The University Grants Commission (UGC) has announced draft guidelines for modifications to the UGC Open and Distance Learning Programmes and Online Programmes Regulation 2020. The suggested revisions encourage reputed institutions' open and distance learning (ODL).
One of the crucial modifications of UGC is that it grants institutions entire ownership and responsibility for offering the ODL and online programmes. Along with 35 other proposed changes, the amendment will allow institutions to source course content externally. The institutions would handle 40% of the course content from exterior sources. These external sources incorporate Open Educational Resources (OER), Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) and other equivalent methods. Students can use this external content to gather academic credits.

Institutions must produce a minimum of 60% of the course content for Open and distance learning (ODL) and online programmes. The guidelines also promote cooperation with education technology (EdTech) organizations to build their program content. Further, the draft comments that the EdTech businesses would not have the right to promote their content for the Higher Education institutions. The entire injunction for intellectual property rights for the developed content would belong to the institutions.
While the draft policy allows institutions to source up to 40% of the course content externally, they are not bound to do so. The institutions will yet have the freedom to develop 100% of their content for ODL and online programmes with or without EdTech collaborations. These procedures would apply to autonomous higher educational institutions that meet the standards for online and ODL courses.
The opportunity to source content externally has been provided so that students do not have to find good online programmes to pursue and add to their credit bank. The universities themselves will do the analysis and give options to students.
The revisions align with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020's mark of promoting top institutions to deliver high-quality online and distance programmes.
The UGC welcomes suggestions and feedback on the draft guideline till March 15.