A digital university is an educational institution that uses digital technologies to deliver course content and support student learning. These universities may offer a wide range of programs and degrees, from certificates and associate’s degrees to master’s and doctoral degrees with the help of digital technologies.
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The Ministry of Education and various stakeholders in India are working to set up the ‘digital university’, announced in the 2022 Union Budget, by August 2022. The students of this university will have to flexibility to access the campuses across India as well as abroad.
They have world-class quality universal education with custom-tailored learning experiences across the country to your doorstep. The digital university will be available in all Indian languages. It will be built on a networked hub-spoke model, with the hub building cutting-edge ICT expertise.
Table of Contents
- 1 What Are the Advantages of Digital University?
- 2 What Are the Disadvantages of Digital University?
- 3 Digital University In India – How It Works?
- 4 What Is the “Hub and Spoke” Model?
- 5 Are there any Digital University In India?
- 6 The Vision of Digital University In India
- 7 Challenges of the Digital University
- 8 FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
What Are the Advantages of Digital University?
1) It can access course material and lectures online at your doorstep and from anywhere with an internet connection. Especially helpful for those students who have a busy schedule, and don’t have time to attend a traditional university.
2) It is a cost-cutting university compared to traditional universities. It can be due to a variety of factors like no need to maintain physical facilities and not having to pay physical mode instructors. Digital Universities may also offer scholarships and financial ad to help a student pay their fees.
3) If we talk about the quality of education, digital universities may vary on different factors compared to traditional universities. You have a world-class updated academic syllabus and the flexibility to learn an industry-oriented curriculum. You will have access to updated industry-oriented expert classes anywhere in the world with a normal internet connection.
4)In conclusion, Digital Universities offer a flexible and convenient option for those students who want to get their degree, diploma, or certificate at their own doorstep with the digital mode of education facility.
What Are the Disadvantages of Digital University?
1) In the digital mode of education, students can not interact with each other on campuses just like regular mode of education. While some universities offer some courses on their campus because lab practices are mandatory for these courses.
2) Students lack skills like morals and social that learn on colleges campus just like regular mode of education students.
Digital University In India – How It Works?
1) As part of the central government of India, a new digital university will be launched by this year July 2023. There are courses like degrees, certificates, diplomas, and skill development will be focused on.
2) The main focus of this university will be job-oriented courses offered to students so that it can remove the skillless employment rate.
3) As per UGC’s president, Digital University will be quite simple and flexible for students. Let’s say a 4-year degree course, if students want to pursue it in short term like lesser time then it will be possible. Similarly, a 4-year degree course, if students want to pursue it in 5 years then it will be able to do through digital university.
4) UGC now permits 2 degrees at once, and if a student earns one degree while enrolled in college for multidisciplinary education, considered to have earned to degrees.
5) The top-notch university like IIT (Indian Institutes of Technology), NIIT (National Institutes of Technology), and CUs(Central Universities) will be connected through this digital university.
6) Digital University will be connected with the Academic Bank of the Credit (ABC), which will keep a record of the student data.
8) It will be a university that offers access digitally to students to a variety of job-oriented courses and degree programs. You can get your degree or certification at your home with a normal internet speed.
What Is the “Hub and Spoke” Model?
UGC and the government of India have proposed that a digital university will be formed in a ‘Hub and Spoke’ model. Basically, it will be one centralized unit where it will be operated all the technically and functionally of the university and partners that will offer programs to students.
In this model, HUB is the central unit of the digital university, one of these four central universities – Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M), Delhi University (DU), Benaras Hindu University (BHU) or Indira Gandhi Open University are likely to be HUB where National Digital University will be operated.
The Spokes are to be various educational platforms including higher educational institutions in India and abroad (Colleges, Universities, etc), edtech platforms, etc. that will offer degree, diploma, certificate, and job-linked programs to students in digital mode.
Are there any Digital University In India?
Yes, As of now there is only one digital university in India that is situated in Kerala namely; Digital University Kerla. However, this digital university opened before the announcement of the central government in India.
Digital University Kerla: Digital university Kerala is a full fledge digital university in Kerala, India. The university was set up by the government of Kerla vide Ordinance No. 9 of 2020 dated 18 January 2020 and started functioning from the new campus of IIT-K in Tecnocity. Click here.
Why Should Students Go for A Kerala Digital University?
