Aadhaar To Be Mandatory For E- Learning Program

According to draft UGC Rules, Aadhaar may be made compulsory for pursuing all online courses and only those universities which have been in existence for at least five years allowed to offer such courses.

The draft of University Grants Commission (Online education) Regulations, 2017 says there will be continuous assessment even in online courses.The regulatory authority has invited feedback and comments on the draft by August 18, 2017. Online courses will be as per UGC's guidelines on choice-based credit system scheme for conventional colleges/ universities.

For 'quality' and 'accountability', institutions offering online courses will have to undergo third party audit every two years. According to the eligibility criteria for an institution to be recognised for online programs, the higher education institution (HEI) should have been in existence as a university for at least five years and should be accredited by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) with a valid minimum score of 3.25 on 4 point scale.

Only those courses which are on offer through regular classroom teaching mode will be allowed to be offered as online courses. Also, there has to be one teaching assistant if the number of learners in a course crosses the 500 mark, which is apart from a full-time director, registrar, assistant registrar and other academic staff.

The assessment process will require the HEIs to have a robust computer-based testing system for 'proctored online examinations' with features like integration with Aadhaar for learner authentication, screen and webcam recording for live invigilation.

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