Perils & promises of hybrid learning in higher education

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October 12, 2022

Perils & promises of hybrid learning in higher education

The concept that knocked on our doors post-pandemic, is getting traction in all directions of education now. As the hybrid model is very new to adapt, educators are exploring the perils and promises that it offers. Some of the major edtechs also forayed into offline institutions to adapt to the hybrid model as the way forward. With the rise in technology, schools are also very much on the way to adapting the hybrid model. Recently, UGC also announced that e-degrees are at par with offline degrees and this will boost the adoption of online and hybrid models in the higher education segment at a rapid pace.

With every change that happens, there are definitely going to be some consequences. The continuous change in the education system in terms of the hybrid model, adapting to digital tools, etc poses quite a few perils and promises in the shifting paradigm of education. Here is an exclusive conversation from the panel discussion that happened recently at the World Education Summit organised by Elets Technomedia. Edited excerpts:

Anurag Reddy, Procurement Analytics Manager, Caterpillar Inc. said, “The benefits of online learning is, even a person who is unable to spare time from his/ her lifestyle can do it in the comfort of their homes. Leaving your jobs, or joining an institution for learning is not possible after a certain age because of the burden of responsibilities you have, so online learning is best option in such instances’’.

“According to a survey conducted in 2021, pre-pandemic only 8 per cent of students could attend online education and the number can only go up to 12 per cent during the pandemic”, said Dr. G. Sugumar, Vice Chancellor, Tamil Nadu.

The pandemic has brought an education emergency in the country not only for rural areas but also for urban areas and we are talking about creating this huge infrastructure for Hybrid Learning, it is going to be challenging with the present infrastructure available, Dr. Sugumar further added.

K Narasimha Nakshathri, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Bharatiya Engineering Science and Technology Innovation University (BEST), Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh said, “The education system is going to be online and with multimedia technology even for higher education but there is a difficulty for faculty who are not yet equipped well with the emerging technology.”

Even if they get equipped, a section of the rural areas will never afford these amenities, which is the drawback that needs to be worked on, K Narasimha further added.

Prof. Rajesh Kumar, Professor and Principal, Osmania University, Hyderabad, Telangana said, “Nowadays, through hybrid learning, we can reach anywhere all over the world. We can teach many countries at a single time. Hybrid learning has become the new era of education, with the option of both online & offline learning, everything has become easy.”

Dr. Divya Nalla, Director, Nalla Malla Reddy Engineering College, Hyderabad, Telangana said, “Today we are talking about hybrid learning which is a combination of both online and offline modes. Students can only consume content through online learning but teachers are very prominent when they need to apply these learnings practically for the enhancement of their industry skills.”

Shrihari Prakash Honwad, Senior Academician and Former Vice Chancellor at several universities said, “During the pandemic, we only tried to recreate classrooms through online methods and that was a bad implementation of classroom learning. As in brick and mortar, at least teachers have a 160-degree vision of its class, and reducing it to just small screens was perilous.”

NEP preparing the next generation to thrive in the digital age

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digitalLEARNING Network

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October 12, 2022

The goal of India’s new educational system is outlined in the National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020), which was introduced in July, 2020. In order to ensure ongoing learning, NEP 2020 focuses on five pillars: affordability, accessibility, quality, equity, and accountability. Even in a post-covid world, online learning is anticipated to become the new standard, despite the fact that the future is unpredictable. This development came along at the proper moment since the New Education Policy gave e-learning, digital literacy, and new-age technology significant attention. Technology will be infused into every element of schooling due to the growing digitalisation. Education systems embrace technology in ways that boost teachers’ roles as co-creators and designers of cutting-edge learning environments. Digital learning tools go beyond merely imparting knowledge; they also monitor our cognitive processes to identify the tasks and ways of thinking that we find interesting as well as those that we find tedious or challenging. Here is an exclusive conversation from the panel discussion that happened recently at the World Education Summit organised by Elets Technomedia. Edited excerpts:

Prof. B.S. Murty, Director, Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IIT Hyderabad), Hyderabad, Telangana said, “ Pandemic has forced us to venture into digital learning. It is all about learning beyond classrooms while before covid, it was all about learning in classrooms i.e Physical learning.”

Due to covid more or less the whole world has moved towards digitisation direction, and in IIT Hyderabad, we are converting every classroom into digital. Our aim is to make our courses available for anybody in the world, Prof Murty further explained.

Prof. (Dr.) Raj Singh, Vice-Chancellor, JAIN (Deemed-to-be University), Bangalore,
Karnataka said, “ While we switched to blended learning, third-party content like
LinkedIn course, Coursera were not enough to differentiate us from others. So, we
launched 160+ in-house mock courses for our students.”

The whole national education policy in the context of which we are talking focuses on higher order learning outcomes, and more important is how do we expand learning opportunities, added Prof Raj.

