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The OneStep Advantage

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OneStep Advantages

The world is going through an unprecedented crisis since 2020 and international education is looking at an uncertain future. In these testing times, having an in-country representative is even more important than ever. OneStep Global is a specialised company on in-country representation and stakeholder management, which helps global education institutions achieve tangible business results. But there are many ways to have an in-country representative, why work with OneStep Global?

Understand

We deliver a deep understanding of our client's current business and influence and help them achieve their ambitions.

Design

We deliver a detailed roadmap for how to maximize your business performance and the steps required to achieve this.

Implement

We deliver a dedicated, passionate & experienced team to support your organization in successfully delivering the plan.

Improve

We deliver an on-going reviewing and improvements are made to the plan to find areas for continuous growth.

We have an excellent understanding of the higher education sector.
We believe in complete transparency and accountability
We have a dedicated resource for each partner institution
We know no concepts of long term or contractual obligations
We are a cost-effective and sustainable option
We are a young, dynamic and a happy team
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From the Classroom to Zoom

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From the Classroom to Zoom

These uncertain times have dictated school closings and the rapid expansion of online education. But the question arises – can online lessons replace the ‘in-school’ time?

E-learning provides tons of opportunities for students. Students, in a school that doesn’t offer a particular course, may be able to learn new skills with virtual lessons. If one fails to attend a lecture at a given circumstance, they are able to catch up later using online classes, and not disrupt their trajectory at school. The availability of online study material is yet another reason why the online set up is proving to be useful.

Only a little research has assessed the negative effects of online lessons for university students. Students assigned to the online option rated their class as more difficult than did their peers assigned to the face-to-face option.

Being in person with teachers and other students creates social pressures and benefits that can help motivate students to engage. Some students do well in online courses as in in-person courses, some may actually do better, but, on average, students do worse in the online setting, and this is particularly true for students with weaker academic backgrounds. Students who struggle in in-person classes are likely to struggle even more online.
“In the online setting, students may have more distractions and less oversight, which can reduce their motivation.”
Each type of classroom presents distinct challenges and pleasures, but they all have one thing in common. In these classrooms, students meet one another as apparent equals. They sit on the same chairs. It is not a space apart from the damaged and unfair world in which we live, but it is a place where students meet each other, first and foremost, as fellow learners.
The attainability of education becomes dependent on how well the child is exposed to luxuries. The glimpses into the students’ homes violate the implicit contract of the classroom, where students have some measure of control over what parts of their lives from outside of school come into view. But equality in the classroom is a fiction – race, gender, class, sexuality, citizenship status and other factors shape who feels confident speaking up in class and who feels afraid of saying the wrong thing. An education spread over laptop screens helps to eliminate these differences. Teachers have more time now, with no commute or extracurricular activities to be taken care of, hence making it easier to tend a little more to each student, simultaneously making the urgent need for broadband access and at-home support, yet another important topic to address.
Now that kids are learning from home, their support system—or the lack of it thereof—is more crucial than ever. With that in mind, a huge number of districts and schools have changed their grading policies, requesting teachers to give feedback and opportunities to correct the work, rather than a score.
Kids who flourished in a strictly controlled classroom environment are floundering because they have never learned how to manage their own time. Home-based performance tests and projects and a flexible schedule is another favour of studying online.
“Fewer assignments with more detailed feedback can help students stay motivated, understand the material more fully, and alleviate some of the pressure on teachers, even when giving individual feedback takes more time than right-wrong grading.”
Whatever the classroom looks like when COVID-19 wanes, it needs to be different from what we had before school buildings closed in March. This experience has given us insights and tools to better serve our students. Right now, virtual courses are allowing students to access lessons and exercises and interact with teachers in ways that would have been impossible if an epidemic had closed schools even a decade or two earlier. So, we may be sceptic of online learning, but it is also time to embrace and improve it.
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Virtual Leaders!

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Virtual Leaders!

Entrepreneurs, the original hustlers, have had to make plenty of changes to their daily routine to adapt to working from home. Our Founder & Executive Director, Aritra Ghosal, shared his experiences from the lockdown diaries, his thoughts on the then current business dynamics and more, in our special edition of #VirtualLeader.

