BENGALURU: What will Be the role of universities, after colleges becoming autonomous degree awarding institutes is a common question in the academic circles. Vice chancellors from various universities believed the role of their institutes will change, be it in terms of mode of imparting education or the kind of education they will impart.
At the NEP conclave organised by International Skill Development Corporation, on Saturday, vice chancellors believed that greater focus would be on imparting skills, as also on making students employable. Campuses are likely to shrink but they will also house facilities for holistic development of students, such as a Yoga centre, they opined.
Bengaluru City University Vice Chancellor Lingaraju Gandhi said the focus will also be on employment in addition to knowledge creation and generation. Gandhi believed that public universities will be compelled to see changes in governance structure, academic programs and adoption of technology while NEP will bring changes in curriculum, pedagogy and assessment. Universities will also play a role of imparting values, and that will take a central role.
Venugopal KR, Bangalore University Vice Chancellor said universities will be forced to start undergraduate courses with post graduate courses being sandwiched Between UG and PhD. Digital will take the centre stage. He said BU which is at the forefront of NEP implementation has already setup future infrastructure with the giving of 15 acres to Yoga centre and 5 acres to NAAC.
YSR Murthy, vice chancellor of RV University believed there would be a hybrid learning system and the curriculum would be in pace with technological changes with greater focus on skills that will be constantly updated, teaching would be experiential, peer based and self learning and teachers would don the role of facilitators for creating a learning experience in class. He added campuses will see a reboot and have to stay relevant in their role, while agreeing that physical universities are likely to shrink.