Tipping Point of e-learning and e-skilling for tier 2-3 cities and emerging

economies.
Secondary Research:
According to a report by KPMG and Google, the Indian edtech market is pegged to touch
$1.96 billion by 2021.
One of the reasons why penetration of education tech in rural areas, especially tier 3 cities, is
growing at a slow rate is because of lack of awareness regarding the use of digital education.
But with edtech companies realising the market potential in vernacular segments of India,
they are slowly expanding to tier 2 and 3 cities to increase their audience.
Thanks to easily access to internet connectivity, Indians coming from tier 2 and tier 3 cities
can benefit from online learning. Over 350,000 of the learners on upGrad an online learning
platform — come from tier 2 and tier 3 cities. This accounts for almost one half of its total
learner base.
India is the 2nd largest e-learning market after US with 70 million learners. The user platform
of the e-training industry is anticipated to strike 9.6 million by 2021, which had been 1.6
million throughout 2016, as a KPMG report.
In online classes, the learner is not directly interacting with the faculty. So in case of having
any questions, they may find it difficult to ask their online instructor, as communication is
often very impersonal. However, these courses often offer alternatives to live query
resolution like online forums, emails, and chat rooms. Using these alternatives can be helpful
for individuals to get their queries answered.
People often think that interacting with a trainer live is the best way to learn, as it is
interactive and allows for two-way communication. For such types of people, synchronous
online courses will be more appropriate.
Implementation of e-learning has grown steadily across the globe in recent years. The method
and style of e-Learning implementation are also changing rapidly with newer technologies
and devices. Learning becomes more enjoyable when the learner gets access to both videos
and audio, and this is what the e-learning sector is relying on to expand at a steady rate of 25
percent year on year. It is expected to become a $96 trillion market by 2021, showing the
scope for many new opportunities.
Some the current e-learning trends that are popular as follows:
1. Adaptive Learning - Adaptive learning is an instructional approach that utilizes
machine algorithms to orchestrate engagement with the learner and provide tailor-
made tools and learning opportunities that meet each learner's unique needs.
2. Micro Learning- It tackles relatively small units of learning and short-term learning
activities. It is a holistic approach to skill-based learning and education which
addresses relatively small units of learning. It involves short-term strategies designed
specifically for comprehension / learning / education skills
3. Artificial Intelligence - Intellect-equipped e-learning can automatically recognize
learners ' understanding of a concept, and then suggest different learning paths
depending on the current mastery level.
 4. Gamification – Education gamification is an interactive method for inspiring learners
to study with the use of video game design and gaming mechanics in learning
environments. The goal is to maximize satisfaction and commitment by catching
learner’s curiosity and encouraging learners to continue learning.
5. AR/VR - AR-technology represents a real boost to the education process. Augmented
reality's principal task is to "enrich" real objects with other capabilities and features.
There is a large number of AR-applications to date that communicate with the printed
text.

The hypothesis prepared for the test is as follows:

H0-Null Hypothesis: There is no significant difference in preference of e-learning and e-
skilling over brick & mortar learning centres
H1-Alternate Hypothesis: There is significant difference in preference of e-learning and e-
skilling over brick & mortar learning centres
To test the above hypothesis, we had prepared a questionnaire and a total of 31 responses
were recorded. The questionnaire consisted of 7 questions.
Findings from Questionnaire:
The survey was based on the students as well as group of working professionals. The 20-35
year old age group saw the highest number of respondents among the others. From the study,
it can be confirmed that growing internet penetration has been influential in increasing the
proliferation of e-learning technologies in today's world. Many respondents polled, i.e. 80%,
opted for e-learning and e-skilling curriculum. The reason for that choice is the ease of
learning at one’s choice. The greatest advantage of e-learning is that there is no fixed time
and place to learn along with various options for learning.
However it was observed that the respondents agree that the greatest demerit for e learning
platform is the absence of face-to-face contact between the learner and the coaches.
Furthermore, they believe that the lack of classroom-like environment and lack of credibility
on the part of trainers also play a major role in deciding on e-learning.
Apart from all the reasons, most people, i.e. 48.4 per cent, believe that in the future, e-
learning and e-skilling platforms will replace brick and mortar classroom learning. In
addition to being immersive and social, e-learning has evolved as a versatile learning tool for
students, given regional constraints, to gain access to world-class learning content.
Thus, we can reject the null hypothesis based on the above findings. Hence we can conclude
that there is significant difference in preference of e-learning and e-skilling over brick &
mortar learning centres.
Questionnaire
Surveyed Respondents Details-
Ayush Ranjan - ar.srivastava@gmail.com – Allahabad
Pratikshya Behera – ritty.prat@gmail.com – Bhubaneswar
Suvada Priyadarshini – priyadarshinisuvada@gmail.com - Pune
Antarika Dutta - duttamisti94@gmail.com - Kolkata
Abhishek Kumar- kumar.abhi021@gmail.com – Kolkata
Shruti Shambhavi -shruti.samvabi@gmail.com – Rourkela
Shubham Malviya - Shubhamen1017@gmail.com – Hyderabad
Rahul Saxena -rahul1iitkgp@gmail.com – Bangalore
Vaishali Hirnaik- vaishalihirnaik@gmail.com –Mumbai
Prachi Karn - prachi.karn21@associates.sibmpune.edu.in –Pune
Shiwanee Gupta - shiwanee.gupta21@associates.sibmpune.edu.in – Pune
Deepanshu Kumar-deepanshu.kumar21@associates.sibmpune.edu.in –Pune
Angela Saxena- angela.msaxena2817@gmail.com –Delhi
Pradeep Saxena - pksaxenaaen@gmail.com – Kota
shubhamen1017@gmail.com
akashyadav@gmail.com
shubhamen1017@gmail.com