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Tuesday, 21 August 2012
Medical Transcription field.
E-way to learning
Everything around us is getting digitised and so is the education system. Ishan Gupta
tells you how online knowledge programmes have gained popularity with
working professionals who want to pursue further studies for better job
prospects
Online education in India has grown at a rapid speed, making it one of the most talked about concepts in the education sector. Due to the challenges of the present education system, there is a growing realisation that problems like delivery, assessments and general consumption of information can be addressed by leveraging technology.
Different schools of thought exist in this regard. While one possesses the view that online education is growing but can’t match the importance of offline learning, the other appreciates and accepts the newer trends emerging in the space.
As a working professional, up-skilling oneself is a challenge because one does not really want to stop working and get back to studying. And it is because of this need that online education works very efficiently. It gives enough flexibility to professionals to enhance their skills while pursuing their full time job. This keeps professionals abreast with the latest information of their respective industries as well as updated with ongoing advancements.
Also, the process of shifting from one industry to another becomes easier as one can easily gain industry relevant knowledge while working and shift immediately after they have gained the relevant know-how of the newer industry. This is a more time saving and cost effective approach to one's career prospects. For instance, the Taj Group of Hotels had a tie up with the Swiss hospitality institute Glion Institute of Higher Education for online training of their managerial employees.
Online education has become a fantastic alternative and the growing awareness of various online courses is enticing more and more students to opt for this mode of study. The reason behind pursuing education through an online medium is different for each one; some do it to up-skill themselves while others do it to gain accreditation from renowned universities worldwide in order to build better qualifications from the convenience of their home. It is also a more cost effective and faster form of learning.
Though online education is at its nascent stage in India as compared with other countries, there is indeed an immense potential for this industry to grow. According to the report by Business Standard it is estimated that the e-learning market is going to see a whopping rise in the years to come.
According to industry experts, by 2014 the e-learning market will be a whopping Rs .2.5 lakh crore. The best part about the e-learning domain is that it is not restrictive; students from all walks of life can pursue online courses.
Studies show that students from Tier II and Tier III cities are responding immensely well to the online education and are taking sincere initiatives to enhance their skills by undertaking relevant courses.
Another reason mounting to the success of online education is the preference of the students to learn at their own pace. Additionally, for people who have erratic working hours, the preference for the online medium of education rises as they feel comfortable in pursuing a degree of their own choice at their own pace.
Therefore, education players in the market are not only offering interesting courses, but also provide unique services like telephonic support, online chat, networking forums and communication platforms to enhance the level of learning. Such innovative services are leveraging technology and pushing the scope of online education amongst potential audiences.
Online education has already penetrated the Indian culture. Many education players have understood the scope of this growing industry and are therefore venturing into the online education space. They sincerely believe that education can no more be confined to the four walls of the classroom; rather it is beyond this cliched system. The education parameters and standards have advanced to great heights and are all set to bring about a radical change in the ideologies and acceptance levels of the people.
To sum it up, it can be aptly said that no module of learning can ever be labeled as ‘perfect’. Rather it is the changing times that dictate the new patterns of learning. At this juncture, it is online education that is galloping effectively and is all set to change the education scenario. A famous American scholar Will had said: “Education is the transmission of civilisation.” Hence, it is apparent that education system ought to adapt itself to needs of the time and change
Online education in India has grown at a rapid speed, making it one of the most talked about concepts in the education sector. Due to the challenges of the present education system, there is a growing realisation that problems like delivery, assessments and general consumption of information can be addressed by leveraging technology.
Different schools of thought exist in this regard. While one possesses the view that online education is growing but can’t match the importance of offline learning, the other appreciates and accepts the newer trends emerging in the space.
As a working professional, up-skilling oneself is a challenge because one does not really want to stop working and get back to studying. And it is because of this need that online education works very efficiently. It gives enough flexibility to professionals to enhance their skills while pursuing their full time job. This keeps professionals abreast with the latest information of their respective industries as well as updated with ongoing advancements.
Also, the process of shifting from one industry to another becomes easier as one can easily gain industry relevant knowledge while working and shift immediately after they have gained the relevant know-how of the newer industry. This is a more time saving and cost effective approach to one's career prospects. For instance, the Taj Group of Hotels had a tie up with the Swiss hospitality institute Glion Institute of Higher Education for online training of their managerial employees.
Online education has become a fantastic alternative and the growing awareness of various online courses is enticing more and more students to opt for this mode of study. The reason behind pursuing education through an online medium is different for each one; some do it to up-skill themselves while others do it to gain accreditation from renowned universities worldwide in order to build better qualifications from the convenience of their home. It is also a more cost effective and faster form of learning.
