Guidelines for Blended Learning for Vocational Education, Training and Skilling

REGD. No. D. L.-33004/99 The Gazette of India CG-DL-E-11072025-264528 EXTRAORDINARY PART III—Section 4 PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY NEW DELHI, MONDAY, JULY 7, 2025/ASHADHA 16, 1947 No. 482] NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING NOTIFICATION New Delhi, the 13th July,2022 Guidelines for Blended Learning for Vocational Education, Training & Skilling 1. What is Blended Learning F. No. 42001/01/2022/NCVET.---- The world is changing at a very fast pace and the education domain is no exception, with need for learning becoming a continuous process. This next generation learning should be adaptive and progressive to meet the needs of students and be more effective and efficient. Blended learning or “hybrid learning" can be one such tool. NEP 2020 is built on the foundational pillars of Access, Equity, Quality, Affordability and Accountability. This policy is aligned to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and aims to transform India into a vibrant knowledge society and global knowledge superpower. Blended learning is one approach to achieve this goal. Blended learning, also called "flipped classroom”, “hybrid learning” or “mixed learning," is an approach that mixes instructor-led classroom training with online content, which could be in the form of on-demand videos that learners review outside of class. The live instruction can be face-to-face or online (via a live virtual classroom or even two-way video), or there might be no live lecture at all. Blended learning represents a learning model that combines both formal (traditional classroom) and non-formal (online) methodologies. Blended learning is the term given to the educational practice of combining digital learning platforms with the traditional classroom face to face teaching. During the technology-mediated components of these learning experiences, students are not required to be physically together in one place but may be connected digitally through online communities. Blending learning may use "synchronous” and “asynchronous" mode of delivery. In today's environment, where many support resources are available for online learning, and newer technologies evolving for its enablement, blended education not only provides flexibility of learning process, but it also provides a way to navigate through the available knowledge on the subject, which helps the student with process of "Continuous/ Continued Education”. For effective transformation in vocational education, training and skilling to take place, it's not sufficient having only a 'bolt-on' strategy to existing training practices ('typically social and mobile'), but rather “a full-on, meaningful re-conception' of what it means to support all ways of learning in the modern digital workplace". 'Blended learning is thus the future', and if utilized properly it can add to the exponential growth of industry by providing the quality manpower. However, we need to prepare ourselves as well as the ecosystem for taking full advantage of the same. 2. "Digital First" for Digital Generation In today's environment, Vocational Education and Assessment is mostly carried out in physical/ off-line mode as it requires training and learning in hand-skill. But with availability of newer and affordable technology tools for effective delivery of education, training and skilling, a combination of offline and online teaching and learning is fast emerging as a new norm which may be used to enable anywhere, anytime and by anyone learning. Different generations interact with technology differently. Today's generation is a Digital Generation, mostly encompassing people who were born into or raised in the digital era, with wide-spread access to modern-age technology such as internet, computers, tablets, and smartphones, with access to digital information on the internet. Digital Simulators and Digital Twins have further changed the process of learning. Technology is ever-evolving and each digital generations namely Millennials (born between 1980–1995), Gen Z (born between 1995–2010) and Gen Alpha (born 2010 to the present day) adapts to these advancements at their own pace. For this digital generation which has witnessed the benefit of online classrooms and courses during the pandemic in the last two years, blended learning has been established as a new normal. Digital First is a communication theory which states that publishers should release content into new media channels (i.e., web, mobile, social media, etc.) in preference to page-oriented print channels. Digital First, as a strategy focuses on customer, the “learner” in this case, and also the educator needs, helping them in becoming future ready by enabling them with process of “Learning to Learn”. “Digital First" today is need of the hour not only in basic education and continued education over the job roles but is also required for changing requirements of the industry. It is also the most effective way to move towards Personalized Education and to provide “Continued and Consistent Positive Experience" of education across a large country like India. The concept of Digital First will help reimagining the education via Blending Learning, especially the Vocational Education and training paradigm, which is still done mainly in off-line mode in classrooms, laboratories, and workshops. The Digital-First education is being encouraged on all the educational platforms, with trust on reaching technology and mediated education to all students, irrespective of the urban-rural divide or income divides. The Government of India's National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020) also aims to improve quality education delivery for all learners, including digital learning. Both in school and higher education and on-the job continued education, "Student/Learner" is in the centre of information, with secure cloud providing the content and emerging technologies providing continuous innovative solutions for learning. 3. Benefits of Blended Learning The advantages of blended learning for students include increased learning skills, greater access to information, improved satisfaction and learning outcomes. Recent research identifies the following key benefits of blended learning: 3.1 Blended Learning is more affordable, and saves time, and teaching is less expensive to deliver. 