New Delhi: Transnational Education (TNE) has emerged as a dynamic domain, fostering global collaboration in higher education. This paradigm involves partnerships between educational institutions from different countries, enabling students to pursue academic programs without being physically present in the host country. In the context of Indian Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs), TNE has gained prominence as a means to enhance the quality and diversity of educational offerings.

The role of technology in the TNE enrollment process is pivotal, streamlining administrative tasks, facilitating cross-border communication, and providing a seamless platform for students to access and engage with educational resources. Through innovative technological solutions, TNE not only transcends geographical barriers but also contributes to the internationalization of education, offering students a broader spectrum of learning opportunities. In this regard, Zain Khan, ObserveNow, interacted with Shrenik Parmar, Founder & CEO, DegreeLabs.

Here are a few excerpts from the interview:

Can you outline DegreeLabs’ vision and strategy in the TNE domain, particularly your collaborative model with Indian HEIs?

DegreeLabs is dedicated to “Making global education local.” Our strategy revolves around strong partnerships with India’s leading HEIs, offering students unique pathways to attain prestigious foreign degrees. By harnessing the NEP 2020 framework, we facilitate accessible and affordable TNE programs, such as Credit Transfers and Dual Degrees. Our model enables students to start their academic journey in India and seamlessly progress to internationally recognized qualifications. We’re bridging the gap, ensuring that global academic excellence is within reach of aspiring Indian students.

How does DegreeLabs integrate technology into the TNE enrollment process, and what sets your platform apart? 

At DegreeLabs, technology is a cornerstone, providing a robust platform that orchestrates the TNE enrollment process. Our digital infrastructure offers a seamless journey from program discovery to enrollment, all while emphasizing on-campus education’s rich experience. We’ve devised a system that not only simplifies the application process but also provides real-time support, distinguishing us as a conduit for quality on-campus TNE programs.

What inspired the creation of DegreeLabs, and how is it transforming India’s higher education landscape?

The genesis of DegreeLabs was motivated by a gap in the Indian education system—the lack of accessible global education opportunities. We’ve since become a transformative force, enabling students to commence their education with Indian HEIs and advance to globally recognized foreign universities. Our network now includes over 20 Indian HEIs, offering 150 diverse TNE courses, and partnerships allowing for transfer opportunities to 85 foreign HEIs across 15 countries.

What advantages do Indian students gain from TNE programs?

TNE offers Indian students an unparalleled mix of local accessibility and global excellence. Our programs are designed to be financially attainable while providing the benefits of a foreign education. Students engage with global curricula, receive exposure to diverse academic environments, and are positioned for success in the international job market—all while enjoying the foundational experience of on-campus learning in India.

What are DegreeLabs’ future aspirations in the TNE sector? 

DegreeLabs envisions expanding the TNE ecosystem, positioning India as a hub for high-quality, on-campus international education. Our future is about scaling our offerings, aligning them with global standards, and fostering academic innovation. We’re committed to nurturing the global aspirations of our students, ensuring their journey with us is not just educational but transformational.

New Delhi: In a rapidly evolving educational landscape, online learning platforms have emerged as indispensable tools, particularly in addressing the diverse learning needs and challenges faced by students across various regions of India. This transformative approach to education not only caters to students from different economic backgrounds but also adapts and expands to meet their dynamic requirements.

The integration of cutting-edge technologies, such as artificial intelligence, by educational technology (EdTech) companies, further enhances the efficacy of e-learning solutions. Moreover, the collaborative efforts between these EdTech innovators, teachers, and advanced technologies create an environment conducive to effective teaching methodologies, paving the way for a more inclusive and adaptive educational experience. In this regard, Sumit Rawat, ObserveNow, interacted with Ankit Aggarwal, Founder & CEO, Unstop.

Here are a few excerpts from the interview:

How does your online learning platform help students in different parts of India with their various learning needs and challenges?

Unstop is a playground for talent to learn, upskill, showcase their skills, gain CV points and get hired while unlocking their true potential throughout their academic journey. This enables them to eventually get hired by their dream employers and start their career journey. The platform connects students across domains in India to a world of opportunities across the globe. Unstop currently has a community of 8 million Students and Freshers.

Backed by the philosophy of skills-based education, Unstop aims to ensure companies find the right talent through unique engagements that focus on testing students’ real-life skills. Unstop strives to democratize hiring by recruiting the right talent globally rather than from a select list of institutes.

