‘Online education catching up’

There is a global shift in educational structure which puts priority on a blended version of offline-online teaching that allows more flexibility without compromising on quality, an international educational expert has said.

There is a global shift in educational structure which puts priority on a blended version of offline-online teaching that allows more flexibility without compromising on quality, an international educational expert has said.

HT Image

“We can see a gradual shift in higher education demographics to an environment that provides flexibility so one can balance the time demands of work, family and education. The broader aim therefore should be to give true quality online education and supplement it with classroom components, when you need an interface,” Curtis Uehlein, president, Apollo Global said.

The US-based Apollo Global has schools, both off campus and on campus, in countries across the world. It is now planning to foray in Asian countries including China and India.

Five years back online education was not promoted aggressively but today the number of students opting for blended offline-online education has swelled, he added.

Acknowledging that this kind of blended education was in a nascent stage in India he said, “education has to become global, it is pertinent that we acquire global skills and for this, online teaching is the best method.”

While Indians, he said had a passion for education, there was a strong need for a paradigm shift in the mindset that one has to go to a full time campus, “the general perception that all online education was of low quality has to be removed.”

He said practitioner-based faculty in Apollo Global’s schools means that faculty are actually working in the environment they are teaching in. Enrolment for the blended online version has witnessed a tremendous growth over the years, he added.