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University Grants Commission (Online Courses or Programmes) Regulations, 2018

University Grants Commission (Online Courses or Programmes) Regulations, 2018[1]

[4th July, 2018]

In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (j) of Section 12 read with clauses (f) and (g) of sub-section (1) of Section 26 of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956 (3 of 1956), the University Grants Commission makes the following regulations, namely:—

Regulation - 1. Short title and commencement.

(1) These Regulations may be called the University Grants Commission (Online Courses or Programmes) Regulations, 2018.

(2) These Regulations shall come into force from the date of their publication in the Official Gazette.

Regulation - 2. Application.

(1) These Regulations lay down the minimum standards of instruction for the grant of Certificate or Diploma or Degree, through online mode, delivered through interactive technology using internet.

(2) These Regulations shall apply to a University referred to under clause (f) of Section 2 of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956 (3 of 1956), an Institution deemed to be University under Section 3 of the said Act or a University established under any State Act, which are imparting higher education or research therein by means of conducting regular classes or through Open and Distance Learning systems or through online education system that result in grant of Degree or Diploma or Certificate, in various Courses or Programmes other than Courses or Programmes in engineering, law, medicine, dental, pharmacy, nursing, architecture, physiotherapy, applied arts and such other Courses or Programmes not permitted to be offered through online or Open and Distance Learning mode by any other statutory or regulatory body or council.

Regulation - 3. Definitions.

In these Regulations, unless the context otherwise requires,—

(a) ‘Act’ means the University Grants Commission Act, 1956 (3 of 1956);

(b) ‘Academic Council or Senate’ means the body empowered to take decisions regarding all academic matters in a Higher Educational Institution including the decision permitting Online Courses or Programmes of studies in compliance to these regulations;

(c) ‘Certificate’ means an award, not being a Degree or Diploma, granted by a Higher Educational Institution, certifying that the recipient has successfully completed an Online Course or Programme of study of minimum six months duration;

(d) ‘Commission’ means the University Grants Commission established under the Act;

(e) ‘Credit’ means the Unit award, gained as learning outcome, by a learner by study efforts required to acquire the prescribed level of learning in respect of that Unit;

Explanation.— It is hereby clarified that a study effort for one credit means time required by a learner to understand the contents equivalent to 15 hours classroom teaching.

(f) ‘Degree’ means an award, not being a Certificate or Diploma, granted by an Higher Educational Institution, certifying that the recipient has successfully completed an Online Course or Programme of study of minimum three years duration in case of graduate degree and includes a post-graduate degree, where such award is granted after an Online Course or Programme of study of minimum two years duration;

(g) ‘Diploma’ means an award, not being a Certificate or Degree, granted by a Higher Educational Institution, certifying that the recipient has successfully completed an Online Course or Programme of study of minimum one year duration;

(h) ‘e-Learning Material’ means and includes contents in the form of structured course material, as a part of one or more courses in the Online Course or Programme, in digital format delivered through Learning Management System, which is inter-alia self-explanatory, self-contained, self-directed at the learner, and amenable to self-evaluation, and enables the learner to acquire the prescribed level of learning in a course of study, but does not include text-books or guide-books;

(i) ‘Examination centre’ means a place, where examinations are conducted for the online mode learners, having the requisite infrastructure including security features for smooth conduct of such examinations;

(j) ‘Higher Education’ means such education, imparted by means of conducting regular classes or through open and distance education systems or through online education system, beyond twelve years of schooling and leading to the award of a Certificate or Diploma or Degree as the case may be;

(k) ‘Higher Educational Institution’ means a university covered under clause (f) of Section 2 and an institution deemed to be a university under Section 3 of the Act, which is imparting higher education or research therein by means of conducting regular classes or through Open and Distance Learning systems or through online education system:

(l) ‘Learner Support Services’ means and includes such services as are provided by a Higher Educational Institution in order to facilitate the teaching-learning experiences by the learner;

(m) ‘Learning Management System’ means a system to keep track of delivery of e-Learning Programs, learner's engagement, assessment, results and reporting in one centralized location;

(n) ‘Open University’ includes a University which imparts education through distance education or Open and Distance Learning mode using different modes of Information and Communication Technology;

(o) ‘Information and Communication Technology’ means the devices, tools, content, resources, forums that can be converted into or delivered through digital forms, which can be deployed for realizing the goals of teaching learning, enhancing access to and reach of resources, building of capacities, as well as management of the educational system;

