From the gurukuls of old where students gathered outdoors to listen to the teachings of their guru, Indian education has come a long way. Today, a record number of Indian learners learn through education technologies (EdTech) at home or work. The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated eLearning adoption for primary, secondary, and continuing education.
Mobile learning devices and apps are no longer alternatives or supplements to classroom instruction. Instead, EdTech is becoming a mainstream part of education for India’s rapidly growing learner population.
DIGITIZATION OF EDUCATION IN INDIA TODAY
Digitalization is transforming all facets of society, not just work environments, and in terms of educational contexts, the transformation is occurring with or without strategic initiatives that ensure ongoing quality of teaching and learning environments. Integration of technology into teaching and learning is not new, but the rapid rate and pace of technological advancement is new, especially regarding new Internet, ICT and digital technologies. The field of education is mainly reactive, as new disruptive technologies develop in other industries and are then applied and accommodated into existing educational cultures and systems. This chapter provides an overview of technology integration in education from computers to other more advanced forms of digital technologies.
The transformative potential of digitalization in education is exciting and presents many opportunities and challenges, given new trends and developments in digital technologies.
According to an in depth analysis in the education sector conducted by Cerebranium, to understand the state of education in today’s world, and its outlook for the future, the following data was seen:
- Currently, in India, 95.4% of institutions currently conduct digital examinations.
- 91% of institutions use video conferencing tools for both online classes and digital exams.
- 91% of faculty members are comfortable with the online mode of education.
- 55% of students, who are the main stakeholders, are comfortable with the online mode of education.
KEY CHALLENGES
Though the digitization of education is prevalent in today’s world, there are various challenges that lie in the path. According to the facts-
- 4 out of 5 students (approximately 78%) face internet connectivity issues during their examinations.
- 1 out of 3 students (33%) face problems with platform stability during their examinations.
- 3 out of 5 stakeholders (54%) do not trust the current examination and assessment process.
- 30 days are required for institutions on an average to generate exam results.
RISKS AND PERILS
Student Satisfaction Operational Efficiency and seem to be dropping rapidly in traditional institutions.
The following figures support the above fact:
- Around 3700 Crore is the total annual student spend for higher education in India.
- 38% is the Compounded amount Growth Rate from 2016 to 2021 of alternative education platforms like Coursera in India.
- 23 Lac is the estimated annual operational cost in exam related manual tasks for an average institute of 1000 students.
POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
- One possible solution can be working towards restoration of trust and fairness in Examinations.
- Working towards the improvement of staff productivity and efficiency.
- Creating easy-to-use tools and processes for all. So, that the resources are easily accessible for all.
- Working on personalized learning outcomes for students.
BENEFITS ACCOMPANIED BY DIGITAL EDUCATION
- Institutes can operate more efficiently at high scale using a technology backbone.
- To enhance the path of digital education the Institutes can protect their reputation and brand by restoring trust in exams in the digital world.
- Institutes can increase student engagement at scale with more meaningful personalized learning outcomes.
Distributing standardized student tablets can help socially-distanced students connect with instructors and peers from home on distraction-proof mobile devices which are locked to eLearning websites, apps, and content. While student tablets can dramatically improve the safety and accessibility of education during pandemic conditions, deploying student devices should be done carefully to protect learning communities from security, privacy, and productivity risks.
Adopting a student device management strategy and technologies can prevent excessive support costs and complexity. By locking down student tablets to EdTech apps and content, schools can design productive digital learning experiences and support communication between learners, instructors, and peers.
Also published on Medium.