A research conducted by Ambient Insight says that India will be the second largest country for buying mobile learning products and services by 2015 with a growth rate of 61.3 per cent. This will lead to a different type of education system. M-learning is slowly and steadily gaining popularity and has great potential, says Dr Nidhi Maheswari
The digital India project sees an outlay of Rs1,13,000 crore. Not only will many companies be potential beneficiaries but also within minutes of logging into the network on mobiles, Indian apprentices will be connected to foreign mentors who could teach them the art of weaving, welding, carpentry, food processing etc. This can be a reality for several rural talents in India, all due to the growing scope of long distance education and mobile learning (m-learning).
As per the census of 2011, India is recognised as one of the youngest nations whose majority of young population will enter into the workplace by 2015. This has instigated the demand for a different education system which should be capable of fulfilling the necessities of quality and quantity aspect of the education system — defeating the barricade in quality education and increasing the penetration of education sector.
As for the different programmes of digital India, the target date of completion is 2016, which means there is a rigour for implementation. In this situation, mobile as a tool for learning is easier and cheaper way to educate millions of youth than through a personal computer or laptop. The availability of mobile network in the remotest area of the country leverages the extensive use of technology through introducing modifications to the ecosystem of education sector through m-learning.
Technology has only reached class room of urban schools, wherein it is again limited to computer labs and audio-visual rooms. The sector is estimated to increase IT spending from $356 million in 2008 to $704 million in 2012, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 19 per cent, during this period. With improving infrastructure, the Indian education system is already making strides towards adopting the m-education which is a facilitator to distance learning using mobile technology.
Curbing constraints of time, location and collaboration of traditional education system m-learning simplifies access to content and experts. Customisation of teaching process and personalisation of education solution for learners through interactive media is another advantage of m-learning. It helps the learner to access local and global content and even approach the experts anywhere and anytime. In India, access to education is a problem due to insufficient number of schools with reference to population. low household income also contributes to the problem and provides access to only the locally popular study material. M-learning platform offers access to relevant globally acknowledged study material at low cost. M-learning solutions provide access to innovative teaching pedagogy to the educators which help to solve the training issue of undertrained educators.
Engaging learners and enhancing the understanding of the learner demands customising teaching styles according to the needs and preferences of each learner. This is impractical in traditional classroom environment. More interactive formats and content tailored to individual learning styles developed under the m-learning platform has the potential to increase engagement levels of students to understand better.
The days are not very far when we will find educational institutions are purchasing the m-learning solution for their learners to improve their learning capacity. The remarkable rural mobile adoption growth rate and demand for varied educational content has opened new vistas in creating a market for mobile education. But the low level of literacy, limited understanding of English language in rural and semi urban areas and text driven interface is a roadblock in reaping the benefits of m-learning. We are in experimentation phase of m-learning field and both public and private sectors are identifying innovative application, it may be impulsive to celebrate its success and still miles to go for celebration.
The writer is assistant Prof, HR-OB, Asia Pacific Institute of Management, New Delhi