(p) ‘MOOCs’ shall have the same meaning as assigned to it under sub-regulation 3.6 of Regulation 3 of the UGC (Credit Framework for Online learning courses through SWAYAM) Regulations 2016;

(q) ‘Online Course or Programme’ means the Course or Programme of studies which is delivered through online mode leading to award of a Certificate or Diploma or Degree by an approved Higher Educational Institution and recognised under these Regulations;

(r) ‘Proctored Examination’ means the examination conducted under the physical supervision of approved neutral person who ensures the identity of the test taker and the integrity of the test taking environment.

(s) ‘SWAYAM’ (Study Webs of Active Learning for Young Aspiring Minds) means the learning management system as specified in the UGC (Credit Framework for online learning courses through SWAYAM) Regulation, 2016;

(t) ‘Self-Learning e-Module’ means a modular unit of e-learning material which is inter-alia self-explanatory, self-contained, self-directed at the learner, and amenable to self-evaluation, and enables the learner to acquire the prescribed level of learning in a course of study and includes contents in the form of a combination of the following e-Learning content, namely:—

(a) e-Text Materials,

(b) Video Lectures,

(d) Virtual Classroom sessions,

(e) Audio Podcasts,

(f) Virtual Simulation, and

(g) Self-Assessment Quizzes or Tests.

Regulation - 4. Eligibility Criteria.

Any Higher Educational Institution, which fulfills the following conditions, may apply for offering Online Course or Programme, namely:—

(1) (i) should have been in existence for at least five years;

(ii) should be accredited by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) with minimum score of 3.26 on a 4-point scale; and

(iii) should be in the Top-100 in overall category in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) for at least two years during the previous three years:

Provided that items (ii) and (iii) shall not be applicable to government Open University till National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) or similar accreditation system and National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) are made available for such Open University.

(2) An Higher Educational Institution shall offer Online Course or Programme in only those disciplines in which it has already been offering the same or similar Course or Programme in regular mode (of classroom teaching) or in Open and Distance Learning mode and from which at least one batch has been passed out:

Provided that the Online Course or Programme requiring Practical or laboratory courses as a curricular requirement shall not be conducted.

(3) An Higher Educational Institution may offer Certificate, Diploma and Degree Courses or Programmes in full-fledged online mode subject to the condition that all such Courses or Programmes are duly approved by the statutory authorities or bodies of the Higher Educational Institution and the delivery mechanism conforms to the quality standards of the Online education as specified under these regulations.

(4) An Higher Educational Institution should have the demonstrated capability for developing and production of Online Courses or Programme's

(i) by in-house faculty for designing courses of the Course or Programme and developing the same in a manner that can impart skills and knowledge;

(ii) with the technology for production including in-house or duly out-sourced production facilities for converting the courses of a Course or Programme into Online Courses or Programmes in the following minimum four quadrants, namely:—

(a) learning videos with recording or dubbing or editing facilities for graphics or animation creation;

(b) e-content for reading and improving comprehension of learners;

(d) discussion forum that clarifies the doubts of the learners;

(iii) having access to SWAYAM for—

(a) Learner Authentication - integrated with AADHAAR or other government recognised identity for Indian students and Passport for foreign students;

(b) Learner Registration - through a web application with supporting documents;

(d) Learning Management System - which tracks the delivery of a Course or Programme, learner's engagement, assessment, results, and reporting supported by analytical tools that can help the teachers to extract and use the relevant reports;

(iv) with ability to conduct examinations either using technology-enabled online test with all the security arrangements ensuring transparency and credibility of the examinations, or through the Proctored Examination.

Regulation - 5. Application for the Online Courses or Programmes.

(1) An eligible Higher Educational Institution shall submit proposal for offering Online Courses or Programmes to the Commission through online application, as per the time schedule as laid down by the Commission from time to time.

