What’s making e-education click?

When a question ‘How to share data between applets on the same webpage?’ was posted on www.stackoverflow.com, pat came the first reply: “You might be able to do it through javascript but I’m not quite sure because of the security implications.” Two minutes later, a link popped up on the comments thread which pointed to the Java tutorials’ weblog of Oracle, which could answer the primary question.

Just a few years ago, such a learner would be digging into the task of finding an expert or teacher to clear the doubt.

Save that pain as the internet is now alive with online forums like StackOverflow to make learning and information-sharing easier.

The social network
That is one of the reasons why e-learning is catching up. Another is online social networking.

You log into such forums using your Gmail or Facebook accounts. Hence, identifying experts and like-minded learners are easily done by simply connecting through the social networking sites.

Hold on, there are many more advantages of taking up an online tutorial over the brick-and-mortar system. Fee, for instance.

The fee demanded for online courses is much less compared to what you would be shelling out for a regular course. In many cases, it’s offered for free.

You are your master
Mathan Kumar R, a Web specialist who works for Jnanaadri Technovations in Chennai, made proper use of online forums and file-sharing sites to avail a Zend certification. Zend certifies PHP professionals and also offers training courses through the internet.

“One advantage of online learning is convenience, especially for professionals. You can come home late after work and start learning at leisure. Online education is also gaining acceptance,” says Kumar.

Courses from gardening and cookery to management are offered online. People are moving away from the blackboard and chalk piece to online universities that have gained popularity over the past few years.

GICE (Global Institute for Corporate Education) is a Bangalore-based group which offers a course in MBA Corporate Management targeted at professionals.

“In 2009, when we started, we had only around 35 students. Now, we enroll 200-250 students annually. Though we offer just one course, there are specialisations like marketing, HR, finance, healthcare, banking and insurance and hospitality for the students to choose from,” its director Anuradha says. It offers the two-year programme with classes conducted on Saturdays.

A link is send via email to the students and they click it to enter an online study conference.

“Those who fail to attend can have recorded sessions in their inbox. We provide study materials—hard or soft copy—and students can also access presentations and video tutorials,” says Anuradha.

The institute charges Rs45,000 for the two-year programme at the end of which students will be attending the examination conducted by Annamalai University.

O2Education is another institute which offers tech-training online.

“Compared with 2008 when we launched our institute, the number of students has doubled,” says Satish  Kumar, founder of the Hyderabad-based institute.

“With the help of GoToMeeting software, we offer video and desktop-sharing tutorials,” he adds.

Is online a better choice?
Yes, according to Mathan Kumar. “When you have so much of resources online, there’s no need to attend an institute to get trained in any subject. Before I attended the Zend certification test, I took up a mock test online. You have many file-sharing websites that offer e-materials and simplified tutorials for free.

www.slideshare.net is an online resource of PP presentations. There you get all sorts of video presentations that would be helpful to students from the KGs to PhD. All are social-network supported,” says Kumar.

“If you go to an institute to learn software, it will have a tutor for, say, 20 to 30 students. Hence, you will get little individual attention. But while learning online, you are motivated by fellow learners you contact though forums,” he says.

“All leading software providers like Oracle and Linux help you learn through online sources. You also get more resources online like e-books and other course materials. There will be more competition and comparison and a wider scope for learning. You also have sites like Skype and YouTube to help you,” he adds.

Training and examination under this system are also attaining global standards. No wonder, the size of the e-education industry is burgeoning in India.