UGC Will Now Certify Online Courses: HRD

Students and working professionals will now be able to obtain an online degree course and it will be recognized by higher education regulator, The University Grants Commission (UGC). The human resource development (HRD) ministry has decided to allow universities to offer such degrees and is drafting rules. Institutes will be able to offer online degrees in all fields, except engineering, medicine, dental, pharmacy, nursing, architecture, and physiotherapy. At the present scenario, the Commission does not recognize any course offered solely through the online mode. A student can get a degree by enrolling in a university and attending classes or through a distancing-learning module.

From this year, the government has allowed universities to offer 20% of their course material through the Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) platform called Swayam. But if a student gets a degree through any online course, it's not recognized. A number of private universities offer online degrees but not many students opt for them as they are not recognized by the UGC.

The ministry has now started preparing draft regulations for online programs that will allow universities and higher educational institutes to offer degrees by conducting exams online; students will not have to attend classes physically. The draft came up for discussion before the UGC and the HRD ministry recently. "The World over online degrees and courses are offered by institutes and they have gained respectability. Students will not be required to attend classes but will take e-tutorials to help them understand the concepts. Institutes will have to apply to the UGC for approval and degrees by such institutes will be recognized," said a senior official. To qualify, a university would have to be NAAC-accredited with a minimum score of 3.25 on a four-point scale to ensure quality. According to the official, the online platform will be integrated with Aadhaar to verify the identity of learners at the time of application as well as through the duration of the program, including examinations. "The programs can be designed for conventional learners, as well as working professionals depending on what the institute is looking for," the official said.

Apart from the actual program delivery, components such as the counseling process, online application processing, and fee payment will also provide online.

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How To Stay As A Motivated Student?

Have you ever felt jealous of the bright students or even developed an inferiority complex about being a loser, as teased by others? What is special about the successful students that you lack?

The common say on this which you would've heard over and over again is, "If you study well, everyone will want to make friends with you." Although this might sound like a motivating line, for some it is a curse as they tend to develop a complex that they had deserved the loser position for their inability to excel in academics and can never be one among those happy students due to their lag.

Truth is, only if you are happy, you can do things better. Only if you have friends and have a satisfaction of being respected can you gain the strength to achieve academically? How can you make it happen? Here is the secret to success, read the given tips to climb the success ladder efficiently and stay a motivated student.

How To Stay As A Motivated Student

Work on Confidence

Self-confidence is an integral factor for you to be happy in life, be it inside or outside academics. Make friends outside your circle to first understand that you are capable of socializing and let your classmates acknowledge it. Making friends gives you a feeling of being wanted and lets you be happy and peaceful. With this mindset if you sit to study, you will definitely get the focus and hit the bull's eye.

Don't be afraid of competitions

In a ranking system, a competition is something that is already there and continuous low ranks might try to push you off the cliff to make you give up. Only when you taste the feeling of being up, will you be motivated to keep moving up further. Most often the fear of failure is bigger than the failure itself. So, stop getting panicky and just give your best. If you keep doing the same thing, you will keep getting the same results. So devise a new strategy and try it out, its okay if it doesn't work. But facing it bravely matters. Convert your challenges into opportunities to do new things.

Show off your strengths

Out of the so many subjects that you study, you will definitely be good in one or few than the others. Find out what you love the most and sharpen your knowledge about it. This way, you would become an expert in one subject, gaining the reverence of the other students. This will be a chance for you to prove that you are capable of excelling when you want to.

Reach out to teachers

When you identify your weakness, say an inability to understand a subject or crack the tough sum in your homework, it is advisable for you to directly talk to your teachers about it. They will not only help you out but also appreciate your effort to do well in their subject and feed you more motivation.

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Empower School Students Through Proper Education

We all know that school is the foundation for every student to build their ambitions. But what most of us focus in that message is making the kids academically strong. Why? To have great scores in the report card that would fetch them a premiere college. And? Great ranks in the college to get placed instantly. And? Churn out money that would take care of their luxury. And? Settle in life.

Before we build a series of castles in the air, we should understand that life is not a fairy tale to make things as you plan because children are not robots to execute your dreams but human beings who would desire to live a normal life and have one for themselves. So what best can you do to make them successful in life? Here are some things that teachers should do to make their school students successful people in life.

