Thursday, August 28, 2014

EDUCATION SPECIAL...................... ONLINE COURSES

 ONLINE COURSES

TO FILL GAPS IN UNIVERSITY CURRICULA, STUDENTS ARETURNING TO ONLINE COURSES DESIGNED TO MAKE THEMEMPLOYMENT-READY AND SHARPEN PRACTICAL SKILLS,PARTICULARLY IN SPECIALISED FIELDS SUCH AS LAW ANDFINANCE

Saundankar, 29, a corporate lawyer and recent graduate from the Government Law College in Churchgate, took an online course in commercial contracts while in college. Unsatisfied with the college syllabus, Saundankar found that the 12-week online programme, on a website called MyLaw.net, had content designed by established lawyers especially to supplement the theoretical university syllabus “The online course, which cost 7,800, trained me to draft and reviiew commercial contracts in more detail, and with a much more practical approach,” she says. “I understood the topic so effortlessly that I have now signed up for the securities law and banking law courses as well.”
MyLaw.net, which started in 2009, started with 100 subscribers and now has coached over 20,000 students. Similarly,Loop, Manipal Global’s online education arm, launched in January 2014 and has already awarded 10,000 certifications, with a 20% rise in subscribers every month.

Loop has partnered with Google India to launch a specialised course in digital marketing, slated to start on August 23.“Online courses supplement your formal education and if delivered well, they can help sharpen your skills to a large extent,” says Shivraman Krishnan, CEO of Manipal University. “For instance, business school helped me understand the basic concepts of marketing, but I was never taught digital marketing. With the advent of technology, supplementary courses can play a vital role in making sure your skills are up-to-date.

Some of these courses are designed with the help of industry professionals, who identify skills gaps in fresh graduates and develop course content that focus on employability. “Course takers can also interact with industry experts on discussion forums, anytime and from anywhere,” says Vipin Khandelwal, CEO, Learning Infinite, an online education portal. “Online courses can have interactive audio/video content, ‘learning-by-doing’ simulations, peer interactions, which give them an edge over traditional classroom learning.”
Here’s a look at some such courses that are gaining popularity. Pouching upon a wide spectrum of the laws, courses on MyLaw.net are formulated by legal experts who also make sure the courses are regularly updated. The panel includes Deeksha Singh, ex-legal manager, Essar Ltd; Deepa Mookerjee, ex- senior associate, Amarchand &; Mangaldas ; Suresh A Shroff Co; and Sindhu Sivakumar, associate, Allen and Overy

Students are taught using a combination of videos and reading material. The videos incorporate PowerPoint presentations and infographics.“In India, very few colleges provide students the opportunity to participate in moot courts, or teach them how to draft a commercial contract,” says Antony Alex, CEO, MyLaw.net. “MyLaw.net aims to fill these holes.” The portal has a section on tips to argue your case in court, mergers and acquisitions and CLAT preparations, amongst other courses.“In college, we only skimmed through mergers and acquisitions, completed in one semester,” says Akriti Bharadwaj, 22, a student from Amity Law School, Delhi. “The online course clarified my concepts immensely and taught me the effect of the New Companies Act.” The courses end with an examination. “MyLaw.net is recognised by many law firms in India, so the certification helps students score internships too,” adds Alex.“Applying law in the real world is a huge leap from studying theory in college,” says Sawant Singh, legal manager, Phoenix Legal. “We encourage our associates to refer to this portal for basic practical knowledge, so that it partially reduces our burden of training.

WWW.LEARNINGINFINITE. COM

Learning Infinite provides online courses in business, finance, problem-solving and personal effectiveness. While the other courses are targeted at working professionals, the problemsolving course, launched in June, has gained importance amongst students. Suresh Lulla, the founder of Qimpro, a quality consulting firm, has designing the course along with Khandelwal. Lulla has helped save about 17,500 crore, locked in chronic problems for his client organisations.
Few realise that there is a structure to effectively solve problems, which can help long-term gains of an organisation’s bottom line,” says Khandelwal.
The problem-solving course covers problem definition, key problem solving steps, problem diagnosis, finding & implementing solutions. The course requires 15-20 hours on an average to complete the course. The course has up to three hours of interactive video lessons, a question and answer forum to resolve doubts and interact with peers, practical exercises to check understanding of key concepts and other resource downloads. It also involves project work to apply the learning in real world.
Projects can be showcased on a ‘talent gateway’ page to improve visibility to prospective employers.“The problem-solving course dramatically changes the way you approach business problems,” says Pramod Avarchamal, 28, assistant managerbusiness planning, L&;T.
Avarchamal took the course while at IIM-Bangalore in May 2014.“It teaches you how to systematically define the root causes and strategize solutions. For instance, generally, increasing profit means increasing revenue. However the course entails ways to increase profits by reducing cost,” he adds.
The prog ramme also involves conferences with experts from different backgrounds. “It almost felt like I was talking to the expert face-to face.” says Naveen Pachabhaiye, 24, an MBA student from WeSchool, Matunga.

HT 140820

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