I think that MOOCs cannot be judged in an isolated manner by just comparing them with traditional educational institutions. These have to be seen in the entirety of the way things are evolving socially, both in the local and the global contexts. Many things that nobody had ever imagined have moved completely online and these are proliferating very fast at a breakneck speed. This includes the way people network, socialise and find prospective spouses as well. I really wonder how many people actually get into long term relationships with their college sweethearts. We do not have any such data to prove the point put forward by the writer of the aforementioned article (barring a few data). I sincerely think that the picture that has been put up in the article, is more of the ideal scenario that is the way, one would like it to happen rather than based on the ground realities. So rather than narrowing the scope of discussion, let’s focus on how social, MOOCS can be and where they stand vis-a-vis traditional educational institutions. Also the distinctions should be noted in terms of cultural contexts. At the outset it is very much proven that MOOCS are revolutionising the education scenario globally and they are here to make a powerful impact on the way people learn and are hired. The social interaction and other advantages that traditional campuses flaunt are just the byproducts of ‘education’, which is the main concern and motive.

Also why do the physical campuses have to be there since they have been there for say 100-200 years or a bit more? Just because they have been there does not lend them any justification to be there for centuries to come. If they outlive their utility they will fade away. In West they are expensive so ill-affordable and in a country like Indian quality is the concern. Definitely elitism is something that will keep them alive for a while but for how long? So to become a real value proposition for the learners the defenders of physical campuses have to come up with something more substantial rather than talking about ‘social returns’ and ‘marriage prospects’.

A few more points can add to the discussion on the viability and significance of online education.

1. The niche and specialised courses cater to the specific demands of the various industries and as far as these MOOCs are concerned, they do that beautifully without leaving an option for distractions that are likely to occur in the regular campus. So we can say that learning is available in the purest form online, when you see your dream expert defending her/his very own theories and leading you onto the path of inquiry and discovery. Surrendering the opportunity of face to face interaction is a small cost for the immense value delivered through videos which many times also have learners interacting with the Professors. One can chat, ask questions and get their doubts cleared.

2. For many the volumes of real books might look scary but the tiny nuggets of knowledge are delightful and easily retainable. And that leaves a lot of time for other pursuits (read social). The onus of keeping the learners hooked to them is now on these MOOCs and there the quality of the platform plays a major role. Anyway that is beyond the purview of this article. Let’s focus on the ‘other’ returns on education as the WEF article talks about. It talks about campuses being the meeting grounds.

3. MOOCs will be more preferred by ‘masses’ across the cultural and geographical boundaries. The way MOOCs are evolving, I have no doubt a time will come when physical campuses will be even more of elite kind of indulgence for relatively fewer people (and fewer…eventually vanish) and MOOCs will be the one for the masses. The romantic connections will happen through the various chats and forums that these courses offer, more on lines of online dating, through seamless integration of social media and offline stuff through meet ups . I think this is already happening and kind of revolutionising the education scene in an unprecedented manner. Where else a student from say China or India or Ireland can have access to some great professor or other co-learners from say Stanford or Yale and at a fraction of the cost and trouble ?

4. The traditional campuses will become so elitist that they will become more like the extinct finishing schools of yesteryears. I think there is one remaining in Switzerland but yes, in developing countries they are at their peak now; so soon a time will come that these will shut their shops with the improvement in the quality of education through MOOCs.

According to the article the smart and hard working will go to the campuses to prove that they are better since they can invest more money. Well, if employers start looking at prospective employees from this angle then it will be a completely flawed logic. Employers will simply look for those who are qualified and could be acquired at the lowest cost. So there will be a mismatch of expectations of these ‘smart and hard working’ people who will be armed with an expensive degree seeking higher remuneration as compared to those who will have the same knowledge through MOOC and won’t mind settling for a lower salary because they won’t have to pay the educational loans. So whom would the employer prefer? Naturally the one who has the same talent and costs less to the company. And the people looking for prospective partners as it is will prefer cultural and social dos and scores of online and offline avenues built around skill development through specific agencies as preferred platforms rather than traditional campuses.

5. MOOCs will encourage entrepreneurial ventures because they are already a major source of knowledge and skills for a fast changing world wherein new markets are being created through new niche products. MOOCs will be the major source of education in coming times and actually they already are. They will proliferate in a country like India the way Facebook has become a household name. After all who wants to miss learning stuff from the real gurus in their own fields. It is good that Delhi University is already into it and others may follow suit. All the fakes (read people who have fake PhDs and sketchy knowledge) in Indian education will have to go back to the basics and follow the strategy of unlearn and then re-learn or just perish. So in a country like India the entire education system has to sit up and take notice as the general awareness level grows exponentially. It has become imperative that the quality has to improve or else why a student should not opt for an online diploma from Stanford rather than from a University where they think that they won’ t get any value even if that education is dirt cheap? Therefore as internet becomes more available in remote areas, the more are the chances of growth of Online education and that too in a manner that would encourage entrepreneurial spirit and better skill building exercises.