Navin Mittal, Commissioner, Collegiate and Technical Education Department, Government of Telangana said, “With the NEP 2020 and UGC’s new regulation of Dual degree and training programmes, has opened an entirely new spectrum for international education or education abroad.”

Increasingly we have to position India as a destination for International students and some of our universities definitely fit into destinations of choice globally, he further added.

M Nagarajan, Commissioner, Higher Education Department, Government of Gujarat elaborated that “Entrepreneurship, Research and Innovation, all three are interlinked. With good research, you reach an innovative idea which will make the base for your entrepreneurship journey.”

A mind to market journey is a long procedure, from idea to the product and then to the market. Thus, we encourage our students and fund their ideas.

If we empower 10 percent of our students to become entrepreneurs they will be able to engage the other 90 per cent of the students, he concluded.

Prof. Anil Kashyap, President and Chancellor NICMAR University, Pune, Maharashtra said, “NEP mainly talks about interdisciplinary aspects. It depends entirely on the curriculum, professional bodies, and the institutions which are the driving force of interdisciplinary actions”.

In Indian context, institutes and universities are already interdisciplinary, there are subjects which are cross functional. However, the importance of curriculum to be interdisciplinary is quite significant in the sense that cross learning is supporting various aspects, Prof Anil further added.

Dr. Shashank Shah, Jt. Adviser/Senior Specialist (Higher Education), NITI Aayog, Government of India said, “NEP 2020 is very similar to the 1991 industrial Policy that transformed the entire fashion of work. NEP 2020 will open the same landscape for the education sector”.

The skills that we need in the digital age are not just the digital skills but several other skills where digital tools and techniques will help us succeed in complex problem solving, negotiation, decision making and ethical orientation, Dr. Shah concluded.

How gamification of lessons can help children to learn faster?

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digitalLEARNING Network

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October 12, 2022

There are three key factors that need to come together for better learning. Engagement, focus, and the motivation to correct errors. Interest to learn comes from the framing of a concept or problem. If the framing is novel and exciting, it elicits engagement. Focus flows from engagement and narrows attention to the problem at hand. If one is engaged with a problem, then there is motivation to find the right solution. Games provide an environment where these three factors come together in a synergistic manner.

Games can be quite effective in increasing the interest and engagement of students in the classroom. They bring novelty, excitement, and an element of competition that propel the student towards action. A few examples of games used in classrooms can include.

Teaching language:

Teaching prepositions (On, In, At, Over, Under, Above, and Below) through motor skills and movement (Jump ‘over,’ crawl ‘under,’ climb ‘up’ etc).

Teaching phonics by gamifying the correlation between sounds and the written alphabet (guessing games by giving auditory clues and asking students to write down the visual equivalent and vice versa).

Vocabulary and basic mathematics:

For primary students, games such as hangman, word ladder, etc to improve vocabulary. Tricky tables and random tables to improve basic arithmetic. Quizzes in social studies to add excitement to the class.

STEM subjects:

High School students can be taught STEM subjects through gamification. Statistics can be taught through sports data (having students role-play as experts analysing an international sports team’s performance), and physics concepts such as friction, momentum, etc can be taught through robotics or even R C models.

The advantage of games is that there is immediate feedback. When a concept is presented in the form of a game, a student needs to recall and apply it for a brief time. So, gaps in learning can be discovered quickly and teachers can address them. Students are also receptive to feedback since they are motivated to improve their performance.

There are several compelling reasons to include gamification in learning.

Games bring novelty and excitement
They build a positive association with the subject matter in the minds of students.
They motivate students to explore the concept in depth
They encourage creative thinking and increase focus.

The key to learning is error correction from feedback. We learn a topic, apply it, and correct our mistakes and misconceptions so that they are not repeated. Being motivated to learn from an error is key to faster learning. Games provide that motivation. When an error is made in a game, we tend to remember it and work towards ensuring that it is not repeated. And the positive association built with a subject motivates deeper learning.

However, it is important to note that gamification does not replace theory. It is essential to first present the theory to the student so that they have a framework in their minds. When students have to practice problem-solving with the concept, that’s when games are effective. This is so because they have a skeletal level understanding of the concept and games motivate them to work towards a deeper understanding by challenging them in a fun way.

Students are keener to learn when they solve problems through gamification. It is an effective tool for learning faster.

Views expressed by Dr Sindhura, Director, The Narayana Group of Institutions.

A new dawn for learning – digital sphere transforming education space

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digitalLEARNING Network

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October 12, 2022

The Indian education sector has been an entirely offline affair traditionally. The advent of the internet and increased access to the digital sphere has transformed this system. E-learning and digitisation have opened up new and exciting pathways within the education space and allowed vastly more people to attain knowledge and qualifications. When coupled with the increased proliferation of home computers and internet-capable smart phones, and supported by affordable data nationwide, this change has gradually been taking place over the last decade. Learning online is also the edge that is making the change flourishing. This has not only changes the way knowledge can be garbbed but also openned a different set of career opportunities for entrepreneurs. To explore the opportunities such firms/ startups offer to the education paradigm, Sheeba Chauhan of Elets News Network interacted with Abhishek Gupta, Co-founder and CBO, Learnbay. Edited excerpts:

Incepted in the year 2015, Learnbay witnessed more than 300 percent growth from revenue. How has been your journey throughout? Please shed some light on the hurdles in your path.

