The Vice-Chancellor (VC) Government College University (GCU) Lahore Prof. Dr. Asghar Zaidi announced plans for a new online education policy that has been tailored for the Pakistani ecosystem and will allow the University to compete with any international university in the world.
The GCU e-Education Policy was developed by foreign graduate faculty of the GCU Lahore after a deep comparative study of the models adopted by the Universities of Cambridge, Oxford, and Singapore. The policy has been approved by the University’s Academic Council.
The online education policy focuses on four key elements: course readiness, teacher training, technology, and student preparedness. To ensure students are ready for online learning, faculty members revised more than 1600 courses by adding e-resources, weekly distribution of lectures, grading strategies, and reading material.
All courses at GCU are approved by relevant chairpersons and the Panel of Digital Learning Environment of the University. The library staff worked 24/7 for providing students and teachers with reading material by electronic and postal services.
The newly-established Directorate of IT trained 800 faculty members and 40 IT coordinators for using the newly adopted online system which is each other.
The University Implemented a “distance learning model” for students who had educational cost issues. At students’ request, the University sent course material and offered final exams by post without charging any amount. Such students also submitted assignments and final essays by post.
As time went on, the policy allowed students to meet expert faculty in GCU Online Education globally and interact through videoconferencing.
The Vice-Chancellor of GCU said: “We can comfortably claim to have devised one of the best education policies in South Asia. This policy is an integral part of our four-year strategic vision (2020-2023).”
The GCU Online Education Policy has enabled thousands of students to complete their educational ambitions successfully. No students were left behind because of technology or humble background.
President Zaidi said, “Our academics deserve particular appreciation. Many faculty members and their families suffered from Covid-19. This is why we provide them with unlimited free courses for all future generations of their family.”
He also said that Pakistani universities should embrace digital education, it’s the need of the hour, and the Government needs to invest heavily in internet connectivity and online teaching systems.