Though online education is at its nascent stage in India as compared with other countries, there is indeed an immense potential for this industry to grow. According to the report by Business Standard it is estimated that the e-learning market is going to see a whopping rise in the years to come.
According to industry experts, by 2014 the e-learning market will be a whopping Rs .2.5 lakh crore. The best part about the e-learning domain is that it is not restrictive; students from all walks of life can pursue online courses.
Studies show that students from Tier II and Tier III cities are responding immensely well to the online education and are taking sincere initiatives to enhance their skills by undertaking relevant courses.
Another reason mounting to the success of online education is the preference of the students to learn at their own pace. Additionally, for people who have erratic working hours, the preference for the online medium of education rises as they feel comfortable in pursuing a degree of their own choice at their own pace.
Therefore, education players in the market are not only offering interesting courses, but also provide unique services like telephonic support, online chat, networking forums and communication platforms to enhance the level of learning. Such innovative services are leveraging technology and pushing the scope of online education amongst potential audiences.
Online education has already penetrated the Indian culture. Many education players have understood the scope of this growing industry and are therefore venturing into the online education space. They sincerely believe that education can no more be confined to the four walls of the classroom; rather it is beyond this cliched system. The education parameters and standards have advanced to great heights and are all set to bring about a radical change in the ideologies and acceptance levels of the people.
To sum it up, it can be aptly said that no module of learning can ever be labeled as ‘perfect’. Rather it is the changing times that dictate the new patterns of learning. At this juncture, it is online education that is galloping effectively and is all set to change the education scenario. A famous American scholar Will had said: “Education is the transmission of civilisation.” Hence, it is apparent that education system ought to adapt itself to needs of the time and change
Affordable Rural Education Centers
Grameen Koota, in partnership with Hippocampus Learning Centres, opens new, affordable rural education centres seeking improved school results for very low-income children
Unitus Seed Fund invests in Hippocampus Learning Centres >
In
June 2011, Grameen Koota piloted 18 education centers in rural
Karnataka (near Bangalore), Inda with learning programs for pre-school,
primary and high school children. Grameen Koota’s field staff worked
tirelessly to identify villages with low access to quality affordable
education, adequate households to meet enrolment targets, and cultural
acceptance for children from different backgrounds to study together.
Within the first month and a half, over 600 children enrolled across the
three programs in 18 centers.The pilot showcased that quality education can be offered for as low as $2.50 per month, by using technology, video based coaching and low cost education materials. However, several challenges such as competition with government Anganwadi programs, low-availability of quality teachers, and timing of center rollouts led the team to fall short of enrollment targets by 50%. The centers are expected to achieve operational breakeven within the second year, and breakeven of subsequent centers should be achieved within a shorter timeframe.
Grameen Koota has shared a detailed business plan showcasing learnings and challenges from this pilot, allowing other organizations to assess the viability of rolling out a similar program on their own.
NOTE: This is published in the spirit of open source. You may use and modify this content with the condition that you provide credit and intellectual property rights acknowledgement to Grameen Koota and Hippocampus Learning Centres, and provide a link back to this page.
Download Hippocampus Education Centres Project Report (PDF – 7MB)
Download Hippocampus Education Centres Business Plan (PDF – 1MB)
About Grameen Koota
Grameen Koota is the microfinance arm of Grameen Financial Services Pvt. Ltd. (GFSPL) with operations across Karnataka, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. Beginning in 1999, Grameen Koota adapted the Grameen Bank’s group lending methodology of microfinance to the Indian setting and steadily groomed a class of mature and financially literate women entrepreneurs. Today, the organization offers a wider variety of financial services including micro-credit and micro-insurance, and non-financial services include vocational training, education and health awareness.About Hippocampus Learning Centres
Hippocampus Learning Centres (HLC) establishes learning centres in villages offering preschool and after school programs to age groups from 3 years to 10 years with the aim of improving a child’s capacity to learn and do better in school. HLC hires woman from the local community as teachers, trains them to run the centres and provides them ongoing support. HLC intends to make these ongoing sustainable community enterprises and also achieve financial sustainability as an organization. HLC is based in Bangalore, IndiaThe future of e-learning in India
According to IDC, the revenue earned worldwide from e-learning was $6 billion
in 2003. That’s expected to rise to $21 billion by 2008. Nasscom reports
that Indian companies will get revenues of $7 million to $9 million by end-2005.
