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E-Learning Based Entrepreneurial Education: To Re
Author(s
Affiliation: 1, 2 Alagappa Institute of Management,
Email id:[email protected], [email protected] Abstract—Technology plays a vital role in the development of
India when coming to education sector this constant evolution made a unique foot print by means of Electronic based Lear (E-learning). At present, E-learning is considered as an inevitable part in terms of both education and trainin
academic institutions or companies. Though numerous technology based programs exists to instill the entrepreneurial skills of the students or the entrepreneurs but when comes to success rate there is a wide gap because it fails
of remote India due to various reasons. E-learning will be the most effective tool for promoting entrepreneurship when it is outlined in the right way by nurturing from the seed stage the end. This conceptual study aims to investigate and
efficacy of the existing Indian Government initiatives on entrepreneurship via e-learning in rural areas and provide suggestions on how to overcome the pitfalls of the current programs by structuring the e-learning system effectively to implant the Entrepreneurial Skills of Students who resides in rural part of India during their education before obtaining the respective degrees from their institutions.
Keywords—E-Learning; Indian Government Initiatives; Entrepreneurship; Entrepreneurial skills; Entrepreneurs
I. INTRODUCTION
As part of digitalization of India, Government has taken many initiatives to facilitate technology based learning namely E-Learning from rural to even most of the remote pockets of the country. Though we are in the half-way to r
destination, but there are some key things where Government of India can consider how they can make the changes effectively in a successful manner by start sowing the seeds from in-ground level of the students which means not only from their school level education alone they have to concentrate on the college side also. Economic growth and development of our country lies in the student’s hand, since they are the future pillars of our India and most important asset as well, therefore this study focus on how can we implant the entrepreneurial skills to the young Indian students during their graduation period itself to deal and compete with the 21st century demands towards life and career sustainability who wants to be a own boss for themselves.
II. WHAT IS E-LEARNING VS.ENTREPRENEURSHIP A. E-Learning Overview:
E-Learning is the stepping stone to make changes to our India as a digital world. Effort that spend by Government, Schools, Universities and othereducational oriented institutions replacing the traditional classroom learning by technology based learning in education system will definitely paves a way to Digital India. Education is the driving force for any economic changes that reflects in.
The term E-Learning refers to Electronic Learning w means learning online involves the use of a computer/laptop, or
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Copyright © 2016 by authors and International Journal of Research and Engineering
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution International License (CC BY).
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|
Learning Based Entrepreneurial Education: To Re-skill the Rural Students of India
s)
:
1Shangeerthana G V
,
2Dr. Chandrasekar
Alagappa Institute of Management, Alagappa University, Karaikudi, India Email id:[email protected], [email protected]
the development of India when coming to education sector this constant evolution made a unique foot print by means of Electronic based Learning learning is considered as an inevitable part in terms of both education and training irrespective of academic institutions or companies. Though numerous technology based programs exists to instill the entrepreneurial skills of the students or the entrepreneurs but when comes to to reach the people learning will be the most effective tool for promoting entrepreneurship when it is outlined in the right way by nurturing from the seed stage to till conceptual study aims to investigate and gauge the efficacy of the existing Indian Government initiatives on learning in rural areas and provide suggestions on how to overcome the pitfalls of the current learning system effectively to the Entrepreneurial Skills of Students who resides in rural part of India during their education before obtaining the Learning; Indian Government Initiatives;
Entrepreneurs
As part of digitalization of India, Government has taken many initiatives to facilitate technology based learning namely Learning from rural to even most of the remote pockets of way to reach the destination, but there are some key things where Government of India can consider how they can make the changes effectively in a successful manner by start sowing the seeds ground level of the students which means not only l level education alone they have to concentrate on the college side also. Economic growth and development of our country lies in the student’s hand, since they are the future pillars of our India and most important asset s on how can we implant the entrepreneurial skills to the young Indian students during their graduation period itself to deal and compete with the 21st century demands towards life and career sustainability who
NTREPRENEURSHIP? Learning is the stepping stone to make changes to our India as a digital world. Effort that spend by Government, Schools, Universities and othereducational oriented institutions
f
or the traditional classroom learning by technology based learning in education system will definitely paves a way to Digital India. Education is the driving force for any Learning refers to Electronic Learning which means learning online involves the use of a computer/laptop, orany electronic devices (e.g. a mobile phone/CD
/video tape/satellite TV). E-learning as defined by Martyn Sloman [8],the delivery of learning or training using electronically based approaches
Internet, intranet, Extranet or Web
E-Learning is of two types namely synchronous and asynchronous.
