AIU releases survey report on “Preparedness of Indian Higher Education Institutions for Online Education 2021”

Association of Indian Universities (AIU) today released its survey report on “Preparedness of Indian Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) for Online Education 2021”, prepared in international collaboration with QASPIR, a UK based company, that highlights the realistic and complete picture of the digital infrastructure availability and preparedness of the Indian HEIs for online teaching and learning. The report is based on the survey data collected from July 2020 to October 2020 from 546 HEIs constituting universities and colleges across India. The survey aimed at providing insights to enable the higher education policy planners and government to take requisite policy measures to respond to the changing requirements.

The Objective was to assess the preparedness of Indian HEIs in the wake of Outbreak and rampant spread of COVID 19 pandemic which resulted in the complete shutdown of the Indian HEIs. The educational system of the country was not prepared for this sudden jolt. Many issues involving the difficulties in completely switching over to online education were experienced, which reinforced the need for initiating a nationwide study to assess the readiness of our HEIs for online Education. AIU in collaboration with Quality Assurance Strategic Planning and Institutional Research (QASPIR), conducted a survey to get a realistic and complete picture of the digital infrastructure availability and preparedness of the Indian Higher Education Sector for teaching remotely/online.

The survey report covers availability of critical parameters such as infrastructure, internet connectivity, training of teachers, different platforms, learning management system, current practices, and student engagement in online education. The report also considers other factors such as online value-added services, Issues and challenges in online learning, Goals for online learning, Institutional policy, Faculty readiness for online teaching and learning etc.

The survey findings reveal that more than half of the universities (both Govt and Private) are equipped with smart classrooms but more than 75% of universities required training for the capacity building of faculty for online teaching. The survey helps all stakeholders, especially the educational institutions, to identify their strengths, weaknesses and highlight areas that need improvement.

The report covers 85 questions that helped institutions identify where they stand in preparing for online learning.  It is intended to act as a guide to identify any critical areas of transitioning to online learning and being better prepared for the new shift in learning.