As is apparent from the above figures, the Indian e-learning market is still
at a nascent stage. But thanks to an increasing emphasis on honing individual
skills, e-learning is slowly becoming popular in India.
State of e-learning
e-learning permits the delivery of knowledge and information to learners at
an accelerated pace, opening up new vistas of knowledge transfer.
Early adopters are companies that have tried to supplement face-to-face meetings,
demonstrations, training classes and lectures with this technology. “The
adoption of e-learning in all spheres—corporates, schools, universities,
etc—is low at present. The Indian market is not substantial when compared
to the international market which is worth about $6 billion to $7 billion,”
says Harish Joshy, Vice-president of LionBridge Technologies, an e-learning
player.
e-learning in India has been most successful in the corporate segment where
it is seen as a means of achieving business goals and motivating employees.
Virtual universities
Countries without university education can access universities
in other countries via the Web, a solution much cheaper than building university
infrastructure.
In underdeveloped countries, e-learning can raise the level of education, literacy
and economic development. This is especially true for countries where technical
education is expensive, opportunities are limited, and economic disparities
exist.
However, one of the problems with e-learning in India is
the lack of course content, especially outside the mainstream focus areas of
IT education, English-language content, and tutorial-like courses. There will
be high demand for people who can develop multi-lingual courseware that addresses
various topics. Gartner says that one of the top 10 positions among Global 1000
companies of the future will be that of an online learning designer.
LionBridge has recognised two types of requirements for e-learning—one
is a catalogue for courses which is quite generic in nature and can be used
by everyone; for example, a course on Microsoft Excel or PowerPoint. The second
type is customised development such as product training for a specific customer.
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A traditional learning
structure does not guarantee the delivery of a consistent message, whereas consistency is assured in e-learning Albert Lewis Head Products, Strategy & Business Excellence Tata Interactive Services |
We wish to reach out
to every computer user who wishes to create his own content, enhance it using multimedia, and share it with others Gautam Goradia Managing Director Remittag Software |
Advantages of e-learning
Nothing can replace traditional classroom teaching, but e-learning
complements the process and can help reach out to the masses. Says Gautam Goradia,
Managing Director of Remittag Software Company, “There are several companies
that are working towards e-learning in India. Our product focus is on providing
simple, cost-effective e-learning tools for individuals. We wish to reach out
to every computer user who wishes to create his own content, enhance it using
multimedia, append to it as and when information changes, share it with others,
and make effective use of the same for self-learning as well as to teach others.”
The biggest advantage of e-learning lies in its ability to cover distances.
For an organisation that is spread across multiple locations, traditional training
becomes a constraint. All trainees need to come to a classroom to get trained.
Additionally, the trainee’s learning pace is not addressed as all trainees
are treated as having equal abilities and there is little flexibility in terms
of timing and completion of the course.
“The major advantage is the consistency that e-learning
provides. e-learning is self-paced, and learning is done at the learner’s
pace. The content can be repeated until it is understood by the trainee. It
can be made compelling and interesting with multimedia, and the trainee can
be given multiple learning paths depending on his or her needs,” explains
Joshy.
Albert Lewis, Head, Products, Strategy and Business Excellence, Tata Interactive
Services (TIS), points out that “A traditional learning structure does
not guarantee the delivery of a consistent message, whereas consistency is assured
in e-learning.”
| Trends in e-learning | |
| Business-to-employee initiatives will address e-learning | Companies will build B2E intranets or corporate portals to conduct business with employees, and provide them self-service for access to benefits, forms and information. B2E capabilities will become increasingly important tools for recruitment, retention, and employee-relationship management. |
| e-learning will extend to customers | CRM initiatives might include customer education. According to Gartner, companies can use e-learning to introduce new products, educate customers in self-service techniques, and compare competitors’ products and services. |
| Simulation, gaming and interactivity will enrich e-learning | Research shows that student understanding and retention improves when they learn by experience. Technologies such as collaboration, interactivity, modelling, simulations, virtual reality interfaces and gaming will help students experience the skill while being taught. |
| There will never be enough of the right skills | Along with technologies and business practices, some skills are changing so quickly that they’re outdated within a few months of introduction. In addition, the number and range of skills required of the average employee is increasing. |
Every person a creator
In a market such as India where the concept is still new, one crucial element
that will make a difference in generating a good response is marketing. This
not only holds true for segments such as government and education, but for the
corporate sector as well. Experts are of the view that there needs to be a mindset
for the adoption of e-learning.
The other point is content. If content providers are giving off-the-shelf content,
there should be scope for customisation since each organisation has its own
needs.
