The meteoric rise of T-20 cricket was proclaimed by many to be the death knell for Test cricket, the longer version of the gentleman’s game. To the contrary, the shorter and flamboyant T-20 version has in fact provided tremendous impetus to revive the five-day form of cricket.
The surge in popularity and credibility of the T-20 format has attracted a larger audience to watch cricket including women. Also, with the skill and mindset imbibed by players from playing T-20 cricket has furthermore made Test cricket even more exciting and result-oriented, thus giving it a new lease of life. This cricket analogy is reminiscent of the impact e-learning has had on the sphere of education. The phenomenon of eLearning has caught the imagination of many with its skill-based and technology-driven approach blended with the core principles of traditional education system.
The proliferation of eLearning in business education has proved to be the watershed moment as it complements and fulfils the requirements of the industry as well as education fraternity. Technology forming an integral part of human life with the emergence of IoT (Internet of Things) has further given credence to e-learning. An array of multifarious benefits and novel features has resulted in a surge in the demand for e-learning courses in business education. With accessibility, scalability, and affordability forming the basic fabric of e-learning, it has resonated with the aspirations of a bevy of students. The prospect of pursuing a business education course with the incentive of being employed has proved to be the master-stroke. As e-learning harnesses the potent of innovation, creativity, and intellect it has transformed the learning experience, making it more personalized and self-actuated.
The provision of gaining easy access to learning material online in the form of eBooks, videos, and interactive sessions from the comfort of one’s home or during travel has transcended edification beyond the walls of a classroom. e-learning sessions laced with animations, gamification, and interactivity has brought about a paradigm shift in the content delivery from being monotonous to becoming more narrative. This helps in better understanding and retention of concepts with enhanced interest and concentration of students. Also, virtual reality making inroads into e-learning has unleashed the boundless prowess of imaginative technology. This coupled with artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and learning analytics has provided a complete new dimension to performance evaluation and competency mapping. Analysis of the data collected from the digital footprints of students paves the way for providing tailor-made content and educational design as per their requirements.
The effectiveness of e-learning has compelled many prominent universities and institutes to provide full-fledged online courses to students across the globe, adhering to the requisite eligibility criteria and proper scrutiny of the candidates. This has bestowed greater credibility to these courses as students attain degrees and credits with proper accreditation. Also, the adoption of flipped classroom concept based on the brick and click model has helped to promote blended learning. As per a report by leading market research company Technavio, global e-learning market is pegged to grow at CAGR of about 18% by 2020. However, there is a lot to be desired as far as internet infrastructure is concerned, so as to sustain and foster the augmentation of e-learning. Also, greater investment and support needs to be provided for research and development of technology that can fuel growth and innovation in the e-learning domain. Here, a prolific partnership between the government, academic, and industry players can ensure that e-learning emerges as the champion in the field of business education.
