MyCaptain Unveils Free e-Learning Classes on its Seventh Anniversary

 

MyCaptain, an India-based online learning platform, today announces the ‘freemium’ version of its mobile application and website which will allow users to take Free Live Sessions, micro-courses and demo classes covering 40+ number of Potential careers and subjects, such as Photography, App Development, Music Production and Novel Writing, to name a few. 

With over 100,000 paid users, the parent company, Climber Knowledge & Careers Pvt. Ltd. completes seven successful years of operations in online learning and mentoring in India. On this occasion, MyCaptain wanted to go an extra mile by providing a platform to each and every individual who wishes to explore their passion, which will help them evolve in their career as well as personal lives. In this endeavour, the company decided to launch an unpaid version of its Live Online Courses for the first time ever. 

Commenting on this initiative, Mohammed Zeeshan, Co-founder & CEO, MyCaptainsaid “From the very beginning, our motive has been to bring a societal mindset shift when it comes to Careers in India and all across the World. With the launch of our new app which offers all such free features, we aim to reach a larger audience, penetrating through different corners of the country, to provide them a peek into the world of alternative careers and online learning. We want students to learn from the best in the Industry.”

Along with the launch of free e-learning classes, MyCaptain has entered into a rebranding phase that aligns with its anniversary theme ‘Evolution’. The company has come up with a new logo which is a more modern version of the older logo, and has been designed keeping in mind the archetype of its primary user: Creator.

Ruhan Madni Naqash, Co-founder & Chief Marketing Officer, MyCaptain said“Over the past 10 years, the youth has changed, what mattered to the youth has changed as well. We have seen this need to adapt, transform, and evolve in our target market, and we want to reciprocate that need and feel through our rebranding.” 

In the following year, MyCaptain is looking to acquire 300,000+ more paid customers, begin international expansion and have more than 3000+ Top Educators onboard. Additionally, the company is aiming to host 2000+ Free Live Sessions for students to get a taste of each field and learn from the best minds in India. 

DU set to conduct its first online exam

It is not just the Common Admission Test (CAT) that will go online this year. Delhi University (DU) will become one of the first central universities in the country to conduct an online examination next month for its undergraduate science students.

A.K. Bakshi, director of the Institute of Lifelong Learning (ILL) under DU which formulated the online examination paper, said that for the first time students of the B.Sc course will be taking their environmental science paper online.

"It's just a starter. Students of the B.Sc course will take one of their qualifying papers, of environmental science, online. If a success, it should set a trend for more university exams to go the same way," said Bakshi.

A total of 2,500 students from 27 colleges will take the exam, scheduled in the first week of June. The examination will however be held in just three centres and that too in three shifts.

"For logistical and other reasons, the exam will be held in three centres - in Miranda House, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya and Venkateswara colleges. Since it's for the first time that both students and teachers will be facing this kind of an exam, CDs and pamphlets have been distributed where the entire process is being explained.

"How does one attempt a question, how do you skip a question, re-attempt a question, submit the paper but want to make some changes again - everything is being explained. There will also be a timer which will keep telling the student how much time and how many questions are left. There is also a sample online examination paper uploaded on our website," Bakshi said.

The one-hour exam will have 50 multiple choice type questions of one mark each.

"Like in competitive exams, students sitting adjacent to each other will get a different question paper. In all the three shifts the questions will be jumbled; so will the options, so that there is no chance of cheating. Teachers are quite happy with the initiative and have said that the online exam will save them a lot of time in checking the answers," Bakshi said.

The online exam is a part of DU's larger plan to go the e-learning way. ILL has been working on making the entire teaching process, and now even the assessment process, more tech-savvy for a number of subjects. This, Bakshi said, is an attempt to keep up with the changing times and be in sync with youth.

With videos, animation, simulation, online quizzes and virtual laboratory, the aim now is to make learning more fun in DU. It is expected that by the next academic session, the e-learning material for some courses like chemistry, physics, maths, life sciences and commerce will be uploaded in the ILL portal.

"There is something called blended learning. There are times when a teacher can't explain everything on the blackboard. With this initiative of using animation and visuals, the understanding of a subject will become clearer," Bakshi told the media.

Agencies

India publishing BPO industry to cross $ 1.2 billion, says ValueNotes

A recently released report by ValueNotes estimates that the Indian publishing BPO industry is expected to grow to a value of $ 1.2 billion by 2012.

This growth is expected to come from rise in the number of publishing companies that will outsource - which include traditional segments such as STM/Academic, Educational & Legal Publishing, as well as new segments such as magazines, corporate and B2B publishing.

India continues to remain the favored publishing BPO hub - with 35,550 people in direct employment, and revenues worth $ 660 million as of end-2008. While revenues are expected to cross $ 1.2 billion by 2012, the total employee strength is estimated to cross 55,000 by 2012.

Publishing outsourcing includes a wide range of services. The four broad heads include content, design, technology and 'other' services.

Content continues to drive the industry and contributes to 72 per cent of the total industry revenues.

Over the last couple of years, services offshored have undergone a transition - from low value services such as tagging, editing existing designs, copy editing to high value services such as original designs, testing and assessment and e-learning tools.

There has been an influx of technology in the industry that has enhanced productivity, workflow management and most importantly reduced costs and turnaround time.

According to Arun Jethmalani, CEO, ValueNotes, "Most providers have access to similar technology, however the differentiator has really been the capabilities developed around workflow and innovation. Today's technology will become tomorrow's standard and constant innovation will differentiate the winners."

Aradhana Kolhatkar, lead analyst, Publishing Services, ValueNotes, said: "Indian players are shifting focus from the matured STM segment to the more lucrative segments in the publishing market. We believe that educational, magazines, corporate/B2B, trade and e-books will be attractive segments over the next 3-4 years. Indian service providers can extend their current capabilities to service these upcoming opportunities."

Based on exhaustive primary research and analysis of this sector, ValueNotes has identified and established that there are over 140 vendors in the publishing offshoring industry. Of these we have identified SPi, Aptara, Integra and Laserwords as frontrunners in the industry.

ValueNotes Database is a leading provider of business intelligence and research, with expertise across selected domains and types of customer needs. Working with clients across the globe, we have significant understanding of international markets.

Agencies