How Interactive Learning is Reining E-Learning Space in India Interactive learning is a new found flexibility, which will contribute to a hybrid approach to learning that will soon dictate the path of education for years to come.

Technology is leading to a revolution in our approach towards learning. It is emerging as an advanced solution in improving scalability, quality of education and learning ability of students. There is a remarkable growth in the appetite for e-learning among the students in India and it is expected to continue on this path of accelerated growth.

In fact, The Ken Research Group report, "India's E-Learning Market Outlook to FY2018 - Increasing Technology Adoption to Drive Future Growth', estimates that the market is likely to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 17.4 per cent over the period of FY2013 to FY2018. And off-late, live interactivity is being billed as a significant component of successful online learning.

Online learning enables live interactivity and flexible learning as per one's own schedule, growth in every aspect and exclusive job opportunities with the potential to let the practitioners avail world-class knowledge and education.

A way to enhance learning process

In live interactive learning, the teacher is on a one-way video and two-way audio mode with the students and the students can pursue courses from premier institutes without going to the campus. It is comparatively the most favored and fundamental form of education, enhancing the learning process in the form of interactions among students themselves, the interactions between faculty and students and the collaboration in learning that results from these interactions.

Live interactivity creates room for a flexible academic scenario. The scarcity of time, logistics, cost factor and the need to acquire knowledge are some of the factors responsible for institutions devising new ways of teaching to cater to the demands of the growing population.

Today, new age edupreneurs have taken a step further by providing interactive education, i.e. going beyond conventional online learning to offer virtual interactive platforms. They have a solid understanding of how to make technology scalable and are developing content tailored to match the learning curve of the taker. With interactive technology solutions – direct to device, gamification, social collaboration, assessment techniques and data analytics, the start-ups are highly focused on imparting niche trainings impacting the bottom lines of a company.

Surge in demand

With the rise of mobiles, the Digital India campaign, and unwavering interventions by the Modi government, the online market of India is witnessing an unprecedented growth expecting to reach 300 million in 2018. Such initiatives are pushing student enrollments in higher education and distance learning, propelling market expansion at an ever-increasing rate.

Meanwhile, an increased number of education providers are adopting live interactivity in their e-learning format. While e-learning ensures that data quality remains the top-most priority, setting up a technology-driven system turns out to be a staggering mission. India has made massive strides in improving its education system, but a lot still needs to be done in terms of upgradation of technology to make the benefits of live interactivity accessible to all.

Hurdles to be overcome

While faculty and infrastructure deficits are major hurdles in increasing the reach of education in India, there is a need to take note of the changing pedagogy and using technology to fill the gaps in the system. Interactive online education not only aids the students, but also the faculty, as a result of which education is now accessible to everyone. Live interactivity through video sessions enables highly effective learning coupled with personal attention owing to individually-focused communication.

Interesting and engaging form of learning

Interactive tools such as gamification, collaborative and social learning, make online education even more interesting and engaging. It ignites the wisdom of learning out of leisure with creativity, fun, and entertainment on the cards via the brilliant apps, videos, interactive software, streaming audio and video; and synchronous and asynchronous communication tools, such as discussion boards, instant messaging, voice chatting, and online interactive electronic boards.

Eventually, when it's time for evaluation, such tools enable measurement of success with assessment tools that are also a critical part of the pedagogy. Thus, Interactivity is one of the major aspects scoring an all-time high in online learning. Tools such as discussion forums and cloud campus empower a learning ecosystem that is 24*7. This newfound flexibility will contribute to a hybrid approach to learning that will soon dictate the path of education for years to come.