786

The Islamia University of Bahawalpur

REGULATIONS FOR DISTANCE EDUCATION
UNDERGRADUATE/POSTGRADUATE/MPHIL & PHD ACADEMIC
PROGRAMMES UNDER SEMESTER SYSTEM
These rules will be called the Islamia University of Bahawalpur distance
education rules and will be effective from the year 2011.
Preamble
The Institute of Distance Education intends to make a history of preparing
professionals in all fields and to promote a culture of learning through modern
technology. It aims to foster a culture of education within a diverse community of
learners without limiting them within campus walls but to make their work and
living places as learning stations.
The distance education system will be operated through Program Committee,
Program Coordinator and Course Coordinator. Each course coordinator will
prepare self learning course material. The course material will include course
outline with detailed contents, handouts, activities, assignments and examinations
schedule. The same will be gradually prepared in electronic (CDs) format. The
students will study the instructional material at their homes or work place through
self-study approach and complete the assignments given to them. At the end of 7
weeks there will a face to face two days workshop for each course. The main
areas of course contents will be discussed during the workshops along with
students individual/group presentations. Course Coordinator will conduct the
workshop and at the end of each course workshop she/he will take the mid-term
examination and announce the result before the end of workshop. Similarly, after
15th week of the semester second workshop will be conducted of 2 days duration
by the Course Coordinator and conduct final-term examination. The complete
result of the semester will be announced at the end of final-term workshop. When
possible the selected lectures and material will be uploaded on the
varsity/Institutes website for open access to all the students with log in details.
Academic guidance will be made through e-mail, audio and video-conferences,
Mobile technology and local study centers. The learning of the students will be
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evaluated through mid-term examination (30%), final term examination (50%) and
assignments/presentations (20%). Following table shows the details of the
workshops and assessment.

S. NO

Workshops and assessment

Orientation Workshop

One day in the beginning of the program

Mid-semester Workshop 8-12 days after seven weeks (02 days for
each course)

1-

Mid-term exam

At the end of each course workshop

Final-semester

8-12 days after seven weeks (02 days for

Workshop

each course)

Final-term exam

At the end of each course workshop

Admission schedule and eligibility criteria

The approved programs offered for students through distance education
will be advertised with the formal admission schedule. These admissions
may be once a year in fall semester or twice a year in both fall and winter
semesters. Each year the fall semester will start normally from September
of the current year and will continue to January of the next year while the
spring semester will be operated from February to June.
The eligibility for admission in each program will be determined by the
department and it will normally be according to the criteria set for the same
degree in formal mode and it should meet the basic admission
requirements decided by HEC.

2-

Scheme of study and distribution of courses

Each of the programs offered through distance education will normally
follow the rules already made for regular face to face teaching in terms of
credit hours, duration, number of regular semesters and credit hours per
semester. These durations and credits are based on the standards set by

HEC and are subject to change on the directions of HEC issued from time
to time.

Program

BS four
Year

Total No. of Credit Hours

Semester Duration

Number

of

Regular

Master

M. Phil

PhD

two year

124-136

62-68

30

30

16-18

16-18

16-18

16-18

Weeks

Weeks

Weeks

Weeks

15-18

15-18

15-18

15-18

Credit

Credit

Credit

Credit

Hours

Hours

Hours

Hours

Semesters

Credit hours per Semester

Explanation: A department may swap the courses of different semesters

according to the needs or the availability of teaching faculty.
3-

Program and course coordinators

Each department will have one program coordinator who will be
responsible for smooth functioning of the program starting from admission
to the end of graduation. If a department is offering more than one
programs through DE it may have more than one program coordinators.
Similarly, for each course within a program there will be one course
coordinator for each course who will prepare course book/study
guide/course guide. The course material will include course material on the
selected contents according to the format provided by IDE. The same will
be prepared in book/module/electronic (CDs) format and distributed among
the students. The course coordinator will be responsible to conduct
workshops of the assigned course in the form of presentations. She/he will
also be responsible for preparing mid/final term papers at the end of each
workshop and handover the marked scripts within two days to the program
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coordinator to show the students and declare the result before the end of
the workshop.
4-

Program committee
There will be a program committee that will consist of the following
members:
a) For Departments of Main Campuses in Bahawalpur
i)

Head of the department/Chairperson

ii)

Program coordinator

iii)

Course coordinators (may be upto six)

iv)

One representative from IDE

v)

Controller of Examinations, IUB or his nominee not below the

rank of

Admin Officer.

b) For Sub-Campuses of IUB

i)

Director

ii)

Chairperson/Head of the Department

iii)

Program Coordinator/s

iv)

Course coordinator/s

v)

One representative from IDE

vi)

Controller of examinations, IUB or his nominee not below the

rank of

Admin Officer.

c) For Constituent Colleges of IUB

i)

Principal

ii)

Chairperson/Head of the Department

iii)

Program Coordinator/s

iv)

Course coordinator/s

v)

One representative from IDE

vi)

Controller of Examinations, IUB or his nominee not below the

rank of

Admin Officer.

