EKAM 2023: How our online learners engaged in a collaborative catchup 

Manipal University Jaipur in collaboration with Online Manipal organized Ekam, an event and an opportunity where online learners of the university gather and interact with peers and faculty. Over 400 online learners from across the country enjoyed the fun, interactive sessions at the Ekam event. The special occasion took place for the second time in Jaipur; the first one was organized in Bengaluru.  

The specialty of Ekam this time was that the online students were gathered at the Manipal University Jaipur campus for the first time. This is the first event for online students that took place on the university campus. While students have virtually experienced the campus before, they were able to enjoy state-of the-art on-campus facilities for an entire day through the event. The Ekam event allowed learners to share their experiences with Manipal University Jaipur and Online Manipal with their respective peers and faculty members. While learners have only interacted with their faculty virtually, it gave them the chance to meet in person and bond with them. Watch this video to find out our learners’ experiences at Ekam. 

While Online Manipal has been offering a hassle-free virtual learning experience, we wanted our online learners to meet in person for an enriched experience. Our learners are constantly in touch with their peers and faculty virtually, and Ekam has given them the opportunity to meet in person. Why is it important for online learners to meet face to face? 

Get out of the virtual bubble 

Even though online learning immersive and interactive, it is nice to get out of the bubble occasionally. The games and fun activities organized in the Ekam event allowed students to not only interact with each other, but also take time off academic and spend leisure time.  

Share similar experiences 

Meeting peers personally not only helps create a stronger bond, but also helps learners share similar experiences. Shared experiences help learners gain a broader perspective of things. When virtual learners meet personally, they can learn from each other’s experiences.  

Get diverse perspectives 

Meeting your peers who belong from varied backgrounds and diverse cultures builds cultural intelligence. It helps you understand cultural sensitivities, which will be of great help in workplace. Interacting with people from diverse backgrounds at the college level prepares you to face challenging situations in the workplace.  

Share feedback and thoughts 

When peers meet with each other and their faculty, it helps them address pressing issues. While it allows students to give honest feedback, faculty will get a chance to improve in certain areas to make the learning experience satisfying. This also helps in building strong student-teacher relationships.  

Build a network 

Building your network virtually is different from building it in-person. When you interact with people on a personal level, you will clearly know how helpful they are to your professional life. This helps you build connections with the right people in your field or the industry you will be working in.  

Today, online education has given greater flexibility to juggle your career, education, and personal commitments. It’s a myth that online learning is boring as cutting-edge technology has replicated classroom experiences virtually. Yet, our learners got to interact with their online peers virtually and build networks and connections like never before.