Use Of Technology and The Impact On Education In India By Sudhir Rao, Vice President - Technology, Pearson India

Use Of Technology and The Impact On Education In India

Sudhir Rao, Vice President - Technology, Pearson India | Thursday, 24 May 2018, 07:08 IST

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Sudhir is a technically sophisticated and business savvy management professional, with a continued career Progression, and documented history of bridging Innovation, Technical and Managerial acumen. Also, he is an articulate communicator with good mentoring skills in transforming a low performing team to a high caliber work force.

Digital evolution and the boost in the smartphone adoption in India is changing the way Indian students learn today. Knowledge is no more limited to textbooks and the use of platforms such as apps, websites, live chats, videos, etc. is taking education to another level. A lot of schools and colleges, primarily in Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities, have made learning interactive and fun.

Changing the Academic Landscape

The teacher to student ratio for primary schools is 1:30 and 1:35 for upper primary sections. To address these challenges, new-age digital technologies are changing the academic landscape. The use of evolved multimedia formats is helping students grasp academic concepts better and faster. Furthermore, the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning is providing a personalized approach to enhance the students’ learning experience. This is done with a precision that allows students to move away from average classroom and learn concepts at their own pace.

The rural landscape is also evolving. Where teacher to students’ ratio is less or there is a need for better education quality, virtual sessions help connect teachers from cities with students in the rural regions.

Digital Platforms are Changing the Way Students Learn

For teachers and parents, digital platforms provide better insights into the academic progress of a student. Today, smart analytics can gauge academic weaknesses and strengths of a student. This can be further used to decide how to improve certain skills or the areas where the student may want to focus for future career progression.

"The use of evolved multimedia formats is helping students grasp academic concepts better and faster"

Education Technology, popularly known as Edtech, is shaping the teacher-student relationship across the country by offering better distribution, accessibility, and multiple formats of delivery. Concepts such as flipped learning are being practiced, disrupting the traditional classroom setup and put the students in the driver seat. The role of teacher is slowly moving from an instructor to a coach or mentor. For example, Pearson has recognized the role of online learning and is creating a single platform for content creation, learning distribution, and providing a personalized learner experience, any where, anytime. This help increase student achievement and improve results.

Learning Products are Creating Better Learning Experiences

New learning products powered with technologies such as virtual reality(VR) and augmented reality (AR) are playing a crucial role in providing an immersive experience to students, right from their formative years to higher education. Companies like Pearson are working on technological innovations, such as machine learning, in this space, thus changing the way education is delivered in India.

Fast Forward to the Future of Education in India

India is slowly moving towards a services economy and sectors such as education and healthcare will play a big role in this. In the next few years, we will see more Indian companies playing a bigger role in this sector globally, with a strong technological foundation. It is interesting to know that the top five companies based on market capitalization are technology companies. With the right innovation, India will definitely be among the pioneers in Educational Innovation.

Exciting times are ahead for the Indian ecosystem, especially in the education technology sector.For most Indians, education is still the best way to make it big and there is a lot to be done in this space before we can even call it a revolution. We need more and more young entrepreneurs to create products and solutions to solve core issues in the Indian education system. The most satisfying thing about this segment lies not in creating a billion-dollar company but in changing the way millions think and learn – thereby making a long-term impact on their lives.

Pearson and its Vision for India

Pearson’s mission is simple: to help people make more of their lives through learning. So how does technology contribute to this? Their mission is to create incredible experiences for their learners, customers, and employees through great technology. In India, their focus is changing the way education is delivered through digitized school, higher education, and professional products. Over the past few years, the company has been able to deliver content in a scalable and agile manner, anywhere, anytime access to learning, and a personalized learner experience.

In a nutshell, when combined with regular classrooms, digital platforms and technology can greatly enhance the overall learner experience. The emergence of technology in the Indian landscape is eliminating educational barriers and moving us towards a more brighter, and learned future.

 

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