Ranchi: College students would soon get access to live online classes taught by faculty members from universities and colleges located across the state under a learning management system (LMS) launched by the state department of higher and technical education to integrate physical, virtual and online modes of teaching.The initiative aimed to bridge gaps in faculty availability and subject specialisation, particularly in semi-urban and rural colleges where courses or expert faculty members were not available.
Principal secretary of the higher and technical education department, Rahul Purwar, said, “, a student in a rural or semi-urban college will be able to learn from expert faculty across the state without leaving their campus. It will help bridge faculty gaps, expand subject choices and ensure uniform academic standards. By combining classroom teaching with digital learning, we are creating a more inclusive, flexible and future-ready higher education ecosystem for Jharkhand.”Under the proposed model, institutions were categorised as host and recipient colleges or university departments. Academic calendars of participating institutions were synchronised to accommodate scheduled live sessions. Faculty members from the host institution delivered lectures online in real time, while students at recipient colleges attended these sessions remotely, with a cap of 240 students per subject.Students accessed the live classes using personal devices such as laptops, tablets or smartphones, or through shared digital infrastructure available on campus. Faculty members conducted sessions from designated computer systems within their respective universities or colleges to ensure academic and technical standardisation.All internal assessments, quizzes and periodic evaluations were conducted through the LMS platform to enable transparent and centralised academic monitoring.The state govt alloted grants to university departments and constituent colleges to create the required digital infrastructure. Affiliated colleges were expected to establish facilities using their own institutional funds.The pilot project was held at Jharkhand Raksha Shakti University. The programme covered 100 colleges, including model degree colleges in semi-urban and rural areas and women’s colleges across the state, to improve access and equity in higher education in the first phase.The LMS also supported asynchronous learning. Subject-wise digital modules were uploaded to the platform, allowing students to access course material anytime and from anywhere. Faculty members uploaded lecture notes, presentations, self-recorded explanatory videos, e-books, journal links, assignments, quizzes and self-assessment tools.
