MHRD Becomes the Catalyst to Distance and Online Education

Dr Varun Gupta, Executive Vice President, On Sky Global

The world is moving towards a big digital transformation with the invention of top-notch technology in terms of artificial intelligence, augmented reality, virtual reality, etc. This evolution has benefited many industries including education at a larger scale. The concept of distance and online education is a huge reality for all of us today. Distance learning is one of the many benefits of the internet. It is allowing a lot of people to finish their degrees at home in the convenience of their living rooms. It enables individuals to become independent and learn things through research and discovery.

MHRD initiated a number of projects to assist students, scholars, teachers, and lifelong learners in their studies. These initiatives cover the educational requirements of learners ranging from school to Post Graduate. HRD ministry have started a unique national program program VidyaDaan 2.0 for inviting e-learning content contribution. The same is to develop e-learning content and a chance to be recognized nationally. The content to be used on DIKSHA app for supporting millions of children so that they can continue their learning anytime and anywhere.

In the wake of a sudden pandemic outbreak in the world, online and distance learning has gained a lot of importance over time. E-learning courses have become very popular due to their simplicity and convenience than traditional courses. The ministry of human resource development has laid benefits of distance and online learning for students, some of them are listed below:

Comfort and Convenience: Distance education offers students great convenience to study at home in a peaceful environment rather than a noisy classroom. It provides them with a conducive environment for learning and comfort level.

Saves Time and Efforts: Online learning does not require long hours of traveling to schools or colleges and therefore allows students to have more time. It saves individuals time for their family, work, and themselves.

Independent and Responsible Individuals: It helps students to execute their work independently. They can understand lessons without any constant help from teachers. It makes them self-sufficient problem solvers by just taking help from online instructors.

Affordable: Online and distance learning options are affordable. It saves travel time, food and allowance.

Contemporary: At present individuals use the internet for everything whether to read the news, shop, watch TV shows, chat with friends, read books, everything is readily available online. Considering all the above uses, why should education be left behind?

Higher Retention Rate: According to a recent survey, e-learning has increased the student retention rate from 25% to 60%. Due to engaging multimedia content, many students are finding online courses more interesting as compared to traditional ones. As per a study, many offline courses do not engage students enough to retain throughout the year.

Environment Friendly: Online learning is great for the environment and is a very effective option for individuals as well. It helps to protect the environment from carbon emissions and saves energy. This type of learning can benefit both the institutions offering such courses and the students.

Accessibility: Many times the situation, distance, family, and financial issues become barriers for people to pursue a study program. At such times online courses are a great solution to the challenges that individuals face. They can access high-quality education in their homes.

Expands Study Horizons: Online learning makes it possible for students to learn different languages and cultures without having to travel from one country to another. It offers a prolonged array of curriculum options to individuals all over the world.

Prepares for a Tech-Savvy Future: In the 21st century, nearly all jobs require technology skills. Online education prepares students for an innovative and challenging work environment. With the use of online tools and study materials, students can gain knowledge that will help them in their career advancement.

Thus, in light of the impact of the COVID pandemic on education, online and distance learning is the need of the hour. Since the inception of internet education and learning has become fun for students as well as teachers. The use of multimedia content such as videos, animation, gamification is making learning interesting and teaching result oriented. It has led to a considerable cost reduction and improved accessibility. The onset of mobile learning has made it easy to learn from any location. It has made online tests and assignments very easy. These noteworthy changes that technology has brought about in education has evolved the learning sector to the next level. Hence, education as a whole is undergoing a major transformation with e-learning.