To create quality nanolearning content, specialised skills are required such as learning designers, audio visual crew and programmers.
KRITHIKA Chandrashekar was a content writer before quitting her job to raise a family. After a nine-year hiatus from the workforce, with her two sons in school, she decided that now was the time to “do something valuable and meaningful”.
“During the Covid-19 pandemic, the online lessons (that my sons attended) were a boon and a bane, but I realised I missed teaching even though it was hard to teach my own sons,” says Krithika, of her own turning point in realising she wanted to pursue a qualification in teaching.
After researching many teaching courses, Krithika decided to pursue a Postgraduate Certificate (PGC) in Teaching and Learning with Taylor’s University upon observing the curriculum taught to her sons who are attending one of the international schools under the Taylor’s Education Group.
Krithika pursued a Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning while juggling responsibilities as a mother.
In pursuit of postgraduate programmes
People like Krithika are one of millions around the world who are considering postgraduate programmes as a means to either switch up within or switch out of their careers. As of 2020, there were over 70,000 students enrolled in open and distance learning courses in Malaysia alone.
There are good reasons for this surge of interest. Firstly, many are looking to enter a new industry and hence need the appropriate qualifications, like Krithika. McKinsey Global Institute in The Future of Work after Covid-19 found that across eight countries, more than 100 million workers, or 1 in 16, will need to find a different occupation by 2030 in the post-Covid-19 scenario.
Secondly, the advancement of IR4.0 and digitalisation of the workplace have required employees to upskill. Randstad's Workmonitor survey revealed that close to nine in 10 (89%) Malaysians said that job market fluctuations have "made them realise" that they need more training and development to stay relevant.
Additionally, many are looking to secure better salary and promotion opportunities with a master’s degree.
However, a major factor preventing workers from pursuing postgraduate studies is time, and to some extent – money.
Krithika says she had the help of her husband and his mother that enabled her to attend weekend classes. However, many other working professionals juggling motherhood, personal obligations or financial responsibilities may not have this privilege.
This is where Taylor’s Online Learning programmes come in.
Genier says the online learning postgraduate programmes are perfect for busy working professionals or those juggling responsibilities.
“Taylor’s Online Learning courses are perfect for working adults with busy schedules, and even fresh graduates who want to work and earn money while furthering their studies,” says Pierre-Louis Genier, pro vice-chancellor of Taylor’s Digital. “Especially when there is talk of economic uncertainty, many believe that it is favourable to have a job and study at the same time. Online studies are also a great value proposition for international students – they can pursue a course from their own home country.”
Nanolearning – bite size is the right size
Taylor’s Online Learning programmes are designed to not only afford students the flexibility of studying anytime, anywhere and at their own pace, but also provide students an experience leveraging on nanolearning. The content is broken down into ‘bite-sized’ small topics that can be completed over short study sessions in the week. Students can jump in and out of a topic easily, and choose to study more on a specific day compared to another, based on their own timing and availability.
According to Dr Enna, Taylor’s Online Learning programmes have a mix of delivery formats such as texts, videos, and learning activities
“That is what we call adaptive learning, with everyone having the freedom to advance at their own pace without ever feeling lost,” highlights Dr Enna Ayub, director Digital Learning Experience, Taylor’s Digital.
A key expectation from students embarking on a fully online programme, is to be provided a content that is rich, and engaging. “We achieve this, by mixing delivery formats such as videos, text, discussions and more but also embedding activities into the content. Each week includes a wide range of learning activities, such as exercises or games that students can complete in a matter of minutes, to help them apply what they have learnt while keeping them engaged,” explains Dr Enna.
Studying online can appear intimidating, with students being concerned of having to handle their studies on their own. However, Taylor’s has built a unique ecosystem to provide continuous support to students throughout the online programme and ensure a student’s success.
Every week, students can interact with academics during live sessions and access the recordings if they are unable to attend these sessions. For greater support, students can also reach out to a learning facilitator to seek clarification on the content, or request a call for more personalised one-to-one guidance.
The time is now
“More than a decade ago, Taylor’s pioneered numerous e-learning innovations to offer our campus-based students a richer learning experience. This outstanding success led us to set up Taylor’s Digital with an investment of RM5mil to spearhead fully online programmes for working adults in Malaysia and Asia to upskill or re-skill themselves without having to leave their jobs or compromise family time. Unlike many Online Learning providers who mostly buy content from third parties, Taylor’s leveraged our own experienced learning designers, programmers and audio visual team crew to produce nano-learning content designed for 21st century learners who cannot assimilate or afford long hours of learning in their fast-paced lives,” explains deputy vice Chancellor and chief academic officer, Professor Dr Pradeep Nair.
Taylor’s is also one of the few Asian universities awarded the QS 5 Stars rating for Online Learning, apart from being the top private university in Asia three times in a row, according to the QS World University Rankings 2023. Additionally, the university is also ranked 16th in the world for the Graduate Employment Rate indicator in the QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2022.
Along with the institution’s reputation among industry players and employers, students in the Online Learning programmes stand to benefit from real-world perspectives and networks in Asia.
Krithika has a message for anyone with a dream to pursue postgraduate programmes – go for it.
“These courses are tailor-made for people like me, keeping in mind the needs of working adults with commitments at home and so on. The staff have been very helpful and available to students,” she comments. “I was introduced to the PGC by another working mother, and I am sure more will find the attractiveness in its flexibility now that these programmes are available fully online.”
To find out more about Taylor’s Online Learning programmes, visit https://bit.ly/TaylorsOnlineLearning.
