Are Moocs Galvanizing The Higher Education In India?

Abstract

Education has undergone an unprecedented change since ancient times. With the advancements in ICT (Information Communication Technology), the landscape of elearning has been expanded with the introduction of Massive Open Online Courses
(MOOCs). The enrolments in the MOOCs have increased tremendously and recognizing the same, India has also started different platforms for MOOC Courses. There is a huge potential of MOOCs in a developing country like India so as to reach the masses, achieve
desired literacy level and enhancing the skills of youth in order to deal with unemployment and promote other projects in digital era viz. Make in India etc. India after US is dominating the globe in terms of enrolments. Presently, NPTEL, IITBX, mooKIT and SWAYAM are the main MOOC platforms in India for delivering courses. But, it is also important to acknowledge that every technology comes with its own set of advantages and disadvantages. Thus, with the above backdrop, this review article discusses about MOOCs, history and evolution in detail, types of MOOCs in detail. It also draws attention on the technical and theoretical background of MOOCs platforms in India. In the end, it also presents some challenges while implementing the MOOCs in India. Considering how beneficial a MOOC can be, we still cannot claim it as a replacement to traditional system of education. A blend of both can only provide a balanced and complete education to the youth of today.