Online learning in Supplemental Education Industry

As per a report published by Morgan Stanley in November 2008, there are 5B views of online video in the United States (Americans watched a total of 12.6B videos / 591MM hours online in 9/08); Facebook has 120MM+ active users, Skype has 370 mm users, 2.2B Skype Out minutes, 16.0B Skype-to-Skype minutes and PayPal: 65mm users. The number of e-mails, text messages, and IMs exchanged on a daily basis continue to grow exponentially—and all this.

It seems like we are standing on the front wave of ubiquitous connectivity. And the more we are connected, the more we want to engage, meet friends, do shopping, watch movies, share ideas online. In this mostly connected, always switched-on world, online learning makes more sense than ever before.

In a blog, chat room or discussion board, teachers and students can gather to talk about the topic they might be studying, discuss their queries or talk about politics or new products in the market. Teacher’s can mentor their students, solve their problems and have one-to-one talk with them

By providing creative solutions, a teacher can teach students within the context in which they live. Computer Science students can understand the arcane concepts related to different applications through examples and demos. Finance students can get firsthand experience on the vagaries of the stock market through a dynamic trading simulation.

Whether it’s about designing a logo, developing a professional-looking website, directing a short film, or drawing a 3D model, teacher can actively engage students in using the creative tools. Students have the added bonus of creating professional-level portfolios to showcase their work to potential employers.

Teacher can use multimedia software to illustrate scenes that can give students a deeper understanding of plots and characters in classic literature. Students can understand abstract concepts like electrical energy through simulation and illustrations in Photoshop. Arcane concepts can be made easier by sharing screen casts, walking students individually through examples or sharing desk top with them.

Due to lack of resources small ESPs cannot build own softwares or infrastructure, but they can use open-source or free applications like Skype for live interaction, Moodle to build communities and deliver courses and social media for marketing e.g. promoting on Facebook networks or building a following on Twitter etc. While there is still an element of content delivery in these systems, they are not designed for education in any way. Consequently integrating all such applications to give seamless user experience is not possible.

In order for online learning to thrive, there needs to be an online learning environment that can build success for learners 7. Creating an appropriate environment for small ESPs has several considerations:

Making content engaging: According to a survey conducted by eLearn Magazine, 70 percent of those surveyed responded that current online learning courses were not as engaging or motivating as face-to-face courses8. It illustrates the need to design more engaging online learning in order to create a more successful learning environment for online learners. However designing own courses is not only expensive but also requires a lot of time.

Training the trainers: The pedagogy in a virtual classroom is different than in a face-to-face classroom. As learners, we talk to colleagues outside of the classroom, read a book, discuss with peers or have one-on-one session with teachers. Different kinds of learning demand appropriate strategies, tools, and resources. Online learning makes available collaborative and adaptive tools that offer ways like text graphics, animation, audio, video and video conferencing to enhance leaning. But a lot of the tools teachers use for teaching requires training or tedious software installation.

It’s a metaphor used for when the computer screen turns blue displaying an error message. It happens suddenly, unexpectedly, and for some reason when you're in the middle of a class. Once the blue screen error pops up, the only way to remove the blue screen error is to press the reset button. ESP's do not have IT departments. It’s not their line of business; they are just trainers and teachers.

Internet is an exceptionally good channel for customer acquisition especially when it’s about online world - You never see amazon.com advertising in newspapers. Still, acquiring customers takes much more than sticking advertisements on a billboard. Google Adwords is one way, but you need an expert per se social media optimizer. Social media tools like Twitter, Facebook, etc., are effective channels, but need a lot of time and effort.

DA virtual classroom provides a hassle-free two-way, real-time communication between the learner and teacher. To create and serve a virtual classroom is extremely quick and easy. It does not require you to download a special application or player prior to entering the virtual classroom. Teachers and students can use any computer on essentially any operating system, including Windows XP or Vista, Macintosh OS X, and Linux. Virtual classroom is managed directly from the user’s web-based account through any browser on any platform.

Teachers extend the reach and scope of their online learning experience by using features such as web camera sharing, VoIP audio communications, screen and application sharing across computing platforms on an interactive whiteboard. Its ease of access for learners frees educators to focus on their content instead of the technology. Students and teachers instantly engage in virtual classroom by simply clicking on their whiteboard account or course. The teacher controls the presentation and discusses the necessary points via mouse. Students contribute through live chat (text-based) or raise their virtual hand. The teacher also transfers control to students.

Using different open source applications, need separate logins and separate database. Users experience a single application. From the uploading to delivery of content happens seamlessly and effortlessly. Students instantly enter and exit their classroom without re-entering their credentials. Teachers upload content in any format in a matter of minutes. Files are uploaded prior to the session or during the session using the content manager (uploading documents/audio/video streaming is very fast and without delay).

An easy-to-use tool works on any operating system and requires no installation or changes in the user's system. It’s easy to use interface does not require training. The focus is on enabling teachers to integrate the tools effortlessly into their curricula, than struggle with arcane applications. However a training team offers any kind of assistance to teachers and students.

The system gives teachers access to students feedback. Upon completion, each student is asked to rate the courseware and the teacher. Courseware is graded on accuracy, quality of the learning experience, ease of use, and overall effectiveness. Teachers are graded for their expertise and interaction with the students. It helps small ESP’s to acquire new customers. They can post grades on their blogs or attract other students on the platform.