3.2 Blended learning is highly modular, scalable and offers opportunity for just-in-time learning as well. 3.3 Students/learners can learn at their own pace in their own time, which is the first step for personalized education. Online learning resources will also facilitate the learners to watch the lecture/ training sessions multiple times which otherwise may be subject to taking notes in a classroom learning situation. This can be very useful for persons with special abilities. 3.4 Engagement, learning and retention: Different people learn different things in different ways. Using multiple modalities dramatically reinforces engagement, learning and better retention. 3.5 Increased flexibility: Blended learning offers flexibility in terms of availability. Technology-enabled learning allows for learning anytime and anywhere, letting students learn without the barriers of time and location, and with the possible support of in-person engagement while enjoying the benefits of face-to-face support and instruction. 3.6 Opportunity for learning better Communication and Collaboration at a distance: Individual students work together virtually in an intellectual endeavour as a learning practice. The students/learners can have opportunities to learn from the world's best professionals through their lectures. They can study and learn from success stories and real-life experiences given by actual participants. Through digital means the students/ learners can access the world's best libraries and research work. 3.7 Increased Interaction: Blended learning offers a platform to facilitate greater interactivity between students, as well as between students and teachers. 3.8 Enhanced Learning: Additional types of learning activities improve engagement and can help students achieve higher and more meaningful levels of learning. 3.9 Learning to be the Virtual Citizens ready for the Future: Learners practice the ability to project themselves socially and academically in global online communities. Digital learning skills are becoming essential to be a lifelong learner, and blended courses help learners master the skills for using a variety of technologies. 3.10 Blended Learning is more inclusive and provides a level playing learning environment (barring, internet access and devices) as far as quality of content This can be very helpful for the especially abled and marginalized learners and can also help in providing content on diverse contexts and in different languages and be future ready. The virtual solutions are expected to help divyang/ disabled students to overcome many of the challenges which they have been experiencing while accessing education on account of constraints arising from physical infrastructure challenges (being non accessible). Students with need of 'reasonable accommodation' will also be able to benefit from increased engagement with Disability Experts in one-to-one interactions with their trainers through the blended learning tools/ model. 3.11 Easy Adoption of Best Practices: With a blended learning approach, it is easy to incorporate global and local best practices in training for upskilling and processes. 3.12 Blended Learning offers a multitude of real-world skills, that directly translate into life skills, from: a. Self-learning and Self-engagement, b. Peer-to-Peer Review/Learning, с. ICT and Communication Skills, d. Randomised Assessments by Peers, e. Teamwork and Collaboration in Virtual World f. Online Research and Information Skills, g. Helps to develop a 'Self-Driving Force', h. Better decision making and i. Offers a larger sense of responsibility for learning 3.13 For a domain where the concept and the application of technology is equally important, a highly interactive e-learning modules will allow the students to go through the fundamentals of the different technologies whereas a training lab with world class training equipment will facilitate students in development of different skills needed for the right application of automation technology. 4. Scope The lack of an adequate number of superior educational institutes, quality of faculty, distance, high costs and many more reasons limit options for aspiring students/learners. These challenges and the need to integrate education with the knowledge economy have motivated education systems to pay attention to the reforms required in the way we impart education and go Digital. There is already a commitment to creation of "Digital University” in the budget speech for year 2022-2023. Scope of these guidelines is for enabling effective and efficient blending learning and assessment for different type of qualifications: 4.1 By providing basic norms for different types of digital resources, tools and methodologies which can be blended. 4.2 By recommending the extent/mix/flexibility of each type of digital resources, tools and methodology. These guidelines also bring out various learning methodologies, both Synchronous and Asynchronous, which may be used for learning together with assessment blend including that of formative and summative types. Trainers are a very important component of successful learning process. This document also attempts to bring out some of the must of have skills for Trainers to make blended learning process successful. 5. Complementing Vocational Education with Blended Education Education and training are no longer separated from work and life; rather, they are combined through the learning process. Blended learning when complemented with vocational education needs to be combination of online and offline learning environments. Based on the type of Vocational Skill, the percentage of on-line (or equivalent) content may change. 6. Models of Blended Learning There are four models seen as per the research references on Blended Learning. Based on the qualification and the expected learning outcomes, a combination of these models may be used. 6.1 The first model, blended presentation, and interaction, has classroom engagement as its primary component, with support from out-of-class, online exercises. The flipped classroom or flipped curriculum approach is a common example of this model, with students viewing podcasts or other online resources independently, followed by classroom-based tutorials or seminars for group learning based upon these resources. 