Online courses: Many log in, then most log out

Krishna V (name changed), a fourth year student at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay, enrolled on a course on machine-learning through Coursera, a platform for Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). He did not complete the course, offered by Standford University. "I did not see any benefit in completing the course except that it helped me in understanding one chapter," he says, explaining the reason for dropping out.

Many who join MOOCs drop out. According to a Harvard Business Review (HBR) report on the benefits of MOOCs, only four per cent of Coursera users who watch at least one lecture go on to complete the course and receive certificate.

Ramesh Loganathan, president of Hysea (Hyderabad Software Industry Association), isn't surprised. "The course is mostly unassisted and depends on self-interest. So, as a primary education tool, it may not be effective," he says. But, he terms MOOCs as an interesting initiative that reduces the gap between the haves (those studying in leading universities) and the have-nots. The HBR research reveals that more than 25 million people from around the world have enrolled on MOOCs offered by Coursera, EdX, FutureLearn, and other platforms.

In terms of attracting 'learners', MOOCs are a success and an example is the Indian School of Business (ISB) MOOC. The B-school had a target of 50,000 for its 'A life of Happiness and Fulfilment' hosted on Coursera. Till October, it saw 75,190 enrolled on the course from across the globe. Indians accounted for 14 per cent and the US topped, with 27 per cent.

Career benefits
"An organisation would not reward an employee with a role change or promotion on an MOOC certification," says Richa Pande, chief people's officer at Inatech, a global provider of cloud software and information technology (IT) services.

A human resources head of a bank who enrolled on an MOOC through FutureLearn sees it as a good beginning, especially in the context of banks being understaffed and their inability to relieve employees for full-time courses. Loganathan feels MOOCs work best as a supplementary tool - helping other teachers, in assisted learning. "As a supplementary tool, it is very effective. So, teachers and trainers can adopt and significantly increase the quality of teaching," he says.

"Certification gives an opportunity to measure performance. Many employees are now linking their MOOC certificates to their LinkedIn profiles to indicate their self-learning," says Reema Gupta, associate director, Srini Raju Centre for IT and networked economy, ISB.