Asynchronous e-learning means ‘not at the same time’ allows the learner to complete the Web Based Training at his own pace, without live interaction with the instructor.
Synchronous e-learning means ‘at the same time’ allows the learner to interact with the instructor via web in real time.
A new form of learning known as emerging which is nothing but synchronous and asynchronous e effectiveness.
Pros & Cons E-Learning: Pros:
Increased and easy access world.
Faster delivery cycle in time than traditional classroom based instruction.
Very scalable and Sustainable
practically available all the time and learners are not bound to a specific day or time to attend classes.
Flexibility: The content can be updated/modified/changed in a flexible & fast manne Re-use and modularization:
learning materials can be reused. Higher freedom for participants:
usually a coach and facilitator rather than a traditional lecturer.
Advances competences in new technologies: students to understand and to cope with new technology and online tools.
Affordability: the greater the number of participants, greater the probability that economies of scale will make e-learning an attractive from cost perspective. Better, faster and cheap
classroom training. Due to the online learning, one coordinator can handle significant amount of courses/students enrolling.
Improved performance:
show that online education students in general perform better than those in the offline learning.
Cons:
Users’ resistance to changes:
methods and technologies always creates frustration, especially in people who have more “conservative”.
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution International License (CC BY).
skill the Rural Students of India
Alagappa University, Karaikudi, Indiaany electronic devices (e.g. a mobile phone/CD-ROM/audio learning as defined by Martyn the delivery of learning or training using sed approaches – mainly through the net, intranet, Extranet or Web.
Learning is of two types namely synchronous and learning means ‘not at the same time’ allows the learner to complete the Web Based Training ace, without live interaction with the learning means ‘at the same time’ allows the learner to interact with the instructor via web in real A new form of learning known as ‘Blended learning’ is emerging which is nothing but the combination of both synchronous and asynchronous e-learning to ensure maximum Increased and easy access from different spots of the in time than traditional classroom Very scalable and Sustainable. Learning sessions are practically available all the time and learners are not bound to a specific day or time to attend classes.
The content can be
updated/modified/changed in a flexible & fast manner. use and modularization: learning objects and learning materials can be reused.
Higher freedom for participants: The trainer/tutor is usually a coach and facilitator rather than a traditional Advances competences in new technologies: Help udents to understand and to cope with new technology the greater the number of participants, greater the probability that economies of scale will
learning an attractive from cost perspective. Better, faster and cheaper administration than
. Due to the online learning, one coordinator can handle significant amount of courses/students enrolling.
Improved performance: Results of numerous surveys show that online education students in general perform
ter than those in the offline learning.
resistance to changes: Introduction of new methods and technologies always creates frustration, especially in people who have more “conservative”.
Strong requirement for self-discipline: E-learning requires a higher level of responsibility in the hands of the participant towards participation and preparation. New communication technologies improve rapidly all
the time: Every now and then technical development and implementation requires a significant amount of time and investments, and the results could be outdated soon.
Synchronization is difficult: For some e-learning methods, like webinars, online conferences, etc. where students need to participate simultaneously, it is difficult to synchronize their schedules to attend at the same time.
Internet connection: The use of many technical applications in the e-learning process (webinars, podcasts, video materials, teleconferences, etc.) requires a high speed internet which is very slow in developing countries.
