Anurag Bansal, Senior Director and Business Head of HUGHES Global Education is a Mechanical Engineer from National Institute of Technology (NIT) Calicut, erstwhile Regional Engineering College (REC) is a pioneer in the field of training and education. He has over 17+ years of professional experience with Ashok Leyland Ltd, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd and Career launcher Ltd. He has also mentored over 5000 students and corporate executives all over India.
Digital learning is fast emerging as a preferred mode of learning with a growing acceptance among students across both urban and rural areas. The rapid increase in Internet connectivity in the last few years has been an important catalyst for the growth of e-learning in India. According to a study by KPMG, the Indian online education industry will touch $1.96 billion by 2021, with an increasing number of learners finding online learning more convenient and in tune with their learning pace.
Technology has enriched the learning experience for students and changing attitudes towards digital learning techniques have given a positive impetus to the digital learning sector. The government’s push for e-learning has further added to the momentum.
Beyond the academics, there has been an increasing interest among working professionals and Corporate looking to address training needs and up-skill professionals amidst an increasing competition across industries. This emerging trend is expected to further add to the tremendous growth we are already witnessing in this sector.
Effectiveness of E-Learning Programs
E-learning as a concept is witnessing growing acceptance among students in India breaking away from misconceptions about the effectiveness of this medium. However, there continues to be a series of misconceptions or more of myths surrounding e-learning especially with respect to the credibility of the course and the institution, accreditation of the degree, evaluation processes, and a lack of interactivity. The effectiveness of any e-learning course depends on numerous factors from course content, learning module, and ensuring swift delivery cycle. At the same time, interactive learning is critical to make any digital course interesting and meaningful for students.
For instance, Hughes Global Education is a pioneer in providing the ‘Interactive Online Learning Platform’ for the working professionals to pursue an Online Executive Diploma/Certificate Programs. Over the years, Hughes has established itself as the premier destination for digital learning with a proven track record and a range of certified courses from prestigious institutions. With its unique state-of-the-art online interactive learning platform, Hughes brings a teaching approach which is highly interactive and provides a blend of offline and online teaching with scope for developing a greater connect between students and the institution.
The course is designed by the eminent faculty and the pedagogy is a blend of lectures, case studies, online lectures, projects, peer-to-peer learning, self-learning, and simulations. With Hughes, students benefit from mentoring by faculty and remote access to learning resources of prestigious institutions including the likes of IIM’s, XLRI, IIFT, AIMA and edX Inc. In addition, we also ensure uninterrupted technical support in conducting online classes and ensuring the best of experience on both ends.
Role of Instructors in E-Learning
In order to create an engaging learning experience, the role of the instructor is vital. This becomes even more critical, especially when it comes to digital learning. As the courses are delivered online, there’s minimal scope for customization and teachers are required to bring a personal touch to the teaching experience. Maintaining discipline and building greater interactivity among students across geographies further adds to the challenge.
Using the best of technology, Hughes establishes a deep learning environment providing teachers greater control over the conduct of the classroom. The platform offers interactivity similar to a live classroom session, where a student sitting in any part of the country, at any given point in time, can interact freely with the professor, raise questions, queries and so on, making the interaction as spontaneous and natural as in a regular classroom. There is an extensive use of video, voice and data. This not only makes it easier for students to clear their doubts but also add to the teaching experience.
The Future
Digital learning is set to play a significant role in shaping the future of education in India by enhanced productivity of employees and students and increased ROI for Corporates and business. The emergence of cutting-edge technologies, especially cloud computing, machine learning and artificial intelligence, and augmented reality are set to emerge as the major trends in the online education market. From predicting learner behavior to helping personalize the learning experience, and implement learning content, technology is set to play a much broader role in redefining the learning experience. Video-based learning is also gaining popularity and will be an important trend to watch out for 2019. Moreover, the competitive educational landscape, increased demand for re-skilling, has also given impetus to microlearning, and greater gamification.
Learning is a continuous exercise and one needs to upgrade skills and knowledge to remain competitive. Today, professional workforce realizes that merely moving up the hierarchy is not enough. What keeps a career vibrant and increasingly relevant are the experiences that employees gain through different on-the-job opportunities for learning and career building.
More and more organizations are experiencing varied client demands for specialized skillsets. This, in turn, puts the emphasis on up-skilling to meet future demands. Through specialized e-learning modules, working executives can learn the requisite skillset and perform better in sustaining business momentum and upgrading in their professional journey. (As told to the Editor)