(2) The application form shall contain the following details, namely:—

(i) the approval of the statutory bodies under its Act or Memorandum of Association governing the Higher Educational Institution for offering the Course or Programme in Online mode;

(ii) access to SWAYAM or such other platform for effective delivery of all the proposed Course or Programme of study;

(iii) list of the Course or Programme proposed to be offered and the expected enrolment of students and other requirements;

(iv) systems for Learner Support Services, establishing Internal Quality Assurance Cell for Online Courses or Programmes, availability of the academic and other staff and the administrative arrangements for supportive services for effective delivery of such Online Courses or Programmes;

(v) proof of availability or appointment of suitable faculty and staff, infrastructure and technology as specified in Annexure -1 to these regulations;

(vi) expected learning outcomes from the Course or Programme.

Regulation - 6. Approval process.

(1) The Commission shall process the application received under regulation (5) in the following manner, namely:—

(i) any deficiency or defect in the application shall be communicated by the Commission to the Higher Educational Institution and the Higher Educational Institution shall be required to remove or rectify such deficiencies or defects with the necessary documents or information, if any within the laid down time period;

(ii) where the Higher Educational Institution has made an application for offering a Course or Programme in Online mode, the Commission may cause an inspection, in respect of such Course or Programme at its discretion through an Expert Committee; and

(iii) the Commission may examine the application with the help of an expert Committee constituted by Chairman of the Commission and the recommendations of such expert Committee shall be placed before the Commission for its consideration.

(2) After receiving the recommendations of the expert committee, the Commission, if it is satisfied that the Higher Educational Institution fulfils the laid down conditions and the quality parameters specified under these Regulations, shall pass an order granting recognition to such Higher Educational Institution or if it is of the opinion that the institution does not fulfil the laid down requirements in respect of any of the Course or Programme proposed to be offered by it, shall pass an order refusing recognition to such Higher Educational Institution for reasons to be recorded in writing.

(3) No Higher Educational Institution shall offer any Online Course or Programme and admit students thereto unless it has been granted recognition by the Commission and admission shall not be made in anticipation of the approval.

Explanation.— For the removal of doubts, it is hereby clarified that prior to these regulations, the commission has not given recognition for an Online Course or Programme to any Higher Educational Institution.

(4) The time periods for different stages of approval process shall be laid down by the Commission from time to time.

Regulation - 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 non-compliance 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.

Regulation - 8. Course or Programme Monitoring and renewal.

(1) The Commission shall periodically or at any time, based on the information received, review the performance of the Higher Educational Institutions offering Online Course or Programme through an expert Committee ensuring adherence to these Regulations and it may issue directions to comply with a set of requirements and quality guidelines for Online Course or Programme content, instructional design, technology, student assessment, and Course or Programme management.

(2) There shall be renewal of the approval every second year to conduct the Course or Programme through an online process.

(3) The Commission shall go through the performance of the institution, assess the outcomes of the Online Course or Programme already offered, and shall give approval for renewal through an online process, within the time period as laid down by the Commission from time to time.

(4) In case, approval for renewal is not granted to a Higher Educational Institution for running an Online Course or Programme, the Institution shall not offer such Course or Programme for the forthcoming academic year:

Provided that the students already enrolled in the Course or Programme currently running shall be allowed to complete the Course or Programme in the laid down manner.

Regulation - 9. Quality Assurance.

(1) The Higher Educational Institutions offering a Course or Programme in online mode shall take the following steps, namely:—

(i) establish Internal Quality Assurance Cell on lines of Centre for Internal Quality Assurance (CIQA) as specified in the University Grants Commission (Open and Distance Learning) Regulations, 2017 as amended from time to time.

(ii) take adequate measures for training and capacity building of its teaching and administrative staff at regular intervals;

(iii) ensure that the quality of Course or Programme of study offered through online mode is maintained on a par with standards laid down by the Commission or the other appropriate statutory authority from time to time;

(iv) ensure that the technical and instructional facilities with information resources for online delivery of Course or Programme are in compliance to the guidelines laid by the Commission from time to time, and are commensurate with the number of Course or Programme and enrolments thereto.

(2) The Higher Educational Institution shall adhere to guidelines on quality assurance mechanism pertaining to Online Course or Programme issued by the Commission from time to time.

Regulation - 10. Powers of Inspection and Calling for Information.

(1) The Commission shall periodically review the performance of the Higher Educational Institutions offering Online Course or Programme and for that purpose may direct the Institutions to provide such information as it may require for ensuring adherence to the Regulations by the Higher Educational Institution, and the Institutions shall be under obligation to provide such information in such time period as may be specified.