Goradia believes that every individual must be treated as a potential creator
of content. Each one of us must have specialised tools that would help us create
well-structured content, allow us to append information, and not make us totally
dependent on external sources for content.
Bottomline: the Indian market is still young, but it will
continue to adopt the concept of e-learning in order to meet its communication
needs and seize business opportunities.
Online Tutoring In India Beginning To Take Off In A Big Way!
Knowledge commands, and knowledge is power, is what
we all know. Online tutoring is starting to take off in a big way these
days. Many online portals are starting to offer educational support to
students which has further lead to a win-win situation for students,
teachers and parents of students who are working for such portals.
Extramarks.com
Private Limited is a Delhi-based call centre which caters to NCERT
course related queries of students from standards 6th to 12th.
Registration is free for all students, teachers as well as parents of
students. Registered users can access the community online to ask
queries and share concerns with all other members. Expert teachers hired
by these portals reply back with answers to questions of these
students. Extramarks is planning it operations across the US and UK
within the next six months, and has many other plans as well.
There is another example of an online education
provider listed on the stock market which has now evolved into a giant
online education service provider. Educomp Solutions is a leading online
education provider and has approximately 3.6 million users across
India, Singapore and the US. Educomp had launched its online learning
initiatives in July 2006 through Mathguru and students have to pay approximately Rs 2,000/-. We had even blogged about mathguru during the time of its launch.
Shantanu Prakash, CEO, Educomp India Private Limited was quoted by Hindustan Times as saying:
“We have 15,000 registered users on Mathguru and are expecting the number to reach 25,000 by March 2008,”.
Meanwhile, Anjali Saxena, Teacher – Noida’s Amity International School says:
“Online assistance for studies is a very good initiative. It will help a student do self-study and get online help as and when queries arise as compared with a coaching class where one has to study as decided by the tutor. However, one should make sure that the teachers involved are subject specific and well qualified.”
Online tutoring in India seems to be a good
proposition as Indian students are internet savvy though online tutoring
can become a big distraction to kids of age 12-18 years as the risks of
students visiting porn websites on the pretext of studies will
certainly be a disadvantage. Parents will have to regularly monitor the
internet activity of their kids. For teachers, this is a very good
opportunity as the payment scales range from 12,000 – 22,000 rupees
depending upon expertise. For parents, they can save money as these
services are cheaper than hiring a tutor offline though parents will
have to give time to their children more often than not in this case. In
any case, hiring a tutor offline for students will always remain as a
good choice over online tutoring through expert teachers as students
require one-on-one coaching. Still, there is plenty of scope for online
education service providers and online tutoring services to capture the
tutoring market in India as their online service models are known to be
quick, qualitative and cost-effective as of now.
Journal of Research and Education in Indian Medicine - An International Quarterly
Journal Management System
The Journal of Research & education in Indian Medicine (JREIM) is a quarterly peer-reviewed international journal. JREIM has been established and launched in 1982 by a group of dedicated academicians and researchers of Ayurveda and allied disciplines under the dynamic leadership of Padamshree Prof. K. N. Udupa, the than Director, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi (India). The JREIM bridged the gap of closure of the CCRIM&H, CCRAS / Govt. of India funded "Journal of Research in Indian Medicine & H".
JREIM was independently conceived, edited by a group of Academicians and Scientists from Banaras School of Indian Medicine, and published without any financial assistance of CCRIM&H, CCRAS, BHU or any other funding agency. JREIM maintained and is enjoying its nonaligned and independent academic status. For JREIM; the sole criterion for publishing is academic and scientific accuracy.
This deemed independence and academic status is the out come of work culture inculcated by our Founder Sr. Chief Editor, Padamshree Prof. K. N. Udupa and associated founder Editorial Team. JREIM was aimed to aid the dissemination of important researches and theoretical works in different areas of common interest to the educators, researchers, specialized and general therapists of Indian Medicine, which includes Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Sidhha, Homeopathy (AYUSH), CAM, Integrative Medicine, and other Traditional / Alternative / Oriental Systems of Medicine in general and Clinical research, researches on Medicinal Plants / Herbs, Spices and Pharmaceutical sciences in particular.
The inaugural issue (Jan.-March 1982) of JREIM was released by Dr. Sombhong Kutranon, Regional Director, W.H.O. during International conference on “Role of Practitioners of Indian Medicines in Primary Health Care” at Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, 20-22 February’ 1982.
