Phygital Education Could Prove Transformative for the Country

By Dr. Swati Piramal, Director of Piramal Foundation (Kaivalya Education Foundation is a Piramal Foundation Initiative) and Aditya Nataraj, CEO of Piramal Foundation & Founder of Kaivalya Education Foundation

A blend of digital and physical methods can double India’s gross enrolment ratio in higher education.

The government’s vision of a digital university to reach all students across the country, with its promise of personalized teaching at the doorstep, should be considered a landmark step in Indian education.

While serving on the Harvard Board of Overseers that launched Havardx (which offers free online courses from Harvard University) and Edx (a massive open online course provider by Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology), I was encouraged to see that the enrolment of Indian students for Edx was second only to that of US students. However, sadly only 16% of students completed these ‘digital only’ courses.

There are many challenges that need to be overcome. Piramal Foundation’s own experience of working with about 2 million students and 700,000 educators during the pandemic has helped us see the lacunae in a digital-only approach.

Students struggle in their transition to online learning, feel demotivated in the absence of a mentor or peer group, and also struggle with tests and assignments. Teachers, on the other hand, struggle with producing online content and find it difficult to keep children engaged.

What does work is a ‘phygital’ model that combines online course instruction with weekly or fortnightly in-person educational sessions. As observed, phygital education makes it easier for students to transition to learning online, stay motivated to complete their courses and also complete their tests and assignments. Phygital education also helps teachers keep students engaged, read behaviour patterns among them that may be of relevance, and tailor their delivery accordingly.

A phygital approach alone is not enough, though. We need many more components in order for it to be truly inclusive and game-changing, as it can prove to be.

This article was first published on Mint, one of India's premium business news publications. 

Read the full article here: https://www.livemint.com/opinion/online-views/phygital-education-could-prove-transformative-for-the-country-11646583192528.html