Imagine swapping your morning commute (groan!) for a cozy spot at home with a cup of kadak chai, and voila — you’re ready for class. From the hustle of Mumbai to the tranquility of Kerala, students and professionals are diving into the ocean of online courses, armed with nothing but their smartphones, a good internet plan and a thirst for knowledge.
It’s like Netflix, but for learning — binge-worthy and infinitely rewarding. So, buckle up and allow me to take you through a smart past and smarter future, one online course at a time.
Why do folks learn online? Because they can. It’s democratic, often better than physical classes and always on. That fancy course at a fancier university you couldn’t take because you didn’t have the cash? It’s online now, and probably free.
Consider the following:
* The Indian online education market was valued at approximately $3 billion in 2022 and is projected to reach around $10 billion by 2025, according to Canadian online learning company LearnHub.
* The number of users engaged in online learning platforms has grown from 45 million in 2020 to over 90 million in 2023, according to Bengaluru-based research firm RedSeer.
* The most popular are online degrees and certifications in fields like data science, AI and digital marketing.
* Platforms have already started using AI and data analytics to provide personalised learning paths.
* There’s an ongoing expansion into regional languages, to reach a broader audience.
* Paid users are expected to increase from 1.2 per cent to 8.1 per cent in the next five years.
Let’s take a walk down memory lane, when a common personal computer had 32 MB of RAM to now, where a sasta mobile phone has 4GB RAM minimum (a flagship phone could have 24 GB RAM).
Let’s start with NIIT. They were probably the earliest to start the online shebang way back in the 1980s, with computer-based training for IT courses, setting the stage for a digital learning revolution. They were a little too early to the party though.
Technically, the National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL), launched by seven IITs and IISc, introduced true online learning in 2003, with extensive — and free — online STEM course materials, making quality education accessible to a broader audience.
Around the 2010s, the advent of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) like Coursera, edX and Udacity brought the big brands onto the scene. These platforms offered courses from top global universities, allowing Indian students to access world-class learning resources. No, they weren’t free — these were heavily funded startups out to make millions — and they did.
Indian edtech companies like Byju’s and Unacademy offered personalised and interactive learning experiences. (How many of these unicorns went belly up and why, is another story.)
Both Byju’s and Unacademy democratised access to quality education in India through great content, reaching students in remote areas and providing affordable learning solutions.
Their success and growth also spurred interest and investment in the ed-tech sector, contributing significantly to the rapid adoption of online learning in India.
The Government of India’s Digital India initiative, launched in 2015, to transform India into a digitally empowered society, boosted the infrastructure for online education. It was like a shot of steroids for the online learning industry.
Launched in 2017, SWAYAM (Study Webs of Active-Learning for Young Aspiring Minds) provided free online courses across diverse disciplines, developed by Indian institutions like IITs, IIMs, IISERs, etc.
With the Covid-19 pandemic came rapid innovation: Platforms like DIKSHA, an initiative by the Ministry of Education, provided teachers and students with digital learning resources, ensuring continuity in education.
The Karmayogi Bharat portal, iGOT, was launched to enhance digital-powered capacity building for government employees, aligning with the vision of a ‘Viksit Bharat’. As of today, iGOT has over 1,000 top-notch courses and more than 40 lakh learners who have completed 1 crore plus courses. (Disclaimer: The author is an advisor at Karmayogi Bharat.)
It’s been a long journey in a pretty short time frame. What will the future of online learning look like? Here’s where it’s going, in my humble opinion.
Artificial Intelligence: Obviously, AI and machine learning will play a major role in providing personalised and adaptive learning experiences.
B for Blended: Collaboration between online learning platforms and legacy institutes like IIM will increase, to offer courses that improve employability and skillsets
Regional Language: Efforts to make online educational content available in regional languages will increase accessibility. Regional or bust in short.
C for Context: Content will continue to remain king, but Context will be the Queen who will shape content.
Happy learning!
(Shubho Sengupta is a digital marketer with an analogue ad agency past. He can be found @shubhos on X)