Braou mulls online courses

​Hyderabad: Dr B R Ambedkar Open University is in consultations with the University Grants Commission (UGC) for introduction of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs).

According to Prof. K Seetharama Rao, the newly-appointed Vice-Chancellor, the issue to be resolved is of jurisdiction. “Every university operates in a certain jurisdiction. In the case of online courses, this will not apply because students from anywhere will be able to register,” he said.

Prof. Rao pointed out that in future, a blended learning, composed of classroom learning and inter-action through technology, would become the norm in higher education.

“However, the digital divide in society today poses challenges for this blending. As the University lacks sufficient financial resources, we are seeking help from the government and other national and international institutions to strengthen our resources,” he said.

The University is also gearing up to implement the Choice-based Credit System (CBCS) from the next academic year (2017-18) on a par with formal educational institutions. “Adoption of the CBCS is a major challenge for us,” he said.

As part of the new system, the University will have to offer choice to students to opt for any one subject outside their chosen stream in each semester. This is part of an initiative to promote interdisciplinary thinking and to vocationalise higher education to make graduates employable.

In the immediate term, the University is conducting a massive special drive with an aim of graduating 1 lakh dropouts belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in Telangana state. To make the drive successful it is taking steps to set up mandal resource centres.

According to Prof. Rao, formal and non-formal education should coexist. “At present, we meet around 30 per cent of total enrolment in higher education in Telangana,” he said. The University is looking to update its syllabi and bring in skill-based, job-oriented professional courses, and programmes for capacity enhancement. It plans to introduce Master’s courses in International Business Studies, Mass Communication and Journalism and a few more along with PG diploma courses in practical accounting.

“To create employment opportunities for our graduates, we have entered into collaborations with many reputed institutions like the Centre for Economic and Social Studies (CESS), NIIT, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, and Rehabilitation Council of India, New Delhi, for B.Ed. (special education),” said Prof. S V Rajasekhar Reddy, Academic Director.

The Vice-Chancellor also noted that there were no issues arising out of bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. Out of its 219 study centres, 92 were located in Andhra Pradesh, while the rest are in Telangana. The University currently enrolls more than 1,65,000 students every year.

“After the state bifurcation there has been a marginal decline in the number of admissions from Andhra Pradesh. Even prior to bifurcation the intake of students was only 40 per cent from the Andhra region. From the beginning, student enrolment from the Telangana region was higher,” said Prof. Rao.

By: Sriveda Baswapoor & M Ravi Sankar Reddy