How to empower school students through education?

Strengthen their communication skills Yes, language is just a medium of communication while other subjects are knowledge but great communication skills can make up for the student even if they are not knowledgeable. No, it does not mean they need to ignore other subjects. But focusing on building their communication skills will get them an edge over their other competitors in life. It's a life skill that they can rely on. Make their English classes innovative through skit and dance and make them enjoy the goodness of the language. This implies to other languages too. After all, vocabulary is the fitness of the mind.

Value Education

This is something that one would have heard many times. So what is this value education all about? Starting from the three magic words - sorry, thank you and please to donating for the needy comes under value education. Why is it important? This is important because it is our choices that decide who we are, far more than our abilities. A person's character is something that will take her long way than the talents. What is taught at age five will stay with them even past fifty years. So this is the best time to sow in them the seeds of being good to themselves and others.

Physical Education 

As the popular saying goes, 'Health is Wealth', making the students physically fit is a priceless asset that the teacher can gift them. Don't take away the PT periods to finish their syllabus, instead keep them active with outdoor games and let them have fun exercising. A healthy body gives rise to a healthy mind which automatically gives rise to a groomed individual. Teach Entrepreneurship One of the means of empowerment is giving shape to ideas and being financially independent. Organising school level carnivals will help students learn how shops work and be stepping stones for the big business dreams. There is a corporation school in Chennai, Tamilnadu that actually empowers poor children by teaching them about finance and business and help them earn through their stalls. Recently, it saw a turnover of Rs 35,000 in an hour, brains behind this, being an educationist, Dr Nirmala Prasad.

Bring students out of their bookish confinement and inculcate in them life skills, they will be grateful to you for their lifetime and who knows, would return your favour in unexpected ways to you and the society.

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Why Should You Take Foreign Language Course

Any language is necessary to survive in the competitive world and plays a humongous role in any individual life. Language is a medium of communication. Did you know that the world has around 6909 languages? Foreign language is necessary and learning other language is good for your degree, good for your career, good to learn about the culture and to travel overseas. Learning a new language is a rewarding experience. Language helps to build foundations for thinking, language, attitudes, visions and other characteristics are laid down.

Why one has to learn a foreign language?

According to research, some of the most crucial benefits of being bilingual are that a child's focus, memory, planning, and multitasking skills are better than if they are monolingual. The smooth way for someone to become bilingual is to start at a very young age because their brain absorbs the sounds and rules of a new language naturally just like their native tongue. The older you get, the harder it is to learn a language because you have to study grammar rules and work around your already developed first language. Well, that's not an easy task. 

Here are some language learning tips:

• Once you decide to learn a new language you have to be fully committed to it.  
• Embrace mistakes while learning the language. 
• Use smart vocabulary practice. 
• Write down everything you hear when studying a foreign language. 
• Let technology help you while learning a new language. 
• Find a native partner. 
• Talk constantly. 
• Watch movies and TV shows with subtitles. 
• Set certain goals, decide on how many hours you want to study, how many words you want to learn. 
• These are good ways of making sure you do some extra study.  
• Have patience, learning language can not happen overnight, do not expect instant results or give up too soon.

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Techniques To Retain Memory and Remember What You Study

Next to time management problem is the memory problem that most students undergo while facing exams and studying. What if there were techniques to retain memory and if it helped improve your performance in the exams? Wouldn't it be great to follow an authentic methodology of studying as explained explicitly here rather than a trial and error time-consuming method?

So, here is your chance to be one of those winners who are good at academics even though they dont seem to be dedicating the time and energy religiously with books as much as you do. As you aspire to do smart work and shirk off the tiresome hard work, first pull on the blanket of positivity and begin to believe in your abilities. Here you go!

5 Techniques To Retain Memory and Remember What You Study

Mind Exercise

Why so serious when you see the word 'study'? First lets start with some fun with learning. Say, there is a subject where there are too many technical words that puts you off from studying. This challenge is an opportunity for you to make the learning interesting. When you watch a movie or read a fiction and hear some new word or phrase, what do you do? We never get turned down with the new vocabulary, instead we use it as a 'cool' word at the epoch and keep flashing it in our mind.