(2) Where the Commission, either suo-motu or on the basis of information received by it, considers it necessary so to do, for reasons to be recorded in writing, it may examine through a body of experts or such other means as it may deem fit, to satisfy itself that all the mandatory requirements under these Regulations are being complied with by the Higher Educational Institution imparting Online Courses or Programmes and take appropriate action to get compliance enforced against the Higher Educational Institution in default.

Regulation - 11. Withdrawal of Recognition.

(1) Where the Commission is, on its own motion or on any representation received from any person, or any information received from any other authority or a statutory body, or on the basis of any enquiry or inspection conducted by it, satisfied that a Higher Educational Institution has contravened any of the provisions of these Regulations or guidelines and orders made or issued there under, or has submitted or produced any information and documentary evidence which is found to be false at any stage or any condition which has not been complied with, it may take punitive measures as it may specify, for reasons to be recorded in writing:

Provided that no such order against the Higher Educational Institution shall be passed unless a reasonable opportunity of hearing has been given to such Higher Educational Institution:

Provided further that withdrawing the approval Order or refusing approval by the Commission shall come into force with immediate effect.

(2) In the event of any Higher Educational Institution being found offering Course or Programme in Online mode without the approval of the Commission or in violation to any of the provisions of these Regulations and guidelines or orders made thereunder, the Commission may —

(i) Issue a Show Cause Notice to withdraw the recognition of the Higher Educational Institution for an academic session or withdraw the recognition of the Higher Educational Institution, maximum up to next five academic sessions or withdraw the recognition of the Higher Educational Institution permanently;

(ii) Not withstanding anything contained in item (1), the Higher Educational Institution is found continuing the violations, a First Information Report may be lodged against the officials or management of the errant Higher Educational Institution to take action as per law;

(iii) withhold or debar from receiving grants from the Commission;

(iv) refer the matter to the State Government concerned or Central Government as the case may be to initiate appropriate actions in accordance with applicable laws;

(v) take action as per the provisions of the Act or Rules or Regulations as applicable to the Higher Educational Institution; and

(vi) put on the public domain a list of such defaulters Higher Educational Institutions.

(3) If a Higher Educational Institution offers any Course or Programme in Online mode after coming into force of the order withdrawing approval granted by the Commission, the Degree or Diploma or Certificate obtained pursuant to such Course or Programme shall not be treated as a valid qualifications.

Regulation - 12. Appeals and Removal of Difficulties.

(1) Any Higher Educational Institution aggrieved by an order passed by the Commission under these Regulations may prefer an appeal to the Commission within a period of thirty days and no appeal after the expiry of the said period shall be accepted.

(2) Every appeal made under sub-regulation (1) shall be accompanied by a copy of the order appealed against.

(3) After due consideration, the Commission may confirm or reverse the order appealed against and the decision of the Commission shall be final and binding on the Higher Educational Institutions.

(4) Removal of Difficulties: UGC reserves the right to remove difficulty/difficulties in the implementation of these Regulations in consultation with the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India.

Annexure-1

Faculty and Staff Requirements for running Online Programmes

(1) Centre/Cell for Online Courses or Programmes.

(1) The Higher Educational Institutions intending to offer the Online Courses or Programmes may create a separate Centre or Cell for effective coordination among its Departments or Schools of Studies offering the Course or Programme, Admission or Registration Unit, Examination Unit and Technology Support Unit.

(2) The Centre or Cell shall maintain and administer, in collaboration with the technology support Unit of Higher Educational Institution, the Centralised Data Base of all the online Courses or Programmes.

(3) The Centre or Cell shall have the following academic and administrative staff, namely,—

(a) Director—

(i) who shall be responsible for the overall coordination of the Online Courses or Programmes offered by the Higher Educational Institution and shall have the Qualifications and Experience as specified for Professor under the relevant University Grants Commission regulations as amended from time to time.

(ii) He/she should have experience or training in the e-content or Online Courses or Programmes or MOOCs development and essentially having basic information and communication technology skills (word processing, spreadsheet and internet communication) as well as familiarity with Online Courses or Programmes, instructional design and Learning Management Systems (LMS).

(b) Deputy Director (e-Learning & Technical).

(i) who shall be responsible for the technical coordination including maintenance of Learning Management System (LMS), student data and overall instructional design of the Online Courses or Programmes.

