The university consortium will contribute to PakistanEdX’s Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) by providing multilingual options in five categories.
The platform PakistanEdX aims to offer Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) to expand the horizon of quality education on a national level especially targeting the far-flung and underprivileged areas, according to the HEC.
Eleven universities from across the country have agreed to contribute to the creation of high-quality online courses to help revamp the curriculum.
The Higher Education Commission (HEC) met with vice chancellors on Saturday to discuss the development of asynchronous online courses as part of the new undergraduate core curriculum. The new curriculum will include 11 core courses drawn from HEC’s Undergraduate Education Policy courses, which are divided into five broad categories.
Students can learn at their own pace in asynchronous courses. They have access to the lectures and other study materials at all times. The meeting, organised by the Higher Education Development in Pakistan (HEDP) of the HEC, resulted in the formation of a consortium of universities to work on the initiative.
The universities were chosen for their expertise and interest in creating and delivering high-quality online learning platforms and massive online courses.
The consortium included Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU), Islamabad; Aga Khan University, Karachi; Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering and Management Sciences (Buitems), Quetta; Comsats University, Islamabad; Habib University, Karachi; Hazara University, Mansehra; Lahore College for Women University; Lahore University of Management Sciences (Lums); National University of Sciences and Technology (Nust); University of Baltistan, Skardu and Virtual University, Lahore.
The new curriculum will include 11 core courses drawn from HEC’s Undergraduate Education Policy courses, which are divided into five broad categories. The courses will be made available through PakistanEdX, a platform developed by HEDP and supported by the World Bank.
PakistanEDX was designed by a company that has created online learning platforms such as MIT/edX, Harvard’s Wikimedia, and others. According to HEC, the firm’s technology has already served over 55 million students worldwide.
The university consortium will contribute to PakistanEdX’s Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) by providing multilingual options in five categories: Arts and Humanities, Social Sciences, Quantitative Skills, Natural Sciences, and Expository Writing.
Dr. Mahmood Butt, HEDP Project Coordinator, led the discussions, emphasising the importance of university input in developing policies and the path forward for PakistanEdX.
While chairing the session, HEC Executive Director Dr. Shahista Sohail stated that the project will benefit female students in particular. “As a woman, I am glad to be a part of this initiative as it will benefit all, irrespective of their gender.”
“ PakistanEdX will allow women to continue contributing to the economy while maintaining their domestic and official obligations. Many women, particularly those in disadvantaged areas, will benefit because mobility can be a problem for women in many parts of our country,” she added.
During the meeting, the project’s quality, sustainability, accessibility, and financial models were discussed.
The participants also discussed the project’s technical and financial feasibility. Vice chancellors from LUMS, AIOU, and the Virtual University have agreed to contribute to PakistanEdX. The meeting also established deadlines for accepting credits for Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), establishing minimum contact hours, and soliciting expressions of interest in developing courses.