Similarly, here is a game. Take a chapter and note down all the technical words with its meaning. In your free time, or even when you are moving around leisurely, just recollect the new technical words that you have noted without an intention of memorising but playing it out on your mind in random. This way, you spontaneously get familiarised with the subject and the new topic.

Discuss

The best way to remember what you study is to put it into practical usage. If it is theory or terms or definitions that you need to remember, bring it as a topic for discussion among your friends and try recollecting it now n then frivolously in a casual conversation.

Experiment

If it is a practical concept, it is very good for you to experiment it to stamp it in your memory. There is a good adage that says, "Teach me I will forget, show me I will remember but involve me and I will have it forever." This is 100 per cent true for memory retention. So if it is programming or a physics concept such as Archimede's principle or centrifugal force, the resources to conduct the experiment will very much be available near you. So what are you waiting for? Go ahead, have fun with learning. Your classmates will surely go wow about your geeky way of spending time and get inspired.

Compare

Whenever you see something, compare it with your study concepts. Say, leaves fall down from a tree, remember gravitational force from your Physics and train yourself to admire and analyse the topic.

Another way of comparison, is to relate the serious concepts to real life situations. Trust me, this works wonders. For instance, if the concept is about the excitement of molecules in a microwave oven, imagine and compare it to people in one room who are excited about a turbulence like say, earthquake or even light music in a pub. This will get you automatically enthusiastic about the concept and help you remember it easily while giving the exam.

Keywords

It is difficult to remember answers in paragraphs. On the other hand, it is easier to remember just one or two words. So mark the most important words in the answer and hold that as the keyword to help you recollect the entire answer.

Good memory is a sign of a sharp brain. Follow these doable techniques and successfully win over your fears of forgetting, make friends with exams. All the best!

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How to Uplift Underperforming Students via parents and Teachers

If an eagle is brought up with ducks, it would spend its entire life believing that it cannot fly. This is what happens when your ward is on the losing end and thinks that you are mad at them. Students need motivation from time to time in order to excel in their academics. A lot of factors influence the all round development of students and here is how each of them can do their bit of encouragement to nurture the positive side of underperforming students.

For Parents

As a parent, you might have sacrificed your career to take care of your child. But are you channelising your energy the right way? Here are a set of dos and dont for you to follow to get your children in the track and make them successful:

Donts

Do not yell at them for their mistakes. It can make them angry than sorry.

Do not divert them into other part time jobs when they need to focus on their studies

Do not compare them with others

Do not punish them severely

Dos

Explain to them why it is wrong to do something that they should not have done. Children will be more than willing to follow something when they understand about it.

Help them get into a routine. Draw a timetable or a study chart for them to follow and monitor if things are done on schedule. Initially, they might be reluctant to obey. But you can introduce incentives like an outing or their favourite dish and ensure they feel positive about doing what you want them to do. Stay update about their study activities and teach them how to plan and execute their targets.

Talk to them about successful people and their life struggles. Get them inspired to devise a career ambition and get them working towards it. Let them believe in the power of dreams.

When things go awry, there has to be a way for you to tell them that underperformance is not going to be rewarded. You know its your child and they should not be punished hard. But there are some subtle ways through which you could express your dissatisfaction and let them make up for it.

Here are some ideas:

For a week or so, let them not watch their favourite TV show or be forbid from playing their favourite game.

Let them not be taken out in the same regular intervals and instead be made to study.

Cut their play hours for few days.

Now, when you do all this chances are that they might get upset and fight for their luxuries instead of feeling sorry. But talk them into it and explain how undergoing this would change them and give them the reassurance that when they work on their performance, things will be manifold better.

Note:

Dont keep the duration of the punishment longer or make it stringent as an underperforming student might lose self esteem quickly. Make it light but felt and monitor on the change. If this doesn't work, strategise some other plan.

How to Uplift an Underperforming Student? Tips for Parents and Teachers

For Teachers:

Have you noticed that students who dont study well for some time continue to be the same way and on the other hand those who score well for some time, keep attaining the high schievers rank in class? Why is this happening? Is this an individual's nature to study and not study and that losers will always remain losers? If that was your conception all this while, its a big NO.

