Anil Nagar is the CEO and Founder of Adda247, India’s leading comprehensive online learning platform that caters to the educational needs of more than 40 million users in a year. Under his headship, the company has grown onto becoming the largest and fastest growing multilingual education technology platform in the country.
A NASSCOM report titled Ed-tech – The Advent of Digital Education remarks how the Indian education system is going through massive digital transformation. Some of the key findings of the reports state that the Asia Pacific region will continue to be the biggest driver of the industry. The last 5 years have seen exponential growth in Ed-tech propelled by pandemic too. There are about 15 million competitive exam-givers in our country each year. Unfortunately, with COVID-19, most of the students have remained indoors with little support coming from schools or coaching centers.
For the first time, the introduction of edtech has empowered students by making them active participants in their education. But even then, choosing the right platform for your children is indeed a complicated task. Behind the labyrinthine cobwebs of well-executed marketing and branding plans, it is difficult to understand the authenticity, feasibility, compatibility of a platform vis-a-vis your child needs. With many Ed-tech firms riding the pandemic waves to dominate the online education market, there are a few things that can help you to choose the right platform:
- Check the accessibility options provided by the platform: While most students have access to such platforms via different electronic devices, it’s pertinent that you should be able to access the platform even when offline. Pick out a platform that is well equipped with a robust LMS system which is available both online & offline. This hugely minimizes the chances of any loss of study hours in unprecedented times of power cuts, travel, or tablet/laptop malfunction.
- Real-time feedback: The pandemic outbreak pushed many edtech platforms into the mainstream Indian education system. Even with the best-in-class platforms, nothing can substitute the direct teacher-to-student classroom learning process. Thus, it’s critical to maintain the feedback loop open, whether inside or outside the classroom, for ensuring student success. A platform that allows the instructor to change settings such as numerous attempts on problems, suggestions, text links, and right/wrong indicators can help both students and teachers streamline the learning process. Such data metrics allow students to gauge their own performance on a daily basis.
- Privacy & Security: The global crisis of COVID 19, has altered the traditional ways of living. With almost all the operations moving online, there is a heightened risk of various malware, spyware & phishing attempts. This further calls for stricter cyber security measures to ensure that your children’s personal information remains safe & secure. Many EdTech firms recognizes this challenge and has geared up to make the platform safe & secure for kids. Most of the data that is stored in cloud servers is now encrypted with unique user access and also deployment of a dedicated cyber security personnel for complete administration.
- Pick “one size fits one” approach: Yes, technology is the future for the new education system, but while choosing the right ed-tech platform for your children, one size fits all is not the right approach. Use what works for you, not what is trendy. There are numerous platforms available depending on your requirements. Consider the course content, delivery, feedback mechanism, and instructor ratings to make a wise decision.
- Customization: Out of 1400 ed-tech companies in the world, India hosts 327 of them which comprises almost 10% of the total presence. Paid users of such platforms are close to $9.6 million (KPMG,2019). Such figures are not only overwhelming but also signify the growth of the industry. As an end-user, you must consider various factors before finalizing any ed-tech platform. One of them is the scope of flexibility & customization. A 100% flexibility to alter and control the content along with its setting has a direct impact on students’ performance.
Edtech is surging. It is one of the few sectors that has reported positive growth during the global crisis. The introduction of new technology has led to the greater acceptance of alternate modes of learning. With the promise of greater flexibility and control, it will continue to grow in its expertise and expanse. As per a report published by the Indian Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (IVCA), the Indian education industry might showcase a growth of US$ 225 billion by 2025. As numerous Edtech companies will try to jump into this growing bandwagon in coming years, it will be imperative to exercise a high level of scrutiny before you finalize an edtech platform for your children. After all, the future of your children depends on it.