COMSATS Virtual Campus
COMSATS University on the lines of Virtual University of Pakistan has established a Virtual Campus (at Islamabad) to promote Distance Learning Education in Pakistan, but is comparatively a little more expensive. The Virtual Campus operates through Study Centers which have been nominated in different cities throughout the country. The Study Centers are the places from where the students can obtain advising, counselling and anyother services required for interaction with the university. COMS
The Distance Learning Methodology similar to that of Virtual University has been adopted providing an advance Learning Management System (LMS) for the students which will be used for their learning. LMS is an online database which provides every registered student a profile he/she can login to and access his/her study material such as lectures, assignments, discussions with students and teachers etc; thus minimizing the direct absence of student-teacher interaction.
The importance of Distance Learning in a country like Pakistan is very much evident which can provide low cost education in far flung areas where there are no universities nearby. Moreover it can help reduce the vast gap between the students passing higher secondary exams and those taking admission in the regular universities due to many factors such as job requirements and financial constraints (higher costs of study) etc.
Virtual University of Pakistan adopts Relative Grading System
The following was the announcement made by the Rector, Virtual University of Pakistan (Dr. Naveed A. Malik) regarding the university's decision to adopt the relative grading system with effect from Fall 2013:
Dear Students,I am writing to inform you about some very important changes that have taken place in your academic environment. The Higher Education Commission has recently circulated a Semester Guidelines document that has been adopted completely by Virtual University of Pakistan. Two major changes, that will be beneficial for our students are:1. Grading on the curve for courses having a large number of students. This means that instead of absolute grades, you will now be competing with one another. All students will benefit from this while maintaining relative positions in their respective courses.2. The CGPA requirements for graduating from all programs equivalent to 14 or 16 years of education will now be 2.0 while the CGPA requirement for MS level programs, equivalent to 18 years of education, will henceforth be 2.5.Overall, we are very confident that Virtual University graduates attain a higher level of understanding in their respective disciplines as compared to students from many conventional universities. The adoption of above measures will also ensure that their grades and CGPA become commensurate with their academic achievements.You will be able to see the effect in the result announcement of the Fall 2013 semester.If you have any questions, please feel free to write to us at GradingOnCurve@vu.edu.pk. As always, our students’ welfare comes first and we will try to answer all your queries.With best regards,Dr. Naveed A. MalikRector
ninthd Launches International Certifications in Pakistan in Urdu and English
ninthd (9th D) is a Pakistan based initiative that has entered in the education sector of the country with an goal to train people in economically viable (EVS) skills, so the youth of the country can further excel in their fields. To meet this task, ninthd designed international certifications in association with the top universities of the UK and US like UKCET and iCarnegie Global Learnings. The highlight of
these programs is that they will be offered in Urdu and English languages that
will enable the youth to receive high quality education without breaking any
geographic and language barriers. The certifications will also offer practical
solutions of learning-by-doing tools and formats that will develop a work
force, which will play a vital role in the growth of a business.
ninthd has made this experience even more interesting for
the trainees, as it has offered the
programs in blended model. This means that students will not only be limited to
online lectures and course materials, but they also get the opportunity to interact
with their peers and some international students during group works at
satellite campuses, which ninthd will setup all over Pakistan.
The initiative has also ensured that it has a rigorous assessment process, which will evaluate and certify the learning outcome. This process will enable ninthd to develop the required work force which will meet the requirements of both local and international markets. Whereas, trainees will be able to develop economically viable skill (EVS) at most affordable price and in very short period because ninthd’s programs will last from 8 to 12 weeks and cost no more than 12,000 Rs. to 25,000 Rs. The best thing about this model is that students will be able to learn at their own pace, as they can view the lectures again and again until they feel they have achieved full command over them.
The initiative has also ensured that it has a rigorous assessment process, which will evaluate and certify the learning outcome. This process will enable ninthd to develop the required work force which will meet the requirements of both local and international markets. Whereas, trainees will be able to develop economically viable skill (EVS) at most affordable price and in very short period because ninthd’s programs will last from 8 to 12 weeks and cost no more than 12,000 Rs. to 25,000 Rs. The best thing about this model is that students will be able to learn at their own pace, as they can view the lectures again and again until they feel they have achieved full command over them.
More importantly, students can take lectures or access
online course materials at anytime from anywhere through their smartphones,
tablets, laptops and personal computers. With this technology, trainees will
not have to make any changes in their busy schedule, unlike traditional
classes. The best part is that once the training gets over, students will be
the master of tools and formats that are commonly used in nearly all the major
corporations of Pakistan.
Initially the international certifications of ninthd will
assist students to develop skills around entrepreneurship, information
technology and business management. Nevertheless, in the future it is
anticipated that ninthd may introduce some new programs that will cover other
areas. At this point in time, the initiative is looking to deliver one million
EVS trainings or workforce development programs in Pakistan by building over
6,000 small campuses and leveraging technology.
The confidence of the team behind the project can be judged from
the fact that they have already engaged leading corporations of the country to
endorse their programs.
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