How Did India Get Along With E-learning Using Free Digital Tools?

27th May 2022

The lethal virus covid-19 has opened a window of opportunities for students and teachers in the field of education. Digital and virtual media have helped the educational system to flow smoothly where the internet was available during the lockdown era. Teachers implemented different teaching techniques to make remote learning a comfortable process for everyone.

Online learning was not this popular in India before the pandemic announced its vicious arrival. Many complained during that initial period that remote learning is not working provided the unavailability of the internet in remote corners of the country and not everyone was tech-savvy or could afford to use chargeable software to attend online classes.

Learn the impact of online education in India:
 

The educational system got worried owing to this problem but at the same time, they kept wondering how to make online learning effective. Teachers began to improvise their teaching skills and many started pursuing live online international teaching diploma courses to up skill themselves. These online teacher training courses (with certificate) provide necessary ideas on how to conduct classes using free digital tools efficiently and teachers loved it.

On asking what are we learning from online education to one of the teachers, she said that we are learning to execute all our skills effectively and in order virtually as we used to do when there were face-to-face classroom sessions. They have added that online education has not only helped students to continue with their education while schools were temporarily closed but their productivity also increased.

The best part is that inclusive classrooms for special education children were also being conducted smoothly by teachers. Being a new methodology it was not hassle-free from the beginning but eventually, both teachers and students along with parental support turned this game of online education into a massive success.

While choosing free and digital tools to support education during the lockdown period, teachers considered these factors very essential.
 

• Accessibility
• Affordability
• Flexibility
• Learning pedagogy
• Life-long learning
• Policy

The accessibility and affordability were of excessive concern as not every student was a part of any metropolitan school. In remote areas, the availability of high-speed internet is behind the eight ball. Therefore, they came up with certain tools that are free of cost and do not need an extravagant internet speed.

Flexibility was another matter of concern as many families were having only one smartphone; that too of one of the parents/guardians. Therefore, such tools were chosen so that students can schedule or plan their time for the completion of courses available online. Teachers wanted to provide a life-long learning experience to students through online learning.

They were quite strict towards privacy policy as well so that no information could get leaked from the digital platforms that were being used.

For live-online classes, teachers suggested the use of Google Meet or Zoom meetings. These two software are available online and free of cost to up to 100 participants. Moreover, students could use these two platforms on smartphones. Since e-learning is the new normal many schools that are practicing a hybrid model of learning are still using these virtual video conferencing platforms to conduct online classes. The best part is, that these platforms can perform quite well on moderate-speed internet as well.

The government of India introduced some easy-to-use free e-learning platforms for students.

Swayam: The objective of SWAYAM is to provide an online learning platform to all, including in every part of India, including the utter remote areas. It has a big horizon and teaches courses in classrooms from Class 9 till post-graduation.

Diksha: This initiative was taken by the National Council of Educational Research and Training, the Ministry of Education, and the Government of India. DIKSHA can be accessed at diksha.gov.in by learners and teachers across the country and it is specially designed for various courses of NCERT, CBSE, and SCERTs across India.

e-ShodhSindhu: Another classic launch by the Indian government, e-Shodh Sindhu continues to provide current as well as archival access to more than 10,000 peer-reviewed journals and many bibliographic, citation, and factual databases to its member institutions.

e-PG Pathshala: It is an initiative taken by the MHRD under its National Mission on Education through ICT, which is being executed by the UGC. This platform provides interactive e-learning content in 70 subjects across all disciplines of social sciences, arts, fine arts and humanities, and natural & mathematical sciences.

Swayam Prabha: It consists of 34 DTH channels, and the main purpose is to telecast high-quality educational programs 24X7. The course contents are provided by NPTEL, IITs, UGC, CEC, IGNOU, NCERT, and NIOS.

NPTEL: The National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning was initiated by IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Kanpur, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Madras, IIT Guwahati, and IIT Roorkee with the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore in 2003. It provides open online courses around engineering and core science subjects.

Given the efficiency of e-learning platforms, online education is anything but a temporary method of teaching. During the extreme period of crisis, e-learning methods taught everyone the lucrative side of online learning. However, like every coin has two sides, e-learning also has some major barriers.
 

• As students were accustomed to the onsite classroom sessions, it became a bit troublesome for many students. They were not getting the essence of face-to-face conversation.
• Due to online learning, many learners often felt that they were not getting the personal attention of teachers.
• Students feel that lack of community, technical problems, and difficulties in understanding instructional goals.
• Learning Management systems being a new thing to students, many failed to get convenient with the microlearning techniques initially.

Keeping All these facts in mind, teachers have overcome all obstacles that were causing problems during the onset of full-fledged e-learning in India. They could relate certain issues that they had faced during their live-online international teaching diploma course. They eventually chalked out the solutions to problems that students were facing and now, e-learning is one of the most significant and effective learning methods in India.

If you have queries related to the live-online international teaching diploma courses, call our toll-free number: 1800-212-6400.

Written By : Aditi Rao