JAIN (Deemed-to-be University) Vice-chancellor Dr Raj Singh has opined that the growth of technology is forcing everyone to learn more in less time. He was talking in a panel discussion on ‘Beyond the Blackboard’ that delved into the importance of technology in education, on the first day of the Summit of Future at the Kinfra International Convention Centre on Sunday. “Education has moved away from classrooms and anyone can access classes from anywhere. This is the advantage of technology,” he said.
Echoing the view, Tapish M Bhatt, head of APAC Partnerships at Coursera, said technology has transformed education as people can learn anything from any part of the world. “Sixty percent of our customers learn lessons on their mobiles from different parts of the world,” he said, quoting statistics. He said Coursera is now partnering with industry. “Our aim is to take students to a global level,” he said.
Stressing on the advantages of technology, Sanjeev Kumar Sharma, Senior Group Leader of Research and Development (Chocolate) at Mondelez International said though technology offers flexibility, discipline and structure still hold the key in education. “The main question is how can we bridge the gap between the skilled and educated so that we can utilise the skills of the experienced,” he said.
Dr Vandana Kalia, Scientist at India government’s Ministry of Science and Technology, opined that technology should be utilised to enhance the shelf life of skills. “Technology has a key role to play in higher education,” she said.
Deenu Khan, Machine Learning Engineer at Accenture, said people can learn more in less time with the use of technology. “That is the beauty of technology,” he said.
Shradha Kanwar, Chief Academic Officer of JAIN (Deemed-to-be University) moderated the session.