With the internet reach estimated to swell above 55 per cent by the end of 2025 in India, digitisation of education remains one of the top-notch concerns of the government. With this indication, many e-learning platforms have come to light and are operating well. Online education has attained much resorption due to stipulations enforced to check the spread of Covid-19. E-learning is trending as a growing number of learners register themselves for online courses — the new normal during the course of the pandemic.

Since 2020, Indian universities, colleges and institutes, which were earlier not authorized to offer more than 20 per cent of a degree online, are now revoking the restraints on digital learning to broaden ingress to higher education and strengthen the profile of Indian institutions globally. Fully online degrees are an augmentation of India’s bigger plan to open up and liberalize higher education.

In order to upgrade the offered level of online education, many edtech companies have come up. These edtech companies offer various courses across all domains including engineering, software, management, design, etc. In addition to learning resources, these edtech platforms offer blended learning, interactive learning and AI-based experiential learning. Some of the steps that already have been taken while some that must be implemented are as follows:

Focus on digitisation:

Apprehending the fact that all-around progress relies on extensive education, the government rolled out the National Education Policy (NEP 2020) that emphasizes on digitisation apart from the use of technology in education. It also prioritises edtech for facilitating education, especially in rural areas. This was primarily done to provide value education to all parts of the country, especially the Tier-2, Tier-3 cities and villages. The government realized that technology has the potential to reach small towns and villages while providing an approach to quality teachers. This was a far-flung dream but imposing tech disruptions across the country have favourably executed the giant endeavour that was earlier impenetrable.

Bridging the Digital Divide:

The move to online education also brings forth the debate around the digital divide and the digital preparedness of every contributor and institution. Schools and higher education institutes like colleges and universities are two contrasting markets with their own set of obstacles and digital readiness. Digital disconnection in schools is naturally higher than in higher education institutes. Even the allocated budget talks about bridging the digital divide in government and private schools, which is another area of concern that needs to be worked upon. Constant work is required to make education available through digital channels for all school students, regardless of their location, financial background, and internet connectivity.

Industry-ready Students:

The key preferences for higher education institutes are to make the students industry-ready by evaluating their skills and configuring them to what is needed by the recruiters. This can be attained by introducing research and innovation into the heart of education and making it economical, accessible for all across the nation. Hence, it is high time to bid farewell to the old-school and boring memorization methods, which stress mugging rather than a good knowledge of the subject or topic. Most educational institutes and educational bodies like IITs, NIT’s, AIMA, IIMs, have already taken their examination operations online.

With these strategies, education is about to experience an abundant change in the upcoming years as the Indian government is fully charged to briskly evolve with the most futuristic educational technologies and enthusiastic to revamp the digital aspect of the country. And with social distancing still engaged during the pandemic, a growing number of educational institutes persist to move wholly online to aid the students. This illustrates that e-learning is imminent and will pave the way for progressive learning methods.

Latest Tools, Methodologies:

Bidding goodbye to the conventional teaching methods and problems such as lack of teachers, meagre student-teacher ratio, and scarce teaching measures, digitisation in education has created a path for the trending teaching tools and techniques. These are now accessible to students in the distant corners of the country. The technology is also aiding teachers to connect with the bulk of students scattered across multiple locations at once. Interactive digital media also is a wonderful quick fix to the scarcity of teachers in the country. To assist the same, it plans on using technology to enhance the skills of teachers.

Online exams:

Following the present education trends, exams to are being organized digitally. Digital platforms uphold customised evaluation, online supervision and validation in addition to ensuring safe, secure and reliable remote examinations. These online computer-based exams have a number of benefits as they cut down costs, are time-efficient, have a greater reach and are highly secured and protected. This is because the process reduces human, functional, infrastructure and operational costs other than reducing the time used in arrangements, management and results.

Going forward, digital education will lead to many noteworthy changes in the way educational bodies, universities, and colleges impart education. This expeditious move towards acceptance of digital methods in both access to education in addition to its evaluation isn't a short-lived trend. On the contrary, this trend will have long-lasting results that will frame the new normal.

Written By:

Punit Lalwani