DU plans to make some courses online, some teachers question it

New Delhi: Delhi University is planning to shift a portion of its courses online, which students must complete through govt’s Swayam portal, a move that has drawn objections from a section of teachers.

The matter is to be taken up for approval during an academic council meeting on April 15.

While the university earlier adopted UGC regulations permitting a limited share of credits through online courses, the latest proposal seeks to formalise the framework through Digital Learning Platforms (DLP), including Swayam and other approved MOOC portals.

Undergraduate and postgraduate students will be allowed to earn up to 5% of their total credits online, which would add up to 8 credits in a four-year undergraduate programme and up to 4 credits in a two-year postgraduate course. PhD scholars may also earn up to 4 credits through such platforms.

Each department will form a panel of faculty members to identify and recommend suitable courses. These panels will ensure alignment with the university curriculum, requiring at least 60% similarity in content -- rising to 75% for core courses -- and may prescribe bridge components where necessary. Departments will also appoint a digital learning coordinator to monitor student progress and facilitate credit transfers.

DU is not the first to experiment with online integration. Jamia Millia Islamia has moved up to 40% of its courses online and made these compulsory for students. JNU and Ambedkar University offer Swayam-based courses largely as optional components.

At DU, a section of teachers argued that the move risks diluting classroom learning. “Central govt’s push for Swayam/MOOC platforms has always been a sinister design to push online courses at the expense of physical teaching. The Covid experience shows us that online teaching can never substitute… actual physical teaching,” said Mithuraaj Dhusiya, an elected member of the executive council. It also impacts teaching workload, he added.

VS Dixit, DUTA executive member, called the move “a great threat to the direct teaching-learning process”. “Online learning can never be a substitute for direct physical learning… This must be opposed tooth and nail,” he said.

The proposal will be placed before the Academic Council as part of the university’s ongoing academic reforms.
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