On September 22, Oxford University Press, the world’s largest university press, launched Epigeum in India in the presence of Tim Barton – managing director, Global Academic Division and Bryan Fletcher, publishing director, Epigeum. 
Epigeum, originally a spin out from Imperial College London is the leading provider of exceptional online courses designed to help universities and colleges transform their core activities – in teaching, research, studying and leadership and management. The courses are developed through global collaboration of experts and partner universities and shared by subscription. They are produced by the in-house editorial team and online professionals and used by leading institutions across the world. 

Commenting on the launch, Nigel Portwood – chief executive, Oxford University Press said, “We are very pleased to launch Epigeum in India, an innovative and collaborative approach to supporting university priorities of teaching, research, studying, and leadership and management. We hope that Epigeum will be welcomed by the Indian and Asian teaching and research communities for its quality and ease of access.” 

Sharing details on Epigeum, Barton said, “By developing its business globally as part of the world’s largest university press, Epigeum with OUP will be able to reach more learners in more places than either company did before. Epigeum trains administrators how to administer, researchers how to research, teachers how to teach, and students how to study. And our ambition is to do this in every country in which there are universities: this activity is core to Oxford University Press’s mission. Epigeum advances our mission and strategy by extending the high-quality online content and services we offer to universities and colleges.” 

Epigeum boasts over 20 collaborations, and has published more than 20 programmes comprising of 80 courses. It has partnered with 33 of the top 100 global universities in the QS world rankings 2014/15 and the courses are used by over 260 universities in 29 countries, including 95 percent of the Russell Group. In India, OUP is confident of adding value by supplementing the work done by academia, help them reach wider audiences. 

OUP follows a highly collaborative approach in developing new courses. The process involves a development group of up to 20 universities who provide feedback throughout the development process. It partners world-class subject experts and together with the expertise of in-house editorial staff and web developers, courses that are insightful, engaging and effective are built. Quality is assured through a meticulous review process, with substantial input from reviewers and advisors while the content is also peer-reviewed by the development group members to help shape and fine-tune the courses. A typical course storyboard goes through at least six iterations with input from over 20 individuals before it is approved. 

Fletchler said, “At Epigeum we are very excited to be making our first steps in working with Indian universities on finding the right balance of international and local perspectives in training researchers, instructors and students through online and blended learning.” 

The launch event preceded an engaging discussion on ‘Enhancing Research Impact’ in the current educational environment in India, to extend research activity benefits to the wider public. The panel comprised eminent dignitaries such as Sukhadeo Thorat – chairman, Indian Council of Social Science Research, Indranil Manna – director, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, Samiran Nundy – dean, The Gangaram Institute for Postgraduate Medical Education & Research, and C.Raj Kumar – vice chancellor, O.P. Jindal Global University, among others. 

The Epigeum courses are used by leading institutions across the world and the subscription model is cost effective for the subscribing universities. Each course is typically installed at 40+ universities and used by up to 150,000 students. 96 percent of students find the courses effective in improving their understanding of a topic. Epigeum was born digital and remains committed to creating interactive, multi-media rich and engaging materials to enhance and improve academic capabilities. 

A part of the United Kingdom based University of Oxford, Oxford University Press (OUP) is the world’s largest university press with the widest global presence.