Learnbay started its journey in 2015 with Python training and eventually added a system designing course. In the meantime, others were providing various courses with industrial and foreign certifications. It was pretty challenging concerning other competitors. Because more than quality teaching, students were attracted to courses offering industrial certification.

AI and Data Science, as we all know, is the most trending technology of today and the future. So in 2017, we launched our first professional data science and AI training course with job assistance.

We never reduced the quality of our teaching because we promised specialised training with 1:1 assistance for students. Likewise, Learnbay never promises false notions with an eye catching feature or staff.

One of the major problems we faced outside our organisation was the change in the data science job market. Very few data scientists hone domain knowledge. Our certified course with domain specialisation helps students to gain domain knowledge and land a lucrative job within six months of course completion.

Today in 2022, we have more than 30 trainers and domain experts from various MAANG with more than five years of experience. We are building our workforce to more than 100 employers. In the era of personalization, we offer personalised data science and AI courses to professionals and our candidates.

What are the live projects Learnbay provides to the students, and how is it impactful?

Learnbay offers live projects from different domains. This enables students to work on live capstone projects of a specified domain. For example, we provide live capstone projects for domains like sales, marketing, HR, healthcare, BFSI, telecom, automotive, manufacturing, e-commerce, supply chain, oil, gas and energy, media, hospitality, and transportation.

Students learn and enhance their skills by working on live projects and even finding a solution for real-world problems that organisations face daily. So students would know which are the latest trending tools or have been used by experts or professionals of top MAANG, MNC, and leading start-ups. So students who complete our courses with domain specialisation are recruited faster because of the live capstone project they have worked on.

What are the benefits of domain specialisation and hybrid courses for students?

Domain specialisation is honing knowledge in a particular field or domain. It enriches students’ knowledge in one specific domain. Students do not have to work again on a domain after course completion; on the other hand, organisations hire candidates with domain knowledge. Because organisations do not want to train candidates with domain knowledge, they want candidates with domain knowledge so they can start working from day one.

The new age of learning is all about live online courses. Hybrid courses let students learn in both ways. Students can learn theoretical lessons from live online courses and complete their live capstone projects in hybrid classrooms because students can work on live projects collaboratively with other batch mates in hybrid classes (project innovation lab). Moreover, students can clear all their doubts on projects in hybrid courses and get a solution from our trainers. This will even help students to complete their projects along with the course.

The platform offers practical training on various technical courses, including data science, AI, web development, and software development, tailored to its learner’s individual needs. So why is Skilling and reskilling need of the hour?

Currently, data science, AI, and software development are the technologies top organisations leverage for business growth and customer satisfaction. These are advancing technologies that yet have to gain their maximum potential. Organisations’ traditional languages and tools have become outdated, and most professionals are experts in their fields. But after the technological advancement of data science and AI, almost all the leading organisations and start-ups are product or service based; all are working along with data science and AI.

So, organisations either lay off employees or have to build a new team with new-age skills and tools that the organisation is working on. This is where reskilling and up-skilling are crucial for any professional, it can even be a computer engineer or any other technical degree.

As I said earlier, it is a new era of learning, and every product or service is personalised today. Learnbay has also personalised the courses with domain electives and live projects. Currently, even organisations look for candidates with many personalised skills and domain knowledge. This is how Learnbay helps professionals who want to reskill or up-skill their ability to be updated with the current technology and its applications..

What are the expansion plans for Learnbay, and any plans for the product portfolio?

We have expanded every aspect, from adding new team members to courses, batches, offices, and hybrid classes (project innovation lab). Learnbay has grown from 30 members to over 100+ members. We have made a few changes to our courses and have added a full-stack software developer course with domain specialisation. We have reduced the number of members in a batch. So it becomes easy for trainers to concentrate on every student in the class.

Learnbay recently added a Full-stack software developer course with domain specialisation and even opened up a hybrid class (project innovation labs). Students and professionals can complete live projects in these hybrid classes and with other batch mates for collaborative learning. These are the recent growth and products that have been added to our organisation.

