DUTA rejects UGC's proposal on Blended Learning – it will dilute degrees and severely destroy universities as spaces for engaged teaching-learning
The DUTA submitted its feedback on the Concept Note on Blended Mode of Teaching and Learning (BL) released on 20.5.2021 (attached). The Concept Note proposes that up to 40% of every course/paper be taught and assessed online. This Blended Mode proposal applies to courses/papers over and above the ones that are done through the MOOCs being offered on SWAYAM.
At a time when national dailies and news channels were reporting daily losses of lives and universities, and like other sectors, universities are mourning the loss of lives of teachers and eminent scholars, and students are facing unparalleled tragedies of loss of family members to COVID, the UGC is busy brining in regulations to implement the NEP. It is unfortunate that the health crisis in the country is being used to bring in drastic policy changes through the UGC (before it is dismantled) and by bypassing Parliament. The broad-based discussions that ought to precede implementation has been deliberately side-stepped.
The pandemic has pushed universities to online education and the UGC/ MoE is yet to assess its real import in the light of issues raised by teachers and students, whether it be the digital divide or the all-pervading sense of alienation due to the absence of human contact. Instead, the pandemic is being used as an opportunity to push through such “reforms” that aim at withdrawal of government expenditure on education and forcing HEIs towards commercialisation that would eventually dismantle public funded education in the country.
The Credit Framework for Online Learning Courses through Study Webs of Active Learning for Young Aspiring Minds (SWAYAM) Regulations 2021 and the proposed Academic Bank of Credits (ABC) model and Blended mode of Learning (BL) model, if implemented, will redefine the entire paradigm of Higher Education. These policies ignore the key ideas of Equity, Quality, Access and Efficacy. In their total advocacy of online/virtual solutions, they overlook the following: a) the digital divide of - access (class, caste, gender, region, rural/urban), and affordability (for the affluent/poor); b) the Dilution of rigor and intensity of courses; and c) impact on working conditions of teachers with fluctuating workload which will lead to loss of employment and casualisation / contractualisation.
With these three Regulations in place, teachers and universities will be rendered irrelevant. It would definitely lead to a reduction in workload by about 75% -80%. The faculty who will remain with the institutions will be reduced to coaches and extensions of administrative staff. There are examples of such “Non-Attending” Universities in the country. What needs to be inspected if these are ever counted as good institutions and figure amongst top universities in world rankings. Role of such universities is to provide piece of paper called degree, which is not of much worth in the job market. Such a policy shift may create a bubble of increased GER, but not in the percentage (i) of those enabled and (ii) of graduates with worthy degrees.
No reputed university in the world uses this format of a blended mode in the scale proposed here for regular teaching programmes. The website of San Francisco State University, which is mentioned here as an ideal case for HyFlex model, does not even mention the term as one of its attractions.
These policy documents do not take any responsibility of the quality of the degree in terms of their meaningful composition and employability. The proposed ABC scheme will facilitate the credit recognition and credit redemption process for students who may choose all the 100% courses as per their choice. This will lead to Bachelor of Liberal Education. Such a UG degree in place of prevailing specialized Honors Degree is a retrograde step and will damage our capacity for knowledge production. Throughout the world specialization and collaborative work are key to path breaking research and our abilities to even comprehend crisis like the pandemic which we face today.
The Concept Note on the blended mode of imparting education is indicative of the government’s intention. Apart from creating a vertical digital division in society, the blended education model aims to create “no-politics” zones in the public-funded education system. Contestation of ideas, conflict of ideology, accusative and counter accusative moments, creative atmosphere, and adaptive attitude of the students and teachers made the university and college campuses poignant and vibrant. However, the vibrancy and poignancy of the campus life would be replaced by the absurdity of no politics in the public-funded education institutions and much-touted Institutions of Eminence. The absurd idea of no politics in campus life through blended mode would ultimately depoliticize the students and faculty and gradually smoothen the road for ideological indoctrination through centralized syllabi and module making.
With over 50% of the population below the age of 25 years, it is important that the country invests in public education and healthcare. Any short cut on this will reduce us to a market of cheap labour, with a huge population which is broken in terms of their abilities and mental fitness. For its damaging effect on students and their educational environment, teachers and universities, the DUTA rejects replacement of class-room teaching by online education.
Rajib Ray
President, DUTA
Rajinder Singh
Secretary, DUTA
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