Copyright on the training materials: E-learning platforms need to consider that trainers are not willing to post free in the public domain.
Language barriers: Training in countries where spoken languages do not coincide with the main languages of developing software for e-learning programs is an obstacle.
B. Entrepreneurship Overview:
The word “entrepreneur” is derived from the French verb ‘Entreprendre’, which means ‘to undertake’ i.e., the person who “undertakes” the risk of new enterprise. An enterprise is created by an entrepreneur. The process of creation is called “entrepreneurship”.
Entrepreneurs are those persons (business owners) who seek to generate value, through the creation or expansion of economic activity, by identifying and exploiting new products, processes or markets.
Entrepreneurship is a process of actions of an entrepreneur who is a person always in search of something new and exploits such ideas into gainful opportunities by accepting the risk and uncertainty with the enterprise.
Fig. 1. Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurial skill can be defined as the ability to create something new with value by devoting the necessary time and effort, assuming the accompanying financial, psychic and social risks, and receiving the resulting rewards of monetary and personal satisfaction and independence [9].
Pros & Cons of Entrepreneurship: Pros:
Great amount of freedom: Entrepreneurs have complete independence on decision making which will provide a chance to shape one’s career.
Excitement: Entrepreneurs are always filled with excitement from the time of idea generation to the development and realization of the product or service which brings new opportunities to challenge their determination, skills and abilities.
Set Own Earnings: Being an entrepreneur, it allows the person to reap their own benefits based on the hard work which is huge advantage which can be a huge advantage compared to working as an employee for a certain company.
Flexibility: Entrepreneurs can have control over their work schedule around other commitments; including quality time spends with the family.
Cons:
To dedicate a huge amount of time: Entrepreneur has to work more hours due to their un-predictable work schedules than being an employee despite of flexibility. Difficult to compete with other businesses: Entrepreneur
to stay competitive to differentiate their business from in order to build a solid customer base to gain profit 100% Success is Uncertain: Great risk attached to the
Entrepreneurship. Success or failure of the business rests with the entrepreneur
Stress on decision making: Responsible towards decision making can be quite stressful and it’s difficult to handle eventhough they left the security of having a paycheck each month by being an employee of some other company.
III. OBJECTIVES
To objectively analyze and study the current government initiatives that exists in order to instill the entrepreneurial skills of the undergraduate students in rural India via e-learning.
To identify what extent e-learning based entrepreneurial skills learning provided by our government connected to the young Indian students resides in remote area.
To provide inputs or suggestion on the improvement of the existing plan in India’s education sector to lower or eliminate the risk of unemployment at the seed level based on the previously identified gaps for the growth of our economy.
A. Government Initiatives to kindle Entrepreneurial Skills of Undergraduate Students in Rural India via E-Learning
Education plays a more vital role in shaping India’s future. A government investment towards education sector is the base for reflection of the status of a country. The Government of India aims to increase digital literacy to at least 50 per cent of Indians from currently 15 per cent over a period of next three years. Its known fact that our Indian government had already taken steps to digitalize our education sector in Schools, Colleges and Universities through e-learning to promote technology based learning. E-Learning based education provides benefits to both students and government in such a way that students can learn in addition to start using the technology oriented tools as per their convenient time and government’s main motto to eliminate illiteracy by offering various programs for the welfare of future generations of India becomes true.
Government of India offers numerous e-learning oriented programs [16] [17] to the students for their higher education under the guidelines and initiatives of Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) which funds Indian Institute of Technology (IIT’s), Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT’s), National Institute of Technology (NIT’s), Indian Institute of Management (IIM’s), etc., to initiate and promote technology based learning
programs. E-Learning programs are also offered by many private institutions like IGNOU Symbiosis University, Sikkim Manipal University, etc.
The aim of this paper is to analyze about government investments towards e-learning based entrepreneurship education to the students in remote areas during their higher education in Colleges/Universities/other institutions and its effectiveness.
