E- Learning & Online Education – IMA’s Perspective

E-learning or electronic learning in India is gaining prominence slowly, but indeed steadily. This is due to the fact that more than half the population of India today is below 25 years of age and the number of Internet users is growing continuously. 

The tremendous growth of the economy in the recent past has also helped in the growth of online education in India. E-learning in India is especially popular with the young professionals who have joined the work force quite early but still would like to continue their education that may help them move up their career ladder quickly and safely. They find online education in India very convenient, as the nature of the course work does not require them to attend regular classes.

Says Dr. G.D Singh, Founder & President-IMA “The cut-throat competition and increasing burning desires to reach the top at minimized amount of time has envisaged the need to find out ways in getting meaningful education”

“Who would not like to get an additional degree at a self-paced time and place.” adds Dr. G.D Singh.

E-Learning has opened many doors of opportunities for students and working professionals alike. E-learning permits the delivery of knowledge and information to learners at an accelerated pace, opening up new vistas of knowledge transfer.

Countries without university education can access universities in other countries via the Web, a solution much cheaper than building university infrastructure. This concept has been very well captured by Dr. G.D Singh.

He has implemented the methodology of Virtual University there by providing ample opportunities for each individual and catering to the smallest need of students.

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.

Nothing can replace traditional classroom teaching, but e-learning complements the process and can help reach out to the masses.

Says Dr. G.D Singh, “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 Dr. G.D Singh.

He points out that “A traditional learning structure does not guarantee the delivery of a consistent message, whereas consistency is assured in e-learning.”