Section 7 in University Grants Commission (Online Courses or Programmes) Regulations, 2018
7. Operation of the Online Courses and Programmes.
(1)The institutions which were given recognition by the Commission under regulation 5 may operate the Online Courses or Programmes from the next following academic session.(2)The Online Course or Programme offered under these regulations shall conform to the following conditions, namely: -(i)The Online Courses and Programmes' delivery shall be through the SWAYAM portal;Provided that the Commission may allow any other learning platform after the same is approved by the expert committee after due verification:Provided further that the content and the designing and development of courses of the Course or Programme shall have to be developed by the in house faculty as stipulated in item (i) of sub-regulation (4) of regulation.(ii)The Courses or Programmes shall be designed for conventional learners, as well as working professionals and other individuals aspiring to acquire knowledge and associated academic credentials;(iii)The online learning shall have the following four quadrants 'approach', namely: -(a)Quadrant-I i.e. e-Tutorial that shall contain - Video and Audio Contents, animation, simulations, virtual labs.(b)Quadrant-II i.e. e-Content, that shall contain - Portable Document Format or e-Books or Illustration, video demonstrations, documents and interactive simulations, wherever required.(c)Quadrant-III i.e. Web Resources, that shall contain - Related Links, Open Content on Internet, Case Studies, Historical development of the subject, Articles.(d)Quadrant-IV i.e. Self-Assessment, that shall contain - MCQ, Problems, Quizzes, Assignments and solutions, Discussion forum topics and setting up the FAQ, Clarifications on general misconceptions.(iv)apart from the actual Course or Programme delivery, other components such as Counseling Process, Online Application Processing and fee payment shall also be provided through Online Mode.(v)there shall be provision for continuous assessment of the learner.(vi)examinations shall be conducted through Proctored Examination and in conformity with any other norms for such examination as may be laid down by the Commission from time to time. (vii) Higher Educational Institutions shall upload the mandatory self-disclosure for Online Courses or Programmes on their website every year and undergo third party academic audit every two years and internal quality audit every year.(viii)the Program-wise information such as duration, start and end dates, fee, number of students, name of students with identifier, results shall be uploaded on the website of the Higher Educational Institution within ten days from the end of each activity and shall be updated on a continuous basis.(3)The Higher Educational Institution may evolve the curricular aspects, assessment criteria and Credit framework for the award of Degree or Diploma or Certificate adopting the following requirement, namely: -(i)the course content for each course shall be clearly defined, each having modular e-content, delivered online in a structured format, with clearly spelt out learning outcomes which students are expected to acquire at the end of the module.(ii)Courses or Programmes architecture shall permit the online teacher or instructor to add multimedia enriched and interactive content, activities and assessments to extend learning opportunities and shall be easy to navigate.(iii)a Certificate Course or Programme shall be of minimum of six months' duration and shall have minimum twenty credits.(iv)a Diploma Course or Programme shall be of minimum of one year duration and shall have minimum forty credits.(v)the Credits and minimum duration for the Degree Courses or Programmes offered Online shall be the same as specified by the Commission under Choice Based Credit System (CBCS).(vi)the maximum duration for completing the Online Course or Programme shall be double the minimum duration of the Course or Programme or as laid down by the Commission from time to time.(vii)a Higher Educational Institution may decide the number of credits for an Online Course or Programme at Certificate and Diploma level having duration more than minimum duration, proportionally based on those given in item (iii) and item (iv).(viii)the academic sessions shall begin either from July - August or from January - February every year.(ix)availability of assessment mechanism - each course in the Online Course or Programme shall have a precise assessment mechanism for the identified learning outcomes at each level for both continuous formative and summative assessments.(x)identified technological interface and interoperability - the Online Course or Programme shall be able to utilise a variety of technology tools, shall have a user friendly interface and meet accessibility standards for interoperability and access for learners with special needs.(xi)professional Online Courses or Programmes - in case a Higher Educational Institution intend to offer professional Online Course or Programme in subject areas other than those excluded in sub-regulation (2) of regulation 2, the proposal of Online Courses or Programme, submitted to the Commission along with the application for approval, shall include copy of the approval granted by the professional or statutory body or council concerned for offering such Course or Programme in Online mode and compliance to the requirements of the appropriate professional or statutory council for the Course or Programme covered in their domain shall be responsibility of the Higher Educational Institutions offering such Course or Programme and the Higher Educational Institutions shall be held responsible for any legal issues arising out of noncompliance to such requirements.(4)Learners' Requirements for Enrollment to Online Courses or Programmes - Learners to be enrolled for the Online Courses or Programmes shall be acquainted with the requisite information or literacy skills for which there shall be a help-line for technical assistance throughout the semester.(5)Learner's Authentication Requirements - The Higher Educational Institutions shall exercise proper learner's authentication practice to ensure the academic integrity and the students, at the time of enrolment and all assessments for examinations, shall be required to provide the ADHAAR number or other government recognized identifier or Passport number, as applicable and verify their information for authentication for which necessary infrastructure or software shall be provided to them by the Higher Educational Institutions.(6)Active Engagement of the Learners - Active engagement in online or virtual class shall be monitored via participation in asynchronous or synchronous discussions, assignment activity and Course or Programme involvement and the analytics of Learning Management System shall be used for ensuring the learner's participation at least for two hours every fortnight.(7)Technical Know-how or Skills Requirements for Course Mentors - The Higher Educational Institutions shall have defined criteria or guidelines for the technical know-how and skill requirements of the online Course Mentors, Director, Deputy Director (Online Course or Programme) and Course or Programme Coordinators to ascertain that all the resources are competent to deliver online education effectively from the student learning perspective and continuous up gradation of skills shall be essential for embracing newer methodologies and Information and communication technology tools for enhancing the development and delivery of the Online Course or Programmes in the long run.(8)Learners' Support Services and e-Learning Materials - Higher Educational Institutions shall provide adequate support for advising, counseling, mentoring and guidance so as to ensure the best possible learning experience for the learners and there shall be clear guidelines on academic integrity and netiquette (internet etiquette) expectations regarding lesson activities, group discussions, chats and plagiarism.(9)Each award of Degree or Diploma or Certificate shall be assigned an unique identification number and shall have AADHAR number or other government recognized identifier or Passport number, as applicable, along with other details of the student and the Course or Programme and shall be uploaded on the National Academic Depository.
