Introduction to online law courses legality in India

---

Today, the classroom beyond the border through Online Law courses in India has made it possible for many students to obtain university degrees. Due to the rapid growth of information technology and multi-media, computers and networks have become increasingly important in many areas of modern society, including teaching and learning (Dover, 2000 and Rovai, 2002). Schools and universities have adopted webbased technologies to support their students in both traditional coursework as well as online learning (Phipps and Merisotis, 1999). As web-based education is diffusing across countries, educational levels—in particular the universities and disciplines, the question for drafting courses is no longer whether to adopt web-based learning, but how reliable and legal such degrees can be Reliability is the probability of performing without failure, a specific function under given conditions for a specified period of time and is normally determined by assessment. It concerns the ability of different researchers to make the same observations of a given phenomenon if and when the observation is conducted using the same method(s) and procedure(s). Educational assessment (initial, formative and summative) is the process of gauging, usually in measurable terms, knowledge, skill, attitudes, and beliefs (Orde, 2001). Assessment can focus on the individual learner, the learning community (class, workshop, or other organized group of learners), the institution, or the educational system as a whole (Weller, 2002). Assessment is said to be consistent if it can produce similar results when it is used again in similar situations (Committee on Standards for Educational Evaluation, 2003). In studying to be assessed, students are to learn within a legal framework which guides their worthiness in character, ie to be honest, responsible and reliable in the world of work. Legality is conformity with the requirements for the award of the degrees and therefore, which entitles the recipient of the degrees to pro rata benefits. In accordance with the standards, students are required to maintain up-to-date knowledge and understanding of and to act within the statutory frameworks which set out their behaviour and responsibilities. The essence of introducing legal order in education is to guide the operation of the system. Some of the popular online courses are certification course in labour laws and drafting and pleading courses.

The standards and the behaviour of participants in the system, but pertaining to the behaviour of graduates of online education, can their behaviour be assessed vis-à-vis their academic performance? Decree 6 of 1993 touched on amendment to education minimum standards and establishment of institutions decree. The most pertinent aspects of the decree deal with students’ rights and responsibilities and the suspension/expulsion provisions of the decree. Students’ rights and responsibilities would fall under the value of attendance, student conduct, student record, liability for damage, suspension, expulsion and the appeal process. It is undisputed that the school can discipline its students within the school campus during class hours. Whether that authority applies even outside of the school premises and class hours for the online degree students is yet undetermined.The real issues are how do these apply to online degree students and how have they been assessed before conferring on the students the award of degree, which is not only based on their academic performing but also centered on character or behavior? As public and private sector are the end-users of the graduates from online university degrees, there is a to examine how they perceive the degree in everyday working life evaluated by its end-users in a working context in respect of its reliability and legality.