Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh State Council of Higher Education (APSCHE) is set to launch a state-wide digital learning platform on November 11 to expand access to online education for students and faculty members across the state.
Named APSCHE LMS–MOOCs, the platform will enable students to register, browse and enrol in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), access digital learning materials, participate in assessments and track their academic progress. The initiative is expected to provide a common digital learning space for students and faculty from higher education institutions across Andhra Pradesh.
The platform is being launched on National Education Day, observed annually on November 11 to mark the birth anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, India's first Education Minister. APSCHE Chairman S Vijayabhaskar Rao is scheduled to launch the initiative.
The first phase will focus on courses in artificial intelligence (AI), with plans to introduce learning modules in other emerging technology areas, including quantum technologies. The AI courses are intended for students from different academic disciplines, allowing learners in fields such as commerce, management, humanities, life sciences and computer science to access relevant learning resources.
The platform is expected to host video lectures, assignments, quizzes, webinars, curated digital resources, sessions with industry experts and facilities for clearing students' doubts. It will also allow faculty members from different institutions to contribute to and update course content, creating opportunities for academic collaboration.
APSCHE is also working towards integrating the platform with the Academic Bank of Credits (ABC), which could enable students to accumulate and transfer credits in accordance with applicable regulations. Such integration is expected to support flexible learning pathways and allow students to access courses beyond those offered by their respective institutions.
The initiative follows a five-day faculty development programme organised by APSCHE in collaboration with Acharya Nagarjuna University under the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) from June 29 to July 3. Faculty members from universities and colleges across the state participated in training on online course design, digital content development and learning management systems.
The platform's reach will depend on the range of courses made available, participation from institutions and students' access to digital devices and reliable internet connectivity.