An universal need has been felt since long by the scientific community with high expectations from organized institutions like the Banaras School of Indian medicine, for the academicians, researchers and specialized therapists of the Banaras School of Ayurveda have been pioneer in the field of education, research and hospital service, their enormous contributions in the field of research along international standards are now recognized. Recently there has been an awakening of International consciousness towards Indian Medicine. The curiosity of health caretakers, medical institutions, social scientists and pharmaceutical concerns is fast changing into serious interest in Indian Medicine. India and its neighboring countries are now fully alive towards the potentialities of Indian Medicine- Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Sidhha, Homeopathy (AYUSH), Integrative medicine and other Complimentary and alternative traditional systems of Medicine. It is believed that an International journal from Banaras is the right media for propagating and popularizing this unique Indian heritage- the knowledge of life sciences across the frontiers of our country. It also aims that by monitoring up-to-date data with news and views of medical sciences, it will help the various education and research institutions of Ayurvedic Medicine in particular and Indian medical community in general, to keep abreast of time.
The journal will maintain highest academic standard, as eminent academicians and researchers of India and abroad, with extensive editorial experiences in the field of Indian Medicine are contributing their academic services to it. The journal also aims to encourage the exchange of ideas and information throughout the world among the workers of different disciplines who are focusing their attention on important aspects of the inter-relationship between various systems of medicines, like Ayurveda (including medicinal plants and Pharma Sector), Unani, Yoga, Naturopathy, Siddha, Homeopathy, Western allopathic systems of medicine and allied Bio-medical as well as socio-medical sciences and also Integrative Medicine, CAM, Pharma.. Sciences, Medicinal Plants ... ... Publishers of the journal hope that with willing co-operation and good will of educationists, researchers, Ayurveda/pharmaceutical industry and elites of the society, the journal shall be able to emphasize the legitimate relevance of Ayurveda/Indian medicine for the betterment of global health care delivery systems.
Recent Trends in Education
With several educational options available to students today, newer
trends are emerging in this field which has completely changed the
traditional held perceptions about education in India. Several career
options that were earlier not considered to be traditional have emerged
as the most sought after education and career options. Various career
options in like radio jockeying, radio management, news anchoring,
program anchoring, news reading and reporting for the electronic media,
content writing, fashion designing, event management, hospital
management, medical transcription etc, have opened up several newer
avenues for education. Online Education is fast becoming a major preferred mode of education among students. Enrolling to regular courses is increasingly getting highly competitive in India; so online education and distance education has come as a wonderful alternative and several students opt for this. As the term itself suggests, online education means web based learning, but there is no universally accepted definition. So, the methods used for implementing online education may differ from institute to institute. Some online courses may require students and teachers to meet from time to time for physical lectures or to conduct laboratory experiments while some may not require this. This can vary depending on the course which one opts to take up.
E-learning scope in India is immense. There are several universities and other educational institutes that offer online education facilities to their students. Besides this, mock IIT-JEE entrance exams are also conducted by various organizations.
Distance Education courses are very popular in rural India. One of the main reasons for this is the provision that one can get degrees from various renowned universities from anywhere in India. Distance education is given through correspondence courses, where the student and the teacher are separated in time and space and sometimes both. Distance learning is doing a wonderful job by enabling the less advantaged sections of the society have an opportunity to get educated.
There are different types of distance learning options available to students. Some of them are postal correspondence courses, interactive CD-ROM courses, pocket PC/mobile learning course, telecourse/ broadcast course through radio or television and synchronous or asynchronous internet courses. Just like online education, in distance education too, students will not have to relocate to new places or make any changes in their existing work. All they need to do is find out about some good distance education providing institute, get enrolled and get a degree.
The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) is the premier institute for providing distance education in India. This university is one of the most recognized names in this field and at any given time there are 1.4 million students enrolled in various courses. Some of the other institutes that offer distance education to students include:
- Acharya Nagarjuna University Center for Distance Education (CDE)
Guntur, Andhra Pradesh - Alagappa University Directorate of Distance Education
Sivanagar, Tamil Nadu - Annamalai University Directorate of Distance Education
Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu - Anna University Chennai Centre for Distance Education
Chennai, Tamil Nadu - Anna University Coimbatore Directorate of Online & Distance Education
Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu - Andhra University School of Distance Education (AU SDE)
Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh - Bangalore University Directorate of Correspondence Courses and Distance Education
Bangalore, Karnataka - Bharathidasan University Center for Distance Education
Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu - Bharathiar University School of Distance Education
Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu - Barkatullah Vishwavidyalaya Institute of Open & Distance Education
Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh - Burdwan University Directorate of DistanceEducation
Bardhaman, West Bengal
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