Value added meaning such courses which are done in addition to the curriculum. Value Added Courses are those that are designed to raise students’ standards above and beyond the levels specified in the academic curriculum. Value-added courses are included in the curriculum to improve students’ employability. Value-added courses are taught by department faculty or by collaborating with the industry to bridge the gap between the curriculum and the needs of the industry.
Importance of Value Added Courses
The incorporation of value-added courses should concentrate on leveraging the talent and innovative capabilities of aspiring professionals to meet the needs of today’s dynamic business environment, thus making the student more industry ready. The value-added programs supplement students’ learning and prepare them for the challenges of professional life. These programs enable students to gain a more holistic perspective and thus a better understanding of current industry challenges, as well as to gain and develop innovative and creative skills through a diverse range of course offerings.
Another pressing need for the addition of these courses in higher education institutions is to give students the option of designing their degree, thereby facilitating cross-disciplinary education, by allowing students to choose courses from multiple disciplines and allowing credit transfers and earning credits through MOOCs and live projects. Integration of value-added courses provides students with the option of selecting a minor in addition to their major field of study, allowing credit transfer from one program to another, allowing students to choose courses from other programs, earning credits through live projects/community projects/workshops, taking a break after diploma and then continuing to earn a degree, transferring credits to other universities, and earning course credits through MOOC.
Types of Value Added Courses
There are 3 major types of value added courses that students need to know about.
- Online Value Added Courses– Online value added courses are those courses that are done online, to do these courses students don’t need to go to the institutes’ premises. Several known platforms offer such kinds of courses, some of them are MOOC, Khan Academy, and several foreign universities. Students learn via live and recorded videos, complete online assignments and get e-certifications.
- Offline Value Added Courses- These are value added courses that are taught and learned on premises. Both teacher and students are present in the classroom and teachers impart their knowledge in front of students. In these courses, students do their practical work, assignments, and exams in the teacher’s presence. A physical copy of the certificate is given after course completion, universities like Delhi University provide such courses.
- Hybrid Value Added Courses- Hybrid value added courses are such courses that provide students with the choice to attend courses either offline or online. They can come to attend classes and submit their assignments online. Several private institutes provide this facility to their students and such courses have become more popular after the global pandemic.
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