Learning in Virtual Classrooms

The virtual classroom is just what it sounds like. You “enter” the classroom using your computer and a headset equipped with a microphone. Since the class takes place in real time, the instructor and all the students attend classes at a set time and date. Students can raise their virtual hand to ask questions and interact with fellow students. The instructor can show videos, break students into small groups for exercises and conduct facilitated discussions…. Just about anything you can do in a traditional classroom you can do in a virtual one!

Traditional education is slowly being replaced by a wide range of technology-enabled learning modalities, from podcasts and webinars to formal, one-on-one coaching and a range of e-learning platforms via virtual classrooms.

The virtual classroom environment is flexible and convenient in its approach and encourages freedom of expression enabling students to communicate and express opinions openly in these environs.

Online courses support critical thinking skills, leadership, communication, problem solving and ethics. Often students’ prefer the delivery mode and work at their own pace and take the time to analyze and synthesize the learning materials.

Research has shown that students take online classes because they are able to get the course schedule they want to fulfill their degree requirements. Moreover, multimedia use has made virtual learning more interesting and lively, thus paving the way for fulfilling the emerging needs of higher education in 21st century India.

The Future

The advances that have been made in the quality and sophistication of the virtual classroom learning platform ensure that it is no longer a technological promise, it is a mainstream reality.

Click here to know more about the Hybrid Distance Learning Program offered by Welingkar’s Distance Learning Division.

Factors that Motivate Distance Education

Whether you are an educator, parent or student; understanding what motivates distance education learners is significant. Motivated students are more likely to take up tasks that enable higher academic achievements and learning.

The primary factors which contribute to the motivation of a student are:x

1. Feeling Empowered – Giving students the opportunity to make independent decisions about topics for their Distance education projects is a great way to give academic control to distance learners.

2. How useful is the Course – It is important that students perceive the course to be useful for their academic/professional cause and the correlation between the course structure and skill acquisition.

3. Making Success Possible – It is also important that students are made to feel that they have an opportunity to succeed in the course, if a reasonable effort is made. Giving students access to relevant academic resources can be extremely motivating.

4. Maintaining Interest Levels – sharing additional resources and putting existing technological and academic resources to good use is a great morale booster.

5. Caring is an extremely important motivator for distance learners. If the immediate circle of a distance learner values and respects the course, it isn’t very difficult for the student to enhance his learning skills.

Click here to pursue a course in Distance Learning, also sign up for the various workshops conducted by Welingkar’s Distance learning division

The Basics of DPSA Profiling

Psychometric assessment or DPSA profiling assesses the knowledge, aptitude, talent and abilities of a potential hire. This field also involves creation of questions and psychological tests to measure the personality of an individual.

This type of profiling is widely used in Multinational banks and other private sector behemoths. This is considered to be a highly scientific tool and the people administering these tests normally hold a special qualification in psychometrics. Many work as clinical psychologists while still others are employed as Human Resources and Learning and Development professionals.

Psychometrics is also used in the educational field and it measures abilities such as reading, writing and math. Psychometric testing hinges on a whole range of theoretical approaches for measuring innate personality traits of an individual. Some of the better known instruments include the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, the five factor model in addition to tools such as the Myers and Briggs Type Indicator among others. Psychometric approaches are extensively used to study attitudes of a candidate. One of the common methods in the measurement of attitudes is the Likert Scale.

Click here to know more about the Hybrid Distance Learning Program offered by Welingkar’s Distance Learning Division.

How to Succeed in Distance Learning

Although Distance Learning programs give you the flexibility to learn at your own pace, it’s often difficult to succeed in such programmes especially if you don’t approach it with the right mindset. However, students often find Distance Learning Programs to be a tall hurdle to overcome as they are too bogged down with their work and official commitments.

So, here are a few pointers that you can keep in mind so that you can come up trumps in a Distance Learning Program:

• Ensure that you maintain discipline, determination and time management to stay abreast of lessons and assignments. Always maintain a focus on your studies and take the online classes and webinars with the much-needed seriousness.
• Ensure that you make full use of the facilities provided by your institution such as an online library and video lectures among others.
• Many overseas distance learning programs allow you to transfer credit from other courses in colleges. If permitted, make full use of this facility. This way you ensure that you don’t repeat what you have learnt. Make full use of the conveniences that technology has to offer.
• But importantly show the enthusiasm, passion and the zeal for your academics and success will be yours.

Click here to know more about the Hybrid Distance Learning Program offered by Welingkar’s Distance Learning Division.

Presentation Skills for Entrepreneurs

Are you one of those new-age entrepreneurs waiting to get funded by an angel investor? Do you feel that you need some skills to get a foot on the door of that elusive Venture Capitalist? Then it’s time that you honed your presentation skills. A new study published online in ‘Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice’ attributes the importance of presentation skills to the success of entrepreneurs seeking funding from potential investors.

The results of the study revealed that entrepreneurs who showed clear signs of preparedness and a strong handle on their material won the minds of the funding organizations irrespective of the business model that the entrepreneur had. As finance is the lifeblood of any organization, entrepreneurs need to acquire capital to kick start their ventures. And strong presentation skills enable in mopping up the growth capital.

