New Directions in Higher Education in India.pptx

New Directions of Higher Education

1. New Directions in Higher Education: Online Degree Programmes in India Dr. Zubair Nazeer Assistant Professor Public Administration Jamia Millia Islamia

2. Online learning is the newest and most popular form of distance education today. Within the past decade it has had a major impact on post-secondary education and the trend is only increasing. Online learning is education that takes place over the Internet. It is often referred to as “e-learning” among other terms. However, online learning is just one type of “distance learning” - the umbrella term for any learning that takes place across distance and not in a traditional classroom. Distance learning has a long history and there are several types available today, including: Correspondence Courses : conducted through regular mail with little interaction. Telecourses : where content is delivered via radio or television broadcast. CD-ROM Courses : where the student interacts with static computer content. Online Learning : Internet-based courses offered synchronously and/or asynchronously. Mobile Learning: by means of devices such as cellular phones, PDAs and digital audio players (iPods, MP3 players). Concept of Online Education

3. Online learning is catalyzing a pedagogical shift in how we teach and learn. There is a shift away from top-down lecturing and passive students to a more interactive, collaborative approach in which students and instructor co-create the learning process. The Instructor’s/Teacher’s role is changing from the “sage on the stage ” to “the guide on the side.” It is based on : Constructivism: This point of view maintains that people actively construct new knowledge as they interact with their environment. This is a student-centered approach in which students “co-create” their learning experience. This approach empowers students as active learners instead of just passive recipients absorbing information and reproducing it for standardized tests. Constructionism : It asserts that learning is particularly effective when constructing something for others to experience. This can be anything from a spoken sentence or an internet posting, to more complex things like a painting or a presentation. A New Paradigm for Learning

4. Collaboration: As an instructor/Teacher you focus on the experiences that would best generate learning from the learner's point of view, rather than just publishing and assessing the information you think they need to know. Each participant in a course can and should be a teacher as well as a learner. Your job changes from being the sole source of knowledge, to being a guide and role model. You connect with students in ways that address their own learning needs by moderating discussions and activities in a way that collectively leads students towards the larger learning goals of the class. A New Paradigm for Learning

5. Saving extra expenses- with the implementation of online education, we will be able to save the expenses of travel, lodging, and boarding and these fee reductions will mean lower fees for the online classes. No limitation- in contrast to physical classrooms, digital classrooms don’t have limitations . Flexibility- In physical classrooms, there’s a limitation to the local population of the students but if we talk about digital classrooms, faculties will be able to address not just the local population but also the global population. Even in terms of faculty, we will not be confined and will be able to hire an expert professional from around the globe Key Benefits of Online Education

6. Nature friendly- by going digital, we are actually doing the earth a favor. Trees are used in the construction of paper, so if there would be less production of textbooks, the number of cutting down of trees will significantly decrease . Time saver- traditional methods of teaching includes years of studies and months of waiting for the final examination results but with the digital implementation of the classes we are getting the content on spot, can give examinations with the ease of sitting at home , and can get the results instantly (or within few days) on our smartphones and laptops which is less stressful and saves a lot of time Key Benefits of Online Education

7.   Socio-economic divide: In India, n ot even one-third of the population receives online education. In rural areas, lack of internet connectivity, less to no power supply, and inability or un-affordability to buy relevant devices are the major concerns. Many teachers had complained about the non- reachability of study materials to lower class students because they are unable to attend live sessions due to a lack of network . Gender differentiation: Another drawback is the differentiation between girls and boys in our country . Parents are less motivated to provide them electronic gadgets which are essential element of online education. Internet drawbacks: It’s a big challenge to use the internet as a source of online education. Google, Firefox, and other web browsers are good sources of information but using these platforms for online education isn’t easy. For teachers who had always worked in universities , expecting them to be up to date with creating digital content and delivering it effectively online and for the children to easily adapt is completely unfair. Major Drawbacks of Online Education

8. Internet drawbacks : For education two main factors, body language, and eye contact are difficult to perceive in an online class. Many questions arise, are students paying attention in the class? If they are, is the session understandable for them? Is their pace alright? These questions are common for traditional classes too but they are harder to address in an online session.  Mental Health and Screen Time : The excess screen time has resulted into major health complications especially related to eyes and mental stress. This has actually led to decreased performance among students. It has had negative performance influence on teachers as well. Major Drawbacks of Online Education

9. The online education market in India is expected to grow by a staggering 50% during 2021-2025 to reach $5 billion by the financial year 2025. That’s the forecast of Bengaluru -based market research firm RedSeer , which in a new report has found that India’s burgeoning  EdTech  industry will be driven by new reforms, including the increase in public spending (targeted at 6 per cent of the nation's GDP), relaxation in regulations governing degrees, supply side capacity gaps, need realisation among students and professionals and transition to a credit system of learning . The phenomenal opportunities for the sector in India becomes even more apparent when compared against the global benchmark. The global e-learning market size is projected to grow $370 billion by 2026, from $226 billion in 2020, at a CAGR of 8.56% during 2021-2026 . Online education in India has witnessed an enhanced acceptance over a few years – but it’s the coronavirus pandemic which has heralded a boom for the industry. Online Education in India

10. The Rapid Growth in internet connectivity in India driven by shift towards Digital India Improvement in internet speed due to the low cost of 4G Data Growth in Smart Phone penetration in tier 2 and tier 3 cities. Online education c ost is comparatively less compared to traditional programmes Favourable e-learning policies of Government of India such as SWAYAM and Digital India The advent of cloud infrastructure, peer to peer problem solving, open content creation, and rapid expansion of the target audience. Rising demand among working professionals due to flexibility of time. Factors Driving Online Education in India

