Why EduGuild is Different?
Most “ed-tech” startups think that they can revolutionize education by uploading funky animations and videos thinking that these videos will help to improve learning outcomes for students and help teachers achieve their teaching objectives rapidly. Another fallacy that most ed-tech startups propagate is that technology will help teachers reach out to a large number of students, helping them scale up rapidly. Technology does indeed help to propagate educational content far and wide. Upload a good educational video on YouTube and it will reach millions of potential learners. But does it actually help to improve learning? And does it really help teachers achieve their teaching objectives inside the classroom?
Technology has transformed the fundamental way in most industries work. For example, just look at how technology has transformed the telecommunication industry. We don’t use our phones just to call someone. We use it to take pictures, watch movies and even play games. Technology has transformed how even we order food or buy groceries. But as far as education is concerned, the changes have not been as revolutionary as one would expect.
Technology has undoubtedly changed how teachers teach inside the classroom. Instead of using a chalk board, teachers are now using presentations and digital whiteboards inside the classroom, provided that they have access to such technology, which is not usually the case. Many schools and colleges in developed economies use various learning management systems and other tools to manage the course delivery within the institutions. But if you look at the fundamental aspect of teaching and learning – the process by which a teacher guides the learning process for a learner by explaining the concepts in a way that is easy for the learner to understand – has still not changed. At its very core, education still involves a a teacher sitting with a group of students and guiding the process of learning. The teacher may use some technology aids, which at the higher end maybe a nicely created animated video and at the lower end will be nothing more than a diagram drawn on a board using chalk.
Using technology to achieve scale is another problem that works against achieving educational objectives. Most ed-tech startups think that it will be a nice idea to teach millions of students remotely using technology. One popular idea that many ed-tech startups have is the concept of a virtual classroom where a teacher will login and teach thousands of students over the internet. It would seem to be a clever method. But any teacher who has spent considerable number of hours inside an actual classroom would immediately point out that this idea would fail miserably because as the number of students inside a classroom increases, the achievement of educational objectives starts falling dramatically. The classes would end up being a monotonous lecture that doesn’t help the learner achieve any learning outcome. The teachers also would not be able to determine if they have met their teaching objectives. In order to overcome this challenge, many ed-tech startups offer doubt-clearing sessions and other support for learner queries. The person that provides this support needs to be as qualified as the teacher handling the class. In most cases, it would be the same teacher who would have handled the class, and this automatically creates a limit on the number of students that a single teacher can handle. Technology has not really solved the issue of scale here.
Once ed-tech startups hit a roadblock with the one-teacher-teaching-many-students model, they will pivot to selling educational content over the web. This usually involves creating animated videos with very high production values and uploading the content onto a Learning Management System (LMS). Learners will logon to the LMS and learn the content using a mix of text and videos. Their progress is measured using assessments that are in-built into the LMS. There will be a subject-matter expert who will help in clarifying any student query. This model is nothing but an internet version of the Educational CD/DVD businesses that were in vogue during the 1990s.
Most ed-tech startups that are out to “revolutionize education” often neglect the most important part in education – teachers. One can build the most resilient LMS and create funky animated videos. But without teachers who can use the technology effectively to help direct the learning inside a classroom, all these efforts will not produce the desired outcome. Learners will drop-out once they realize that they are not able to get their doubts clarified. Companies will have to burn considerable amount of money to attract new learners to buy their online courses.
EduGuild approaches this problem in a new way. We focus on building a pool of qualified and talented teachers who are passionate about teaching. We believe in the paradigm “Good teachers build Great Institutions”. We focus on training and building quality teaching resources that enable our teachers deliver the best courses and help our students achieve their learning objectives. Whether it is preparing for a competitive examination or learning to achieve a professional certification, our teachers help our students achieve that. We believe in smaller class sizes since it ensures personalized attention for students. We achieve scale by working with institutions that have under-utilized capacity.