MOOC in India Is Tapping Up Nano Degree in Self-Driving & VR

Futuristic online courses are finding its feet with students in India, with lucrative jobs in the offing.

New age online learning courses have big future in India. (Photo: The Quint)

Gone are the days when becoming an engineer, doctor or teacher were the only options acceptable to folks in India. Multitude of vocational courses like social media marketing, mobile development and digital marketing among others have come to fore in recent times.

But with the changing landscape in India, we’re all set to shift our education base from colleges, regular shifts, to a more dynamic online study culture. The concept of Massive Open Online Courses, or MOOC is heralding a new dawn for education in the country, and we’ve got some interesting additions worth talking about.

Globally, over 58 million students applied for MOOC, according to a MOOC aggregator site, Class Central which have been offered by the likes of Coursera, Udacity to name few of them. While India has just entered the MOOC fray, analysts expect massive growth in this space coming from the country in the foreseeable future.

With MOOC, one isn’t deprived of global standards of education, available to students of all ages, anywhere and anytime. 

The Contenders

For a country like India with its 18-35 age group being the fulcrum of future, you’ve got online course players like Coursera, Udacity that represent the West, while IT giants like Google and Microsoft have put its own feet into with programs like the Study Webs of Active-Learning for Young Aspiring Minds, or SWAYAM.

SWAYAM was set up by Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) and All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) with Microsoft to build a MOOC set up at local level.

With help of providers like Udacity, students get a shot at working with power houses like Google, Infosys or Flipkart with industry-level accreditation. The courses can span anywhere between a month to 24 months, depending upon the certificate level and prior expertise of the applicant.

But what’s more exciting about MOOC is its inclination to stand out from the crowd, and cover futuristic subjects.

MOOC With a Twist

Silicon Valley-based Udacity, funded by veteran VC firm Andreessen Horowitz, was set up in 2012 and by 2017, it sees India as its biggest market outside of the US. They don’t have numbers to share, but what’s got our attention is the myriad courses that’s on offer.

Futuristic Courses From Udacity

• Artificial Intelligence and Deep learning
• Self-driving program
• Virtual Reality

And guess what, these courses are slowly but surely finding its feet in India. Having said that, it is no surprise that Android development is the most popular course in India right now.

With course managers like Aparna Sridhar, who made the switch from web development to mobile, Udacity’s got proven set of reviewers, enabling students to make a mark in the industry.

Anybody can enroll for courses with Udacity. Students complete their subject in one month, while some are able to finish it as early as 7 days. 

Aparna Sridhar, Course Manager - Android Nanodegree, Udacity

We strive to build a workforce in India for the future and with the industry moving towards automation, courses like VR and self-driving are pivotal

Ishan Gupta, Managing Director - India, Udacity

Ishan with his know-how in the edu-tech industry joined Udacity recently, and is keen on shaping up the face of online education in the country. With over 800 project reviewers under its belt, Udacity’s got big hopes from the future, and they’re already moving towards it, much before others.

As for the job opportunities at hand, according to this post on Quora, people are hired on the basis of nano degree courses done from learning platforms like Udacity. Future’s e-learning.

More About VR and Self-Driving

So what can we tell you about these online courses, how do they work, who can enroll for this and how much do they cost?

Samsung made the Gear VR with Oculus. (Photo: The Quint)

There isn’t much in terms of skills asked of enrolling students for the VR program. However, you need deep pockets to set up a gaming rig, bundled with the VR headsets that are priced at more than a lakh.

As expected, the self-driving course requires technical nuances, basics of mathematics and science. After all, becoming a self-driving engineer, that too in a short span can’t and shouldn’t be this easy. Ask Elon Musk.

We’re seeing a trend where students with a management degree are learning coding, in order to fulfill job profiles at a technology company 

Ishan Gupta, Managing Director - India, Udacity

MOOC Rakes in the Money

According to a recent global report, Coursera, Udacity, and edX are shedding their free and open roots one-by-one, proving their industry credentials, so to say.

Globally we have seen a high percentage turnaround of free courses to paid version, which gets recognised in the form of credits. 

Ishan Gupta, Managing Director - India, Udacity

Udacity’s efforts to reach out to Indian institutions had led them to Chitkara University in Chandigarh, and Ishan is hopeful that more of them will take MOOC on board, and give it the due respect.

The subscription based model of Udacity’s nano degree model offers a 7-day free trial option, after which students pay Rs 9,800 per month, till their course finishes and then get 50% of that sum back as refund.

Initiatives like these are sure to catch the fancy of Indian students, and between the traditional channels of education, there is hope that online learning can finally blossom in the country.