Why Emeritus India Courses Have 90% Completion Rates: The Key Lies in Design
With AI cutting the average shelf life of skills by half, upskilling is the need of the hour for all professionals. And as this need for upskilling deepens, so does the noise around online courses claiming to do the trick. How, then, should professionals judge whether an online course is worth it? The completion rate, which encapsulates what percentage of people have completed a course(s) and hence, found it worthwhile, is a good place to start.
On that note, did you know that Emeritus India courses have a completion rate of 90-95%? While this seems like a great number just by itself, it takes on a whole new volume of enormity when you pitch this against the industry standard of 13%!
This brings us to the most obvious question: why do Emeritus India courses have a higher completion rate than other online courses? The answer lies in knowing how Emeritus India courses are designed and why on-point learning design sets up adult learners for success.
Programme Design: The Key Differentiator for Emeritus India Courses
Designing a course at Emeritus India is far from a one-size-fits-all approach. The process is both methodical and innovative, ensuring that each course is tailored to the needs of its learners—whether they are seasoned executives or professionals just starting to navigate their fields.
During our conversation with Anshula Dhingra, Regional Director of Learning Design at Emeritus India, she explained how the course design process is a mix of structured methodologies and creative problem-solving. In the context of learning, professionals aren’t students—they have unique professional needs. Time constraints, varying levels of expertise, and the direct applicability of what they learn are all factors that have to be accounted for while designing a course. “It’s essential to design content that professionals can digest in small, manageable chunks, especially since they have work and family responsibilities,” she says.
So, what is it that sets the learning design process at Emeritus India apart, ensuring the top-notch quality of its courses? It is, in fact, a combination of the following factors.
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1. Course Content From the World’s Best Universities
While learning design remains one of the key components in ensuring that professionals can upskill and reskill with ease, the base content for any learning programme comes from the university or school that is offering the course. Being a whitelabel business, Emeritus does not create this content on its own; the course content comes from the universities that the brand partners with. This is one of the biggest strengths of Emeritus programmes because the brand has a network of 80+ university partners who are the biggest names in academics in India and around the world. You will find premium Indian institutions like ISB Executive Education, IIMs, IITs, VIT, XLRI, MICA, etc., on that list, accompanied by global universities like MIT xPRO, Kellogg Executive Education etc.
2. Backward Design: The Backbone of Programme Design
The backward design model is central to Emeritus India’s approach to course creation. It’s a simple but powerful framework that starts with defining the desired outcomes of the course. “We begin by identifying what skills and knowledge the learners should have by the end of the course, and then we design all content and activities to achieve those outcomes,” Dhingra explains.
This results-oriented model ensures that every part of the course—whether it’s a video, an assignment, or a discussion prompt—serves a clear purpose in helping learners achieve their goals.
3. Continuous Feedback and Iterative Design
One of the most unique aspects of Emeritus India’s course design process is its commitment to continuous feedback. “We are constantly seeking feedback from learners and using it to improve our courses in real time,” Dhingra points out. This means that even after a course has launched, the design team continues making tweaks based on learner feedback and performance data. This iterative approach ensures that courses stay relevant, up-to-date, and aligned with the latest industry trends.
“While course design is rooted in backward design, we also innovate constantly to cater to the ever-changing needs of our learners,” she adds. Hence, the commitment to iterative design..
4. Application of an Unique Framework: Emeritus India’s Best-Kept Secret
Emeritus India’s unique framework enhances its core philosophy of backward design, transforming traditional course creation methods. Exclusively developed and used by Emeritus India, this framework guides learners from concept inception to career application. “By using this framework, we enable learners to not just know but apply concepts in real-world scenarios,” says Dhingra.
Rohit Kapoor, VP of Design at Emeritus India, elaborates, “Our internal framework helps us make design decisions with confidence—for example, determining if a quiz or video suits a particular learning stage better.” By focusing on practical implementation, the framework ensures a deeper, application-oriented learning experience for participants.
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5. Personalized Learning Experiences: Empathy Maps and Learner Personas
Emeritus India places significant emphasis on designing courses that cater to a wide range of professionals. “We design courses for professionals at different levels in their careers; so our courses need to speak to individuals with varying levels of expertise,” Dhingra highlights. This involves creating learning personas and empathy maps for each course.
These tools help Emeritus India’s Learning Design Team understand who the learners are, what challenges they face, and how the course can best address their needs. It’s all about meeting learners where they are.
Types of Courses Offered by Emeritus India and How They are Designed
Learning design is deeply rooted in product awareness. And for backward design to be effective, it is pivotal to have a deep understanding of the type of course being designed. The following is a cross-section of Emeritus India’s portfolio of courses:
**Emeritus India only offers international degree programmes that are not governed by UGC guidelines.
Ankit Kumar, Regional Director for Product at Emeritus India, gives us detailed insights into what the brand offers, at what price point, and to whom. Everything is accounted for in bifurcating these courses, from learner personas to the purpose behind learning.
It is important to double-click on some of these course types so that prospective learners can make more informed decisions. For instance, the targeting of both long-form certificates and advanced tech certificates seems very similar at first glance.
“Long-form certificates are for professionals who want to grow into leadership positions, advanced tech certifications will help learners grow into specialized tech roles. Also, while senior executive programmes are mainly targeted at aspiring CXOs who are at CXO minus one or two level, leaders who are new to the C-suite or are moving from startups to bigger organizations can also find these courses very useful,” explains Ankit Kumar.
Measuring the Success of Emeritus India Programmes
For Emeritus India, success is measured by more than just completion rates, although those are important. “We look at learning analytics, feedback, and how well learners perform in assignments. The goal is to ensure that learners are not just completing courses but truly mastering the material,” says Dhingra, a testament to the brand’s commitment to quality.
The goal is to create courses that meet the real-world needs of professionals. “Staying on top of the trends is what helps us decide what courses we should develop and launch in the market. For instance, right now, AI is at the top of everyone’s mind. This might change in the next 2-5 years,” says Ankit Kumar, highlighting the importance of having one’s ear to the ground.
In summation, Emeritus India has something to offer for all professionals, no matter what stage of their career they are in. While continuous learning is what the brand seeks to drive through its courses, it also seeks to educate learners on how to upskill and pick the right courses for their needs. After all, learning outcomes are central to learning design, and effective design is the cornerstone of great learning.
To choose from courses offered by India and the world’s best universities, explore Emeritus India programmes.
