…our analysts on what it means in real life.
Posts tagged ‘e-learning’
It’s true that expectations from the executive briefing for our report, ‘e-learning Outsourcing: Advantage India 2009‘, were high…
I’m now happy to say that we did not come away disappointed. In fact, the event stood true to its name, and we were, in fact, (e)nlightened!
A few stills from the event…
All stations are go today as ValueNotes OSP prepares for the e-learning executive briefing, which is going to be held in Mumbai…tomorrow!
Rakhi (from our Sales team, who’s organizing the event) is still getting last minute registrations from panicked delegates who don’t want to miss out! Nandita and Deepali (managers at VN OSP) are busy correcting and preparing me for my presentation (see below), of course along with lighter, fun aspects such as picking the menu for the elaborate lunch scheduled for the event… 
Meanwhile, I’m preparing to speak about ValueNotes’ research on e-learning outsourcing. Vivek has been giving me plenty of tips as he’s one event wiser now! My presentation involves an initial discussion around the macro level scenario for e-learning, and the scope for outsourcing within international markets. This would be followed by an evaluation of the competitive standing of India as an e-learning offshoring destination, against other popular countries. I would also cover the market structure for e-learning in the Indian context, and a discussion around the ValueNotes e-learning offshoring market sizing that has been covered extensively by the press! I will also be speaking about some of the trends and insights about the industry that emerged from our study.
ValueNotes recently got quoted in an article on e-learning by Outlook Money!
The article discusses our market sizing and industry growth figures, and also goes on to argue the reasons behind industry growth. A VN quote includes, “Factors like high number of English-speaking graduates, including specialised talent pools in engineering, IT, management and a relative cost advantage over most other countries were the primary reasons for outsourcing elearning services to India in the initial years. However, the experience, capabilities and relative maturity that Indian service providers have built up over the last decade is driving the industry today.”
On this front, while we believe that industry maturity has intensified in the last 4 years, India is yet perceived as a low-medium value provider in the e-learning space. Most providers have developed service expertise in content solutions, however, this is an area that is becoming more and more commoditized. Industry forerunners that offer high value services including learning consulting, specialized technology solutions, etc. are, however, changing this perception and driving growth. Also, innovation seems to be the hot industry keyword lately . Providers are trying to branch out and develop more innovative products instead of the standard e-learning services (more on this later)… perhaps another reason why Outlook Money agreed with our e-learning industry growth projections? 
Continue reading ‘The 'Outlook' for Indian e-learning outsourcing’ »
Over the last month, I’ve noticed two conflicting pieces of news in the learning sphere– while one e-learning network gets taken down in the US (Utah e-learning consortium), another one springs up in Canada (elearnnetwork.ca, Ontario).
Members from the Utah System of Higher Education state that massive budget cuts did not allow them to continue with hosting the network. Also, low response rates were an issue (only 200 students)…maybe the market wasn’t as big as estimated, one source commented. The network in Utah was aimed at helping rural students enroll in courses from multiple universities in the state.
Continue reading ‘Distance learning a “gimmick” for educational institutes?’ »
The outbreak of the H1N1, better known as swine flu, has led schools to close/be suspended in May and June. This has been primarily implemented as a safety precaution, resulting in teachers and students remaining at home indefinitely. However, from the news articles and blogs I’ve been reading, this situation seems to have sparked off a much needed debate in current educational methods. What forms of learning can be made possible for students in the absence of the traditional chalk and board? This may serve as a wake up call for educators worldwide, exposing their learning tech-readiness in light of campuses shutting down. It is no surprise that the schools and colleges that are tech savvy and already have these frameworks in place will face the least pressure from campus closure. Digitized content, distance learning methodologies, and multi-directional online communication would go far in encouraging teachers to keep their students engaged, and learning, even at home.
E-learning service providers and specialists can be expected to pounce on this opportunity, and present their case for the need to include online learning & communication methods in such times.
Continue reading ‘e-learning – the cure to the learning deficiency pandemic?’ »
The new e-learning report released by ValueNotes (more here) places the revenues from the Indian offshoring industry at $341 million in the calendar year 2008, growing at a CAGR of 15% until 2012. Many readers will, however, interpret these numbers differently, and rightly so. We thought we should elaborate on our means of deriving the growth figures especially, given the multitude of plausible arguments and individual projections.
A pertinent blog post by Amit Garg, CEO, Upside Learning (found here) asserts that the industry will grow at a more bullish 25-50% over the next four years, driven by prominent players. Our primary research did throw up companies who have grown and will continue to grow at 50-100% (some even at 300 %!) in the future, but these were in the minority. Several companies, including one of the industry leaders, mentioned that they had static growth in 2008, with a spillover effect expected through 2009 into 2010. Companies mentioned that their clients were delaying buying decisions amidst the recessionary climate. Studies by bodies such as ASTD (2009) also hint at this trend, with fast shrinking resource allocations to training initiatives in the US, the biggest client market for many e-learning providers. Hence we believe the industry growth for India could be slow, at 10-15%, until 2010.
Continue reading ‘Growth in the Indian e-learning offshoring industry’ »
My Google Alerts faithfully informed me this week that Blackboard Inc. is set to acquire ANGEL Learning by the end of this month. First thoughts… Why? The press release mentions that Blackboard:
- hopes to achieve great economies of scale with this takeover;
- will have access to Angel’s service expertise in K-12 and higher education;
Continue reading ‘Will the e-learning tech behemoths reign supreme in the years to come?’ »