Digital Detox: Need of the hour

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digitalLEARNING Network

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October 12, 2022

We all acknowledge that learning continued during the pandemic, in spite of schools being shut, due to Online learning platforms. Edtech came as a great boon to the education sector and proved to be the best solution during the pandemic situation. Teachers utilised virtual classrooms to teach effectively by making use of all the available tools. The Pandemic compelled everyone to stay at home for a long period and obstructed the routine lives of families. Children were deprived of their outdoor activities and to compensate, the adults allowed their children to use devices for playing and recreation. This is how screen time increased tremendously over the past two years. These days we find screens everywhere. They’re on our walls, on our tables, in our cars, and in our hands. Though technology has made our lives easier and better and made learning more accessible and flexible, on the other hand, too much screen time has slowly started impacting us in negative ways like affecting emotional wellness, learning difficulties, social disconnect, and reducing physical activity. The sedentary time spent before the screens can also lead to mood changes and physical problems associated with not getting enough exercise. Using technology late at night could result in less sleep too.

Now that the schools are back in action, the dependency on technology has comparatively reduced. Parents are reluctant to hand over the devices to their children and have totally restricted them from using them. On the other hand, the children, who got used to the devices and the online entertainment it provided, are feeling bereft. This is resulting in a tremendous increase in cases related to behavioral issues by children both at school and at home.

We need to accept this fact and formulate ways to tackle this issue so that children do not fall victim to the thoughtless actions of adults.

Some of the ways which could help us in dealing with children who are unwilling to let go of their fascination for the devices and popular social media apps.

Encourage digital detox:

The concept has received increasing attention as a means of recovering from the ill effects caused by the excessive use of digital media. The basic idea is to disengage from online and digital media, and deliberately engage in “non-digital” tasks by focusing on the physical world, in order to recover from digital stress and overload. It refers to a period of time during which we mindfully “disconnect” from all electronic and digital devices, such as smartphones, tablets, and computers.

This relatively helps to focus more on authentic social interactions and reconnect with the physical world. In fact, one of the best ways to digital detox is by going into green environments.

Set achievable targets

Setting a new habit cannot happen overnight. It takes time and consistency. Screen time should be reduced gradually. The children should be eased into it. Therefore it is important to select achievable goals to avoid the risk of failure.

One can initially start by simply setting smaller time limits and gradually increasing the duration. This kind of “gradual detoxing” helps to effectively eliminate digital dependencies.

Be an example

When you set limits for the children, they would be greatly motivated if you also set aside your device for some time every day and set an example. Possibly, some parents might be more stressed than their children while following this rule, but one should focus to stay calm rather than showing restlessness.

Prepare a schedule

Assist your child to plan and prepare a proper schedule. All the family members must be aware of the schedule and support the child in following the same, consistently. A healthy and safe environment needs to be created around your child. The schedule should have a balanced approach to studies and leisure time, with regard to screen time. Let’s say, the child has to use the laptop for academics, do not consider that screen time while checking the total screen time of the day. This will ensure that the child does not lie about the time spent on academics/leisure screen time.

Spend quality time:

When you expect your children to reduce their screen time, then it becomes the duty of the adults at home to suggest and implement productive and entertaining alternatives. The involvement of parents and other family members in engaging with their children has become a necessity in the present-day nuclear family setup. Discuss the subject/topics they are interested in rather than always talking about your own past and the challenges you faced.-

Chores and hobbies:

Encourage your kids to help you around the house. Involve them in small household chores and make them accountable for the same. After school hobby classes are a great way to keep the children physically and mentally fit and active.

We as adults understand and are cognizant of the consequences resulting in excess screen time. However, snatching away the phones and laptops, switching off the TVs, and hiding the gaming console are not the appropriate methods to reduce screen time. Engaging in family time will result in disengaging screen time.

Views expressed by Amruta Rao, Principal, Greenwich Academy – The School, Hyderabad, Telangana.

Digital transformation: An era of new-age education

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digitalLEARNING Network

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October 12, 2022

The world of education has drastically changed & learning with a multidisciplinary approach needs extraordinary skill sets (Design thinking & Digital learning) to make the child capable of transitioning into the future of work.

Design thinking

It’s a skill that not only helping the students to understand what they are learning but helping them to question the work they are doing. It’s required for everyone all over the world, not only limited to classrooms.

Design thinking is a part of the project-based learning educational model. It’s a child-centric approach to finding solutions to real-life problems by identifying and developing innovative and creative solutions. Students transform themselves into optimistic, emphatic, and smart working members of society who can solve complex challenges of the coming future.

Design thinking methods encourage students to address challenges with a sense of empathy.

Design thinking can be used in the classroom to build problem solving skills (PSS).

Digital transformation

The Pandemic (COVID-19) has affected educational institutions all over the world both Developed and Developing countries. Students in the world were unable to go to school physically. The impact has been transformative as we educators are looking forward to implementing technology solutions to enable online teaching and learning.

Digital transformation in education is not restricted to online teaching and learning during- COVID-19, but post-COVID also, it’s in Hybrid mode.

Some educational institutions have been using technology solutions for the last many years, and most schools and universities have now realized the significance of digital transformation in education during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Digital transformation in Education means enhancing an organization’s core operations to meet students, parents, and educators’ requirements efficiently.