So what are the elements of a good presentation skill? According to the study the elements include skilled storytelling, thorough command over the details, believability, authenticity and strong preparedness. So if you want to succeed as an entrepreneur then sharpen your presentation skills. One way of doing it is to enroll for an Online MBA or Distance Learning Program 

Click here for more such innovative content on Management Studies.

By Tarun Narayan

Stress management through Spirituality

The term “stress” is nothing new to modern life. Estimates suggest that one in every three individual today is a victim of stress, depression and various kinds of phobia. Stress impacts an individual at various level. Stress hampers an individual’s ability to perform well at the workplace. It breeds a sense of fear, anxiety and helplessness. It also inhibits an individual’s ability to socialize and form new friendship chains.

Spirituality is nothing but looking inwards and invoking the divine energy that’s residing in the deeper confines of your sub-conscious self. The reason why spirituality helps in keeping stress under check is that it helps person realize the true purpose of life, and one`s relationship with the concept of God.

To those who are down with personal uncertainties and miseries, spirituality gives them a confidence that they need not wallow in stress because there is a supreme power which will alleviate their sufferings thereby making them tranquil and simultaneously boosting their self-confidence. Leading Institutes teaching management courses in regular and Distance learning stream, Conduct Spiritual visit Workshops and classes to help their students overcome stress

Click here to experience more such innovative management concepts offered by WeSchool.

Register for Free online Webinar on “Stress Management” offered by Welingkar’s Distance Learning Program

The Importance of Industrial Visits

Industry visits sensitize students to the practical challenges that organizations face in the business world. Industrial visits also give greater clarity about various management concepts for students as they can practically see how these concepts are put into action.

Visits to manufacturing firms are useful for students. to understand the nuances and realities of the shopfloor, which in itself is a rare exposure. By visiting the shop floor they get to understand the risky conditions in which workers work, the people management challenges involved in managing workers  apart from getting hands-on technical knowledge.

To avail this valuable learning that students can be exposed to from industrial visits, Click here to join the PGDM – DLP course, offered by Welingkar’s DLP

Neuro-Linguistic Programming

NLP stands for Neuro-Linguistic Programming. It is  a name that incorporates the three most influential components involved in producing human experience: neurology, language and programming. The neurological system regulates the functioning of our bodies, language determines how we interface and communicate with other people and our programming determines the perspectives that we develop of the world around us.

Simply put, Neuro-Linguistic Programming postulates the fundamental dynamics between mind (neuro) and language (linguistic) and how the interplay of both affect our body and behavior (programming).  NLP enables the learner to develop an understanding of the mental and cognitive processes involved in human behavior. Towards this end NLP provides tools and skills for achieving individual excellence.

In essence, NLP is founded on two fundamental presumptions. They are:

1. The Map is Not the Territory.As human beings, we can never know reality. We can only know our perceptions of reality. We experience and respond to the world around us primarily through our sensory representational systems.

2. Life and ‘Mind’ are Systemic Processes. The processes that take place within a human being and between human beings and their environment are systemic. Our bodies, our societies, and our universe form an ecology of complex systems and sub-systems all of which interact with and mutually influence each other.

To learn more, Click here to enroll for a workshop on Neuro-Linguistic Programming organized by WeSchool PGDM-DLP.

 

Leveraging Learning through Distance Education

‘Begin with the End in Mind’, advocates Stephen Covey in his now popular corporate mantra: ‘7 Habits of Highly effective people,’ in which he presents a framework for personal effectiveness. Self-discover and clarify your deeply important character values and life goals. Envision the ideal characteristics for your relationships in life and create a mission statement. This holds especially for students embarking on a career or those individuals caught up in a lifeless job. Learning through Distance Education can catapult you up the corporate ladder and secure a place for you in the corporate eco-system.

Distance Education has effectively adopted modern technology by developing virtual classroom environments that connect students to experienced faculty members.

Advantages of the Platform

As a student of Distance Education there are several ways to make this advantageous:

1. Distance Education facilitates the creation of a more interactive environment through which professors are able to impart interesting content.
2. With virtual classrooms, self-study content, video talks and group mentoring, learning takes on a more interesting facet.
3. Makes it more viable for universities as students no longer require spending thousands of rupees buying new textbooks and wasting time on travel.

Check out the various Distance Learning programs to enjoy the most convenient academic experience and achieve your long term goals.

From Losing to Winning

Don’t we all strive towards reaching the winning post? True, every one wants to be a winner in life. Yet, there are several definitions to who a winner is. For some winning could be about accumulating wealth, while for others winning could be about achieving fame and rare distinction. Whatever be your perception of winning, these negative emotions are obstacles to winning and should be avoided.

State of continuous fear
Winners are seldom fearful. This means they believe in their capabilities and enjoy the small pleasures and joys of life.

 Low EQ
A low EQ mars the winning process. It only triggers unhappiness and non-constructive thinking, hence up your EQ.

Unsociable
If you want to be a winner ensure that you are not unsociable. This really means that you need to cultivate a close set of social network with whom you can hang out.

So what else is needed to turn a person from loser to winner? Answer : the parents or peers should inculcate a sense of positivity and hope in them.  These individuals can draw inspiration from deep meditation sessions which act as a catalyst to open up minds and help shed inhibitions.

Enrolling for Distance Learning Programs at reputed institutes can also be great motivators to ensure winning.

By Tarun Narayan