ITU partners with online course provider

LAHORE

Information Technology University (ITU) has entered into a groundbreaking partnership with edX—a non-profit founded by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University to integrate online courses from the world’s best universities into its degree programmes.

Created in 2012, edX is a leading online learning destination and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) provider offering high quality courses in a very diverse range of practices from the best universities and corporations in the world to learners across the globe.

ITU will become the first university in Pakistan and one of the first universities in the world to integrate courses offered by edX into the university’s accredited degree programmes. 

At ITU, the edX courses will be taught to students under the direct supervision of the university faculty while using edX digital study material and technological platform. Additional lectures, recitations and tutorials will be offered by ITU to integrate edX courses into the classroom.

Under the partnership, ITU will award credits and grades upon successful completion of a given course by students towards the academic requirements of the relevant degree programme offered by the ITU.  

In addition to the assessments conducted as part of the edX course, ITU may use additional testing instruments (assignments, quizzes, viva, labs etc.) offered in the classroom or via other delivery methods to determine the ITU grade of the student. On successful completion of each course in a MicroMasters edX programme, edX will award the student a verified certificate for completing the course.

“This is the first of its kind partnership of edX with any university, in which online courses on edX are integrated into classrooms and supervised exams,” says Dr Umar Saif, the founding vice chancellor of ITU—Pakistan’s premier technology university founded in 2012.

According to the agreement, students will earn a course completion certificate from a university such as MIT or Harvard and course credits from ITU. 

“Specifically we will be integrating edX MicroMasters into masters programmes in Data Sciences and Development Economics from next year. Currently our first year Electrical Engineering students are enrolled into the Circuits and Electronics course at MIT through this partnership,” Dr Umar Saif said.

EdX represents some top universities and corporations such as MIT, Harvard, Tsinghua University, China, Microsoft and World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) to name a few and offer their courses on its platform. 

The principal objectives of edX are to facilitate the people around the world and give them online access to the finest content available. It also provides rigorous research opportunities.

concerned over sackings: Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Association (FAPUASA) has shown concern over the removal of over 40 senior level contract professors from Punjab University (PU).

In a joint statement, FAPUASA President Prof Dr Hamayoun Khan, Secretary Dr Mahboob Hussain and Punjab President Dr Suhail Aftab have said the professors were really big names in their disciplines. “They are our national asset and such professors are highly regarded and respected all around the world, and their potential is fully exploited in the national interest,” they said.

“The way these eminent professors have been removed all of a sudden without any performance audit or a prior notice is humiliating and insulting,” reads the statement. The FAPUASA leaders have expressed the hope that the PU vice-chancellor and registrar would review their decision.

PUASA: Punjab University Academic Staff Association (PUASA) has shown its concern and dismay over 'an unjustified hue and cry against a lawful decision of the vice chancellor.' In a press release, the PUASA leadership while mentioning the appointment of the director at PU Institute of Geology observed that the orders were according to the merit policy adopted by the VC. They added that PUASA fully endorsed the lawful steps taken by the VC.