1) Kerla Digital University focuses on postgraduates and graduate-level programs in the areas of Artificial Intelligence and Natural Language Processing, Internet of Things, Electronic Systems and Automation, Imaging Technologies, Data Analytics and Big Data, Cyber Security, Blockchain, Ecological Informatics, Geospatial Analytics etc.
2) Kerla Digital University has the approval of the Kerla state of government and has received recognition from the University Grant Commission (UGC). Technical Programs are too approved by AICTE.
3) The University has several research centers and labs in areas like Data Engineering, Machine Learning, Data Security, etc.,
| R&D Labs |
| Center for Affective & Neurocomputing |
| Center for Research and Innovation in Cyber Threat Resilience |
| C V Raman Laboratory of Ecological Informatics |
| Geo Informatics Lab |
| Innovation Centre for Sensors, Actuators, and Transducers |
| Internet of Things Lab |
| Medical Image Computing & Signal Processing (MICSPL) Lab |
| Virtual Resource Center for Language Computing(VRCLC) |
| Applied Data Analytics Lab |
| Data and Computational Modeling Lab |
| Data Engineering Lab |
| Development Centers |
| Centre for Digital Innovation and Product Development |
| Bigdata Analytics Center |
| Digital Agri Sciences Lab |
| Knowledge Centre in Software Engineering & Project Management |
| Kerala Security Audit and Assurance Centre |
| Multimedia Lab |
4) DUK (Digital University of Kerala) is the new edge of the university which have features of blended learning of academic, R& D, technology, Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Arts & Humanities that will create your future better. Here we are sharing some focuses areas:
| RESOURCES |
| In-House Databases including | Institutional Repository covering | Externally Accessible Resources covering |
| Books : e-Versions & p-Versions | Scholarly Publications | Subscribed e-Resources including IEEE Xplore, ACM DL, TURNITIN, etc. |
| Periodicals/Journals/Magazines: e-, p- & Integrated Versions | PhD Theses, Academic Project Reports | Access to National Facilities including INFLIBNET, NDL, etc. |
| Learning Management System | Academic Courseware & Syllabus, Question Papers Bank | Open Access Databases including Arxive.org, DOAJ, WIPO, etc. |
| SERVICES |
| Acquisition of Publications | Access to e-Resources : Campus-Wide incl. Hostels | Web OPAC |
| Normal Circulation Service | Inter-Institutional Resource Sharing | Info Support Service for Assignments, Academic and R&D Projects |
| Window to Open Source Learning / MOOCs | Scholarly Publishing Guidance | Platform for Promoting Professional Societies |
| IQAC Support Service | Promotion of Discussion Forums | Digital Bulletin Board as a Rapid Alert Service |
| MAJOR INITIATIVES ( FUTURISTIC) |
| Externally Funded Projects | Extending the Resources& Services to Academic & IT Corporates | Research Data Management |
| Wealth of Kerala: A Dream Project to Create a Digital Version of the Scholarly Resources of Kerala. |
5) Digital University Kerla (DUK) has a strong placement cell with a full-time placement officer. Here are some highlights about placement at DUK.
| Placement Highlights |
| 100+ companies visit DUK every year. | An Internship is mandatory at DUK so it has a 100% internship record in industry and academic-based. |
| The impressive placement record of over 95% | Progressive Placement |
Digital University Of Kerala – Courses/Academics
Digital University Kerala offers courses at the Doctoral and Postgraduate levels. The courses are:
- Post Graduate Programs
- Doctoral Programmes
- Post Doctoral Programmes
- Diploma Programmes
The university has a world-class education facility. It also provides a scholarship for pursuing their education and helps them to develop their career growth.