The Digital transformation is aiming at enhancing the student’s experience by allowing them to register for admission via mobile app or web app, providing a wide array of online learning options, and using technology to track students’ progress. It also helps and allows faculties to organise online classes. Digital transformation in education does not only mean improving students’ experience; it also focuses on enhancing the campus environment, teaching, and learning methods.

Digital transformation in learning environment

Educational institutions have started realising the significance of digital transformation in education with the increased use of online classes and video conferencing solutions. It is the right time to implement and build technology solutions that will transform the new way of learning. We have to understand how technology can help to bring efficiency.

Digital transformation in teaching method

Online teaching is an opportunity to build new teaching method and connect with students efficiently. These days everyone is having smart devices, including smartphones, computers, laptops, and tablets. Learning by using technology is a new effective way to bring better learning & experiences for students.

In the modern educational world, different new methods can be introduced in digital transformation.

At last, I want to tell you that with the digitisation of the learning experience, both students and teachers can enhance their skills to create an engaging educational process. From online learning to the smart classroom, analysis of students’ performance, personalised learning experience, and online examination, we can transform our educational institute in many ways in the 21st century.

Views expressed by Dr. Rajkumar Sharma, Principal, Nimawat International School, Jaipur

Education Technology – Connecting the dots

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digitalLEARNING Network

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October 12, 2022

The covid pandemic brought about a real revolution in the way children were taught across the world. Almost overnight, millions of children and teachers had to go online and completely adapt to the new way of teaching. While many were unhappy about the lack of visible learning outcomes, but no one can deny that it opened up options in teaching-learning that most had not envisaged.

But today, as we get back to the world of offline learning, the question looms large – are things going to be back exactly as they were before, or are we going to move towards a different hybrid model? The same question is also being asked by the thousands of edutech companies which flourished during covid and school administrators who now have to take decisions regarding the inundation of edutech options.

So in this article, I put forward my way of thinking about this tricky situation. Firstly, each school has to consider its own parent set. After almost 2 years of online learning, parents are a little wary about the issue of screen time and are looking forward to a more social learning experience, and no doubt, that is what a school is all about.

About technology, as with any other decision in a school, the right answer always comes when you put the child in the front and center. What that means is that the best way to make a decision about any technology platform or solution is by looking at it from the lens of the child. Is the technology really making the classroom a better and more inclusive learning space? Is it dovetailing with the curriculum and is it allowing for better and more conceptual learning to happen? So basically, instead of looking at the technology piece individually, look at it as a piece of the educational puzzle where everything – teachers, manipulatives, books, labs, training, and of course, technology fits in. If the technology piece is completing your educational zigsaw, go for it.

Therefore, I strongly feel, that before technology, the first things that need to move are pedagogy and teacher capability. The bane of technology implementation in schools has always been teachers’ reluctance and friction. So what that means is that you, as a school leader or administrator, first make the requisite changes in the pedagogy that uses technology as a medium of efficiency and do a lot of capability development till the demand for technology starts coming from the teachers and not top-down from the management. When this happens, you see the benefit of investment in technology really reaching the students, and the quality of learning surges.

Now, to the next big question- How do you select which edutech product is better? There are so many in the market. One way this can be solved is through a bottom-up approach where the investment happens in the platforms rather than the services. We are fast moving towards a world where content is ubiquitous and free. At the same time, the content and technology is evolving too fast and anything you buy becomes outdated in 1-2 years. In this world, platform solutions that allow any plug-and-play of services are a better investment than the service itself. If you have Rs 1L to spend on technology, spend it on good devices, high speed internet, and easy access to those devices for classes and teachers, and training.

Views expressed by Devidutta Kanungo, CEO, Radcliffe Group of Schools, Hyderabad, Telangana.

Cloud Computing – Unlocking vivid career roles

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digitalLEARNING Network

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October 11, 2022

With the increased use of technology, the huge amount of data is generated that needs to be kept safe and that too with a cost-effective method. Here, comes cloud computing into the picture. Cloud computing offers opportunities for innovation and benefits in the classroom that are both safe and cost-effective. The advent of technologies like cloud computing, Artificial intelligence, and Machine Learning has increased the chances of innovation in the education landscape. Today, mere teaching and learning with the traditional methods are not sufficient, students need to critically think, evolve and innovate in the classroom to upskill themselves with 21st-century skill sets. Sheeba Chauhan of Elets News Network had an exclusive conversation with Bhavesh Goswami, CEO, & Founder, CloudThat to discuss the possibilities that cloud computing offers to the education space. Edited excerpts:

You have more than 17 years of experience working in the cloud computing space. What are the major challenges and opportunities you faced throughout your journey?

I moved back to India from the US in 2011 after working on the initial development team of Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3) in Seattle to launch their first service of AWS and worked for Microsoft on some of their initial cloud products. Then, India hardly had any cloud momentum. AWS had no office in India, Singapore housed the nearest AWS office, and Microsoft Azure was not available in its current form. Also, Indian IT giants like TCS, Wipro, and Infosys had no cloud division.