11. Online Education in Higher Education whether through Swayam MOOCs and Online Certificates, Diploma and Degree Programmes are regulated by the University Grants Commission. There are 56 Higher Education Institutes which have been accorded permission to run online programmes in India. There are 328 higher education programmes sanctioned by the UGC. The UGC has categorized online education as part of the distance education and this is regulated by the UGC (Open Distance Learning and Online Learning) Regulations 2020. Online Education and UGC

12. Eligibility Higher Educational Institutions having NAAC score 3.26 and above or having rank in Top-100 in University category of National Institutional Ranking Framework, at least twice in three preceding cycles (at the time of application), shall be permitted to start full-fledged Online programmes without prior approval of the UGC, provided it satisfies all the conditions mentioned in these regulations: Provided that the Higher Educational Institutions can start maximum of three (03) Under Graduate (UG) programmes and ten (10) Post Graduate (PG) programmes with the approval of its statutory authorities and in strict compliance with the provisions of these regulations: Provided also, that in case, the Higher Educational Institutions want to start more than the defined number of programmes, then they shall seek prior permission from the Commission Online Education and UGC

13. Quality Mangement The functions of Centre for Internal Quality Assurance would, inter alia, include the following, namely:- To maintain quality in the services provided to the learners. To undertake self-evaluative and reflective exercises for continual quality improvement in all the systems and processes of the Higher Educational Institution. To contribute in the identification of the key areas in which Higher Educational Institution should maintain quality. To devise mechanism to ensure that the quality of Open and Distance Learning programmes and Online programmes matches with the quality of relevant programmes in conventional mode. To devise mechanisms for interaction with and obtaining feedback from all stakeholders namely, learners, teachers, staff, parents, society, employers, and Government for quality improvement. To suggest measures to the authorities of Higher Educational Institution for qualitative improvement. To facilitate the implementation of its recommendations through periodic reviews. To organise workshops/ seminars/ symposium on quality related themes, ensure participation of all stakeholders, and disseminate the reports of such activities among all the stakeholders in Higher Educational Institution Online Education and UGC

14. In terms of syllabus and content, online degrees would adopt the same course content as it is for the regular degree programmes which brings the parity in education. Online Degree programmes would have all components from admission to teaching to evaluation through online mode. The online programme would be fully based on Four Quadrant Structure as adopted in MOOCs. Online Degree Structure

15. The Four Quadrants are: Quadrant-I (e-Tutorial) Quadrant-II (e-Content) Quadrant-III (Discussion Forum) Quadrant-IV (Assessment) Quadrant-I (e-Tutorial): Shall contain Video and Audio Content in an organized form, Animation, Simulations, video demonstrations, Virtual Labs, etc, along with the transcription of the video. Four Quadrant Structure

16. Quadrant-II (e-Content): Shall contain self instructional material, e-Books, illustrations, case studies, presentations, Web Resources such as further references, Related Links, Open source Content on Internet, Video, Case Studies, books including e-books, research papers & journals, Anecdotal information, Historical development of the subject, Articles, etc. Quadrant-III (Discussion Forum): Discussion forum for raising of doubts and clarifying them on a near real time basis by the Course Coordinator or his team. Quadrant-IV (Assessment): Shall contain problems and solutions, which could be in the form of Multiple Choice Questions, Fill in the blanks, Matching Questions, Short Answer Questions, Long Answer Questions, Quizzes, Assignments and solutions, Discussion forum topics and setting up the FAQs, Clarifications on general misconceptions. Four Quadrant Structure

17. To start the online progarammes , entitled HEIs would have to ensure: L earner Authentication - integrated with Aadhaar or other government recognised identity for Indian learners and Passport for foreign learners; Learner Registration - through a web application with supporting documents; Payment Gateway – using Digital Payment system; Learning Management System - which tracks the delivery of Programme, learner's engagement, assessment, results, and reporting supported by analytical tools that can help the teachers to extract and use the relevant reports example Google Classroom and MS Teams, etc Compulsory Elements as Per UGC Regulation

18. To successfully run the online progarammes , entitled HEIs would have to ensure two critical elements are in place: Well Trained Faculty Quality Self Learning Material Well Trained Faculty: It is essential that workload management is done properly by the universities to ensure that teachers are able to provide quality education. Over burdened faculty would lead to deterioration of the quality. Proper refresher courses for teachers to upgrade skills to match needs of online education. Financial resources to ensure that teachers are able to create quality self learning material and e-content Conclusion

19. Quality Self Learning Material Self Learning Material has clearly stated objectives, intended learning outcomes, study guidance and advice for the learners as to how to optimally use the material and suggestive related reference material to enhance the learning experience, and linkage within the text with other media (for digital SLM) is maintained for easy referencing and progress; At least 60 per cent. of Self Learning Materials shall be developed by the in-house faculty of the Higher Educational Institution and the remaining per cent of the materials can be sourced from available resources such as other Higher Educational Institutions, Open Educational Resources (OER), and SWAYAM, Self Learning Materials developed and offered by it is self-explanatory, self-contained, illustrative, easily comprehensible, and in manageable modules such as units and blocks; Self Learning Materials provides adequate mechanism for the learners to provide feedback on their understanding of the subject; Conclusion

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