UGC circular to varsities on adopting online learning courses

The Commission has asked the respective Vice Chancellors to immediately adopt MOOCs through the ‘Swayam’ platform and obtain the approval of the statutory bodies on or before July 1, 2018.

The UGC has also urged the universities to ensure that they have the academic and physical infrastructure to adopt MOOCs and assign course coordinators to guide the students in the process.

It has also asked the universities to make efforts to ensure that each faculty or department chooses at least one MOOC in the upcoming session.

“Every university has to inform the UGC about the course that was has been chosen by the institution,” the circular said.

Stating that the UGC has developed jingles and posters for creating awareness about ‘Swayam’, the Centre’s free digitalised courses, the circular said, “Universities are requested to make effective use of social media tools like Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp for popularising it among the students and faculty.” The Commission also asked the universities to encourage faculty members to develop quality MOOCs, which will give them the opportunity to use ICT (information and communication technology) tools for teaching and learning purposes and provide them global visibility.

Accordingly, the UGC will provide financial assistance to the universities as per the MOOC guidelines.

The Commission’s circular also said that ‘Swayam’ announces the courses every semester in advance to enable the universities to choose the best courses for their students.