Online education experts warn that finding manpower and money to run the courses, ensuring quality and conducting exams will be challenging.
online exams
India Will Allow 15% of Unis to Offer Online Degrees
Source: Mint
India will allow nearly 15% of universities to offer online degrees allowing students and executives to learn anywhere, anytime.
SFU Partners with Online Course Provider
Source: 24 Hours Vancouver via Academica
[CIEC Member] Simon Fraser University has partnered with the online education company Kadenze to offer SFU students access to online courses that might not be otherwise available through the university. The system will allow students to receive SFU academic credit for courses they take with recognized international institutions through the online portal. The program allows students to browse course offerings for free, then charges varying membership prices for services such as feedback on assignments or taking full-credit courses. Kadenze said that the cost of full courses starts at $300.
International Students at Niagara Claim They Were Denied Work Permits for Taking Online Courses
Source: Globe & Mail via Academica
More than 50 Niagara College students have sought legal representation after they were denied Canadian work permits, allegedly because they took online courses as part of their program. Ravi Jain, an immigration lawyer representing the students, says 30 of his clients have already received rejections on their work permit applications since graduating. While international students have received work permits in the past after completing Niagara’s programs, this year they say they are being refused because Citizenship and Immigration Canada considers online courses to be “distance learning.”
State to clear decks for e-university exams
Source: The Times of India via PwC EdLive
The Maharashtra government is in the final stages of putting online the process of conducting exams in all 17 state universities. The higher and technical education department will work out the final modalities of a pilot project which, if successful, could be extended across universities to prevent paper leaks.
K Sankaranarayanan, Governor, directed vice-chancellors of various varsities to build infrastructure for a full-fledged online mechanism to be put in place across universities.
The initiative is a part of recommendations made by the government’s exam reform panel. The panel suggested several reforms, including online examination and submission of thesis online. Headed by state IT Secretary Rajesh Aggarwal, the committee has also recommended a pilot project for starting technology- based examination in the universities. The objective is to bring about some transparency in the system and drastically reduce the instances of paper leaks.