It entirely depends on MOOC as to how they make the entire package more fulfilling from both academic and social angle. Here I can see the integration of a mature social media into the learning platforms and processes. It is happening and is pretty rewarding as well, transcending the geographical and cultural boundaries

“Venture capital (VC) investments surged during the first half of 2014, reflecting optimism about India’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and the potential of the country’s market.” “According to data from audit and advisory firm E&Y, investments in early-stage companies and startups rose nearly 40% to 121 deals with the transaction value jumping 66% to $605 million (Rs 3,630 crore), compared with the same period in 2013.” (The Economic Times)

This looks promising and the vision of success for most people is so strong that they take the plunge. But before that one should think and this thinking cannot be instant. It takes time and has to be done again and again. Brain storming works but self awareness works even more.

So what are the premises based on which one should start thinking?

Simplification of the inception of the idea of business: Any entrepreneurial venture has its seed in one of the two reasons- 1) I want to make money. 2) I want to do something about this (a problem to be solved) and make money out of it. The first type of venture usually fails because somehow the validation becomes impossible in the long run. The second type has chances of survival because there is usually a ‘passion to pursue’ behind it. To seek out problems the entrepreneur need not go looking for it; it just presents themselves in our everyday life unless we really turn blind to them. Identification of one’s passion and matching it to the problem that one thinks one should solve through business is crucial. There comes the need of reaching out to the people who can question you and be your critics.Role of culture: Then comes the role of culture and social upbringing. This determines how the entrepreneur is received by the society and what kind of support they are likely to get. The countries, communities and social structures that have conducive climate for business become a great incubation environment for the new entrepreneur; whereas the ones that have entrenched attitudes and difficulties make it a difficult proposition.

Internal factors: The above two are the external factors that determine the viability and feasibility of a business. But when it comes to internal factors there are many- the personality traits that one should possess and evolve, as it goes. The long term sustainability and growth depends on these, besides the market conditions and an entrepreneur’s ability to adapt to them. Here comes the requirement of “Finding You”. How do you you find yourself? First question that one needs to answer whether you are in touch with that real ‘you’? Secondly if yes, how much do you know about you. If no, how do you find ‘you’. If one knows the answers, one needs to still keep questioning oneself as action happens in reality. If you get into it with the mindset of I “know” the service/product that I am offering, and I “know” the market, and I “have” the network and so on and so forth; still much can remain to be worked upon. (www.deepshikhasingh.org)

Sounds simple? Well it isn’t. Though one can acquire this through practice. The various aspects of this process are as follows:

1. Self- Being positive involves monitoring one’s every strand of thought that influences the words and their execution. It involve a thorough analysis of self, keeping the desired end results in mind. This entire process flows, if evaluated and monitored properly, and the chances of it going wrong are quite high if one misses out even one of the parameters.

2. Others- An interdisciplinary approach is required to work on oneself while one deals with a variety of issues and difficulties in the effective execution of plans and projects that require a lot of inductive reasoning. This approach is something akin to PESTEL (marketing theory). But the most important aspect of this approach pertains to one’s own perception of self.

3. In-between- This is the most important aspect because this actually defines the real tangible outcomes.

The formula of ‘three’ can be applied but not effortlessly to bring about a huge transformation in one’s own life over a period of time.

Visualising the ‘next’ is an important part of a leader’s outlook, since it gives them a picture of what is in store. This picture might be blurred or might be crystal clear, nevertheless it has to be there to motivate and inspire. A variety of tools and contributing factors are used to get this picture and it entirely depends on the kind of a leader one is. But definitely it is not ‘only’ about data analysis or aggregation of opinions and views or the patterns or the perspectives. There is something deeper that binds all these and helps a leader to take decisions about that ‘next’. This ‘something’ that is deeper, is that awareness of oneself which does not become a barrier, rather it helps one grow out of that realm which might be full of cobwebs.

How to make your awareness about yourself as a guiding factor in your life and work? How to achieve this awareness? Is this awareness only at physical and mental levels; or does it go beyond? These are certain crucial questions that need to be answered as a leader tries to figure out ‘what next’.