1. What is an IGNOU- Community College?
Institutions registered with IGNOU to offer certificate, Diploma and two year post secondary education leading to an Associate Degree will be referred to as IGNOU-Community Colleges. They will offer a range of programmes at an affordable cost to students of all ages, following a flexible modular pattern of course delivery. The nature of the programmes and their pattern of delivery will depend upon the requirements of the local community which the college serves. Successful completion of modules will lead to Certificates, Diplomas and AD.
2. What is the philosophy of Community College?
Institutions which are run “ for the community , by the community , and of the community “ offering opportunities to all sections of society particularly the marginalized and disadvantaged is the rationale for the establishment of a community college . It encourages students who may want to attend a three-year degree but are not academically, personally or economically ready to begin study in the formal system. In a community college students can choose to work towards an Associate Degree(two-year) in hundreds of academic and technical fields which will enable them to transfer to a regular college or university for completion of a degree.
3. How will an IGNOU Community College differ from regular Undergraduate Colleges?
* Many School dropouts, late entrants into higher education and those in the workforce who find entry into the formal system to be rigid may avail of the programmes of community college and equip themselves for a degree. * Community colleges unlike the formal system will offer students choices to pursue continuing education in whatever format that makes meaning to them face-to-face, on-line, full-time, part-time. * While regular colleges require full time attendance, community colleges will accommodate students who pursue their studies part-time. * Community college may provide a faster option for a student who wants a career-oriented qualification and may not require a three year degree. For example a student may take a One Year Diploma of 32 Credits as a Pharmay Technician or a 16 Credit Certificate as an Insurance agent from the curricular content available with the college and may be supplemented by IGNOU’s large repository of courses.
4. Who will be eligible to enroll in Community Colleges?
Anyone who has completed 10+2 or its equivalent is eligible to enroll for the Associate Degree Programme. Similarly students who have completed the BPP Programe of IGNOU may also enroll for the Associate Degree Program. Eligibility for Certification Programmes vary from the 8th pass and above.
5. What is the admission process to be followed?
Community College may admit around 40 students for each programme depending on the physical and human infrastructure available. If the demand for a programme is very high, candidates may be short listed on the basis of their personal profiles. The admission procedure should be clearly stated.
6. What is the suggested structure of Certificate and Diploma Programme?
Certification programmes should be of 6 months duration and equivalent to 16 credits. A Diploma programme is of one year’s duration with 32 credits The pattern of credits is as follows Full-time programmes-One credit is equal to 15 contact hours. Part –Time/Distance learning programmes –one credit is equal to 30 hours of study by a student which includes self study, assignments , library work etc. All programmes of Community Colleges must have at least 70% theory and 30% practical/in-service/apprenticeship.
7. What will be the desired structure of an Associate Degree Programme?
The Associate Degree Programme may comprise of Foundation Courses in the 1st Semester and Applied Courses in the chosen Programme Sector during the 2nd Semester . The Foundation Courses may comprise of life and Livelihood Skills relating to Functional English, Personality Development, Computer Literacy and Communications Skills. In the second year (3rd Semester) the emphasis may be on Electives and Applied Courses. In the Fourth semester besides Electives, there must be a compulsory component of Internship, Project work ranging between 14 to 16 credits.
8. How will students transfer from an Associate Degree to the 3rd year of graduation?
For students who complete an Associate Degree and wish to register for the 3rd year in IGNOU, a credit transfer policy will be worked out between the Community College and IGNOU. The international pattern is to accept about 80% of the credits earned during Associate Degree Programme.
9. What is the structure of Bachelor’s Preparatory Programme(BPP)?
Bachelor’s Preparatory Programme has the following three courses. A student has to select any two of the following courses. 1.) Preparatory Course in General Mathematics-OMT-101 2.) Preparatory Course in Social Scienses-SOS-10 3.) Preparatory Course in Commerce-PCO-01
10. What is the medium of instruction for the various programmes?
Most of IGNOU’s programmes are offered in English and Hindi. A good number of programmes are also available in regional languages. 11. Will IGNOU affiliate Community Colleges? No. Community Colleges will be registered with IGNOU and the Associate Degree will be conferred by IGNOU.
12. What will be the structure of IGNOU Community Colleges?
Community colleges will be governed by a community college Board/Board of Trustees comprising of the Founders/Management of the college, Representative of IGNOU, Local Government /District, Industry/Community Representatives. The college will also have an Academic committee and Examinations committee.
13. How will a community college prepare the syllabus for its various programmes?
The Academic Committee may draw on its own internal/external expertise and wherever necessary includes the courses of IGNOU contextualizing them to local needs.
14. What is the role of the Academic Committee?
An Academic committee comprising of subject experts will oversee the academic planning and management of the college. It will develop the curricular framework and contents for various programmes. All community college programmes will have: A judicious blend of theory and practical. Locale-specific needs clearly integrated. Mandatory Industry-Community Linkage.
15. Can Community Colleges offer short-term certificate/diploma programmes lesser than the duration stipulated by IGNOU?
Yes, the Community colleges may offer need-based programmes, which will be referred to as non-credit programmes , IGNOU will certify these programmes based on the recommendations of the Academic committee
16 Will IGNOU provide text books for use by the Community Colleges?
Presently , the material of IGNOU will be made available at a nominal rate . By January 2010 , specific modules in different programme areas will be developed to suit the student clientele of Community Colleges.
17. Can programmes be offered in vernacular languages? Yes, all Community Colleges may offer programmes according to the local need but keeping in mind the requirements of the job market, a compulsory paper each in Functional English and Computer Literacy should be included. The functional English component may be tailor- made to the programme offered for example, Tourism-languages, sentences and speech commonly used in this sector.
18. How will IGNOU help in the capacity development of its Community Colleges?
The large repository of courses and programmes developed by IGNOU will be made available to IGNOU community colleges through a content-sharing agreement for the purpose. Skill-up gradation and pedagogy related training will be provided by IGNOU. IGNOU’s facilities for teleconferencing may be availed of by the Community Colleges
19. What will be the academic calendar for Community Colleges?
Examinations will be on a semester pattern and conducted in June and December. As the programme evolves, IGNOU will also provide for on-demand examinations.
20. Is it possible for students to work and attend a Community College at the same time?
Yes, Most students work during the day and community college can offer a broad range of evening and weekend classes.
21. How can Community Colleges offer their services to Industry?
Community colleges may offer contracted services for specific occupational purposes-training specifically for the employees of certain companies, training for public-agency employees and training for specific groups such as unemployed people or individuals trying to make the transition from welfare to self sufficiency.
22. How will the examination system be organized?
The credibility of any educational institution lies in the rigor and fairness of its examination process. A detailed framework for the conduct of examinations will be provided by the examination committee. In general 60% of the programme evaluation will be done by the community college and the remaining 40% by IGNOU. The examination committee will obtain a panel of Examiners for question paper setting and evaluation and the Director/ Principal may choose.
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