Are we Online in any way?
Online Education is the new in-thing, and we at Internshala explain the funda behind it, along with offering you some great options to kick-start your journey into this exciting treasure! Read on..
Ben Nelson, who had run the Snapfish photo-sharing website and the Redbeacon home-maintenance site, came up with “a transformational idea”, he created an elite global university online named Minerva. During the sky rocketing cost of seeking education from colleges in United States and with growing doubts about how much students actually learn on campus, this seems to be an ‘out-of-the-box’ idea. He brought Larry Summers, former President of Harvard University and former US Treasury Secretary on board as a part of the advisory committee. And Nelson aims to compete with the Ivy League. Sounds exciting enough?
Rote learning, sitting right in front of professors to gain the finest knowledge, studying for fixed hours, and commuting for just one doubt session is all past. We’re in the era of online education, so convenience and comfort is at your doorstep. Since everybody is gripped by the tech age, then how can education sector be left behind?
India has one of the largest education systems in the world with a network of more than 1 million schools and 18,000 higher education institutions. More than half of the country’s 1.2 billion population falls in the target market for education and related services. And looking at the opportunities and demand in the online education sector, India’s market size for the same is set to grow to $ 40 billion by 2017 from the present $ 20 billion, according to a 2012 Economics Times Report.
Why should you consider online education as a viable option? Well, it brings along many benefits. It guarantees convenience and flexibility to study at any hour of the day. The online tutorials help you login at any time and simply study according to your mood and convenience. You can choose to undertake training in quite a number of courses simultaneously, as they offer diverse options. It also provides you with an option of networking with professors and students all across the world!
It’s quick and readily accessible, thanks to the invention of Internet, so it cuts down on your unnecessary transportation cost and helps you save the environment too. Social groups, shopping, research, everything has moved online, so why not education? And especially when everybody is so busy and occupied in today’s world, online education steps in as a savior for you to obtain new skills at a good speed. The online courses are available at an affordable cost, pretty cheap in comparison to classroom teaching. Also, since everything is over the internet, you get the best quality education from experts and professors. Online education is apt for those experiencing a crunch of time. It helps you manage your time better, and makes you a multi tasker too!
Websites like edX, UDACITY, UDEMY, COURSERA, which are partnered with prestigious universities across the globe, offer various courses online ranging from robotics, statistics, software development to photography, yoga, cooking and many more. IIT Madras offers NPTEL, an E-learning initiative through online web and video courses in engineering, and science.
Internshala, the number one internship and summer training portal for students in India, has come up with it’s Virtual Training Centre Programs. An online based method of teaching, it offers a horde of courses like web development, hacking, etc. It also provides live chat and forum options wherein students can interact with the experts and clear their doubts. It’s The New In thing, and it’s simply on the go!
But why aren’t we too comfortable with online education? The answer is simply lack of awareness. People tend to consider it as unreliable, but rather it’s cheaper and an easier way of accessing education. The exposure is lacking somewhere down the lane, that needs to be promoted, and then there will be no looking back.
Education is indispensable, but the methods of providing it aren’t. Internet based learning opens windows for opportunities, and one needs to experience it to develop a taste for it. So what are you waiting for?
Relevant Extra Readings
http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2012-07-22/news/32788545_1_online-education-career-education-corp-india
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/04/net-us-usa-college-online-idUSBRE8330U320120404
http://www.learninghouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Online-College-Students-2013_Final.pdf
Image Credits
1: http://www.pamojaeducation.com/images/online-education-tools.jpg
2. http://www.stepbystep.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/How-to-Make-Money-Selling-Your-Art-on-eBay5.jpg
3. http://www.onlineuniversities.com/wp-content/uploads/elearning-replace-college.jpg