Entrepreneurship education in India is in its nascent stripe. After 1990s, there has been a greater shift in India towards promoting and nurturing entrepreneurship education in India’s higher education system by means of various programs funded by Government of India to cultivate the entrepreneurial skills in each and every individualto reduce the risk of un-employment of young graduates in both urban and rural area.
To develop entrepreneurial skills and in order to facilitate employability of graduates numerous entrepreneurship programs are offered by government along with the support many of top institutions such as Entrepreneurship development Institute of India (EDI), National Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Development Board (NSTEDB),IIE, NISIET, NSIC, IIM’s, etc.,
Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi launched the Skill India initiative – ‘Kaushal Bharat, Kushal Bharat’. Under this initiative, the government has set itself a target of training 400 million citizens by 2022 that would enable them to find jobs. The initiatives launched include various programs [6] like:
Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY, is the flagship program under the Skill India Initiative and it includes incentivizing skill training by providing financial rewards on completion of training to the participants.
National Policy for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship 2015 is India’s first integrated program to develop skill and promote entrepreneurship simultaneously.
Skill Loan Scheme is designed to disburse loans of Rs 5,000 (US$ 75.3) to Rs 150,000 to 3.4 million Indians planning to develop their skills in the next five years. The National Skill Development Mission is developed
to expedite the implementation of skilling activities in India by providing robust institutional framework Though above all are not necessarily to be the internet based learning programs, but they are most important programs which definitely will pave the way for eliminating the illiteracy and un-employment among the graduates by inducing the entrepreneurial skills in order to start their own enterprise or business without relying on certain company to get the wages/salary as an employee which will not be permanent always as like being an entrepreneur.
B. How E-Learning based Entrepreneurial Learning offered by Indian Government Connect Rural Students?
In India, half of the population resides in villages, and nearly 90% of the colleges are situated in rural areas. The rural literacy rate is increasing day by day. The government views entrepreneurship education in rural area of those colleges/institutions as a constructive tool for bringing social change. In addition to all this, education has helped liberate
people of false prejudice, representations and ignorance in the rural areas.
A host of new programs that are not in the traditional training program format are being introduced at various levels; with multiple curricula on Entrepreneurial education by E-learning method is a boomerang for rural students which conduct awareness camps, business plan competitions and student clubs at the university and college level.
Getting started with e-learning based entrepreneurship education is challenging for rural or remote students due to possible insecurities about learning, restricted to traditional learning mindset like other academic papers and predominantly fears. Many rural students do not have access to personal computers, computer training skills, fast broadband connection and they are relying on the computers available in local schools, colleges or community centers.
Information communication technology is now available to a large number of rural students which increased the higher education opportunities for these students, but E-Learning based entrepreneurial education is still challenged by significant barriers. Three significant barriers were identified as based on the secondary data obtained from various studies
Feelings of isolation,
Knowledge and attitude of the teaching staff/content
Ability to use the required technology.
Serving rural students from Indigenous communities will be more effective if the unique learning styles of those people are understood and the same is incorporated in the learning programs of the colleges like cultural and linguistic traditions ,etc.,
Students education using e-learning method at school level is still emerging which will take few more years to yield positive results as per our expectations. So similarly technology based learning includes entrepreneurship education to rural students in higher education also requires significant amount of time to reap better results.
Government should take initiatives to bring the consistent e-learning based entrepreneurial education across all higher education system starting from colleges/Universities which will bring wide range of changes in student’s behavior along with improvement in personal skills, self-confident, motivation, towards their career in future.
C. Suggestions to Improve the Existing E-Learning Programs in Education sector with respect to Entrepreneurship
Underlying truth is, “What is really needed to make democracy function is not knowledge of facts, but right education.” – Mahatma Gandhi. Over the years it’s observed that there is an increasing demand of an entrepreneurship education from an early stage in colleges/university. Not only as a separate discipline but, in addition, as a key competence for students to generate a positive attitude towards innovation and new venture creation, as well as to promote an entrepreneurial thinking and behavior in their professional careers.
