With Covid-19 bringing the world to a standstill, universities globally are racing to adapt their programmes and classes to online alternatives.
But not all online learning systems are the same, and caught unaware, a majority of universities have resorted to using whichever technology is available for them, say university sources.
Nitish Jain, President, SP Jain School of Global Management, conceded that technology has drastically changed the way we live and experience things. And in this landscape, SP Jain School of Global Management has become a game-changer of sorts.
“We have used our own proprietary Engaged Learning Online (ELO) technology, which is a high-end online learning system that replicates a live classroom down to its last detail,” he said.
“The ELO studio was set up with a robotic tracking camera for the faculty. This allows them to respond to visual cues, moderate discussions and more, all in real-time. Faculty and students are able to engage in one-on-one conversations as if they were sitting side-by-side. This technology also enables the faculty to evaluate each student’s level of engagement, respond to them individually and keep them motivated — just like they would do in a conventional classroom. A big advantage is also that ELO engages even those students who wouldn’t participate in an on-campus classroom discussions,” Jain explained.
Over 2,000 students from 20 countries have utilised this technology in the past four weeks, even in the midst of such chaos and uncertainty, he said.
The ELO technology was launched in 2018 with the objective of making the institution’s internationally-recognised MBA programme accessible to working professionals who wouldn’t have the flexibility of pursuing an on-campus course. Following its success within the E-MBA, the School expanded its ELO offering to include executive education programmes as well as short courses for working professionals across the globe, he said.