About CDOE
Centre for Distance and Online Education (CDOE)
The Jamia Millia Islamia is a Dual Mode University offering various programmes through Regular and Distance Mode education. In its regular mode, the Jamia conducts Under-Graduate, Post-Graduate, M.Phil., Ph.D. as well as Diploma and Certificate courses. The University caters to the interests of students from all communities, and aims to meet the particular needs of the disadvantaged sections among the Muslims. True to the legacy of its founders, it continues to support measures for affirmative action and foster the goals of building a secular and modern system of integrated education. It is constantly learning from its history to negotiate the new and emerging challenges facing the nation in the twenty-first century.
The Jamia launched the Centre for Distance and Open Learning, with the assistance of Distance Education Council, in September 2002, to provide opportunities for higher education to those who otherwise are not able to draw benefits from the conventional systems of education. The Centre also runs an Urdu Proficiency Course, formerly Urdu Correspondence Course with a purpose is to teach Urdu through the distance mode.
The Open Learning System allows a learner to determine her/his place of learning and provides education at her/his doorstep. The mode of transaction is through self-learning print material, supplemented by audio and video programmes besides face-to-face counselling sessions and contact programmes. Efforts are presently on to arrange Self Learning Material (SLM) online.
The objectives of the Centre inter alia include:
- To facilitate the students to study from their own chosen place;
- To enable the student to determine their own place and convenience;
- To offer flexibility in the choice of subjects from various disciplines;
- To provide SLM in printed form; and
- To offer Counselling/Contact Programmes, Workshops, Audio Visual Aids and practical experience to the students through Students Support Service by establishing a number of Study Centres/Extension Units.
To accomplish these objectives, the Centre has constituted Course Development Committees to develop the course structure and oversee the process of SLM building.
The educational vision of Centre for Distance and Online Education, JMI is to help and enable Learners; especially those residing in remote corners of the country and those belonging to underprivileged, weaker sections, women and the marginalized communities. It also seeks to serve an aspirational class which might find Distance Mode a convenient means of obtaining a degree.
Jamia, being a product of the Indian National Movement, aspires to impart quality education to Learners in the spirit as envisioned by the great Nationalist leaders and CDOE furthers this mission by offering quality and affordable education.
For actualizing the vision of the Centre, following measures are being undertaken:
- An effort to reach the deprived group of Learners and to enable them to pursue their dreams by empowering them through education and certification.
- Based on the updated curriculum of the departments of JMI for our programmes, CDOE aims to develop and provide easy to understand Self Learning Material (SLM) based on that curriculum.
- To empower students according to modern technical and theoretical needs of the times by offering courses that cater to the present needs of the society.
- To make education and certification more equitable for diverse range of learners, inculcating a spirit of patriotism towards our Nation and to impart moral values besides an empathy towards the marginalized and disadvantages Learners.
- To expand the reach of the Centre so as to align it with Government of India’s philosophy of enhancing the Gross Enrolment Ration ( GER) and fulfilling the vision of NEP-2020.
The Centre for Distance and Open Learning (CDOL) was established in September 2002 with the support of the Distance Education Council (DEC), based at the IGNOU campus in Delhi. The DEC was later dissolved, and in 2013, the Distance Education Bureau (DEB) was created to formulate policies for governing higher education institutions (HEIs) offering distance education. Additionally, in 2009, the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) of the Government of India also approved the Centre. Owing to Covid and resultant disruption in the way formal education was being imparted; Regulation 2020 of DEB made it mandatory for Distance Educational institutions in a dual mode university to rename their HEIs as Centre for Online Education, therefore the Centre was renamed as Centre for Distance and Online Education (CDOE).
The Centre aims to provide access to higher education for individuals who cannot benefit from traditional educational systems, ensuring that learning is available at the doorstep of every learner. To support this mission, the Centre offers comprehensive self-learning material (SLM) created by subject experts, designed to accommodate learners from diverse educational backgrounds. These materials are complemented by counseling sessions conducted by teachers who provide invaluable assistance to distance learners. In response to evolving technological advancements, the Centre has also adapted its approach by conducting classes through online platforms as well.
To enhance accessibility, the Centre has established Learner Support Centers (LSCs) across various states in India. These LSC’s are located at far flung and at times in remote locations of the country. These LSCs also play a crucial role in reaching out to learners from rural areas.
Over the years, CDOE has experienced significant growth in student enrollment and course offerings. In 2002, the Centre offered just five programs, including B.Ed, Diploma in Power Generation Engineering (DPGE), DECCE, and MA in English and Hindi. Today, it provides 26 undergraduate, postgraduate, diploma, and certificate programs; with annual enrollments of approximately 20,000 to 23,000 students—comparable to regular student numbers in JMI.
Currently, the Centre employs 30 Assistant Professors and nearly 40 administrative staff to support operations. The growing student population places immense pressure on service delivery, making it crucial for CDOE to continue its evolutionary role and by engaging a wider cross section of student community.. In alignment with the NEP-2020 roadmap for enhancing higher education and improving the Gross Enrollment Ratio, it is essential for Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) to carry forward the mission of Government of India by providing more accessible, quality education to students and the Centre continues to fulfill such requirements as well.