In India, the Internet boomed in the mid-nineties, when the borders and the administrators of the country finally acceded to the boons of globalization. While we have been on the slower end of change, there is no denying that there has been no industry since the advent of the omniscient Internet that has remained untouched by its overhauling magic. In the contemporary world, it is tough, and might we say, a tad bit impossible, to gauge the development of any industry without considering the Internet. After all, with the millennial generation, hasn't it been rightly put that technology is like air?
Back in 1892, when the University of Chicago introduced correspondence courses, little did they realize that they were sowing the seeds of a sea change in the education industry. Almost a century later, in 1989, the University of Phoenix founded its online courses across the United States, thus making it possible for anyone having Internet to access course material and online lectures. In 1997 Blackboard Inc. provided its famous content management system for education. In 2006 Apple introduced iTunesU for higher education. More recently portals like Udacity and Edx have emerged that have provided a worldclass education to millions around the world.
The interesting thing to note here, though, is how did these - what we call today as digital learning or e-learning systems, come into being? How was the true potential of the Internet harnessed into revolutionizing education as an industry and as a domain?
Earlier, most e-learning practices primarily included replicating the traditional course materials online, the purpose of which was limited to making these available irrespective of physical distance. It was still a one-way, top-down approach to education, rather than the bottom-up, collaborative learning ecosystem it has now morphed into. As digitization freed up the mindset of educators around the world and drew attention to the limitations of the brick-andmortar model and conventional teaching-learning methods - with respect to accessibility, innovation, mass reach and room to reform and relearn, digital learning practices truly began to evolve at a rapid pace.
Slowly, these four-walled classrooms were disrupted by the lecturer behind the screens of the student's computer, or 'device', who gave live sessions, also offering learners the opportunity to interact and build through peer-based feedback and discussion mechanisms. Digital platforms also grew into full-fledged ecosystems with virtual resources like presentations, videos and online forums where students could discuss ideas, solve doubts and share supplementary readings and other audio-visual learning materials.
Since the 90s, these digital learning methods have grown into even more innovative and seamless modes of education delivery, accessible in the remotest corners of the world through the medium of the Internet. In recent times, we have seen the establishment of some of the most innovative modes of learning like open courses and online universities, branching out from the Open Educational Resource movement, a pioneering initiative for open learning which made the case for allowing professional-level educational materials accessible to learners all over the world, regardless of their location and affiliation to any institution, and at negligible to no cost. This movement saw world-leading universities, including Harvard, Yale and MIT, release the content for several courses online, available to use for free. The main aim here was to not only let students read these materials but also to adapt them to their own learning pace to increase the value gain. This movement also spawned ubiquitous and important resources such as Wikipedia, 'a multilingual, webbased, free-content encyclopedia, written collaboratively by largely anonymous volunteers who write without pay'. Over time, this resource has become an important first port of call for students and researchers around the world.
An overarching accomplishment of digital penetration in education has been the advent of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). As more and more young people are getting on the Internet bandwagon, platforms supporting the ease of access to highquality learning resources are cropping up, allowing learners to gobble up the expert knowledge shared by the esteemed professors of universities across the world on service platforms like Coursera and EdX. India is, in fact, is the second-largest hub of learners that participate in these MOOCs.
Offshoots of this system of learning have included platforms and organizations such as Khan Academy and Udemy, which allow individual education experts to develop courses and list them for learners to buy. Millions of students all over the world have gained technical skills through these courses at a fraction of the cost of what traditional education at physical universities would have set them back by.
Perhaps the most significant outcomes of digital learning have been the freedom of letting students set their own learning pace and interact with peers from across countries, without the traditional barriers of entry related to geography, race, creed or class. In fact, its evolution has even made it possible for learners of any age to participate in cutting-edge knowledgesharing by professors from institutions like Harvard and MIT. Developments such as MOOCs and self-instructed courses by non-academicians are nothing short of game-changers and with the exponential speed of technological advancements; it will no doubt be fascinating to see what innovators come up with next. Widespread adoption of virtual reality in classrooms, to bring theories alive by simulating real-world experiences?
" An overarching accomplishment of digital penetration in education has been the advent of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) "
Albert Einstein once said, 'The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.' With its penetrative nature, e-learning has provided anytime, anywhere costeffective education. It has provided opportunities to elementary learners as well as professionals who are seeking career growth. Those who have adapted to this change have been able to harness the benefits of this mode of education.
By Dr. G. L. Tayal, Dean - Academics and Dr. Yavar Ehsan, Associate Professor of Management, Indian School of Business and Finance (ISBF)
Dr. G. L. Tayal acquired his higher education at the University of Delhi. He did his BCom (Hons.) from Shriram College of Commerce; MCom from Delhi School of Economics; LLB from Faculty of Law, and PhD in Management from Department of Commerce, University of Delhi. Dr. Tayal is currently working as a Dean Academics at ISBF. Dr. Tayal is a Life Member of Indian Institute of Public Administration and has been an Adviser to NCERT for the development of Textbooks in Business Studies.
Schooled in Delhi and US, Dr. Yavar Ehsan proceeded further for his Under Graduate and Post Graduate studies at Temple University's Fox School of Business. While back in India he went on and completed his PhD from Jamia Millia University. Prior to settling down with academia in India, he has worked in Michigan, Pennsylvania and New Jersey while in US. Dr. Ehsan has helped several private businesses as part of his consultancy work in the area of Management and Information Technology.
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