6.2 The second is the blended block model (sometimes called a programme flow model), in which a sequence of activities, or “blocks,” is structured to incorporate both face-to-face learning and online study, usually with consideration for both pedagogical goals and practical constraints. For example, a course for geographically distributed learners or working professionals may have limited opportunities for classroom-based learning and therefore begin with a block of intensive face-to-face sessions, followed by blocks of online study and collaboration through online tutorials, possibly followed by a further block of face-to-face learning or group presentations. This type of model is also called Blended Face-to Face Class in some of the reference materials. This model allows students and faculty to share more high-value instructional time because class time is used for higher-order learning activities such as discussions and group projects. 6.3 The third model is fully online but may still be considered blended if it incorporates both synchronous learning (for example, online tutorials) and asynchronous activities (for example, discussion forums). This model is also called Blended Online class model, sometimes referred to as the "Online Driver Model" and is the inverse of the blended face-to-face class. The class is mostly conducted online, but there are some required in-person activities such as lectures or labs. 6.4 The Self-Blend Model (completely student centric): Learners using this model are enrolled in a school (or at work) but take online courses in addition to their traditional face-to-face courses or work. They are not directed by a faculty member and choose which courses they will take online and which they will take in person. The student may also choose to rotate between various modalities of course, such as classroom, laboratory, industry, one of which is online learning, in a customised schedule. Implementation of above will also require not only preparation of the required content, but also the trainers who can steer these blended learning programs. 7. Blended Learning in Vocational Education and Skilling Ecosystem 7.1 This section proposes possible Resources and Methodologies that may be used in the subcategories for learning and evaluation. The learning process of most of the Vocational qualifications may be divided into the 8 subcategories, which are further detailed in this section. 7.2 Different types of Digital Resources, Tools and Methodologies which can be Blended Learning 7.2.1 Theory/ Lectures/ Trade Theory: Imparting theoretical and conceptual Knowledge a. Physical classroom teaching b. Delivery of Lectures through TV Broadcast с. Online Digital learning: Mode of learning: Audio/ Audio-video / podcast Lectures through Internet Web Channel I. Non-interactive- One-way communication II. Interactive - Two-way communication- One-to-Many, Many-to-Many III. Online curated self-learning d. Online Digital learning: Components I. Text, Presentations II. Audio/ Audio-Video – Instructional III. Illustration/Graphic/ GIF, Instructional Photographic Images, Animation IV. Simulators - 3D and 4D, Virtual Labs V. Digital twins VI. Augmented Reality (AR)/ Virtual Reality (VR)/ Extended Reality (XR) based learning VII. Metaverse- immersive learning e. Reference Material Online Digital learning: Place of learning I. Student/ Learner in a classroom with a teacher: Instructor/ teacher led learning II. Student/ Learner in a classroom, No teacher: AI/ Robot Led learning III. Student/ Learner anywhere without a teacher f. Gamification for effective learning (ref. Appendix C for definition) g. LMS based Proctored content delivery with in-build continuous/ formative assessment to check leaning outcomes h. Hackathon (ref. Appendix C for definition) 7.2.2 Imparting Soft Skills (SS) and Life Skills (LS)/ Employability Skills (ES) a. Components of SS/LS/ES I. 21st century Skills II. Communication and Language Skills including foreign language skills III. Digital Literacy, IT, Collaboration and Design Thinking IV. Financial and legal literacy V. Customer Service Skills VI. Sales and Marketing Skills VII. Collaboration, social media and Presentation Skills together with skills VIII. Skills for Facing Interviews IX. Sensitivity to gender, SEDG, PWD Χ. Safety and Risk Management Skills XI. Organizational Behaviour XII. Greening/Environmental Sustainability XIII. Constitutional values/ Citizenship/ Nation building b. Can be learned in Physical classroom mode c. Online interactive mode (two-way) - Instructor/ teacher led d. Online interactive mode (two-way) – AI/ Robot Led e. Group Discussions (GD): Simulated online Discussion/ GD room I. (i) Physical mode II. (ii) Online interactive mode (two-way) - Instructor/ teacher led III. (iii) Simulated online Discussion/ GD room f. Mentorship to learners I. (i) Physical One-to-One, One-to-Many II. (ii) Online, One-to-One, One-to-Many These skills also needed to be evaluated with check for body language. 7.2.3 Laboratory Experiments, Demonstration, Practical Demonstration, Experiential Learning a. Physical Laboratory b. Workshop and Training Material, Physical Shop floor/ Actual Project site c. Video-Audio, demonstrations, Actual Plant/ process videos recorded in the real workplace along with narrations. d. AR/VR/XR based experience. However, in some of use cases in various sectors XR may be the most effective solution with a physical prop (in cyber-physical interaction mode). e. Digital twins f. Metaverse- immersive experience 7.2.4 Imparting Practical Skills, Skills for working with Hands, Drills and Practices a. Physical product is created as part of skilling: I. In the Laboratory class/Field Days/Farmer Field School II. Actual workshop/shopfloor /Farm Demonstration Area at physical site III. At home or own place of learner (cooking, stitching) b. Simulator based workshops and laboratory such as flight simulator, welding, painting, games, firearms practice etc. c. Use of cobot or collaborative robot (AI led) – especially for role play practice in job roles like customer service, sales, etc. Mostly can be used for practical practice sessions d. Software development and assessment in a simulated / sand boxed environment using Software as a Service (SaaS) e. Platform as a service (PaaS), Infrastructure as a service (IaaS) and Everything as a Service (XaaS) in a simulated / sand boxed environment f. AR/VR/XR, 2D, 3D and 4D, based practical experience, for example, high altitude mountaineering, deep sea diving, difficult surgeries (Some Demonstrations can be made on 2D rather than 3D to have better cost efficiency. Use of 3D and above only for experiential practice in place of physical practical) g. Digital twins which is more detailed than AR/VR/XR, for example, factory control, critical surgeries such as Robotic Surgeries, etc. h. Metaverse based immersive experience in 3D and 4D which are more detailed and sophisticated, for example, autonomous vehicles 7.2.5 