In the twentieth century, studying was one thing most individuals did until the tip of education or larger training. After that, you began working until you retired.

Gone are these days.

Today, studying is a lifelong course of, mentioned Anant Agarwal, the founder & CEO of edX, who talked to FE put up the ASU+GSV Summit (the Davos of Education) held in San Diego on April 17-19, 2023. “We all have to become lifelong learners. We have to keep pace not only with technology, but also with those at the workplace who are mastering technology,” he mentioned. “Remember, technologies such as GPT won’t take away your job, but a person who can use such technologies better than you just might.”

Founded in 2012 on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) when Prof Agarwal’s MIT Circuits and Electronics course was launched on-line (on edX.org) and greater than 155,000 learners from 162 nations enrolled in it, edX has pioneered large open on-line programs (MOOCs). Today, it has 49 million registered learners and it gives MOOCs from 250 international universities and companies (together with IIT Bombay and IIM Bangalore in India).

How to continue learning

Learning whereas working requires self-discipline, and that’s why edX has began ‘modular learning’ and ‘stackable learning’ programs. “Imagine you are 30 years old and working, so being able to find time and money for a two-year MBA may be difficult. But pursuing a course such as the MicroMasters from IIM Bangalore that is available in modules (you can complete at your own pace) is easy,” Prof Agarwal mentioned. “In fact, many people don’t even need to learn everything that is taught in a two-year MBA — learning a component is also enough. Such modular programmes are free and for about $2,000 you can earn a certification as well. This cost, however, is a fraction of what you may have to pay if you study on-campus.”

MOOCs resembling MicroMasters — obtainable on IIMBx — pay nicely, and knowledge reveals that 91% of those that earned MicroMasters noticed profession enhancement by way of wage and promotion.

While modular studying implies taking modules (resembling a module of an MBA or a Master’s) and studying at your individual tempo, stackable studying means stacking up these modules to earn a full diploma.

How business perceives on-line programs

While there’s not sufficient knowledge to indicate how business perceives on-line programs vis-à-vis classroom programmes, Prof Agarwal mentioned there shouldn’t be any distinction. “The credentials students earn after studying with us are similar to classroom programmes,” he mentioned. “Employers are hiring these people in record numbers, and it shows that industry doesn’t really differentiate in terms of the mode of learning. They just want the right people.”

Jobs and expertise

Over the centuries, expertise has been reworking jobs, not essentially changing them. “When steam engine got popular, it took away the job of the coachman, but those coachmen who learnt to drive a steam engine or prepared themselves for several new jobs that got created thanks to the steam engine, started earning much higher salaries,” Prof Agarwal mentioned. “Every new technology transforms jobs, and creates better-paying jobs. You just have to be ready for those.”

edX and lockdown

Like most edtech corporations, edX too benefited from the lockdown of 2020. In April 2020 alone, it added 5 million new registered learners, which was higher than the whole variety of learners in all of 2019. The variety of new learners who got here on the edX platform in 2020 grew by 561% over 2019. “As online education became not just optional, but essential, edX became the movement for the moment — and we seized the chance to give our community a place to grow,” Prof Agarwal mentioned.

edX and post-lockdown

Now that faculties and universities have reopened offline, and most working inhabitants is working hybrid or bodily from workplace, the exponential progress edX noticed throughout 2021-21 has slowed down.

“But education has changed forever,” Prof Agarwal mentioned. “The traditional higher education experience won’t continue as we knew it. Although there will always be a place for in-person learning, the pandemic has illustrated that online learning must be a key pillar of every university’s strategy. In this new normal of blended learning, no school has to do everything on its own. Rather, the entire education community can come together to make education affordable and accessible for all.”

MOOCs and completion charges

Several research have proven that MOOCs have low completion charges, at a median worth of round 15%. But Prof Agarwal mentioned that completion fee shouldn’t be used as a metric for MOOCs. “When I was growing up in India, I used read the Indian Express newspaper every day. But I did not read it from cover to cover, so my ‘completion rate’ wasn’t high, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t benefit by reading it,” he mentioned. “A better metric for MOOCs should be are people learning, are they getting value, what kind of certifications are there, and so on.”

However, below edX for Business, the place over 1,000 corporations use its programs for his or her staff, together with the State Bank of India and Tech Mahindra, the completion fee is 79%. Learners who’ve signed up for a verified certificates on edX, their completion fee is as excessive as 60%.

Also Read: FE Education Analysis: As UK educational institutes face higher cyber security threats, where does India stand?

ChatGPT and on-line training

With expertise getting smarter by the day, people have to continue learning to remain forward of the expertise adoption curve. Here, edX is popping out with newer programs to get individuals upskilled, and it’s utilizing generative expertise to show in a greater approach. “We’ve launched a new course called ‘Introduction to ChatGPT’. We are launching many more courses in artificial intelligence and machine learning,” he mentioned. “We are additionally utilizing generative applied sciences in our personal instructing. We are launching GPT expertise inside our platform for serving to college students (when college students have a common query, we use ChatGPT to work together with them), and have constructed video summaries (in case you don’t have a number of time to observe whole course video, you may watch the 15-odd minute abstract).

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