Innovations in Online Education

Online education offers flexibility, convenience and efficient use of time, says Prof. Sanjay Salunkhe, Director, Jaro education, and architect of online education in India Today, online education is more preferred and it is moving rapidly from its infancy to a more dominant form. After overwhelming success in MBA & Engineering education, it has now got a strong demand for coaching in Job entrance exams along with MBA, Engineering entrance exams etc. International Universities like Cambridge University in England, Harvard University in U.S. and others, through their online mode of teaching have achieved huge success by providing multidisciplinary educational programs which cater to the evolving demands of students and working professionals ensuring the fast track career growth for all. The most appealing aspect of online education is the flexibility, scope for utilizing time effectively, convenience and reinforcement of learning. In online mode, a person can learn from within the comfort of his/her home or any other place that he/she chooses. Q1. How online education would ensure better growth for India? Today India’s Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) is about 13 %, which very low. The average for the world as a whole is about 30 % & advanced countries it is 56 %. Indian GER of 13 % illustrates huge need for higher education at afford¬able prices. A survey revealed that the career growth of many working professionals is stagnated because of not having MBA qualification and thus management knowledge. The working professionals are not able to pursue MBA because of their tight schedule at office, financial constraints, habit of postponing further studies, time consumed in travelling to colleges etc. Many HR Managers feel that if their staff has to pursue MBA program, institutes should offer convenience in terms of time, venue for lectures, finance (payment in installments) and lectures by experienced corporate faculties wherein industry examples and case studies are discussed. Thus, today, with the support of advanced technology, we can webcast online lectures of reputed faculties to students all over India including 2-tier, 3-tier cities like Kolhapur, Surat, Patna, Guwahati, Kochi etc. Online coaching provides an alternative to traditional face-to-face coaching and thus offers flexibility in time & comfort to choose location. Q2. What factors should be kept in mind while choosing online MBA or other courses? • Weekend lectures and doubt clearing sessions – If possible, to supplement an online program, an institute should try to provide weekend lectures or atleast have doubt clearing sessions before exams for better learning and understanding. • Credibility of the course – Online courses should have recognition or international accreditations to ensure success in the global competitive environment. • Flexibility and better time utilization – Students should be able to attend online lectures at their own convenient time and location. • Faculty - Faculties should be having corporate experience so that industry examples or experiences can be shared. • Fees – Enabling technology as a backbone, online courses are offered to large number of students, hence they should be affordablern• Examination – Online exams should be conducted at convenient times and location to benefit the working professionals. • Employment Opportunities –Institutes must try to offer post MBA job opportunities not only in domestic market but also in global market.