Page 48 - EducationWorld Feb 2021 Low

Teacher-2-Teacher

New era of blended

learning has begun

SUMESH NAIR

N RECENT YEARS, LARGER BUDGETS FOR With the anti Covid-19 vaccine set to be
digital learning programmes, new tech innovations, rolled out countrywide within the next
enhancement of virtual training tools and rising
Ipopularity of social media, have given a huge stimulus few months and the world fast returning
to e-learning. to normal, there are high chances that an
According to a 2016 report by US-based Statista Re-
search Department, the global market size for e-learning irreversible behavioural shift in favour of
was $150 million (Rs.1,095 crore) and is projected to online learning will manifest
grow by 5 percent per year in the 2017-24 period. Some
of the reasons why the e-learning business has witnessed
impressive growth is the recent pandemic-driven demand
for digital solutions, its learning flexibility and effective- no time constraints or age limit. Increasingly, edtech
ness, easy availability of virtual training tools, boost in platforms are providing courses at nominal prices for
employee productivity and rising interest in distance everyone as infrastructure costs are falling daily.
learning. In addition, the global executive e-learning mar- The upshot of the new e-learning revolution that’s
ket is also growing at a fast pace. sweeping the world is that globally top-ranked universi-
According to a 2020 survey by Technavio, a UK-based ties including Harvard and MIT are making their de-
market research firm, the global market for e-learning gree programmes available and accessible online. More
will expand by $1,890 million (Rs.1,400 crore) in revenue recently, the Harvard Business Review enabled business
terms by 2024. Social media, mobile phones and analytics management students to access quality content, net-
technologies have accelerated the adoption of e-learning working opportunities and case-based learning online.
which ensures that study programmes can reach mas- Moreover, several top-ranked American universities are
sive numbers of students at a fraction of the cost of the collaborating with ed-tech platforms such as Coursera
traditional education process. Self-driven career ad- and Edx to provide education globally.
vancement and training are other factors spurring global nsurprisingly, outbreak of the global Covid-19 pan-
demand for e-learning programmes. In India, several top Udemic which has forced the closure of all education
tier B-schools including IIM-Nagpur, XLRI and IIM-Ka- institutions in India since mid-March, has provoked an
shipur are shifting their graduate placement preparation online WFH (work from home) revolution. In India, the
processes online, and have tied up with edtech platforms middle-class parents’ community is beginning to discern
such as Board Infinity to provide personalised 1:1 profes- the advantages of online learning. According to a survey
sional education. Students connect with experts based on conducted by LocalCircles, a social network based in
their profiles and interests to receive actionable feedback Noida, 64 percent of parents in 204 urban districts coun-
and insights. These B-schools are saving time and cost trywide are in favour of e-learning. Although there are
while making sure students are prepared for placement limitations in terms of Internet connectivity, the overall
interviews. experience of online learning during the pandemic era
A 2016 Pew Research Centre survey indicates that 63 has been good, and parents are waking up to the numer-
percent of working adults classify themselves as profes- ous advantages of tech-enabled learning in terms of costs
sional learners. These are professionals who sign up for and flexibility.
online programmes to improve their job and life skills for With the anti-Covid-19 vaccine set to be rolled out
career advancement. Increasingly, young graduates be- countrywide within the next few months and the world
lieve that continuous learning and upskilling is necessary fast returning to normal, there are high chances that an
in an increasingly VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complex- irreversible behavioural shift in favour of digital learning
ity and ambiguity) world, and are signing up in droves for will manifest. Although the general preference for physi-
in-service e-learning programmes after securing employ- cal classrooms and lecture hall learning will never dis-
ment in industry and business. sipate, a blended/hybrid online-offline learning model is
These students learn from devices such as tablets, certain to become entrenched, starting with the country’s
computers, mobiles, etc and want faculty to record con- top 10 cities and gradually spreading to the hinterland.
tent and post it online as course material. For teachers In sum, e-education is here to stay and Indian and global
and faculty, the challenge is to create high-quality video, teaching-learning is certain to be better for it.
text and animation content that engages students. The
great advantage of e-learning and online study pro- (Sumesh Nair is the Mumbai-based co-founder and CEO of Board Infinity,
grammes is that it traverses geographical barriers, has a career exploration platform)

48 EDUCATIONWORLD FEBRUARY 2021