How TalentSprint is catering to consistent skill-based learning in the time of COVID-19 crisis

Skill development can’t be done overnight –be it deep tech learning, coding skills or for that matter soft skills. It is something that we need to develop over a period and practice consistently. How do we maintain continuity and consistency during the COVID-19 crisis that has imposed a lockdown?

TalentSprint is successfully addressing the challenge by seamlessly continuing all their programs via their interactive digital delivery platform. Both the trainers and students are connected from home on the hybrid AI powered online learning system and in spite of lockdown the programs are going on. The robust platform, tested at scale for high impact learning is able to provide similar if not better learning outcomes as a typical classroom training.

Team NSN interacted with Mr Rohit, who gave an insight of the online learning platform and Ms Vathsala, Faculty who shared her experience of using the online learning system for the first time. Read on to know more about it.

The robust online platform and its features

TalentSprint leverages a tested and scaled online platform which is currently being used by more than three lakh participants. This ensures the competence building of participants 24/7. 

Let’s look at the unique features that captures its efficacy in meeting the learning requirements of a variety of students:

• It provides synchronous interactive online classes where students can join from any part of the world, interact through voice and chat with their faculty and other students. The platform ensures that the academic rigor is maintained.
• It also provides peer learning experience. 100 students can be divided into different groups, each group then given a breakout room where they can interact with each other through audio, video or chat. 
• It is empowered with proctored online assessments where online proctoring is used through a webcam. This allows for live monitoring as the students are captured through the screen. Analytics of this proctored assessment will tell the credibility of the student. 
• The online platform is AI powered which makes it ideal for a hassle free assessment of the students. We have AI powered video archives which allows the students to watch a recorded video even after the live classes. 
• Each of the students get their personal reports along with personal recommendations about what they should learn next to improve their scores in the upcoming exam.
• In case of deep expertise like ML we have online labs, where students can learn and do the coding virtually. Everything is there in the cloud and the students are provided with virtual machines where they can do their lab exercises with support from a mentor.
• Mentors are available for the students at any point of time to assist them with their queries. We have also auto graded some courses where the system will evaluate the code and give the scores.

To get a faculty perspective on online learning we spoke with Ms. Vathsala, senior faculty in TalentSprint. The story, presented in her own words, is sure to inspire many trainers to explore innovative ways of using online learning technologies.

Consistent skill-based learning: challenge and experience

I was not very sure about training online. Though TalentSprint has tried different ways to educate me on that but I had this block. I used to feel the need to see the students physically. What my company couldn’t do, COVID-19 did it for me!

We couldn’t lose pace and wanted to keep the momentum. We wanted them to realize that consistent skill-based learning is very important and it has to be sustained. So we decided to continue our sessions online.       

It was a bit challenging for me in the beginning. Everything turned out to be well after a few sessions. There are many perks of online learning. I found out that the people who have been in my class and haven’t ever spoken much, were happily chatting and asking me questions and It was a real eye opener! The productivity level was also high as compared to offline classes. The session was far more productive and I could cover a lot of content in just 60 minutes. This broke the myth that you have to physically see the students in order to be able to train them.

Interactive online teaching methodology for consistent skill-based learning

Interactive online classes require a little more preparation than offline. We have a portal where the students can upload their exercises and we can assess them. Meetings are conducted on the platform. I was taking a class on Critical Thinking.  This session, I generally deliver in person in college. 

Ms.Vathsala teaches an elective that is a highly interactive subject where students are expected to contribute to 80% of the class. TalentSprint’s para academic platform enables this interaction, making it a positive experience for both faculty and students. The platform also equips the students to collaborate and work in groups of 8-10 and present their work in front of their peers. More than 85-90% of the students were able to join the sessions without much difficulty, while the rest found it difficult owing to issues in internet connectivity.

For those students facing difficulties we have other modes of communication such as email interactions. We share study material via email for the students to go through at their own convenience. We reach out to students through various platforms such emails, WhatsApp, online classes and others, making things easier and more convenient for them. Through our interactions on social media with the Students we have realized that they are aware of what needs to be done and the ways they can go about achieving these goal, making this a win-win process for everyone.

Pros of online learning 

With technology rapidly advancing these days, it becomes easier for us to track a learner’s progress and their dedication to the program as seen by the amount of time spent on screen. The live sessions, chats and attendance is recorded making it easier for the trainer when it comes to skill-based training. We have data to refer to the classes to see how it can be done better. If we need to repeat the same class then we can refer to the previous data and ensure that there is consistency.

This is yet another aspect where online training has helped us .Students who used to hesitate in the class to speak up, have begun to open up. In an actual environment the same set of students are not able to open up due to various reasons. The online medium gives these students more privacy and confidence as they take classes in their comfort zone, making interactions with the trainer easier and more valuable .The barrier has finally been broken with online learning.

Related article: Skill development in Deep Tech sector: Artificial Intelligence in the Aviation industry https://nationalskillsnetwork.in/skill-development-in-deep-tech-sector-artificial-intelligence-in-the-aviation-industry/

The generation now is very well acquainted with the technology and they understand most of the aspects surrounding social media and online platforms. This generation has become more comfortable on social media than in person. Most of what they do is dependent on online platforms.

We need to customize education according to the generation’s need rather than what has been traditional methods of teaching. We tend to think that people will not learn online, which is just a myth that we have been following for a while now.