Tutorials and Assignments (based on subject) a. Physical Mode - classroom b. Online Interactive mode (two-way) - Instructor/ teacher led c. Online interactive mode (two-way) – AI/ Robot Led d. Simulated Online Discussion/ Group Discussion room e. Online, Proctored, One-to-One or One-to-Many tutorials f. Assignment: Activities or lesson plans designed to enable students to learn skills and knowledge: (i) Offline assignment, submission, and assessment (ii) Online assignment, and submission, and Offline assessment (iii) Online assignment, submission, and assessment 7.2.6 Assessment, Evaluation, Final Examination and Evaluation tools: a. Offline assessments and examination, b. Assessments of learning are usually grade-based, and may include class tests, quizzes, written exams, viva-voce, portfolios, final projects, and standardized tests, confirmative assessment. c. LMS based Proctored content delivery with in-build continuous/ formative/summative assessment to check leaning outcomes. It is suggested to use Open source LMS product, with creation of SCORM compliant content for interoperability. d. Online Question Bank: multiple-choice, pictographic inferential, matching, sequence hotspot, True/false, fill-in-the-blanks, file upload and essay e. Group Examinations f. On-demand Examinations: Offer examination on demand to offer more flexibility and student centricity g. Assessment tools with built-in controls used for checking students' attention, understanding and assimilation of the subject h. Assessment Engine with facility to check for learning outcomes i. Proctored Open book examination: offline or online j. Minor/Major project work execution and evaluation k. Viva-Voce: offline, online l. Evaluation Interviews: offline, online m. Proctored Online with built-in controls, biometrics, security, evaluation etc. n. Examination with built-in controls, biometrics, security, evaluation etc. o. AR/VR/XR may also be used for assessments 7.2.7 On the job training (OJT), Internship, Apprenticeship a. Structure of OJT/Apprenticeship to ensure the learning outcomes b. Offline: OJT, Internship, Apprenticeship at actual workplace/ project sight c. Online training: For all jobs which are to be delivered/ performed online or in a remote mode OJT, Internship, Apprenticeship d. Simulation training in the near actual job environment e. Proctored Online with built-in controls, biometrics, security, evaluation of the quality and efficiency of output f. Digital mode of Apprenticeship may be used for tech courses or where Digital Twins are used g. There should be a well-defined candidate's evaluation checklist for every type of OJT, Internship and Apprenticeship. 7.2.8 Other learning Resources a. Books in English, Hindi and other Indian languages b. Voiceover commentary in English, Hindi and other Indian languages c. Curated and Proctored Quality Digital e-content with in-build formative assessment with backend LMS to store progress of learning outcomes. d. Online curated self-learning e. From the perspective of adoption and implementation, NOS based blended learning modules approach may be used. 7.2.9 Special Resources required for PwD learners a. From PwD Perspective we may add features on accessibility like ISL Window, short and precise frozen captioning. b. Along with being disability friendly, LMS must also have a voice command feature so that learners may be able to access content without major readability issues. c. We may need a few additions from an accessibility perspective in order to make the content ready for the Training of PwD in line with the standard process that we follow at our end. d. The institutions implementing such training will increasingly need to use frameworks such as Universal Design of Learning to create flexible and fulfilling learning environments. e. IT literacy may also be thoroughly required for the special education teachers / skill trainers as well as students. 7.2.10 Implementation Challenges a. One challenge may be the budget required for the IT Infrastructure required for blended Training Delivery as acquiring Software technology and hardware may be costly especially in the Disability Sector. Creating such infrastructure is challenging and needs significant financial assistance. b. There is a big gap in terms of understanding the Blended Learning system which transcends to improper usage in implementation by Skilling Partners and in learning by learners, especially the Millennials and Gen Z for whom traditional ways are like the natural first. c. Qualified and Skilled Industrial Trainer: The competency of trainers in blended learning modules will be key to effective delivery of training. The Awarding bodies should focus on this aspect also while rolling out blended learning courses. d. With regards to online Assessments, it has been observed that young learners are also smart enough to find creative ways to beat the systems, which need to be checked. e. Capacity building: The other big uphill task for blended learning is the availability and creation of the content. There is a dearth of people with appropriate skill sets like Academic/Skill-based Content Writers, Instructional Designers, etc. f. Therefore, there is an immediate need to build the capacity of Content Creators, Content Writers, Instructional Designers, etc. We need to bridge the gap between SMEs (Trainers and Assessors) understanding and adoption of blended learning. We need to train young and existing learners on 'How to learn through blended learning mediums and make the most of it'. 7.3 Components of Vocational Education, Training and Skilling Ecosystem | Theory/Lectures Imparting theoretical and conceptual knowledge | Imparting Soft Skills and Life Skills/ Employability Skills Mentorship to learners | Showing Demonstrations to the learners | Imparting Practical Skills Skills for working with Hands Lab Work | Ratio of Offline: Online | Tools to be used (Tentative) |----------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------|---------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------| | • Major Activities covered under this component | | | | | | | | • Delivery of the content on theory/ conceptual knowledge: | | | | | | | | • One-to-Many | • 21st century Skills | • Videos | • Self-Explanatory video demonstrations of processes for better understanding. | • Learning hand and other skills | • Physical mode – classroom | • Assessment | | • One-to-one | • Communication Skills | • Social Training | • Physical site visits-for actual touch and feel | • Practicing and sharpening the hand skills. | • Class