The Orientation Programme will be of three weeks duration, with minimum of 18 working days (excluding Sundays) and 108 contact hours (six hours a day).

Every new faculty member in higher education will be required to undergo a four week Orientation / First level Programme which will be focused on some broad area of knowledge spanning a few allied disciplines.

The objective of the orientation programme is to make teachers an agent of socioeconomic change and put them in centre stage of national development. The programme shall have the following components:

• 10% weight for topics in higher education such as issues of ethics, gender, marginalized communities, plagiarism etc.
• 10% weight for issues related to environment.
• 10% weight for issues concerning service matters of teachers.
• 20% for broad cross discipline topics to motivate the trainees for development of interdisciplinary understanding and interest including basic legal awareness.
• 10% weight for Research Methodology.
• 15% weight for Communication Skills and Information Technology.
• 10% weight for Microteaching
• The remaining 15% of content of the First Level Programme will be focused on broad understanding of various subjects with recent global trends and developments.

ELIGIBILITY :

Teachers working in universities and colleges that are included under Section 2(f) of the UGC Act, even though they may not yet be fit to be included under Section 12 (B), may be invited to participate in the Orientation Programmes and Refresher Programmes. The teachers of colleges that do not yet come within the purview of Section 12(B), but have been affiliated to a university for at least two years, will be permitted to participate in the programmes/courses. However, they won’t be paid TA/DA and other allowances for attending these courses.

Newly appointed Assistant Professors within two years of continuous service and all those teachers who require orientation for getting a higher grade will be allowed. Attendance in Orientation programmes would be must for placement in the higher grade pay.

If a participant fails to complete the requisite contact hours in a programme, he may be permitted to make up for the backlog hours at his/her own cost in another programme by the RCCB and HRDCs concerned.

Part time/ Ad hoc/temporary/contract teachers who have been teaching for at least three academic sessions in an institution which has been affiliated to a University for at least two years may be permitted to participate in the Orientation Programme/ Refresher Course to enhance their skills.

Miscellaneous Provisions

• No candidate will be allowed to attend the orientation/refresher programme if he/she does not attend the inaugural lecture of the said programme.
• As this is a contact based programme, no teacher will be allowed to leave during the operation of the programme. However, in case of emergency with the permission of the Director of RCCB and HRDC, the participant can be allowed in exceptional circumstances to attend the similar number of hours in the next programme to complete the course. No certificate is to be issued to any participant unless adequate numbers of hours are completed by the concerned participant.
• The number of participants for each course/programme should not be less than 30 failing which course/programme will be considered as non-functional.

The refresher course will be of two weeks duration, with minimum of 12 working days (excluding Sundays) and 72 contact hours (six hours a day).

These will be mainly focused for those faculty members who have already undergone through the Orientation/First Level Programme in an indentified broad area. The programme will be discipline specific with advanced developments in an identified subject under the concerned broad area. In addition, there will be Refresher Programmes, geared towards emerging cross discipline advanced studies to enable the participants of relevant disciplines to work together or contemporary application of new knowledge for industrial and social development and other allied aspects. The goal would be to equip and motivate the participants with advanced knowledge to accept challenges of quality teaching and research.

ELIGIBILITY :

Teachers working in universities and colleges that are included under Section 2(f) of the UGC Act, even though they may not yet be fit to be included under Section 12 (B), may be invited to participate in the Orientation Programmes and Refresher Programmes. The teachers of colleges that do not yet come within the purview of Section 12(B), but have been affiliated to a university for at least two years, will be permitted to participate in the programmes/courses. However, they won’t be paid TA/DA and other allowances for attending these courses.

Participation in the Orientation Programme is a prerequisite for admission. However, in exceptional cases a teacher may be allowed to complete a Refresher Course prior to completion of an Orientation Programme. Also, there should be a minimum gap of one year between two courses, though it may be relaxed if adequate number of participants is not available or it is essential for the teacher to fulfill eligibility conditions for career advancement.

If a participant fails to complete the requisite contact hours in a programme, he may be permitted to make up for the backlog hours at his/her own cost in another programme by the RCCB and HRDCs concerned.

Part time/Ad hoc/temporary/contract teachers who have been teaching for at least three academic sessions in an institution which has been affiliated to a University for at least two years may be permitted to participate in the Orientation Programme/ Refresher Course to enhance their skills.

Permission to attend Refresher Courses during the period of the Teacher's Fellowship

Teachers' fellowships as well as Refresher Courses/Orientation Programmes are meant for professional development. A teacher interested in attending Refresher Courses (as per the requirements of career advancement) during the period of fellowship should not be denied the opportunity as it supplements his/her professional development. Therefore, the UGC has decided to permit the teacher fellows to attend a Refresher Course provided:
i.      He/she surrenders living expenses for the period he/she is attending the Refresher Course, and agrees to submit to the RCCB and HRDCs an undertaking to this effect through the concerned research centre before joining the course.
ii.      He/she attends the Refresher Course in the subject that is relevant to his/her research.
iii.     No extension in the teacher fellowship is sought on these grounds.

Miscellaneous Provisions

• No candidate will be allowed to attend the orientation/refresher programme if he/she does not attend the inaugural lecture of the said programme.
• As this is a contact based programme, no teacher will be allowed to leave during the operation of the programme. However, in case of emergency with the permission of the Director of RCCB and HRDC, the participant can be allowed in exceptional circumstances to attend the similar number of hours in the next programme to complete the course. No certificate is to be issued to any participant unless adequate numbers of hours are completed by the concerned participant.
• The number of participants for each course/programme should not be less than 30 failing which course/programme will be considered as non-functional.

These will be organized for shorter duration of 3-6 days duration especially on research methodology and specialised themes of interest.

ELIGIBILITY :

Teachers working in universities and colleges that are included under Section 2(f) of the UGC Act, even though they may not yet be fit to be included under Section 12 (B), may be invited to participate in the Workshops. The teachers of colleges that do not yet come within the purview of Section 12(B), but have been affiliated to a university for at least two years, will be permitted to participate in the programmes/courses.

If a participant fails to complete the requisite contact hours in a programme, he may be permitted to make up for the backlog hours at his/her own cost in another programme by the RCCB and HRDCs concerned.

Miscellaneous Provisions

• No candidate will be allowed to attend the workshop if he/she does not attend the inaugural lecture of the said programme.
• As this is a contact based programme, no teacher will be allowed to leave during the operation of the programme. However, in case of emergency with the permission of the Director of RCCB and HRDC, the participant can be allowed in exceptional circumstances to attend the similar number of hours in the next programme to complete the course. No certificate is to be issued to any participant unless adequate numbers of hours are completed by the concerned participant.
• The number of participants for each course/programme should not be less than 30 failing which course/programme will be considered as non-functional.