The Novel Coronavirus has been raking up newspaper headlines for over two weeks now. Over 4700 deaths have been reported from all over the world, with people from more than 115 countries having been infected. It is clear that this pandemic will have widespread repercussions on almost all spheres of human life. One major industry that will feel the effect of this outbreak is the education sector, which has been severely hit by the coronavirus. Over 22 countries around the world have closed schools, leaving more than 290 million students without a class to go to, as per UNESCO reports. With countries shutting down schools and colleges, the Coronavirus will have a long-lasting impact on e-learning. Here’s a look at what the spread of this virus will mean to the e-learning industry.
A New Wave in Education
However, this isn’t the first time that E-Learning has come to the rescue on several occasions in the past, and as a part of the process has been growing in popularity. Whenever disaster forced K-12 schools to close, e-learning has always been there picking up the pieces and helping to fill the gap. For instance, when Asian countries fought against the SAARS in 2003, most institutions relied on e-learning to meet their curriculum standards. Fast forward to 2006, when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, the Louisiana Virtual School grew and made sure all the students resumed their classes. Once again, in 2012, when Hurricane Sandy hit New York, the state’s e-learning division made sure kids got their education. In the same way, the Coronavirus too has exposed just how much we are dependent on e-learning platforms nowadays. All across the world, schools and colleges are now dependent on virtual platforms to offer lessons to students. China’s Education Ministry has already begun putting up instructional videos online for their K-12 classes, and all colleges have started digital classes.
The Coronavirus has prompted most schools and colleges to opt for e-Learning options as they are safer and more feasible now. For instance, Harvard University has been placing restrictions on social gatherings, by moving classes online in a bid to fight the deadly outbreak. Similarly, American University, University System of Maryland, Ohio State University, UC Berkeley, Princeton, and Stanford have moved their classes online so that education still happens amidst the crisis. Much along with the same lines, the Northshore District, containing over 23,000 students is going digital to provide quality education, while maintaining safety standards.
E-Learning Takes a Leap
As several schools around the world turn to E-learning platforms in order to educate children. As a result, they are training their staff in the art of online teaching, turning face-to-face lessons into webinars, improving their IT support staff, and encouraging more students to rely on the internet for their education. This global situation has prompted not just students, but teachers too to learn about online learning platforms and how to leverage them to help students. Also, once the crisis ends, the increased exposure to E-learning development and tools will result in more instructors and students relying on such technology in the future. This will also mean that students who were introduced to such means of online education for the first time, will return to it in the future as and when they need it. Similarly, the overall attitude towards online learning will become more positive, leading to widespread adoption and betterment in the quality of online content.
How E-Learning Portals Are Responding
With the education sector facing such a grave situation, the e-learning industry was bound to step up and rise to the occasion. As expected, there were numerous cases from around the world of e-learning portals extending their support to children who have been displaced from their learning environments.
For instance, AI-driven e-learning platform Century Tech, whose courses usually cost several hundreds of pounds is offering free classes to schools in China as a goodwill gesture. The idea and caught on, and a month later, Century now powers almost 50 schools in South East Asia, including several of them in Vietnam, South Korea, Japan, China, and Thailand. Therefore, it is safe to say that this emergency has led to a mass migration to online learning, and this means that the Education technology industry in India is finally in the spotlight!
The American e-learning portal Coursera announced on March 12th that it would be providing universities that have shut down free access to 3,800 courses. Therefore, such universities will be able to give their students access to almost 95% of Coursera’s complete catalog. This free access will be valid until July 31, following which the company will provide monthly extensions depending on the situation at that time. We will be taking a closer look at how e-learning platforms in India have responded to the situation further below.
Fueling the Ed-Tech Boom in India
Online learning, popularly known as e-learning, has been witnessing a significant boom in India ever since 2012 thanks to industry leader BYJU’S. As per the Economic Times, in 2019, they were the world’s highest-valued education-tech company, which is worth $5.4 billion. e-learning has been picking up momentum in fields such as machine learning and data mining, which are considered to be the jobs of the future. Furthermore, India has also been witnessing a sudden rise in popularity concerning MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses). These systems allow students to become a part of their favored course and go through it at their own pace.
The biggest cause of the rise in popularity of such systems has been the rapid increase in internet penetration in India, and also the ushering in of the era of digitization. Technological advancements have highly influenced the education sector, with changes coming in ever since the mid-2000s. While initial entries into the field of education were smart boards and e-pads, online learning seems to be the new face of education. As per a study by KPMG, the Ed-tech market was valued at $ 550 million in 2018, growing at a whopping 49%. These studies predict that the market will grow to an unprecedented value of $ 1.96 billion by the end of next year! Also, the hit of the corona and the world’s mass exodus into the sphere of online learning will only fuel this growth even further.
Even without the global pandemic entering the equation, the e-learning industry in India was growing at 25% annually. In India, by 2018, almost 1.5 million schools and 18,000 colleges had come together to become connected to digital education. Hence, over the last few years, e-learning has evolved from being a luxury to a standard in even schools, enabling educators to teach better. Universities too have responded positively, with IGNOU and NIIT working towards helping other institutes manage their needs for digital education. For instance, BITS has joined hands with UpGrad to start PG programs in areas such as data science, while private colleges such as Manipal have teamed up with Coursera to provide students access to various courses.
The boom in this sector has changed everything from how students study how curriculums are designed. It has had a lasting impact on how colleges utilize their teachers and even how students manage their syllabus. For instance, even private tuitions have undergone a massive transformation thanks to e-learning. Many of these tuition teachers rely on ClassPlus, which is a platform that enables them to manage their students and even give them regular updates. Not only does this help them manage everything regarding their students, but it also makes it easier for them to encourage and watch over their students. Companies too have changed the way they look at graduates, no longer seeking degrees and certificates, but rather wanting to be qualified and trained professionals.
While e-Learning in India is mainly dominated by market leaders such as BYJU’S, SimpliLearn, Udemy, Khan Academy, and Unacademy, more and more private players are getting a chance now thanks to the global epidemic. Newer entries such as Toppr, GradeUp, and ClassPlus are making in-roads into the market by educating people from different social circles, demographics, and backgrounds. This push for online education from all over the world will go a long way in helping these regional players go international, and the market will grow even further as a result. Furthermore, to help COVID-19 hit students, e-learning platforms such as BYJU’S, Vedantu, Lido, and Toppr are offering free courses.
Indian E-Learning Platforms to the Rescue
Ed-tech leader and unicorn, BYJU’S recently announced that it will begin giving free access to its content for Class 1 to 12 students till April end. Class 1 to Class 3 students will now be able to access free Math and English content, while students from Class 4 up to Class 12 can avail Math and Science lessons. Mumbai-based e-learning platform Toppr is giving away access to courses for students between classes 5 and 12. Similarly, Vedantu is collaborating with institutions in Kerala, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Delhi, to ensure that children do not get too affected by the break-in classes. On the other hand, Mumbai-based Lido has extended its trial period from one week to two for students between the classes of 5 and 9 in subjects such as Math and science.
It is clear that the outbreak will have long-term implications on the landscape of higher education in Asia and even in Europe. In many ways, this change could be for the better, as it will allow even more people to embrace e-Learning platforms and tools. Furthermore, during the rush to find a cure for the disease, scientific learning has gotten a huge push, with people taking an active interest in the field again. This is a good sign for the field of science and technology, and online learning seems to be the new face of education pushing this agenda forward.
The Novel Coronavirus has been raking up newspaper headlines for over two weeks now. Read on to know how this virus will mean to the e-learning industry.