tutorials for clearing doubts | • Continuous Assessment | | • Many-to-Many | • English Skills | • On-line Quiz | • Practical demonstration of activity in | • Doing practical in the Laboratory, Virtual Labs | • Assignments: Activities or lesson plans designed to enable students | • Class tests, quiz, written exams, viva-voce, portfolios, final projects and standardize d tests | | • Online curated self-learning | • Digital Literacy, IT, Collaboration | | • Simulation | • Gamification | | • Examinationns | | | • Financial and legal literacy | | • Digital | • Digital | | | | | • Customer Service | | | | | | | | • Sensitivity to gender, SEDG, PWD | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | • Face-to-Face teaching and learning | • Classroom: Actual Physical learning with a teacher/ instructor | • Presentations | • Videos | • Physical product is created as part of skilling in Lab/ Workshop/ Shopfloor | • Classroom Tutorials | • Class tests, Quiz | | | • Classroom: Robot Led learning | • Group Discussions | • Social Training | • At home or own place of learner Simulation | • Offline assignments, submission, and assessments | • Viva-voce | | | • Classroom: Broadcasted/ podcasted lecture | • Case Studies | • On-line Quiz | • Online assignments, submission, and offline assessments | • Interviews | • Minor/ Major projects | | | | • Social Training | | • Classroom/home assignments | • Semester Examinations | | | | | • On-line Quiz | | • Minor/major projects | • Competitions | | | | | | | | | | | • Online Course/ Online Course Module Methodology on on-line Training | • Lectures through Broadcast/ TV Channels | • eLearning resources | • Video Instructional. | • Virtual Labs | • Online interactive mode (two-way) Instructor/ teacher led | • Online Assessment Tools | | | • Video Modules (Recorded) | • Practicing simultaneous online assessments | • Actual Plant/ process videos. | • Gamification | • Online interactive mode (two-way) AI/ Robot Led | • Quiz/ Test. | | | • Web eLearning | • Presentation | • AR/VR/XR | • Digital Twins | • Simulated online Discussion/ GD room | • E-Portfolio: | | | • Online curated self-learning | • Social Networking Tool-Via Projects, | • Illustration/ Graphic/ GIF: Photographic Image | • Animation | | • Proctored Online assessment with built-in controls, biometrics, security, evaluation of the quality and efficiency of output | | | • Presentations | | • Instruction based Drill and Practice | • Instruction based Drill and Practice | | • Formative assessment | | | • Micro learning (Consisting of Micro Nuggets) | | | | | • Digital Twins | | | • Mobile Learning | | | | | | | | • The metaverse | | | | | | | | • Experiential and project-based learning | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | • The ratios of learning hours between online/ offline | • Proctored online content delivery with in-build formative assessment with full backend LMS to capture student details on learning time, assessments etc: Can be up to 80% online. | • Simulated online Discussion/ GD room with students available: upto 50% to 70% | • For all skills, where a physical product is created, at least 50% shall be on practical demonstrations of ions and site visits | • 100% offline without the use of any technology tools. | • 70% offline and upto 30% online where a physical product is created | • For cases where a physical product is created, this can be in ratio of 40:60, where 60% is the time to be spent on product/ job creation by student. | • For all shop-floor based job roles, Job roles requiring physical presence: 100% offline. | | | • Without use of appropriate tech tools, 80% Offline and only upto 20% online otherwise. | • Without use of appropriate tech tools, 80% Offline and only upto 20% online otherwise. | • Can be up to 100% online for all online technology products and services depending on-line. | • For most skill qualifications this shall not be more than 30% | • Can be 80% online for Proctored one-to-one or one-to-many tutorial | • This may further be monitored by an expert physically or in a remote way Real-time or as a video. | • In case Simulation, upto 50% online based on area. | | • Specific Sectors may recommend higher percentage of offline components as per needs. | • Check for body language tech tools with the soft skills: 20% online | • Can be up to 100% online for all online technology products and services depending on-line. | • Depending upon sectors/ qualifications unless higher technology products and services could be justified. | • Can be 80% online for Proctored one-to-one or one-to-many tutorial | • Upto 100% online, with availability of fully technology | • For on online/ remote job roles: 60% to 80% online. | | | • Assessments | | | • In case of Simulation, upto 50% online based on area (e.g. aviation) | • Can be 50-100% | | • Can be up to 90% online in case of usage of Digital Twins. | | | | | | • Can be 50-100% | | | • With Metaverse becoming reality, the online usage may be relooked | | | | | | | | | • Can be 100% online for virtual internships and apprenticeships for jobs that are 100% virtual to | | | | | | | | | | | • Material Type | • Qualification/ Syllabus | • Video Content | • Simulators | • Simulation Engines to simulate the almost real like situations. | • Simulation Engines to simulate the almost real like situations. | • Online Question Bank: multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blanks, file upload and essay Assessment Engine | • Structure of OJT to ensure the learning outcomes | | | • Books/ e-books | • Presentations | • Digital Twins | • Digital Twins | • Digital | | | | | • E-Content/ Curated digital content | • AR/VR/XR Content | • Resources to create a physical product | • Resources to create a physical product | | | | | | • Video Content | • Two-way video platforms | | | | | | | | • E- | | | | | | | 11.7 The Director General Training (DGT), MSDE, has proposed blending ratio (Offline: Online) for the delivery of some of its courses based on current practice, which may evolve based on the courses and state of technology & content maturity. The theoretical and conceptual knowledge may be delivered in 60% offline and 40% online mode. With a large number of technology-based tools available for teaching soft skills, life skills and employability skills, they can have slightly higher online touch points and may be delivered in 50% offline and 50% online mode or as specified in the section 7.3. The practicals may be demonstrated 60% in offline and 40% in online mode, as it requires demonstration of hand skills