The initial challenge for us was to train the workforce of these organisations in the cloud. We were the first cloud training organisation in India to accept this challenge and have helped 5 lakh professionals to get trained in the cloud computing domain.

In the present context, the cloud space has matured, and the services have expanded exponentially. AWS has over 200 services and releases over 2000 major features each year. The biggest challenge is to help organisations to gear up to meet the rapid changes witnessed in cloud space. Most organisations are finding it tough to ramp up to the rapid changes. We at CloudThat are on a mission to build a robust cloud ecosystem in India with our cloud training and consulting expertise.

How do you rate India’s readiness for the adoption of technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Machine Learning (ML) in the education department?

While the Ed-tech industry has embraced AI/ML innovations with open hands with Edtech leading the deck in AI adoption, the general education ecosystem is far behind. CloudThat itself with the partnership of Microsoft conducted a unique program called “Week of AI” where we educated over 2 lakh aspirants in AI in just a quarter.

But still, we lack. This is evident from the recent NasscomZinnov report. India is projected to face a shortage of 14-19 lakh tech professionals by 2026 and primarily the dearth of skills is witnessed in niche areas like Artificial Intelligence Big Data Analytics and Cloud Computing.

Reskilling the workforce and upskilling the fresh aspirants is the key to addressing this AI skilling challenge. Research says, if we can succeed in this mission, by 2035, Artificial Intelligence has the potential to add the US $1 trillion to the Indian economy. Moreover, fostering a robust AI ecosystem relies on how universities, research-based companies, start-ups, and policymakers gear up to adopt these technologies.

What are the job opportunities that can be attained by upskilling oneself in the cloud computing space?

To nurture a career in the cloud computing space you are primarily expected to have sound knowledge of programming languages, database administration & programming, Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning foundation, and a comprehensive understanding of various cloud technologies and providers. Once you gain competency in these skills vivid career roles open that include Cloud Architect, Cloud Engineer, Cloud Software Engineer, Cloud Consultant, Cloud Security Analyst, Cloud Network Engineer, and Cloud Administrator.

Interestingly, the IT giants in India like TCS, Infosys, Wipro, and others have realised the need to have a different pay band for cloud professionals. For instance, According to TCS chief human resources officer, Milind Lakkad, they are hiring 77,000 freshers in the FY-2022, and in that they are offering a higher pay scale for candidates with proficiency in Digital Skills like Cloud. Further, as a fresher, you can earn anywhere between 4 lakhs to 10 lakhs rupees and for experienced professionals, the sky is the limit.

What are the key considerations a user should make before choosing a cloud computing platform?

Any organisation must ensure the following factors are considered before deciding to choose a cloud platform.

• Types of Cloud – You must weigh the pros and cons of choosing a public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud for your business needs. Also, it is recommended to take up a multi-cloud approach to avoid the pitfalls of vendor lock-in.

• Pricing – It is important to pay attention to the pricing of each of these cloud models and smartly take a decision that suits your budget.

• Disaster Recovery & Governance Policies – Get clarity regarding the Disaster Recovery policies offered and how your vendor implements governance policies.

• Service Level Agreements – Read the Service Level Agreement documents thoroughly.

• Data Governance & Information Security Policies – Understand the data governance & security policies put forth by the vendors and seek clarifications if needed.

With the advancement in industry and changing needs of the education sector, how is CloudThat innovating in its product portfolio?

Every day, principals face new challenges in their efforts to create a strong student education ecosystem. One of the most difficult tasks I’ve had in my journey has been planning and streamlining a more comprehensive and all-encompassing curriculum. To address this, I have formed alliances with academicians & industry experts and developed customised outcome-based education that will map competencies and standards to improve learning outcomes. Today, this is commonly referred to as VESASC Autonomous courses, which have gained strong popularity among students.

In the evolving landscape of education, like recent amendments in NEP, introduction of CUET for admissions, and a lot more. How are you planning to adapt to these changes? What are your plans for expansion of your institutions?

The Cloud industry is growing exponentially, and the dearth of skilled professionals is evident in every sector. We have realised that there is a huge gap between the skills imparted in academia and what is expected by the industry and have initiated a unique career transformation and job guarantee program that is offered to final-year graduate students so that by the time they graduate they will have a career path defined with a job offer in hand or otherwise we will refund their fees.

For the corporate sector, we have our unique Capability Development Framework (CDF) which can assess the cloud skill gaps of their workforce and thus help them strategise and roll out upskilling programs to be cloud-ready.

To date, we have trained more than 5 Lakh professionals on cloud and other niche technologies like AI & ML, Analytics, DevOps, and Kubernetes.

Today with cloud computing booming already 85 per cent of organisations have moved their IT resources to the cloud with a ‘cloud-first’ approach. The demand for cloud certifications in AWS, Azure, and Google clouds is skyrocketing, and multi-cloud and virtualisation are seen as the future of the cloud arena. In this context, CloudThat has strategically entered authorised training partnerships with Azure, AWS, and VMware.