(ii) He/she shall be responsible for providing technological support and facilitate the faculty in Department or Schools of Studies offering Online Courses or Programmes.

(iii) He/she shall have the Qualifications and Experience as specified for Professor or Associate Professor under the relevant University Grants Commission regulations as amended from time to time.

(iv) He/she shall be an e-learning expert with experience in technical coordination for modules development and Learning Management System (LMS) and if full-time expert is not available, part-time consultant may be taken on consultancy basis.

(i) Having qualifications and experience as specified for Assistant Professor under the relevant University Grants Commission regulations as amended from time to time, initially one, who shall coordinate with Departments or Schools of Studies offering Online Courses or Programmes.

(ii) He/she shall have basic information and communication technology skills (word processing, spreadsheet and internet communication).

(d) Assistant Registrar or Section Officer—

(i) Having qualifications and experience as specified for Assistant Registrar or Section Officer under the relevant University Grants Commission regulations as amended from time to time, who shall assist the Director in all administrative work of the Centre or Cell.

(ii) Initially one Assistant Registrar or Section Officer may be appointed.

(iii) He/she shall have basic information and communication technology skills (word processing, spreadsheet and internet communication).

(2) Academic Staff.—

(1) (i) The Departments or Schools of Studies shall be the academic home of the Online Courses or Programmes offered by Higher Educational Institutions.

(ii) The involvement of the full-time permanent faculty of the Departments or Schools of Studies of the Higher Educational Institution in an Online Course or Programme shall be in the following capacities, namely:—

(a) Programme Coordinator (One per Programme):

(i) A full-time Faculty shall be the Programme Coordinator for each of the Online Course or Programme offered through online mode.

(ii) The Course or Programme Coordinator shalll be at the level of Professor or Associate Professor or Assistant Professor in the subject area of the concerned Programme.

(iii) The Programme Coordinator shall be responsible for overall coordination of the development, delivery and assessments of the learners in an Online Programme.

(b) Course Coordinator (One per Course):

(i) An Online Programme may have more than one Course. In such a case, one full-time Faculty shall be a Course Coordinator for each of the Courses of an Online Programme.

(ii) The Course Coordinator shall be at the level of Professor or Associate Professor or Assistant Professor in the subject area of the concerned Course.

(iii) He/she shall be responsible for all academic issues including coordination of academic support services to be provided to the students pertaining to the particular Course.

(iv) The Course Coordinator shall be responsible for coordinating the development, delivery and assessments of the learners in the Course.

(v) To assist the full-time faculty (Programme or Course Coordinator) in making the teaching-learning effective in an online environment,

(i) He/she shall assist the Programme or Course Coordinator in providing academic support to learners and also in managing virtual teacher-learner interaction groups

(ii) He/she shall have the relevant qualifications and experience as specified for Assistant Professor under the relevant University Grants Commission regulations as amended from time to time.

(iii) The Course Mentor shall be paid appropriate honorarium as per the policy of the Commission from time to time.

(d) Examiners: The Higher Educational Institution shall appoint examiners for the assessment of the online learners in a Course from among the qualified faculty from within the Institution or from other Institution and they shall be paid appropriate honorarium as per norms of the Higher Educational Institution.

(2) Technical Team for Development of e-Content as Self-Learning e-Modules*:

• Technical Manager (Production)-minimum one

• Technical Associate (Audio-Video recording and editing)-minimum one

• Technical Assistant (Audio-Video recording)-minimum one

• Technical Assistant (Audio-Video editing)-minimum one

• This activity may be outsourced to the centres across the nation having requisite facilities. If a Higher Educational Institution have full-time technical team, the number of such professionals at various levels shall be specified by the Commission from time to time; these numbers are for the initial stage of e-content and self-learning e-module development and delivery.

(3) For Delivery of Online Courses or Programmes:

(a) Technical Manager (LMS and Data Management)-minimum one (per Centre)

(b) Technical Assistant (LMS and Data Management)-minimum two

(4) For Admission and Examination of Online Courses or Programmes:

(a) Technical Manager (Admission, Examination and Result)-minimum one (per Centre)

(b) Technical Assistant (Admission, Examination and Result)-minimum two

[1] Vide Notification No. F. No. 1-19/2016(CPP-II/DEB-I), dated 4-7-2018, published in the Gazette of India, Extra., Part III, Section 4, No. 252, dated 4-7-2018.

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