in most courses. Also, the practical hands-on skills/ skills for working with hands/ Lab Work/ workshop/ shop floor training/ may be imparted in 80% offline and 20% online mode, giving more focus to hand skills. The tutorials, assignments, drill, and practice may be covered in 70% offline and 30% online mode. The Proctored Monitoring/ Assessment/ Evaluation/ Examinations may be conducted in 30% offline and 70% online mode. Whereas OJT/ Project work/ Internship/ Apprenticeship for the current Training may be provided in 90% offline and 10% online mode for their qualifications. Note: The blended ratios mentioned above are for some of the DGT courses. This ratio may change over the period of time with the change of technologies and/ or by feedback received from different stakeholders regarding the impact of the offered blended course. It is only for the reference purpose. It is also suggested to restrict the usage of online assessment based on the course, expected outcomes and the modes of learning and demonstrations. Some of Features expected as part of LMS are documented in Annexure A and the list of desired features for an Assessment Engine is listed in Annexure B. 12 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION With Digital First as a strategy, it is desirable to go with Blended learning in the VET and skill Courses to improve its reach and help learners to learn at their own pace. To the extent possible, the course and its assessment may be made available in an on-line way, with the trainees trained to look and use the available resources at their convenience. For every sector and every qualification/ course, the percentage of blend of different components and flexibility may vary based on the practical hands-on skills involved in each of these and its expected outcomes. For some of the courses for Vocation Education, training and Skills, it is necessary to have laboratory/ workshop/ shop floor experience, with hands-on experience to build and integrate. These guidelines are flexible enough to incorporate the changing technology landscape and also look at the requirement of student teacher interaction and need for "hand skills". Based on the skill to be imparted, the course designer and the course instructor can have the flexibility to use different tools in different components of learning and assessment process. Since NCrF does not mention credit assignment based on the delivery pattern of the course, overall credit assignment is expected to remain in line with the NCrF guidelines. This will provide the learner with flexibility of learning without making any compromise with the National Credit framework (NCrF). ANNEXURE A: The key features and functionality that should be part of any modern Learning Management System (LMS): (a) Learner-Centric Experience: The purpose of deploying an LMS is to ultimately train students, learners, employees, external users, channel partners, etc. LMS should be configurable and tailor the learning experience to each user or user group and provide a Brand for creating a learner-centric experience. (b) Intuitive User Experience: LMS should be easy to navigate and highlights the important information users want to see front and centre. The interface should be clean and modern and offer basic customizations to suit the needs of your team. When navigation is hard and users can't easily find what they need, that can have a negative impact on training completion. (c) Mobile Capabilities: The shift to mobile isn't a new trend, therefore the LMS should at least be mobile-responsive, resizing appropriately based on screen size, have native mobile apps to make training on-the-go even easier. One of the biggest benefits to these mobile apps is the offline sync feature that can save information and coursework even when a user isn't connected to a network. (d) Built-in Reporting: LMS reports will help you prove training ROI to stakeholders and executives. Run demos, and ask each vendor questions about how reports are run, what information can be shown, how deep the reports go, etc. Comprehensive reporting will make it easier to measure specific training metrics gauge effectiveness. (e) Native Integrations: A great LMS will easily integrate with most training systems to make data syncing easier. This becomes increasingly important for Awarding Bodies and Assessment Agencies who enforce specific training deadlines as a prerequisite for assessments. These integrations can come as out-of-the-box integrations or be custom built. (f) Surveys, Feedback and Pre/Post Training Assessment: Taking advantage of survey tools to administer pre-training assessments, post-training evaluations, and gain training feedback which can help significantly improve training effectiveness. In a modern LMS, this survey tool should be integrated into the system, and administrators and should be able to quickly create reports based on the collected data. (g) Blended Learning Capabilities: Online training makes up the majority of what happens in an LMS, but VET and Skilling still need a more blended learning approach that incorporates instructor-led and on-the-job training for which the LMS must track online registrations for in-person trainings, send email and SMS reminders, print sign-in sheets, and more. (h) Technology Features: Ο Industry Compliance: LMS must also conform to the industry standards. Ideally it should be SCORM or Experience API (XAPI). Ο It should also be possible to follow the National Digital Education Architecture (NDEAR) guidelines and create the desired integration points to "Digital Ecosystem for Skilling and Livelihood" (DESH) portal Ο System should be able to give information in a secure way and also adhere to the data privacy guidelines, laid by the GOI Ο The LMS should be flexible enough to create NOS based qualifications and provide information based on NOS based compliance Ο Product should have the basis built-in governance for role management. Ο Ideally, platform for LMS should be scalable and also provide for Platform as a Service (PaaS) ANNEXURE B: KEY FEATURES OF ASSESSMENT ENGINE This Annexure lists out the desired features in an Assessment engine used for VET. 1. Product Features: a) Should support Multi-lingual Solution both for product and Question Bank b) Should allow the following features in Questions ■ Questions Randomization and NOS based question Π Possibility to create questions of different difficulty levels Π Ability to use Images/Media/Map in the questions Π Facility to Create Multi-Skilling, Cross-Function Skilling Assessment Π Ability