The 21-day lockdown triggered by the spread of the CO-VID 19 virus has been extending for the last 2 months and entrepreneurs, the original hustlers, have had to make plenty of changes to their daily routine to adapt to working from home. Their daily schedules have been disrupted, team management has taken a different route and meetings have been replaced by video calls. Not to forget the stress of a looming economic slowdown and pressure from investors.

Our Founder & Executive Director, Aritra Ghosal, shares his experiences from the lockdown diaries, his thoughts on the current business dynamics and more, in our special edition of #VirtualLeader.

Q: What does your average day look like now given your normal routine must have been disrupted by the lockdown?

My normal routine is that I go for a run or exercise (like I used to do before lockdown) make breakfast and start working. I feel that I can get more things done while working from home, but I miss the human interaction. Thus I believe I may be more productive but may have become a little less imaginative.

Q: How difficult was the transition to working remotely for OneStep?
I would say that the transition purely on working conditions has been quite smooth since we do have the systems in place and we saw this coming so it was pretty smooth.
Q: What’s the one add-on in your routine that you could not manage because of a busy lifestyle, but you have now picked up?
I would say cooking, I really love to cook but for the last couple of years I became irregular because of my schedule. I would say that I enjoy that part and yeah it becomes a task to cook every day but I seem to like it for now.
Q: Have you always had a separate workstation at home or did you set that up because of the lockdown? Can you share a few lines on how have you set up your workstation?
My landlord has solved this for me, when we took this house little outside of the main city in Gurgaon, they had a huge fully operational office (with printer and fax) so I think I have been very lucky to have a very nice looking and comfortable workspace.
Q: How do you manage to build rapport and manage your employees? Did you try to develop means of e-socializing with your team?
At OneStep we have a very open and friendly atmosphere, we generally don’t believe in managing people, we make them feel that this is their company too and we are all working towards a collective growth. Though I am not so social media savvy, my team members make sure that we do have the sessions and keep virtually meeting each other. I do have periodic calls with all the team members.
Q: Now that you are working from home, how much time are you spending with your family? Any specific activity that you undertake regularly with your family members, which you thoroughly enjoy?
I would say the entire day (phew), I can’t point out one singular activity but I think the most we end up doing, is discussing the world, the situation and also try to keep ourselves sane.
Q: What is your fitness routine? Now that outdoor games have stopped are you engaging in some activities indoors?
I like to run, but some days it is not advisable to run. So I took up freehand exercises and I really enjoy a good 45 minutes every day also somehow it offers me a guilt-free pass then to munch on!
Q: Now that you have come to the other side from being associated with a particular institute to forming a company with a number of clients, which one do you prefer more? And, why?
I would say I enjoyed my role with one single institution but if I have to compare of course I enjoy this stint more. Though this is more challenging and sometimes I feel afraid, but every morning I remind myself that we are (me and my team members) are building something together. I started alone and now we have 11 team members so that has been very rewarding. The collective belief in something makes it special for me.
Q: One thing you want to do first as soon as the lockdown gets over and life returns to normalcy?
I would say to just go to a crowded place or a place which used to be crowded and soak in the cacophony of life.
Q: Do you think you and your team have adapted to this new normal of working online?
Yes but my team members are waiting to go back to the office, guess even more than me! .
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The Spread of Coronavirus in the Realm of Higher Education

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The Spread of Coronavirus in the Realm
of Higher Education

Coronaviruses were first identified in the 1960s. They get their name from their crown-like shape. The symptoms of most coronaviruses are like any other upper respiratory infection, including runny nose, coughing, sore throat, and sometimes a fever. There is no vaccine for coronavirus. To help prevent a coronavirus infection or to treat it, do the same things you’d do to avoid the common cold.

On January 30, 2020, the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee of the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a “public health emergency of international concern.” As the death toll from the pneumonialike illness rose and cases were found in neighbouring Asian countries, including South Korea and Singapore, as well as in the U.S., the economic impact of the novel coronavirus became widespread.

As warned by the sector leaders, the deadly coronavirus outbreak had a major impact on international student mobility, after thousands of learners were left stranded in China.

Australia, New Zealand, the US and Singapore were among countries that had banned entry to foreigners travelling from China from the very beginning of the outbreak, while Japan and South Korea were denying entry to travellers from Hubei province, the centre of the outbreak. Meanwhile, British Airways suspended all flights between the UK and mainland China.

The decision to extend the shutdown of higher education throughout China until next month is expected to be a clear signal to other parts of the country’s education system to prolong the winter break, which started in December and includes the lunar new year, until the virus is under control.

