Twelve universities in the country were on Thursday awarded the E-Learning Excellence for Academic Digitisation (E-LEAD) certification by QS IAUGE, a renowned global college and varsity rating initiative.
The universities that have been awarded the certification include Alliance University, Ashoka University, Chitkara University, DIT University, G D Goenka University, NITTE and Noida Institute of Technology.
O P Jindal Global University, Reva University, Sharda University, Siksha 'O' Anusandhan and University of Engineering and Management (Jaipur) have also been given the certification.
QS IAUGE rates colleges and universities in India with complete operational control held by London-based Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), which comes out with coveted global ranking for educational institutions.
"The COVID-19 crisis has resulted in a shift in consumer behaviour such that it marks a transition point to embrace online methods rather than face-to-face in a multitude of sectors, let alone in education," said regional director for the QS Intelligence Unit in South Asia, Ashwin Fernandes.
"As the players involved in the education sector including universities, teachers and students, operate more online, both their interest and their skills of using the online platform will also sharpen," he said.
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The methodology, data collection and validation, audit process, quality check, and delivery mechanism for the certification have been thoroughly reviewed by experts from the higher education domain, Fernandes said.
According to Pankaj Mittal, Secretary General of the Association of Indian Universities, "we have to adjust to the new normal post the pandemic and higher education in India has responded positively to this change".
"Teachers have embraced technology to a large extent and are overcoming inhibitions related to virtual teaching," he said.