Education abroad- challenges and opportunities

Interviews

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digitalLEARNING Network

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October 11, 2022

In the first quarter of 2022, 133,135 students left India for academic pursuits, an increase from 2020 when 259,655 students studied abroad. Students opt for undergraduate and higher education courses abroad, to shape their career and have global exposure. Though, pandemic has served a pinnacle of opportunities for the candidates through online mode, who wants to have international degree. Whilst students who were there physically have to suffer when pandemic hit the world. Global exposure is as important as studying in India. Based on a recent survey about the education abroad Sheeba Chauhan of Elets News Network interacted with Abhinav Mital, Founder, The WorldGrad and explored the myriad opportunity that the world offers in the education segment. Edited excerpts:

The proportion of UG students considering a hybrid learning option is highest among those considering Australia and the United Kingdom (86 per cent). Why hybrid courses have become popular amongst students?

The most common difficulties students face when considering studying abroad are fees, transitioning to a new educational system, and cultural differences that come with moving to a new country. By completing a portion of an abroad degree from home, a student often saves 20-25 per cent on overall costs, becomes more familiar with the academic environment, and is able to demonstrate their dedication to studies without a doubt. Students with hybrid education have better time management skills. Hybrid learning allows for greater savings as well as instant learning. The ability to attend courses from faraway locations using internet-enabled devices has made life hassle-free for students.

Employment opportunities are the most crucial part after graduation or post-graduation. How do you think studying abroad increases employment opportunities for fresh graduates?

International programmes offer students a one-of-a-kind and diverse learning experience. They can get a good education, learn about a new culture, meet new people, and learn new skills and languages. A study abroad program can also help students advance their professional chances. Studying for an overseas degree is an achievement in and of itself. A degree from a prestigious foreign university can give the student’s CV an edge when searching for jobs. One can also include any course placements, internships, or work experience. It provides students with a fresh viewpoint and opens up professional opportunities they had never considered or heard about before. Studying abroad exposes learners to various fields and industries and assists them in developing a global perspective. Furthermore, having studied overseas, students are better prepared to handle difficult professional duties in any field.

Employers frequently look for a candidate’s confidence, adaptability, flexibility, and practical expertise. All of these qualities can be acquired when living and studying in another country. Students learn critical life skills and the capacity to deal with unforeseen circumstances while making their way through a new nation and its culture.

I feel studying for a degree abroad is a wise investment because it can help students find a better job and pave the way to a more fulfilling career and life.

Australia is 32% of UG students; top destinations. What makes Australia the top destination?

Australia is a secure and hospitable destination to live and study, constantly ranking among the world’s safest countries. The best learning outcomes are those that are active, engaging, and relevant. Australian universities are known for providing high-quality education through industry-focused courses that place a greater emphasis on real-world learning than theoretical knowledge. The learning models are specifically developed to assist students in becoming industry-ready and realising their career goals. Full-time employment among graduates of higher education institutions in Australia climbed slightly to 68.7% last year. Also, the Australian government recently announced a major extension of post-study work rights for international students, giving the extra-nudge.

Many Indian students choose to study in Australia because of the country’s pleasant, laid-back atmosphere, great education system, and high standard of living.

With the coming of hybrid models, do you think online degrees abroad will be at par with offline degrees?

Over time, the education industry has evolved. The sector’s growth has been facilitated by the pandemic-induced digital world. Edtech businesses have risen to prominence since then, facilitating remote education. As previously stated, our recent study found that more than 80% of undergraduate (UG) students and 75 per cent of postgraduate (PG) students are eager to continue their international studies through a hybrid learning model. According to the response, finding career chances is still the most essential factor for students, followed by costs. This proves that while students choose part-online education, they also want to study offline and with their respective peers face-to-face.

How is The WorldGrad helping students choose the best option abroad? Will hybrid models impact your business?

Our objective is to improve student access to high-quality education, which means we need to broaden the possibilities for students who want to study abroad. It is not only about establishing more universities but also about offering different modalities or paths for students to study at those universities. We are the first to offer a hybrid route to overseas degrees, in which a student can complete up to one year of their degree through The WorldGrad and the rest at an overseas campus of their choice. Students can customize the length, courses, and scheduling of their studies with us, resulting in flexible and unique pathways based on their readiness to migrate overseas. We also provide students with direct connections to the same universities and institutions in other countries if they so desire.

Firstly, we assist students in selecting the best path for them, for which we rely on our highly qualified academic counselors. Once enrolled, the student will learn in our bespoke online environment with tailored academic help from teachers in India and overseas. This permits individuals to bridge scholastic gaps and become used to academic standards in other countries.

Our principal objective is to equip children for academic success in a global setting. We see the hybrid approach as an addition to the traditional offline curriculum model. We intend to increase students’ opportunities to get academic experience.

