SRINAGAR: The first digital university, National Digital University (NDU), is set to start imparting online courses through established universities from this year onwards.
The varsity, unveiled by University Grants Commission, will allow students to pursue multiple courses from different universities and provide them with the liberty to design their own degrees.
The university’s framework is aimed to attain a 50 per cent Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) which the 2020’s National Education Policy has laid down.
The NDU will function only through online mode with a few partner universities from which students can choose their programmes. The university will offer certificate programmes, diplomas and subsequently bachelor’s degrees. A student would be required to score at least 50 per cent of their total credit points to obtain the degree.
The NDU will grant a degree even if a student chooses different universities for multiple credits but can’t manage 50 per cent of credit points from one university.
The academic record of credits scored by students will be maintained by the Academic Bank of Credit (ABC). Students can transfer their credits from one institution to another with the help of ABC.
“After the NDU is established, students need not register for a degree. They can register for courses and accumulate credits. Once they reach a threshold, they can get the degree,” the Telegraph quoted UGC Chairman saying.
NDU will be managed by various government portals. The technological and administrative aspects will be looked after by the Samarth platform and the content of the course will be provided by Study Webs of Active-Learning for Young Aspiring Minds (SWAYAM). There will be no restriction on the number of students to be enrolled in each course.
While questioning the online learning platforms, Abha Dev Habib an Associate Professor at Delhi University said, “When one looks at the universities abroad, all they boast about is their curriculum. They design that curriculum for students and that is what adds value to their degrees. But when you provide liberty to a student to design her/his own degree, how is any university supposed to take responsibility of such a degree.”
“A university promotes the association of students with their peers and their professors. When people from heterogeneous communities come to universities, they don’t only get an education but also meet people and sometimes find role models. How are students supposed to get all of this experience in one mode?”
