Future Perspective of Digital Education in India
The proliferation of digital technologies is bringing radical changes in the way education is being delivered and received. The outreach of educational programs is improving day by day with the digitalization of education. Digital education is providing both teachers and students new opportunities to teach and learn thereby ensuring greater participation in the overall learning process.
With the advent of new technology-aided learning tools such as smartboards, MOOCs, tablets, and laptops, etc. has transformed the way education is being imparted in schools and colleges. The internet of things (IoT) is further proving to be one of the most cost-effective ways to educate young minds. It is also a powerful system to integrate a world-class learning experience for everyone. The edu tech companies are constantly working to find innovative solutions to increase access to education by people who currently are struggling to get proper education facilities.
According to online reports, the population of young people from across the world reported having taken online courses in the past is ever-expanding. The best part of digital education is that you can create resources just once and use it multiple times for the generations to come. Thus saving on a lot of resources and efforts. At the same time, digital education empowers teachers to customize educational products based on the personalized need of individual learners.
Digital education is also helping in pioneering the concept of collaborative learning where all the minds can converge to create a unique learning experience that transcends national boundaries. Universities and colleges have launched digital tools to foster access to education online in order to bring social inclusion.
Why Digital Education is the Future of Learning in India
Digital learning in India is going to be the key face of future education in the subcontinent. It is surprising to see how smart technologies are changing the overall educational framework in the country. The penetration of digital education into the hinterland / rural market is evolving fast. Affordable high-speed internet and direct-to-device technologies are empowering rural students to study courses online and improve their skills and knowledge.
The state of education in India is dismal, especially in rural areas. The sector is currently battling with grave challenges such as outdated teaching methods, shortage of teachers, inadequate student-teacher ratio, and insufficient teaching resources. However, with the digitization of education, students in educationally backward areas are being taught with the help of the latest teaching tools and methodologies such as LCD screens, videos, etc. The technology is also helping teachers connect with students remotely spread across several locations at one time. Interactive digital media will certainly help in addressing the shortage of teachers in the country in the near future.
Trends in Digital Education in India
Social Media: Social media as a learning tool has progressed in a big way. Today, many teachers and students use social media as an integral part of the whole e-learning experience. It is a vital platform these days to exchange information about important issues. Apart from being able to share information anywhere, anytime, social media properties are also a great source of generating networking opportunities to build social activities and prospective employment on a cost-effective basis.
Interactive Learning Resources: With the advent of interactive devices such as flipped classrooms, mobile apps, etc. learning is no longer confined to a traditional classroom set up. The learning process of millennials is being re-wired with these innovative digital aids. Various educators are coming up with interactive learning modules using the best of technology.
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Combined learning is being enhanced with collaborative technologies. Sitting at one location, people can collaborate with others spread across the globe to work on assignments and projects. Similarly, the scope of teaching is not just limited to a particular geography or location. It is no longer a regional affair but follows global developments. In fact, educational institutions believe that providing digital education is crucial to their long-term survival and growth.
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCS): MOOCs platforms are enabling self-learning in a crucial way. The popularity of online courses via MOOCs programs in India is a growing market.
MOOCs are helping a lot of young population in the country to upgrade their qualifications and skills. It is enabling millions of Indians who do not have access to affordable education to improve their employability by gaining access to a range of skill-based courses.
MOOCs learning is facilitating students and working professionals to study at their own convenience from anywhere and at any time. Moreover, several of the courses offered under this platform provide a valid certificate that is duly acknowledged by Institutes and companies as an effort in the right direction.
Growing trends indicate that India is a big market for online courses offered through the MOOC platform. There is an ever-increasing desire among students enrolled in professional courses and also among working executives to keep upgrading their skill set to tap emerging career opportunities in specific areas. For such people, personalized learning based on MOOCs is a big boon.
Learning at one’s own speed is the need of the hour. In this regard, MOOCs have been a successful trend in achieving the goals of self-learning by providing equitable access to high-quality online learning material & digital content to one and all.
Advancement in Visual Learning Aids: Audio-Video based learning is picking up pace in India.
Videos based instructional learning is very popular among school-goers since it combines learning with fun. Such a medium of the teaching-learning process is highly interactive in nature. This type of teaching methodology is not just restricted to audio-video but also includes educational apps, podcasts, ebooks, etc. Children are very excited to learn new concepts using these digital mediums.
Interactive Software – Game-based learning: Game-based learning is the next big thing that will redefine the digital future of education in India especially the K12 sector.
It is already creating an environment where the learners can easily relate themselves to what is being taught in an engaging way. Transforming the k-12 sector, game-based learning undoubtedly will revolutionize the education world products and help in developing a better self-trained workforce of the future.
Why Digital Education is the way forward for India
With the internet becoming far more affordable and accessible, going ahead, there will be greater convergence of digital and traditional teaching-learning mediums. The education industry will witness the proliferation of small, medium and large scale edutech start-ups who will offer a variety of innovative digital products to academic institutions in days to come.
The government is also taking radical steps to come up with policies that will help boost the digital education market in the country. It is making efforts to improve the quality of digital infrastructure across the country to help facilitate the use of innovative educational tools.
In the days to come, digital education like all other professions will see noteworthy changes in the way Universities and Colleges provide education. We can witness a myriad of possibilities emerging out of digital education to empower the youth of this country.
Advance Learning Management Systems (LMS) with its right knowledge management tools will help in improving the design and delivery of educational courses being offered by Universities and Colleges in India.
Digital technology is also helping overcome all language barriers. Now learning material can digitally be made available in regional languages as well. Through e-learning and m-learning initiatives fostered by the government and private players, students and teachers can get access to the vast pool of knowledge content.
Online education offers freely accessible media for learning, teaching and research purposes. It allows students to engage with a wide spectrum of study material freely available on the internet thus creating an ecosystem of self-learning.
Living in a globalized economy, Indian youth is preparing itself to the learning needs and challenges of enterprise 4.0. With the digital transformation, the education sector in the country is bound to re-adjust itself profoundly both in terms of how we learn and what we learn. Our nation’s young population will certainly prove to be a demographic dividend if the benefits of technology are made available to every doorstep of the country’s household.
Digital education can encourage today’s youth in a lot many ways to learn and engage themselves in the vast sea of knowledge being freely made available to them through the digital revolution.
To sum up, it can be said that digital education is the future for India that will take the country to a new pedestal of socio-economic growth and prosperity.