So, why is this happening? You have corporal punishments for students who do not obey, you give stars for good marks and yet the same thing keeps happening. Whats wrong? Whats wrong is that, if you keep doing the same thing, you will keep getting the same result. Here are some dos and dont for teachers to make their students achieve in academics:

Donts:

Never abuse students. Verbal abuse and corporal punishments usually suck out the self esteem of students and make them believe that they are unfit for the tasks assigned.

Do not compare them with their classmates. This could spark hatred, rivalry and ragging. Every cloud has a silver lining. Every student has her strengths and weaknesses and no one is alike.

Do not gossip about them to other teachers. This spreads a negative idea about them with other teachers who would look down on the student, making them lose their confidence.

Do not keep pointing bad things about them always. Yes, eventhough he or she is a bad student, they dont deserve to be put down forever. This would only make them become weaker and never strong.

Dos:

Appreciate the underperformers for even small acts of regularity. This could be rain in their dry soil and help them grow a fruitful tree

Help them make friends around by giving them group activities to do. Apart from academics, also group them together in sports teams and other fun activities so that they get to show their brighter side too to others.

Give them the benefit of proving their talent in other subjects and keep mum about their underperformance to other teachers.

Quick tip:

Once the students recognise your kind and just ways, they will become your loyal fans and will naturally excel in your subject. So do good and get good!

None of your kindness could mean that you could be taken for granted. In case that happens, you could threaten them of taking them to the Principal or calling their parents or telling them in direct that you are unhappy.

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Common Things A College Fresher Must Do

After the long summer holidays, colleges will re-open and...? The teeny weeny dreamy eyed freshers will enter their adult life as college freshers with so many aspirations and expectations. Here are few things that a college fresher needs to know as you enter into your new epoch.

Check ground reality

There are n number of movies that would have shown you how 'cool' college life is. But you need to check with the real college life as how it is in actual for you to adapt accordingly. Some professional colleges are much like the repetition of a school life, there are no extra curriculars or socializing, a mundane lifestyle. So before you open up your colorful lifestyle in the new environment, get to know it and then react accordingly.

Shop for attire

Yes, you know that the crop top or tank top is in trend and it is the best attire for a fashionista. But hold your urge to flaunt it. Do your classmates know to appreciate it or are they going to make fun of you because of their poor taste or background?

You can definitely be ostentatious with dressing but know the best place to be. Also, bear in mind your college dress code. You don't want to be embarrassed by a staff on 'disciplining' you with dressing, do you? Know your dress code well and try to bring the best out of it. Say for instance salwar kameez is your dress code, you can look for trendy tops, leggings, and dupatta. Also, make sure to try it out before buying it and pick wisely.

Common Things a College Fresher Must Do

Divide fun and learning

When you enter college, there are so many stereotypical norms such as no spoon feeding (literal meaning being that lecturers will not teach anything valuable), no all the time studying (some unofficial certificate to make you act like your adult peers), no listening to lectures (why still act like a kid?) and so on. Yes, you want to be in the league, but being unique never goes out of fashion, which means, you need not necessarily follow the bull shit and do what is best for you.

When you feel some subject is difficult for you to study, it is okay to reach out to the lecturers and persuade them to clear your doubts rather than shying off from asking because you know they themselves are not good at the subject. Still, why should you ask them? Because asking them will either please them to help you or get you a record to complain to the management about the inefficiency of the teacher.

Ragging

Ragging is illegal. But you need to first find out the attitude of your seniors and the customary ragging system if it is done for mingling or putting down the juniors. In case there is some serious insulting going on, you should either stay away or report it. But if it is something silly like making you sing or speak, be a sport and don't get offended, they are probably trying to break the ice with you and make friends. Anyway, be prepared for both scenarios and act accordingly.

