Micro-learning platform: Moving forward with online courses

Business education made convenient through technology

KARACHI: Imagine a world where anyone sitting in the comfort of their home and having the flexibility of their own time can access more than a thousand courses from various fields taught by some of the best universities of the world.

From ‘Fundamentals of Music Theory’ to ‘Programming for Everybody using Python’, one is exposed to a huge variety of courses and is part of a more than 13 million strong community. The only pre-requisite to enter this world: a secure internet connection. The above is not a dream but the wonder of technology which has made this a reality. Massive Online Open Courseware (MOOC) is an online course offering unlimited participation and open access through the internet. In addition to structured course material like lectures, readings, quizzes and exams there is also the opportunity to interact with other students and instructors. MOOC were first introduced in 2008 and became quite popular fairly recently since 2012.

According to statistics pertaining to Coursera, students from more than 190 countries have participated and more than a hundred top universities around the globe have partnered with it in 2014. Statistics report that about a quarter of a million students were enrolled in its most popular course in the same year. They also offer opportunities for peer learning where learners can evaluate and provide feedback on each other’s work. They offer 29 different specialisations of which almost 8 are concentrated in business education; Data Science, Business Foundations, Digital Marketing, Project Management to name a few. These specialisation tracks have about ten courses and upon completion the student is awarded a certificate. And Coursera is not the only ‘ed-tech’ company around. MOOCs are offered by quite a few organisations- amongst them edX  and Stanford Online  being a few of the popular ones.

Universities especially in the western world are increasingly employing MOOCs with traditional classroom learning as a form of instruction. Partner universities of ‘ed-tech’ companies like Coursera are using their online platform to provide enhanced learning to their students. This model is also being implemented in universities across the Middle East where instructors are using interactive discussion boards, courses being taught in a hybrid setting etc. Dr Nadeem Aftab, an Assistant Professor of Finance at Abu Dhabi University who has also taught at IBA, comments “The future of education is online education. It is a more active form of learning as compared to the traditional classroom.’ This has in fact been reiterated by the US Department of Education which has claimed that education whether completely online or in a hybrid form produces better student learning outcomes than classes with face-to-face interaction.

MOOCs offer universal access to the world’s best education. They can be effectively tapped by university students, entrepreneurs, women who are homemakers, mid-career professionals.  Ever since the Axact scandal unfolded online education has been held with notoriety in Pakistan, but online education from the right platform can provide a huge benefit to motivated students. With a vast variety of courses offered by MOOCs in economics, finance and management, business schools across Pakistan can also take advantage and use this forum in their course structure as additional material for a for a more comprehensive and engaging learning experience.

The writer is an economist and
ex-central banker

Published in The Express Tribune, June 22^nd,  2015.

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