NEP 2020 addresses various challenges in our education system: Vedantu

Vedantu is an online tutoring platform that enables live interactive learning between a teacher and a student. They have supported many students in this time of Covid 19. The explosion of technology over the past two decades has not left the education sector behind and the pandemic has empowered this.  The growth of technological capabilities means that a variety of media and learning-support tools now exist to help students receive a high-quality education through the Internet.

Here Anand Prakash - Co-founder & Academic Head, Vedantu, tells us more. Excerpts:

DQ: When it comes to online learning, do you think Science & Engineering can really be taught effectively, virtually?

Anand Prakash: The fusion of online and in-person teaching of STEM courses in higher education could advance student skills and yield the same learning outcomes for students as traditional, in-person classes but at significantly lower costs.

This becomes the primary option when in-person delivery is not an option such as right now when most universities worldwide are closed to mitigate the COVID 19 outbreak. In today’s environment, it is crucial to invest in advanced online platforms, interactive online learning content, and new coaching methods.

The use of tools such as gamification and project-based virtual communities can potentially fill the gaps in the online delivery of STEM courses. For those who do have access to the right technology, there is proof that learning online can be more valuable in a number of ways. Students can learn at their own pace, revisiting, or accelerating through concepts as they find comfortable.

DQ: Do you think NEP 2020 will help and empower the future of education?

Anand Prakash: The NEP 2020 looks at addressing various challenges in our education system and while it looks like it has the potential to provide solutions to many of these issues, ultimately its success will depend on the environment and a number of other external factors.

A shift from rote based learning to more practical and outcome-based learning is one of the recommendations made in the NEP 2020. If this occurs, students who undergo such hands-on learning can apply these newly acquired skills in real life and be market-ready.

The NEP also addresses shortcomings in our current teacher training programs and suggests various measures to encourage the continuous professional development of teachers, and absolutely critical aspect to ensure the overall success of the policy.

It is also proposed in the NEP to reform student assessment. Exams will be reframed with a focus only on core competencies that need to be tested with an evaluation of critical learning outcomes including conceptual understanding, critical thinking, analysis, and real-life application.

This is important as it drives a desirable change in the education system. Technology will play a role here in enabling schools to implement progressive assessment solutions. A greater nexus between corporate and educational institutions will help equip students with the skills that are most urgent in the labor market.

DQ: How much of an impact is the lockdown had on educational institutions?

Anand Prakash: Over the past few months, the impact of covid has hit the learning aspect for students across the country. It has resulted in a significant increase in the number of using online education, as students continue to learn from the safe confines of their homes. Vedantu has experienced a substantial rise in the number of users accessing our platform.

During this impact we have announced to support students with free access to our complete learning platform, along with interactions with Master Teachers, providing Study Materials, Test & Assignments, LIVE Doubt feature has experienced a massive increase during this period.

We are witnessing high engagement on our platform, with an average stickiness of 54% of a user on Vedantu along with increased attendance of 70% from free users. There has been an increase in our user base in comparison to pre covid scenario by 330% against a regular growth rate of 25-30%

DQ: How have you responded to the lockdown and how might it affect the way engineering is taught in the future?

Anand Prakash: Since the outbreak of the pandemic, students are learning and engaging from online classes. We are providing our full support to our students with access to our complete learning platform. The development has been amazingly fast, and we have increased our endeavors to consider our extending student base. IT has resulted in a great indication of the acceptance of online learning.

The subscribers on Vedantu’s platform have grown exponentially to 2.7million with collections and revenue, which grew by 80%. We see good engagement on our platform with an average stickiness of 42% as compared to 54% of a paid user.

Additionally, we are observing a high attendance on the session of 70% from the free clients. from the free users. On average, each student spends 100 mins time per LIVE class daily.