In September 2022, the University Grants Commission (UGC) announced that the degrees obtained through online and distance modes of education would be on par with regular degrees. The nation was still reeling from the effects of COVID-19 then, and during the pandemic itself, regular education had radically shifted online. As a result, another new normal that people wake up to in 2023 is the growing demand for online and open distance learning (ODL) courses.
Tracing the evolution
"In In the last five years, many universities across the globe adopted online education," says Andrew Thangaraj, Professor at IIT Madras, and National MOOCs (Massive Open Online Course) Coordinator for NPTEL (National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning) in the Study Webs of Active-Learning for Young Aspiring Minds (SWAYAM) project. He adds that COVID-19 contributed to online education being more accepted as a mode, while students also became more comfortable with online learning and materials.
All the same, Prof Thangaraj states that one can ascertain the true growth of online programmes only after a few years when data on the effectiveness of student enrolment and the acceptance of these courses are clearer. In addition, Mayank Jain, Chair of the Indian Edtech Consortium (IEC, a self-regulatory body under the aegis of the Internet and Mobile Association of India), mentions that though the demand and acceptance have certainly increased, demands in certain areas show more growth than others. These include Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), non-university programmes related to technology, boot camps and skill-oriented courses.
"People are realising the importance of picking up new skills and are trying to do so fast," says Mayank, giving an example of one such programme at EdTech major upGrad, for which seats were filled within an hour of its launch. Online education aside, the need for self-growth also contributes to more students opting for distance learning courses.
Blurring boundaries?
With increasing demand and preference, though it cannot be said that these courses have an edge over the regular mode of learning, "people have started realising that medium doesn't matter any more," explains Mayank, adding that this year, upGrad witnessed the highest number of placements. "The reason for that is recruiters see that the candidate has put in a lot of effort," he says.
Prof Thangaraj adds that students from such programmes were being placed just like regular students. "It depends on the area of discipline, but the industry is accepting these courses faster. Industries have their own recruiting processes. As long as one can match them, there is no difference. Nowadays, many companies are also offering Work From Home," he tells.
It may be noted that the UGC has instructed universities to conduct placement drives for ODL and online courses as well. Prof Shankar says, "We have seen that students from these courses are given preference at job fairs." However, the turnout of the students at such drives is often not very good, says Dr Yusuf Khan, Director of the Training and Placement Cell at Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU), Hyderabad. "It is because they are already engaged elsewhere," he reasons, adding, "This year, only 50 students registered and only five appeared for the interviews, though we informed them via our web portal, emails and SMS."
Challenges remain
With the damages done by the pandemic ebbing off, Dr Khan opines that the craze for online and distance courses has slightly subsided. And even if such courses are starting to be accepted, there are still bottlenecks that need to be overcome, students and experts believe. They maintain that the learning experience in these modes can be improved.
Students who opted for distance courses state that the number of classes ought to increase, even if in the online mode. "We used to have online classes during COVID, but they stopped afterwards. The portion is vast with 20 lessons and it is impossible that it can be completed by a teacher in only 16 classes of one hour each," Priya says. There is no one to clear the doubts. You have to clear them yourself, she adds.
Subhranshu agrees that it indeed becomes a challenge for them. "Weekend classes are conducted for doubt-clearing, but it becomes difficult for one teacher to cater to so many students. Moreover, everyone cannot travel to the university every two to three months," he says, adding that there is also a lack of peer interaction. "Online classes can solve these problems," he states. Prof Thangaraj also speaks in favour of student-professor engagements and peer group interactions. "At IIT Madras, we understand that students can learn a lot from their peers and focus on building a peer culture," he notes.
The students also mention that there is much miscommunication between the students and teachers due to a lack of regular interaction. "Students do not get information on time. The shared information is not routine. There is often confusion over the course structure, exam pattern and assignments, but if one calls the officials for clarification, they don't receive it," Subhranshu tells.
Sharing her own experience, Priya says that though the IGNOU portal says online submission of assignments would be accepted, the regional centre did not accept it and she was asked to submit a physical copy. "The assignment deadlines are not conveyed on time," she adds.
Subhranshu advocates for a grievance redressal cell, where students can send in their queries for immediate action. "If I face a problem on Monday, I shouldn't have to wait till Saturday to resolve it," he comments. Fariz, on the other hand, states that he did not face any such problems, as his centre had created a WhatsApp group where the teachers shared the information with them on time.
Additionally, Priya was not satisfied with the materials received. "It doesn't really help with the assignments and exams. I can compare it to an NCERT book, which is not enough for exams, and one has to study from other resources as well," she says. However, Subhranshu says that this provided him with an impetus to put more effort into his assignments and study more.
Nonetheless, the students and experts concur that self-learning would be difficult for those who do not have prior knowledge of the subject they are pursuing. "There was Accounting in MCA and I had not studied it, due to which, I faced hurdles, especially in the practical part," Priya shares. "The standard of the exam paper is also higher at IGNOU than any other open university," Arnava points out.
Universities often do not teach the required skills to students, states Adarsh S, Research Scientist and Convener, Kerala Blockchain Academy (KBA), which comes under Digital University Kerala. "They may know the theory, but without proper conduction of practicals, we often see the gap when they enroll here. Therefore, we offer practical classes on campus. Interested students can come here to learn," he continues.
From another point of view
Speaking from the universities' point of view, Prof Thangaraj says that courses offered online are significantly different from the mainstream university curricula. As a result, maintaining the quality becomes difficult. "Universities with experience might have no difficulty in doing so, but those with little experience might find this challenging. Training can resolve this," he says. He exemplifies IITM, where students are taught skills first to make them eligible for the job market, and then the theoretical details, to make the courses worthy.
The discipline is also a definite challenge, Mayank adds. He explains that since the enrolled students are engaged in several activities, they often struggle to finish everything on time. The problem is absent in the regular mode, as students are not occupied with anything else. "From a consumer point of view, I can say that people enrolled in serious long-term programmes often quit when personal issues arise," he says.
Despite this, with issues of limited seats, entrance exams and infrastructure costs eliminated, ODL and online courses attract a large number of applicants, and managing the inflow of students also poses a challenge to universities. "Even top universities become nervous about the inflow," Prof Thangaraj admits.
Some solutions
Though the students and experts agree that the government has done more than sufficient to boost ODL and online courses, they posit a few solutions to make the experience better. The students urge the government to invest in the technical front and in human resources, which they believe can bring a revolution in higher education.
"There is no dearth of courses, but many don't know about them. They should become more open and accessible," says Arnava, while Subhranshu mentions that the teachers engaged to take weekend classes at many open universities, including IGNOU, work in other colleges on the weekdays. "When students from all disciplines are present, the lectures need to be more interactive and very lucid. But we cannot expect the teachers to give their 100 per cent if they are having to work throughout the week," he perceives.
On the other hand, the official from Dr BR Ambedkar Open University (BRAOU) states that more funds are definitely needed from the government to sustain the colleges and maintain the quality of education. "The government is providing a meagre amount and colleges are having to sustain themselves," he adds. Meanwhile, Mayank and Prof Thangaraj maintain that proper regulations for the courses and exam procedures are the need of the hour.
Further, Adarsh proposes that the government should start integrating students from these courses into its departments. "Partnership with colleges will bring out a win-win situation. Students will get the opportunity to work for the government and the government can engage the students for innovative solutions to the problems it faces. It will not have to buy expensive software anymore or spend huge amounts in maintaining them," he says.
The senior researcher notes that the Kerala government has initiated a step in this direction. Among other programmes, it offers one-month internships to students in partner colleges and gives them a chance to work in the departments.
