Lack of infra hits students from making use of SWAYAM

Hyderabad: Lack of necessary infrastructure like laboratories to carry out the lab work and practicals is coming in the way of students from both the Telugu states to make full use of the Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) offered through the online education platform SWAYAM (Study Webs Of Active-Learning For Young Aspiring Minds).

According to sources, as per the guidelines, the universities should facilitate registration of students and ensure every student enrolled for the course in the university must register for the MOOCs course and earn credits transferable from university to another throughout the country.

For this, the university should widely disseminate information about selected courses and motivate the students through faculty members, notice boards, student forums, workshops and university website etc. to ensure registration of the students for MOOCs through SWAYAM.

As per the guidelines, the students can take a host of courses being offered by various institutions across the country through SWAYAM. For the successful conduct of the evaluation and awarding the marks to the students who have registered for studying MOOCs in credit-earning track, the UGC had issued specific guidelines to the universities.

In doing so, the universities and their affiliated colleges should arrange free lab and other facilities to the students enrolling for various courses from their institutions.

However, currently, it is possible for universities to make such arrangements. But, "several affiliated colleges are not in a position to provide free lab and other facilities to carry out practical classes. Thus, restricting students not able to enrol to earn credits in the courses of their choice though SWAYAM," the sources said.

This kind of hurdles is coming in the way of students to make use of the MOOC for credit earning. As per the implementation plan of the UGC, the host institution offering the courses through SWAYAM shall evaluate the students registered for MOOCs courses based on discussion forums, quizzes, assignments, sessional and final examinations.

In turn, the university which enrolled the students registered for the courses shall assist the host institution in conducting the final examination, it said. Once the students gave their examinations in the courses opted though SWAYAM, the university shall incorporate the marks/grades communicated by the host institution in the final mark sheet of the student which counts for the award of degree/diploma.

However, the university shall evaluate the students for the practical/lab component and incorporate these marks/grades in the overall mark sheet of the student. Thus, both the host institution and the university conducting the practical and lab components are involved in the finalisation of the credits for the students.

Speaking to The Hans India, a senior official from the UGC said, while the host institute issues the MOOCs completion certificate the university gives equivalent credit weight up to 20 per cent for credits earned though SWAYAM.

And, the universities across the country are asked not to refuse any student for credit mobility for courses earned through MOOCs.