State varsities should start offering online courses: report Panel proposes open-book, take-home exam system

MUMBAI: Universities in the state should consider providing open learning opportunities through online courses along the lines of foreign universities, a draft report on exam reforms through technology has recommended.

The report, prepared by a 15member committee on upgrading the state’s higher education system, has now become available for feedback from the public, after the last meeting concluded on September 14.

The University of Stanford Massachusetts Institute of Technology and University of Columbia are among several top universities offering online courses through various portals.

The report comes in the wake of multiple challenges including paper leaks, increased administrative burdens, delayed assessments and staffing shortages.

“Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) encourages greater interaction and discussions between students from different geographies leading to greater information sharing and content development,” said the report “Typically, participation in a MOOC is free; however, some MOOCs may charge a fee in the form of tuition if the participant seeks accreditation.”

In the “wholesome education” segment of the report, the committee said that students should be allowed the opportunity to earn extra credits “Through technology we have concentrated on transparency accuracy and speedy performance,” said S Deo, director of examinations at Mumba University, the secretary of the committee.

The report will be finalised after taking into account feedback on September 30 and wil be submitted to the chief secretary in the first week of October

Source | Hindustan Times |26 September 2012

Univ grace marks policy hits hurdle

Mumbai: A proposal to revise the grace marks scheme under the new semester basedcredit system has hit a roadblock. 

University of Mumbai officials found it difficult to have a common rule for awarding those 10 grace marks for social service, sports and cultural participation, sources claimed.

While the plan was to divide 120 hours of social service into 60 hours each for two semesters, the same cannot hold true for marks to be awarded for sports or cultural participation. Several students who opt for sports and cultural activities (as extracurricularactivities) will not be able to meet the requirement in each semester.

After deliberation in an academic council meeting, the matter was adjourned till next month. In the old system, students who opt for National Service Scheme (NSS) are required to complete 120 hours of social work spread across the whole year. These students are then granted a total of 10 grace marks, across subjects.

With the implementation of the credit-based choice system, students have to pass every semester, for which they might need the grace marks, said an official.

“The plan was to divide the 120 hours into 60 hours of social work in each semester in an academic year. Once the requirement was reduced to half, the grace marks were also equally divided into 5 marks each semester,” he added. However, the same rule cannot beapplicable in doling out grace marks for students showing excellence in sports and cultural activities.

 

Source | Times of India | 26 September 2012