UGC asks institutions to share roadmap for full-fledged online education
2 min read . Updated: 24 Sep 2020, 04:54 PM IST
Premium- The regulator has told universities that they can start maximum of three UG level programs and 10 PG level programs after seeking approval and in strict compliance with the regulatory provisions
NEW DELHI : The university grants commission (UGC) has kicked-off the exercise to open up higher education sector for full-fledged e-learning degrees, to bridge the physical-digital divide in tertiary education.
The regulator has asked institutions and universities to share a roadmap and roll out online degree courses from Jan 2021.
According to UGC, “higher educational institutions having an accreditation score of 3.26 (in a scale of 4) and above or having a rank in top 100 best university category of National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) shall be permitted to start full-fledged online programmes without prior approval."
Mint has seen a copy of the notification. It says a university must be in the top 100 NIRF list at least twice in three preceding cycles at the time of application.
Earlier in May, government had said that top 100 universities will soon be allowed to offer online degrees.
India’s higher education sector comprising over 50,000 colleges and universities got disrupted due to the pandemic-induced lockdown. The push for online education has since gained momentum and government has chipped in encourage full-fledged online courses.
The regulator has told universities that they can start maximum of three Under Graduate (UG) level programs, and 10 Post Graduate (PG) level programs after seeking approval from the statutory authorities and in strict compliance with the regulatory provisions.
The UGC has also told colleges and universities that they may also apply for offering programs through the online mode provided if they are in existence for at least three year and has been accredited by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) with minimum score of 3.01 on a 4-point scale. But this will be done not through automatic route, but after a proper invigilation and review by the regulator."
As per new rules, an institution shall be eligible to offer only those online degree programs at UG PG and PG Diploma level, which it has already been offering in conventional mode of classroom teaching or in open and distance learning mode, and from which at least one batch has passed out.
However, programs requiring practical or laboratory work shall be prohibited through online mode, except in cases where practical component is limited to programming and coding including software tools. For authentication of students, it has asked institutions to seed their admission either through Aadhaar or any other government Id and for foreign learners they need to seed their Passport details.
Separately, UGC has also asked universities and colleges to popularize online courses offered via the government platforms called Swayam as well as encourage students to take up courses if they wish from private ed-tech platforms.
“Apart from Swayam, certain education technology companies are providing MOOCs. Students are supplementing their knowledge and skills by joining these courses. Many higher education institutions have started their own online classes for their students. In view of the above there is a need to sustain the momentum generated for online courses during the pandemic. You are therefore requested to adopt Swayam courses for credit transparency and …popularize and encourage students and faculty to take advantage of online programs courses and learning materials," the regulator has written.
