Updated on 28 Nov, 2022
Seminar / SOU-VCs meet
Coordination and Collaboration among Open Universities and Distance Education Institutions of Universities like Seminar/ Training / workshop on technology enabled learning, e-learning (on issues of national importance)
National Workshop on Enhancing GER through ODL was held on May 21, 2019at Radhakrishnan Block. The workshop recommended collaborations with NIOS, State Open Schools and State Boards of Education should be actively explored. All Open Universities may aggressively advocate their programmes to attract open school learners. Development of Technology enabled Learner Support Matrix for all learner support services should be taken up. GER can be increasedby improving access to Higher Education. The universities should work for development of skill development programmes within NSQF Framework and allow lateral entry to Higher Education. Brand building measures for ODL courses, incentivizing the learners, academic counselors and Learner Support Centers should be taken up. Also active collaboration and strengthening of OUs for Content Development in Regional Languages should be taken up.
1) The fifth Conference of Vice Chancellors of Open Universities
The Confrence was organized on 4th March, 2016 at IGNOU, New Delhi to take forward the work of previous conference on ‘Assessment and Accreditation of Open and Distance Learning Institutions’ and discuss other issues pertaining to ODL institutions mainly National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) and Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) introduced by UGC. It was attended by Vice Chancellors and their representatives from twelve Open Universities and Directors of six Directorates/Institutes/Centres/Dual Mode Universities of Distance Education and Director, CEMCA New Delhi. The participants also included two former Pro Vice Chancellors of IGNOU, Registrar, and Directors of various Schools and Heads of Divisions/Units of IGNOU and distinguished professors of IGNOU.
The members agreed and accepted in principle the draft framework of ‘Assessment and Accreditation of ODL institutions’ prepared by IUC (presently COE) in consultation with other Open Universities and DDEs with minor modifications. After the incorporation of the suggestions, the document will be sent to all members for feedback. The final document will be sent to UGC/MHRD for initiating Accreditation of ODL institutions in the country.
It was also agreed that the NIRF and CBCS cannot be applied to ODL institutions in its present form and needs to be contextualized to ODL system. The inclusion of ODL aspects in NIRF and CBCS should be collectively represented to UGC. This will help in valid ranking of ODL institutions in the country which may be coordinated by IGNOU. It was recommended to constitute a committee for CBCS in ODL which will look for the issues related to applicability of CBCS in OUs and DDEs.
The members also unanimously opined that OUs should be permitted to do the research programmes like M.Phil and Ph.D with due compliance to UGC issued applicable guidelines. In this context, it was recommended that a group of VCs of OUs should meet MHRD for re-starting research degree programmes.It was recommended that OUs should share their best practices with other OUs and DDEs through collaboration in order to strengthen ODL system.
2) Seminar on ‘Best Practices in ODL at IGNOU’
As a nodal office for ‘Sharing of Good Practices’, IUC (presently COE) organized one day seminar on ‘Best Practices in ODL at IGNOU’ on 4thJanuary, 2016. The objective of the seminar was to provide a platform for various units of IGNOU to share their existing Best Practices in ODL so that the participants were able to identify and adopt any Best Practice suitable to them with due customization and convert many practices followed at their work place into Best Practices.
Prof. Kailash Sodani, Vice Chancellor, Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati University, Ajmer, Rajasthan was the chief Guest of the seminar. Vice Chancellor Prof. Nageshwar Rao presided over the function. Prof. S. C. Garg delivered lecture on ‘Revisiting the Best practices in ODL’. Total 70 participants including chairpersons, presenters and moderators attended the seminar and participated in open discussion. The seminar was spread into four sessions which comprised of Best Practices in the areas of Learner Support Service, Curriculum Design and Development, Outreach and Inclusivity and other areas of ODL. Total 10 Best Practices were presented during these sessions.
3) The fourth one day National Conference of Vice Chancellors of Open Universities was held on 26thJune 2014 at IGNOU, New Delhi towards establishing a uniform Accreditation System for Open and Distance Learning (ODL) Institutions nationwide. The Conference was inaugurated by Sh. Ashok Thakur, Secretary, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India and chaired by Prof. M. Aslam, Vice Chancellor, IGNOU. Prof. Sushma Yadav, Pro Vice Chancellor, IGNOU, made a presentation on the rationale and broad framework of accreditation. Vice Chancellors and representatives from fourteen Open Universities and five Directors of Directorates of Distance Education (DDEs) attended this Conference.
After in depth deliberations, it was agreed that it is of critical importance to develop and establish a standardized system of accreditation for ODL institutions in the country. However, while doing so, the constraints of ODL and the State Open Universities (SOUs) must be kept in mind. A Steering Committee was constituted to prepare the initial draft of the proposal which would be circulated in the wider group for suggestions and further development.
4) Third conference of VCs of Open Universities was organized during 9-10thSeptember, 2013 with a focus on revisiting the recommendations of the past two conferences, and also to re-strategize the nature of the current and future networking and collaboration.
5) Second meeting of Vice Chancellors of Open Universities was organised on 12thApril, 2012 to carry forward the issues agreed up on the previous meeting. The three common area emerged –
· Development of Common Curriculum for Under Graduate programmers
· Digitization of Printed progamme of materials of Open Universities and
· Capacity Building of the Faculties of Open Universities.
It was reiterated to collaborate, create synergy of efforts, and experience for qualitative enhancement in distance education.
6) Meeting of Vice Chancellors of Open Universities was organised on 10thDecember, 2011. The main agenda was to collaborate, create synergy of efforts, and experience for qualitative enhancement in distance education. All the Vice chancellors agreed upon sharing of resources and expertise.
7) A one day workshop on Disability Sensitization was organized on 28thJanuary, 2009 for IGNOU Security Staff and other employees.