| Post Graduate Programmes |
| M.Tech (Master of Technology) |
| M.Tech In Computer Science and Engineering | M.Tech In Electronic Product Design | M.Tech In Electronics Engineering |
| M.Sc In Computer Science |
| M.Sc In Machine Intelligence | M.Sc In Cyber Security | M.Sc In Software System Engineering |
| M.Sc In AI And Text Analytics | M.Sc In Distributed Systems And Blockchain Technologies |
| Master Of Business Administration (Full Time) |
| Business Analytics | Digital Governance | Digital Transformation |
| Finance | Human Resources | Information Security Management |
| Marketing | Operations | Systems, Technology Management |
| MBA For Working Or Experienced Candidates – On Campus |
| Business Analytics | Digital Governance | Digital Transformation |
| Finance | Human Resources | Information Security Management |
| Marketing | Operations | Operations, Technology Management |
| DOCTORAL PROGRAMMES |
| School of Computer Science & Engineering | School of Digital Humanities & Social Sciences | School of Digital Sciences |
| School of Electronic Systems and Automation | School of Informatics |
The Vision of Digital University In India
The digital university will become a milestone for the Indian education system because students have the flexibility to learn at any time in digital mode. This university will be linked with the Academic Bank of credit which has records of every student’s data. Here we are sharing some facts about Digital Universities that will become the vision of Digital University In India.
1) Greater Youth Enrollment for Higher Education
Still a lot of students are not able to complete their higher education due to a lot of reasons, they don’t have the flexibility to complete their education just like the digital mode of education. The national digital university has the flexibility to learn at any time and from anywhere in India. So now we are expecting once we have the digital university then it will increase the enrollment of higher education in Youths in India.
2) Financial Cut for Higher Education
In Digital University, Fees will be very low as compared to campus education. Because for campus education, you have to pay fees for lecturers, hostels, travel, and more. But the digital university will reduce the cost of regular lecturers, hostels, travel, and other costs. So by default, your program fees are very less as compared to campus education.
3) Accessibility of Programs Anywhere in the world
You have the flexibility to access any programs (Degrees, Diplomas and Certificates) from anywhere in the world. Because you don’t need to attend regular classes on the time at the university. You have recorded lecturers, Learning Management Systems (LMS), an online assignment system, and an online examination facility.
4) Minimum Eligibility Criteria
Digital university will set the basic eligibility criteria because this university will focus on students’ career-oriented courses. Currently, In India, a lot of students have not qualified for entrance examinations proposed by the top educational institutions in In India so they are not eligible to take admission to top institutions due to tough competition and limited seats. Digital University will have unlimited seats and basic eligibility criteria for students.
5) Globalization of Education In India
Globalization of education means you can get your degree anywhere in the world at your doorstep. The learning curriculum will be linked with global education and you will be also able to interact with industry-oriented global experts. So now you don’t need to go abroad to acquire degrees and certifications from a global university. Digital University will have partnered with abroad universities so that you can be directly enrolled in these universities.
6) Upskilling and contribution to the India Economy
Currently in the Indian education system, we need to upskill ourselves at the right time to boost the Indian economy. Digital University will offer various upskilling programs to students at very less cost so that they can upskill themselves.
Challenges of the Digital University
Yes, this is true that there are a lot of challenges to running a National digital university to boost the Indian education industry. Here we are discussing some points so that we can rectify the what are the main challenges to running a national digital university in India.
1) Internet Access and connectivity In Remote Areas
In India, still we have connectivity/Internet issues in various remote areas. This is true, the Indian government is working on these issues so that we will be able to connect to the world from anywhere in India. It will be one of the main challenges to running a digital university in remote areas. Due to the lack of internet, some of the village of students in India are not able to connect with Digital University.
2) Mainstream Online Education
Regular education/On Campus education is still popular in India. The guardians are not influenced by online education or online learning. They want to expect their child to enroll in degree programs on campus. So there is one of the challenges of the digital university that they need to spread awareness to students/parents/working professionals about online education in India.
3) Impact on another sector of the Economy
The national digital university may be impacted to another sector of the economy. Because if we have a digital university then you don’t need to visit campus to take your degrees. You can say that it will impact the travel and rental industry.
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
Digital University is a university where you can take your degree from any institution in India or abroad at your doorstep. You don’t need to visit the campus or institutes to enroll in the degree, certificate, diploma, or job-linked program for any university, institute, or college in India or abroad.
Yes, It will be a good option for students or working professionals because you will take leverage of flexible education. You have a lot of options to complete your degrees or certification with industry oriented curriculum.
Yes, the Digital University of Kerla is UGC approved as well as this university is approved by the state government of Kerala. Some Programs of this university are also approved by AICTE.
No, Kerala Digital University and The national digital university are not the same universities. Kerala Digital University is governed by the state government of Kerala and it is opened before the announcement of the national digital university. The national digital university will be governed by the UGC and the central government of India. They are in the process to start with the new and first session in 2023.
References: Times of India. Link here!
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