Entrepreneurship education is one of the most important aspects of our economy and students understand that. They no longer believe they can take a job with a large corporation and expect to spend their entire career there. Students know theymust build a wide range of interdisciplinary skills, which will give them maximum flexibility and preparation in their future careers.
With this context, Government of India has invested more on education sector towards the growth of Indian’s economy
along with entrepreneurship education to the young students at college level itself. Entrepreneurship is a skill also very useful in both personal and social aspects of everyday life, so its benefits are not exclusively limited to graduated students involved in start-ups. Introducing young students to entrepreneurship from the very first time they enter the college/university may positively contribute to develop such valuable personal strengths as: initiative, creativity, self-confidence, and competitiveness [3][11]. In addition, entrepreneurship can also contribute to social cohesion for less-developed regions and to putting unemployed people into work (European Commission, 2006) which reduces un-employment risk and eliminates illiteracy rates as well.
Higher education sectors allows use of information and communication technologies with the aim of improving education, improve information, service delivery, encourage student participation in the decision making process, making administration transparent and effective which will give college/universities a new channel of educational deployment. The e-learning system should be in such a way that it is allowed to obtain feedback from students to modify the course curriculum based on the identified gaps which will help in the betterment of entrepreneurship education. The quality of interaction between the student and the institution and the amount of communication is the key to success.
Three major barriers among the rural students during online learning can be reduced by
Frequent communication with the individuals or peers who feels isolated will reduce such sense.
The faculty/instructor/content- facilitates the programs either by synchronous or a-synchronous mode of learning,
Colleges and universities should supports E-learning by (a) increasing student access to technology, (b) increasing student understanding of technology, and (c) improving the types of Internet access available are likely to see an increase in student
Entrepreneurship as a key competence to be considered in the formative curriculum of every Higher Education student should be taken seriously. To be specifically at a higher education level, the primary purpose of entrepreneurship education should be to develop entrepreneurial capacities and mindsets within students.
Apart from the discussed ones, government and colleges should collaboratively take few necessary steps to design the below listed objectives in order to ripe the fruits of the entrepreneurial program in a best way,
Facilitate entrepreneurial drive among students (raising awareness and motivation)
Train the students in the skills they need to set up a business and manage its growth
Develop the entrepreneurial ability among the students to identify and exploit opportunities
IV. RECOMMENDATIONS
The reason for suggesting entrepreneurship education via e-learning apart from other academic classes is due to the significance of inculcating the entrepreneurial skills within the students by providing way to adopt any new method of education which will make them not be more reluctant towards the changes. Despite of this, E-Learning method can facilitate the students to learn lessons from real entrepreneurs along with their ongoing entrepreneurial skills towards their business instead of the traditional theories or content oriented education with its characteristics and influence of their success factors.
Ensure that the key competence “entrepreneurship” is embedded into curricula from the first year of the students undergraduate programme based on their course
Incorporate at least one practical entrepreneurial experience related to their programme
Promote and boost entrepreneurial training to students by allocating funds towards the entrepreneurial activity and its knowledge acquisition
V. CONCLUSION
There is clear evidence about the increasing demand of an entrepreneurship education in university from an early stage and not exclusively limited to those students involved in business administration or start-ups. Moreover, people with an entrepreneurial skill may decisively contribute to improve the economic growth and job creation in a country.
A major advantage of education is that it lowers the risk of unemployment. Unemployment has been a major obstacle in the development of the country’s economic status. The higher one’s level of education, the likelihood of finding work is much greater, in addition to better access to employee benefits. Thus, it can be concluded that education has an impact on employment and income.
Rdesigning the entrepreneurial education by means of e-learning method and introduce the same to the youths in colleges or university will provide good employment opportunities to this increasing population problem. The future of India’s education sector is definitely bright, provided that the government continues with its efforts and private businesses pitch in with the required funds.
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