MOOCs
(Massive Online Open Courses) are fast becoming popular in India. India is the
second biggest market for MOOCs, after United States. MyBskool.com is a
Chennai-based startup that is pioneering the MOOCs concept in India. Latha Venkitachalam, Chief Operating
Officer, myBskool.com talks about the company and shares her insights on
India’s burgeoning e-learning landscape.
Debeshi: Can
you tell us more about myBskool?
Latha: myBskool.com is a 3 year young startup
based out of Chennai, started in October 2010 that is pioneering the MOOCs (Massive
Online Open Courses) concept in India. In lines with the MOOCs initiatives
of Stanford and Harvard that has revolutionized the higher
education eco-system worldwide by attracting millions of students from across
the globe.
Debeshi: What are your company’s e-learning
offerings?
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| Latha Venkitachalam |
Latha: myBskool offers online
management courses to students. Early this year, we launched a free 100-day
Mini MBA in partnership with Madras Management Association (MMA) with content
co-created with Indian Institute of Management Ranchi. The programme was offered
on a portable classroom model with access from PC, tablets and smartphones. We
got a fabulous response from the student community. Over three lakh students
have registered for this course, thereby making us India's largest online
business school.
Debeshi: What are the programmes
that you offer in collaboration with other schools?
Latha: We have the Online Mini MBA in partnership
with Madras Management Association and content co-created with IIM Ranchi. We
offer an Executive Diploma in Business Administration from Mahatma Gandhi
University. Then, there is an Executive Post Graduate Programme in Management from
IMT Ghaziabad and Short Term Certificate programmes in partnership with MMA and
IIM Ranchi.
Debeshi: Your insights into India’s e-learning
industry in higher education
Latha: E-learning is the most convenient option for
individuals who cannot take a break from work and continue education. This is
also a great opportunity to be updated on the subject and keep in touch with
the ongoing trends. Moreover, it is the easiest and cost-effective mode of
learning.
Debeshi: What are some of the bottlenecks faced by
companies in this space?
Latha: Education is linked to employment and
recognition of online courses in the employment market is a challenge. Online
learning is not accredited by Government bodies. Also, the Internet penetration
in our country has not been that fast. People do not want to pay for
certification and there is an attitude that anything that comes via the
Internet has to be free.
Debeshi: What are your growth plans in the next
five years?
Latha: We want to increase our collaborations with
foreign universities in areas such as faculty exchange. We are also looking at
expanding into verticals such as IT and Healthcare. We want to be known as India’s
best online learning company.