Having such a successful company makes students’ dreams a reality. What are your expansion plans for this year and beyond?

We at The WorldGrad aspire to provide students with online access to globally renowned foreign universities. So far, we’ve gotten an incredible response, which has inspired us to grow. By expanding in India, we will create more platforms. Australia’s Online Education Services (OES) is a well-known online education enabler, and their recent investment in The WorldGrad has aided in the platform’s expansion, allowing more students to study overseas at prestigious universities. With this initiative, we hope to establish 50 academic program partners in the next 12 months. Furthermore, we have successfully introduced the “UK 1 Year Program,” which allows students to complete their 40-week first year of any undergraduate degree in just 26 weeks online. Additionally, one-on-one coaching ensures that students are prepared to finish their remaining coursework on campus. Over the next 18-24 months, we will add 500 professionals to our team, including instructors, administration, recruitment, content developers, and branding.

Breaking through the mind block of student choice-based enrollment

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digitalLEARNING Network

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October 11, 2022

21st-century students know what they want and nobody can stop them. Rightfully so, as the educational landscape is poised to grant students autonomy and freedom like never before! But what does having a student’s voice look like? Well, it looks a little bit like inclusion, integration, transformation, and empowerment. This means, aspects like what to learn, how to learn, when to learn, where to learn, and from whom to learn, are decided by the student. Across the globe, institutions have been exercising the student choice-based enrollment system. However, in India, the process has not been adopted largely for two reasons.

1. For a student in higher education, the choices that govern the academic journey are very limited.

2. Once a student joins an institute, he/she attends classes continuously until the last semester of study.

The objective of this article is to break through the mind block of a student choice-based enrollment system.

Overcoming myths with facts

The mind block associated with implementing a student choice based enrollment system can be attributed to certain myths that have been cultivated over a period. The first one is the notion that students are not mature or savvy enough to make their own choices and hence require definitive structure and guidelines. The second one is that the choice-based model will require support of more faculty members and additional classroom infrastructure.

The third one is that there isn’t an IT system in the market that will be able to manage and govern such dynamic operations. However, research indicates otherwise.

Students, when given the opportunity to do so, are more likely to adopt a positive, cultural change. This is because new age learners are comfortable enough to make decisions regarding their academic journeys. Secondly, the choice-based model will significantly reduce the demand and burden on teaching faculty and classroom infrastructure, as resources are optimised. Thirdly, IT systems such as Camu are compatible with all types of pedagogical approaches, making it easy for institutions to preside over.

Decoding the landscape

The National Education Policy 2020 promotes the use of a student choice-based enrollment system, which is expected to gain recognition by accreditation bodies, and possibly be mandated soon.

Furthermore, the Ministry of Education recently announced the Academic Bank of Credit, designed as a digital bank that can hold the credits earned by a student in any course. A major instrument for facilitating multidisciplinary and holistic education, it paves the
way for seamless student mobility.

With multiple entry and exit points, students can easily switch between or within higher educational institutes through a formal system of credit recognition, credit accumulation, credit transfers, and credit redemption.

Introducing the formula for success

A student choice-based enrollment system is governed by the following criteria.

• The academic year is divided into an odd and an even semester.

• The curriculum structure is the flow chart for each student, and they will traverse it as per the regulations.

• There is no class timetable; each student has a personal study plan.

• Lecture schedules are created before the end of the previous semester

• Students may choose their courses and teaching faculty.

• Students are in different classes for each period, based upon their course registration

• Students can complete their courses in fewer or more semesters, depending on their study plan.

• Students can transfer in and out of the institution at any point and carry their credits.

• Students are responsible for meeting of graduation criteria

Building the roadmap for change

Institutions must keep the following aspects in mind when guiding the change toward a student choice-based enrollment system.

1. The existing curriculum design can remain as is but will require understanding and awareness from faculty and students.

2. Lecture scheduling for a semester must be done beforehand.

3. Based on the lecture schedule, students will need to register for the courses and also select teaching faculty where possible.

4. Students will have to register for the new courses and the arrears.

5. An IT system must be put in place to allow for course registrations.

Listing the benefits of an IT system

Did you know that IT systems have been available since the early 1990s with institutions offering a choice-based model for student autonomy and empowerment?

The impact of this superior EdTech solution is as follows.

1. Allows course registrations based on the published lecture schedule.

2. Enables students to register for courses as per the following rules:

a. available in their curriculum
b. not qualified previously
c. without conflict in timing
d. as per the credits to be earned in each category
e. as per the pre-requisites, co-requisites, and anti-requisites

3. Implements a CoE module, wherein exam registrations can be skipped. The course registrations will form the base for pre-exam activities

4. Facilitates quick results, so that course registration for the next semester can start immediately

Camu has a brilliant track record (both locally and internationally) of having successfully implemented a student choice-based enrollment system in several institutions.

Views expressed by AR Swami, Co-Founder & CEO, Camu.

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