Eve Teasing

If you are from an all girls school who recently joined a co-ed college, you might not know how to react to certain things. The most common reaction would be ignoring the cat calls or teasing. But it is important for you to know that these things are not attempts to mingle with you but compromise your dignity. Any such acts could be demeaning and must not be tolerated, report it to the management immediately. Young boys like to show off that they are powerful and would ground you if you complained, but they really are NOT. They are just trying to portray powerful while in actuality weak. Make use of their weakness and you be on the stronger side. Let them know not to mess with you.

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Do you want to become a journalist? Must Get Admission any one of this

The expansion and increasing competition among the players in the media industry, along with the promising career in the field of journalism and in various other avenues, has created considerable scope for journalism in India.

Among many journalism colleges in India, there are a few colleges that have adequate curriculum in the field of journalism. With the significant changes in the new age journalism, selecting the best institute or college for a successful career plays a key role.

CareerIndia gives you the list of top 10 colleges in India for Journalism and Mass Communication after analysing and assessing various factors associated with the colleges.

Top 10 Mass Communication Colleges in India

Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad

About MICA

MICA is the only residential institute in the country dedicated to creating Leadership in Strategic Marketing and Communication.

MICA is an autonomous, non-profit institution, offering a wide-range of academic programmes.

MICA has three residential programs - the Post Graduate Programme (PGP), the Crafting Creative Communications (CCC) and the Fellow Programme in Management-Communications (FPM-C).

For further information, visit www.mica.ac.in

Asian College of Journalism, Chennai

About Asian College of Journalism

The Asian College of Journalism is a postgraduate college designed to provide students with world-class journalism education adapted to the specific needs of India and other developing countries in Asia.

Members of the previous ACJ classes have proved to be in high demand and are already at work in all areas of journalism.

For further information, visit www.asianmedia.org

Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media, Bangalore

About IIJNM

The institute offers a broad range of practical skills andconcepts involving the gathering, editing and presentation of information, and prepare them for a career in journalism.

There is strong emphasis on the "craft" of journalism, the curriculum is designed to help students draw on and supplement basic education.

For further information, visit www.iijnm.org

Symbiosis Institute of Mass Communication, Pune

About SIMC

SIMC are the premier pure-play Media & Communication School nurturing and developing future leaders in following areas - a. creative content generation (MMC) and b. managing creative businesses- MBA(CM).

They offer 2 full-time post graduate degree programmes in the areas of Mass communication (production of creative content), Brand communication and Media management (management of creative businesses).

For further information, visit http://simc.edu/

Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi

About IIMC

IIMC provides world class teaching, training and research, thus preparing students to take on the challenges of a highly competitive world.

The IIMC Society, an autonomous body funded by the Government of India through the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt. of India.

For further information, visit www.iimc.nic.in

Xavier Institute of Communication, Mumbai

About Xavier Institute of Communications

The Xavier Institute of Communications (XIC) is a professional media centre which offers a variety of services in training and production.

XIC ranks among the biggest non-government media centres in Asia.

For further information, visit www.xaviercomm.org

AJ Kidwai Mass Communication Research, Jamia, New Delhi

About AJK MCRC

AJK MCRC is globally recognised as a premium institution in the field of mass communication.

The MCRC provides the highest standard of media education and training with a professionally and academically accomplished faculty and a broad spectrum of visiting professionals.

For further information, visit http://ajkmcrc.org/

Manorama School of Communication, Kottayam

About MASCOM

The mission of MASCOM is to train aspiring journalists so they become fully integrated members of the media industry.

To provide students with hands-on experience in the functioning of large and small media organisations and to create an awareness of critical management issues in the newspaper industry.

For further information, visit www.manoramajschool.com

Film and Television Institute of India, Pune

About FTII

The objectives for which the Institute is established are:

to develop suitable patterns of teaching in all branches of film and television, both at under-graduate and post-graduate levels, so as to establish high standards of films and television education in India.

To constantly endeavor at raising the technical standards of Indian films and television programmes so as to make them aesthetically more satisfying and acceptable.

For further information visit www.ftiindia.com

Times School of Journalism, New Delhi

About Times School of Journalism

The Times Group is India's largest media house with a dominant presence across all media platforms and a footprint spanning the whole of Indian sub-continent.

The flagship daily of the group - The Times of India - is today the largest English newspaper in the world with its sister publication - The Economic Times, which is world's second largest English business daily.

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