| | 8 October 2019HIGHERReviewIN MY VIEWBy Gayathri Vasudevan, CEO & Co-founder, LabourNet & Shreya Srinath, State University of New York, GeneseoOur world today is becoming increasingly vir-tual, dominated by the internet. This has changed our social fabric entirely, right from the way we communicate to the way we learn and think. Today, inter-continental messages are deliv-ered in an instant through email and social media messag-ing platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, and Skype. This has inherently changed our understanding of dis-tance, space and time- the United States from India no longer seems a world away. Naturally, these changes have also affected the way higher education is delivered. In the Western World, credit-based distance learning, blended learning ­ distance learning for some subjects (credits) and classroom learning for some others is becoming in-creasingly acceptable. It is not uncommon to hear people speak about taking individual courses or completing their undergraduate and post-graduate degrees entirely online. These online courses allow individuals greater flexi-bility in terms of their schedules. People with full-time jobs are able to access higher education opportunities through distance learning models such as online courses as they do not have to commute physically to classrooms and are able to complete the coursework at any point in the day as opposed to a fixed class schedule. This allows individuals to focus on their jobs, earn while learning new skills. Furthermore, technology-based distance learning modules have also become increasingly application based. This allows students to physically engage with the content they learn. In spite of the availability and accessibility of tech-nology, Indian higher education modules still are content based. Students are expected to study content from text-books and supplementary reading material and are tested on this content through written examinations. For poorer students as well as adults who want to re-skill themselves, this becomes alienating as they may not be able to come to college/university (physical space) for the entire dura-tion of the course. For example, a mason/beautician who wants to up-skill and re-skill himself/ herself might find traditional vocational or higher education opportunities The CEO and Co-founder of LabourNet & Shreya Srinath, State University of New York, Geneseo, Gayathri Vasudevan is an experienced person with a demonstrated history of working in the civic & social organization industry. She is skilled in Sustainable Development, Social Enterprise, Corporate Social Responsibility, Strategic Planning, and Rural Development. She is also a strong business development professional with a Ph.D., focused in Development Economics and International Development from the University of Delhi.Gayathri Vasudevan, CEO & Co-founderTECHNOLOGY, DISTANCE EDUCATION: RELEVANCE FOR VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND RE-SKILLING INDIA
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