Vice Chancellors have expressed their full commitment to making online classes and e-learning a success amidst the closure of universities in the wake of the situation created due to COVID-19 crisis.
During the third Vice Chancellors Committee meeting held since the closure of universities due to the spread of COVID-19, the university heads reviewed the progress on universities’ readiness to offer online classes to avoid academic loss. The meeting, conducted online through Microsoft Teams, was attended by all Vice Chancellors from across the country.
The Vice Chancellors expressed their resolve to accelerate their efforts, with the collaboration of HEC, to enhance the quality of online classes, ensure the readiness of e-learning components, and contribute to the national effort against the prevailing crisis.
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The Learning Management System
They thanked the HEC for facilitating the universities in executing the Learning Management System (LMS). They asserted that they are committed to resolving all the issues facing the students, faculty and administrative staff in making the LMS a success with the assistance of HEC.
On this occasion, Chairman HEC Tariq Banuri stressed the need for immediate measures, on the part of universities, to ensure readiness for online classes. He requested the Vice Chancellors to adopt and announce a formal Policy and Standard Operating Procedures for approval of online courses.
If you think your courses are ready for online dissemination, please communicate in writing to HEC so that they may be brought into practice and made available for students.
He emphasized that the Learning Management System (LMS) has to be put into place before the start of online classes, in order to provide information, track progress, and coordinate activities. Similarly, universities need to establish a governance system for decision-making and adjudication of complaints.
Online Academic Council
He asked universities to assign responsibilities for authorization of online classes to a dedicated decision-making body, e.g., an “Online Academic Council”.
He also requested Vice Chancellors to appoint focal points for COVID-19, online courses, and for technical support, and to collect and share data on online readiness as quickly as possible.
Online Readiness
Chairman HEC highlighted that HEC uses the concept of “online readiness” to assess the quality of online programs. This is measured in terms of a set of targeted requirements, covering learning management systems (LMS), course syllabuses, faculty training, libraries, technological options, examination arrangements, laboratory instruction, and above all the support for students.
He asked Vice Chancellors to satisfy themselves that all actions to prepare for online courses had been taken. “If there is any lapse, there should be readiness to address it.” He underlined that “each class has to be certified for readiness.” All course elements must be uploaded on the LMS, which must contain an introduction, Learning Objectives, textbooks, and assignments alongside a lesson plan and rules including grading policy.
“The Vice Chancellors need to ascertain if the professor or teacher concerned has prepared themselves properly for this task.”
Learning Resources
He said libraries must be enabled to provide course material through online means. “Universities need to make proper arrangements for students to access digital library from home.”
He also shed light on various aspects of the examination and evaluation system, including its objectives, textbooks, and assignments. He affirmed that detailed guidance on grading policies and evaluation systems will be finalized in a few weeks.
Faculty Readiness
Describing faculty readiness, he stressed the need for faculty training. Faculty must take a recommended course, get IT help for a test run, revise the syllabus for online availability, restructure lesson plans, and get students feedback and address their concerns. “Online teaching is completely different from face to face teaching, as it has different challenges and techniques.” However, he added, it also offers opportunities along with supportive resources.
“We need to raise the quality of teaching in general, but special attention needs to be paid to online teaching in the prevailing circumstances.” He recommended that the faculty members require to take a training course for online teaching and also do a dry run of their courses to test the system to address any unforeseen problems.
Online Authorisation Council set up to look into faculty readiness will see into the issues related to faculty.
Student Readiness
The Chairman underlined that student readiness for online classes is the most important aspect of e-learning as it has a number of challenges.
He informed the Vice Chancellors that HEC was taking steps to address issues facing the students, including access to the internet, and support to students in need. As the first step in this regard, he requested Vice Chancellors to collect and share information about students’ location and connectivity challenges.
The meeting concluded with a consensus that the Vice Chancellors, with the help of HEC and support of faculty and students, will keep on putting efforts for mitigation of academic loss of students due to the COVID-19 crisis. They agreed to hold frequent meetings to discuss and sort out solutions to every emerging challenge in the way of online education.
Universities in Pakistan should be instructed to open cells for online Research and Training of university faculty of permanent basis. This should be taken into account for ranking by ranking agencies as well as by HEC. Blended learning is our future and we are not prepared. Dr. Fida, GIKI
it would be better to take action on it …suddenly.