teachers locally.
The trial formed part of a wider Encompass initiative to explore new uses for digital shortwave and used just a single shortwave transmitter to deliver multimedia-rich educational content. Designed by Starwaves, the receiver includes built-in storage and creates a local Wi-Fi hotspot, allowing students to access lessons via their own devices. This means schools with no internet connection or limited teaching resources can still deliver interactive digital learning experiences.
As part of the trial, Encompass donated a set of tablets to the participating school to support the pilot broadcast. Content was delivered using Journaline, a multimedia data service developed by Fraunhofer. Encompass planned and designed the digital shortwave transmission to achieve maximum resilience, even under poor reception conditions.
Encompass said that “as well as enabling self-guided or teacher-assisted study in schools, the platform has the