Tailor Made

Circa 2017. Chennai based Ranganath Kumar Sami was working as the principal research engineer for Modine Thermal Systems. He was a reputed technocrat and reporting to the CXOs. "But when I started climbing the leadership ladder, I felt I should have a better grip on other crucial business aspects such as marketing or finance." A full time, on campus MBA course was ruled out as he was not willing to leave his family (or stay away from his job, for that matter). Then he came across an online programme conducted by the University of Illinois in partnership with Coursera, a provider of massive open online courses, or MOOCs. These short format video lectures and self assessment tests can be accessed remotely by all whether they are commuting to work or have managed to snatch some free time when their babies are napping. Now Kumar Sami puts in 10 14 hours a week from the comfort of his home and has finished six semesters over the past two years.

Unlike traditional online courses with limited enrolment