to add Case Studies (Scenario based questions) and Ability to include Descriptive Question/Answers c) Usage of AI for face recognition and expression recognition during exam d) Robust Concurrency, Integration, if possible, to Simulation/Gamification tools, and off-line assessments e) Should enable integration to LMS to support formative assessment, as required 2. Desirable Accessibility (Product for PwD) Features a) Ability to Convert Questions to voice and vice Versa, as required b) Learning Disabilities (LD): Questions and Answers in Text format, Questions and Answers in Audio format, Questions and Answers in Video and Image format, Screen Zoom, Word Zoom and Image Zoom functionality c) Low vision (LV) or visually impaired (VI) candidates: Questions and Answers in Audio format, Screen Zoom and Word Zoom functionality d) Intellectual disability (ID)-Questions and Answers in Text format, Questions and Answers in Video and Image format, Screen Zoom, Word Zoom and Image Zoom functionality e) Speech and Hearing-Impaired people (SHI): Questions and Answers in Text format, Questions and Answers in Video with text caption and Image format, Screen Zoom, Word Zoom and Image Zoom functionality f) Product cleared via Accessibility framework tests 3. Analytics: The product should also support the desired analytics providing details at the level of students', examiners and question, NOS wise and qualification. 4. Desirable Certifications: ISO 27001, ISO 17024(2012) 5. Data Security and Privacy Guidelines a) Data Encryption as required in transmission and storage b) Certification of Penetration testing/Ethical Hacking c) Encryption in transit with SSL/TLS protection for data transmitted between candidate and Mobile application d) Secure APIs e) Product should conform to the Data Privacy guidelines of GOI. Guidelines for storage of data such as UID, students' behaviour and related data must be followed 6. Governance: a) Timed Application and Detailed Audit Logs together with log of browser activities b) Multiple Log-in Restriction/Simultaneous Login Attempts together with blocking of multiple Log-in attempts c) Copy Paste Restrictions d) Assessment is restricted with IP based authentication and authorization e) Random Photo Snap Capture and Realtime Audio/Video feed f) Geo location with time stamp tracking g) Face Authentication and Multiple Face/ Device Detection during assessment time using AI h) Product should be user friendly and support the difficulties faced at remote locations. It may support a combination of off-line/online version to address that. 7. Usage of Bloom Taxonomy for Creation of Question Bank may be done and the product should also be built with Brower and device tolerance B ANNEXURE C: EXPLANATORY NOTES FOR THE TERMS USED IN THE ABOVE SECTION. • Augmented Reality (AR)/ Virtual Reality (VR)/ Extended Reality (XR): Augmented reality (AR) is an interactive experience of a real-world environment where the objects that reside in the real world are enhanced by computer-generated perceptual information, sometimes across multiple sensory modalities, including visual, auditory, haptic, somatosensory and olfactory. (Reference: Wikipedia) Virtual reality (VR) is a simulated experience that can be similar to or completely different from the real world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (particularly video games), education (such as medical or military training) and business (such as virtual meetings). (Reference: Wikipedia) Extended reality (XR) is a term referring to all real-and-virtual combined environments and human-machine interactions generated by computer technology and wearables. (Reference: Wikipedia) • Learning Management System (LMS): A Learning Management System (LMS) is an online system or software which is used to plan, execute, and assess a specific learning process including the administration, personalized delivery, documentation, tracking, reporting, automation, and delivery of educational courses, training programs, continuous/ formative assessment to check leaning outcomes and learning and development programs. LMS is a digital learning environment that manages all aspects of learning efforts. It also manages user information for including their user profile, job roles and preferences. The LMS is used to support learning by providing a space where materials can be stored and organised, assessments can be given, and students and teachers can interact using blogs, forums, and so on. LMS solution should be Learner-Centric Experience, Intuitive User Experience, Mobile Capabilities, Built-in Reporting, Native Integrations, Surveys, Blended Learning Capabilities, and Regular Updates etc. • Presentation: Teaching materials (text and multimedia) that are used to present curriculum and concepts to learners Virtual Classroom/ Online instructor assisted learning in interactive mode • Video - Instructional: A recording of moving visual images that show real people, places and things that enable students to learn skills or knowledge. • Illustration/ Graphic/ GIF: Visual concepts, models, and/or processes (that are not photographic images) that visually present concepts, models, and/or processes that enable students to learn skills or knowledge. These can be diagrams, illustrations, graphics, or infographics in any file format including Photoshop, Illustrator and other similar file types. • Photographic Image – Instructional: Photos or images of real people, places or things that visually presents concepts, processes and/or phenomena that enable students to learn skills or knowledge. These can be photographs, images, or stock photography. • Animation: The animations visually and dynamically present the concepts, models, processes, and/or phenomena in space or time. • Gamification: Gamification is a tool for learning which uses a concept of “Enjoy while you Learn", to capture interest of learner. Additionally, it can provide immediate feedback and help in reflecting on personalized performance, achievements, strengths and weakness, leading to higher engagement levels of learner. • Development Tool: Software development applications platforms for authoring technology-based resources (e.g. web sites, learning objects, apps.). • Hackathon: Hackathons can be presented as competitions, celebrations or as any other mode that focus on active engagement of the participants. This enhances the effect of delivery of education and training. While organising Hackathon, one should remember to have: a clear purpose, a dedicated team and committed organiser. • Hybrid/ Blended Course: The organization and presentation of course curriculum required to deliver a complete course that blends online and face-to-face teaching and learning activities. • Learning Object Repository: A searchable database of at least 100 online resources that is available on the Internet and whose search result displays an ordered hit list of items with a minimum of title metadata. A webpage with a list of links is not a learning object repository. • Online Course: The organization and presentation of course curriculum required to deliver a complete course fully online. Online Course Module: A component or section of a course curriculum that can be presented fully online and independent from the complete course. • Simulator: A simulator is a program or machine that simulates a real-life situation, meaning that it creates a virtual version of it, often for the purpose of instruction or experiment, such as a flight simulator. Simulator approximates a real or imaginary experience where users' actions affect the outcomes of tasks they have to complete. Users determine and input initial conditions that generate output that is different from and changed by the initial conditions. An example of a simulation is a fire drill. In this situation, a fire drill is used to prepare people for an anticipated event. During fire drills, the fire alarm is activated in the absence of a real fire, and people are instructed to react as they would if the scenario were real. • Digital Twin: A digital twin is a virtual representation of an object or system that spans its lifecycle, is updated from real-time data, and uses simulation, machine learning and reasoning to help decision-making. • Metaverse: The metaverse is a virtual reality world where users can interact, game and experience things as they would in the real world. Using current AR and VR tech, they can immerse into this world and interact with overlaying objects and people in the visual projected in front of them. The metaverse can be defined as a simulated digital environment that uses augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and blockchain, along with concepts from social media, to create spaces for rich user interaction mimicking the real world. • Virtual labs: Virtual labs are interactive, digital simulations of activities that typically take place in physical laboratory settings. Virtual labs simulate the tools, equipment, tests, and procedures used in chemistry, biochemistry, physics, biology, and other disciplines. A virtual laboratory is an on-screen simulator or calculator that helps test ideas and observe results. Learners use advanced technology to perform a series of experiments that yield authentic results. Virtual training labs are cloud-based training environments that emphasize an online, hands-on learning experience over a passive classroom-based one. • Tutorial: Learners navigate through a set of scaffolded learning activities designed to meet stated learning outcomes, structured to impart specific concepts or skills, and organized sequentially to integrate conceptual presentation, demonstration, practice and testing. Feedback on learner performance is an essential component of a tutorial. • Drill and Practice: Requires users to respond repeatedly to questions or stimuli presented in a variety of sequences. Users practice on their own, at their own pace, to develop their ability to reliably perform and demonstrate the target knowledge and skills. Practicing the theoretical knowledge for validating the concepts and sharpening the hand skills. • Case Study: A narrative resource describing a complex interaction of real-life factors to help illustrate the impact and/or interactions of concepts and factors in depth. • Question Bank: A Question Bank is an online place to centrally store and manage all your quiz, assessment and examination questions, organized by category. Any type of question can be added to the bank including, multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blanks, file upload and essay. • Quiz/ Test: Any assessment device intended to evaluate the knowledge and/or skills of learners. • Proctored Assessment, Exam: A "proctor" is a supervisor, or a person who monitors students during an examination. A proctored exam is an exam given when someone is watching you. Online video proctoring means that a test-taker's entire proctoring session is either being streamed live or being recorded by the system automatically, using a webcam. The exam administrator closely monitors video details to examine suspicious activities during an online exam. A proctored exam is a supervised test. An instructor or an approved proctor monitors the student during the test. The proctor ensures that the rules and requirements of the exam are followed. Remote proctoring is a service that emulates the role of an on-site proctor – confirming the identity of the test-taker and safeguarding the integrity of the exam using an internet-delivered or phone-delivered assessment monitored by our offsite proctor. • E-Portfolio: A collection of electronic materials assembled and managed by a learner. These may include text, electronic files, images, multimedia, blog entries, and links etc. An e-portfolio – a type of learning record that provides actual evidence of achievement. • Social Networking Tool- self-identified user groups for the purpose of sharing information, calls for actions, and reactions. • Reference material Ο Qualification/ Syllabus: A document or website that outlines the requirements and expectations for completing a course of study. Course Outlines would also be included in this. Ο Reference Material: Subject specific directories to other sites, texts, or general information are examples. Ο Collection: A meaningful organization of learning resources such as web sites, documents, apps, etc. that provides users an easier way to discover the materials. Ο Open Journal – Article: A journal or article in a journal that is free of cost from the end user and has a Creative Commons, public domain, or other acceptable use license agreement. Ο Open Textbook: An online textbook offered by its author(s) with Creative Commons, public domain, or other acceptable use license agreement allowing use of the e-book at no additional cost COL. GUNJAN CHOWDHARY, Secy. [ADVT.-III/4/Exty./215/2025-26] Uploaded by Dte. of Printing at Government of India Press, Ring Road, Mayapuri, New Delhi-110064 and Published by the Controller of Publications, Delhi-110054. GORAKHA NATH YADAVA Digitally signed by GORAKHA NATH YADAVA Date: 2025.07.11 11:40:22 +05'30'