According to the stats published in an article in ‘The Conversation’, there were more than 100,000 students stuck in China who had intended to study in Australia this year. As each day passed, it became more unlikely for them to arrive in time for the start of the academic year. For universities that have come to rely on China, the coronavirus poses an unprecedented risk.

This crisis hit hard for many Chinese students, an integral component of their campus communities. It not only caused disruptions to their study, accommodation, part-time employment and life plans but also their mental well-being. A statement released by the British Council explained that education activities in China in February are cancelled and advised against UK institutions travelling to China for an education-related activity next month.

Inside HigherEd published, ‘Australia never experienced such a sudden drop in student numbers. The reduced enrolments had profound impacts on class sizes and the teaching workforce, particularly at the master’s level in universities with the highest proportions of students from China. Tourism, accommodation providers, restaurants and retailers who cater to international students hit hard too.’

Universities adopted a variety of approaches to the crisis. Special study arrangements were made for students who are unable to be on campus. Online and remote arrangements were made available for students unable to attend classes.

Some institutions delayed the start of its semester by at least one week and will now conduct all the following week’s classes online. The orientation activities have been postponed, along with about 850 exams. Education companies have additionally reported cancellations from Chinese clients and expressed worries that the disease will have a similar impact on the industry as the SARs outbreak in 2003.

Meanwhile, governments have been making plans to help citizens in the worst-hit areas. China appears to be fighting an increasingly uphill battle to contain the coronavirus outbreak, as new deaths and infections continue to climb — prompting an ominous warning from the World Health Organization.

China has taken unprecedented actions to try to contain the virus, shutting down transportation in and out of many cities, closing major attractions like Disneyland in Shanghai, and postponing the start of school, among other precautions.

According to the statistics released on Monday earlier this week, the deadly virus has claimed over 1,000 lives and stricken more than 40,000 around the world, officially topping the casualties of the deadly severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak of 2002. Meanwhile, the list of businesses that are curtailing travel and shutting down operations in the world’s second-largest economy is lengthening. (Image source- Google)

Ranging from a minimal impact to a severe one, depending upon the timeline of the scenario for return to normal business activities. A baseline end of the outbreak by the end of March can have a moderate effect on the Higher education sector, causing delays in applications and cancellation of summer programs. Whereas, if the timeline lengthens till the end of August, there’s a chance of significant disruption impacting the overall mobility and notable impact on the sector, implying, the longer the Coronavirus crisis persists, the bigger the impact looks like.

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Does Regional Representation help? Especially now?

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Does Regional Representation help? Especially now?

The Coronavirus pandemic smashed all the routines this month, forcing hundreds of thousands of undergraduates to scatter from campuses around the country, return from study abroad and hunker down at home. In these times, does a regional market representation helps in these circumstances? Given the expenses involved?

The Coronavirus pandemic smashed all the routines this month, forcing hundreds of thousands of undergraduates to scatter from campuses around the country, return from study abroad and hunker down at home. They will still be taking classes, but remotely, with cell phones and laptops for at least a few weeks and perhaps the rest of the school year.

What follows further is not a business message. In these crucial times, where the COVID-19 outbreak poses a major threat to the nation’s economy and health of the population across the globe, the education sector is at high risk. In these times, does a regional market representation helps in these circumstances? Given the expenses involved?

We think it does and here is our take on the same.

Managing on ground relationships and expectations
The presence of an on-ground member in the very same time zone as that of the students, agents, partners helps any institution to keep the momentum high and even the colleges and universities are closed the on-ground relationship does not suffer.
Interpreting the correct information
In this day and age of information, a lot of times it has been witnessed that information has been misleading. A news update coming through a flawed medium can very often be misunderstood or taken in a different manner, whereas someone representing the institution in the market assures passage of correct information.
Handling queries
The travels are shut, flights cancelled, campuses closed. Students are reaching out in big numbers to the helplines with a million questions in their heads. An in-country representative understands the problem and provides high quality, effective and speedy service.
Bounce back
For any institution that does have an in-country presence (anywhere in the world) will be a lot easier to bounce back as and when the crisis is over.

Thus in these testing times, it becomes imperative for global institutions to support their in-country representatives so that they remain motivated and focused on the job at hand.

Stay safe and remember we are all on this together!