Through the products, we connect with students in the following ways: 

• Learn – We have a subscription offering of Unstop Pro which allows students to get access to 50+ courses, exclusive entry to masterclasses by industry experts, interview preps, and 15% off on mentorship sessions along with coupons from brands like Bombay Shaving Company, Puma, and an OTT Play Subscription. 
• Practice – Gives students the opportunity to practice coding through a 100-day coding sprint along with mock interviews. It also helps students prepare for the interview and assessment round of companies. 
• Mentorship – Offers our users a chance to connect 1:1 with seasoned mentors from top brands like Google, BCG, Bain & Co., Amazon, Microsoft, and many more. 
• Compete – The OG section that lists all corporate and college competitions for students to participate in and win rewards like PPOs and PPIs.
• Jobs – Users can find organic job listings under this section from various companies across the country. 
• Blogs – With a plethora of blogs covering a vast range of topics, this section helps users read the experiences of winners, understand strategies to hack interviews, and much more.

Can you explain how your e-learning solutions can work well for students from different economic backgrounds and can easily grow to meet their needs?

The Unstop platform is free for anyone to register and make use of its benefits. The advantage that our solutions provide is that it is an open slate for students from different backgrounds to explore and choose as per their requirements. For example, most of the courses under Unstop Pro start from the basic level to help students from any and every background. On the other hand, we’ve had mentorship sessions between mentors from top brands and students who’re from Tier 2 and 3 colleges, and the conversations have been around how they can upskill and grow in the career of their choice. Also, we provide free mentorship sessions to give students who come from underprivileged backgrounds a chance to speak to mentors from top brands. 

How does your platform use new technologies like AI to make learning better, keeping up with the changes in education?

• We believe the future is of a skill-based economy. This is why we’ll be using AI in skill mapping on the platform for all users basis their interests and activities. 
• We’ve recently launched a Mentor Match on the mentorship platform to make it easier for students to find the right mentor for themselves. 

What do you do to make sure students in faraway or less privileged areas with not much internet can still get to your educational materials?

Our mission is to help talent meet opportunities by giving them a platform to unlock their true potential. We work closely with university representatives, senior professors and training officers who can share the opportunities with the students 1:1 and give them a chance to grow, even in the remotest of towns.

How does your platform collaborate with Training and Placement Officers of colleges and Corporates to bridge the industry gap and provide students with effective upskilling resources?

At Unstop, we work more with the Training and Placement Officers of colleges along with the Corporates. This helps us understand the industry gap and give students resources with which they can upskill better. 

New Delhi: Centurion University of Technology and Management, Andhra Pradesh held its 3rd Annual Convocation on Saturday, December 23, 2023. The convocation ceremony was be held at Vizianagaram campus to bid a final farewell to the graduating students.

On this significant day, 1 candidate received Doctoral degree, 140 students received their graduating degree, 12 students received Gold Medal and 7 students who topped in the programme received cash award of Rs.10,000. 

The University awarded Honorary Doctorate degree to Sri Paneesh Rao, Chief Sustainability Officer, LTI Mindtree for his outstanding contribution for navigating Innovation and Disruption in Human Resource practices.

Prof. G S.N. Raju, Honorable Chancellor, Centurion University said, “convocation is a Millstone which brings extreme joy and happiness not only to the graduating Students but also to the Parents, Teachers, Friends and well-wishers with a feeling of success for your hard work and effort made day and night, The teachers and staff also deserve appreciation as they are highly supportive to the graduating students throughout their course work.”

Speaking about this momentous occasion, Dr. Prasanta Mohanty, Vice Chancellor, Centurion University said, “Convocation Ceremony is a significant & huge step towards the future. The accomplishments of our students wouldn’t have been possible without the efforts of Centurion family – governing body, Academic Council, faculty members, staff, students and alumnus.”

Centurion University is established by two eminent academicians and educationists Prof Mukti Kanta Mishra and Prof D.N. Rao who have proven leadership in all fields, they ventured. CUTM is not established for business but it is to provide quality education with extensive training for skill development at all levels of different programs.  Being a unique University different from traditional Universities, it has been offering state – of – art courses at an affordable fees structure. In order to meet the global standards of education, top priority is given to formulate new structured flexible scheme and curriculum leading to innovation, start-ups and entrepreneurship.

Sri Paneesh Rao, Chief Sustainability Officer, LTI Mindtree, the recipient of Honorary Doctorate Degree concluded, “This recognition is not just a personal achievement but a testament to the collective efforts of all those who have been part of my journey – the almighty, my teachers, mentors, guides, coaches, my colleagues, my parents, parents-in-law, my wife, son, daughter-in-law, daughter and my extended family. I accept this honor with a sense of responsibility, understanding the profound significance it carries.”