5.1- Functions of the Program Committee

i)

Prepare and announce schedule of examination

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ii)

Conduct the examination process according to the schedule

iii)

Maintain secrecy where required

iv)

Maintain the examination record

v)

Entertain & dispose of rechecking cases as per university

general rules

5.2- Functions of the Examination Committee

The main functions of the Committee will be:
i)

Prepare and recommend course/s of program/s, Contents and

material of the courses to the departmental Board of studies for
further recommendations

ii)

Prepare and announce academic schedule of the workshops,

distribution of material, submission of assignments, mid/final term
examinations and any other mode of teaching-learning and
evaluation. The academic schedule must be sent to the Controller
of Examinations for information

iii)

Finalize the results after the completion of evaluation process for

notification

iv)

Analyze the results for the purpose of maintaining uniform

standards

v)

Review

and

make

decision

regarding

learning

material,

assignments or marking of scripts on student/s request after the

submission of prescribed fee
vi)

Take the necessary action against the student/s involved in

malpractices

or

misconduct

during

the

examination.

The

examination committee may impose a penalty/penalties mentioned

below against each type of malpractice:

Malpractices or misconduct
Cheating during exam

Penalty
Fine of Rs: 1000/- or Cancellation of
paper or both

Seek help from others during

Fine of Rs: 1000/- or Cancellation of

exam

paper
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Misconduct during Exam

Fine of Rs: 1000/- or Cancellation of

paper
Fine of Rs. 2000/- and placing on

Provoke to boycott

probation for the next semester

Any other misconduct or

Fine of Rs. 1000/- or Cancellation of

malpractice

paper or both

6) Rights of appeal
A student who feels not satisfied with the assessment of her/his
assignments, presentations, workshops, mid-term and final term papers
may file an appeal to the Program Committee. The student must approach
the Head of the Department within five working days from the date of
declaration of the result by paying a prescribed fee of

Rs: 500/-. The

Head of the institute / Department shall forward the grievances to the

program committee and it will be binding on the committee for hearing both
sides (student and the instructor), and will give a final decision within 5
days or before the start of registration for the new semester. If the
grievances are found false the result of the course under question will be
cancelled. The functions of this committee will be:
i) To

resolve

any

dispute

related

to

the

evaluation

of

assignments, presentations and examinations

ii) Quorum for the meeting will be 60%
iii) In absence of a member the Vice chancellor will appoint
another member
iv) The decision of the Committee will be final
Explanation: Where appeal is against a teacher who is the member of the
Program Committee the next senior teacher will be co-opted.
7-

Answer sheets record

The course coordinator will prepare the objective and short answer parts of
paper giving space for writing answers. The students will answer these
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parts of the paper on the space given in the questions paper. For essay
type part of the question paper the Controller of Examinations will provide
answer/continuation sheets to all the departments on demand. The
department concerned will keep the used answer sheets for one year after
completion of the concerned session and declaration of its final term result.
The record of blank answer/continuation sheets will be maintained as to be
prescribed by Controller of Examinations.
8-

Attendance and other requirements for examination

a) 12 hours attendance will be required in each workshop of a course to
qualify for appearing in the mid and final examinations of each semester in
the respective course
b) Inability to attend the workshop/s shall be treated as failure in that course
c) In case a student due to some unavoidable circumstances (Performing
Umra, accident or such other genuine reasons) has less than 12 hours
attendance in the workshop but more than 8 hours must make up the
deficiency in the form of extra assignment/s
d) A student who fails to attend the workshops of all courses due to any
reason will have to attend the workshops together with the next group of
the same semester. In case of no such group the student has to request for
a special workshop on payment of Rs; 1000 for M. Phil and PhD and Rs:
600 for BS and master level courses.
e) The students who do not submit the required assignments within due
date/s will not be eligible to appear in the mid/final examinations of a
course.
f) No student shall be eligible to appear in any examination unless he/she is
registered in the department and has paid all the necessary dues.

9.

Performance evaluation
Students shall be evaluated through a system of continuous evaluation
spread over the entire

period. The details are presented below:

9.1 Theoretical Component

There will be following stages/components of evaluation of each course
during each semester.

Assignments

10%

Participation in two workshop

05%

Two workshops
presentation/discussion/group work

Sessional Marks

05%

Mid-term Exam

30%

Final term-Exam

50%

9.2 Criteria
a) Assignment: One assignment (minimum) will be given to the students in
each course. The teachers may give more than one assignments where
necessary. However, the total marks will remain the same. The
assignments will be assessed on the basis of information and references
included, logical reasoning and organization of material.

Separate

guidelines will be provided to students for writing assignments.

b) Participation in Workshop: A total of 5 marks are allocated to students
participation in all workshops of the course. Out of 12 hours workshop 9
hours participations is mandatory to qualify for the next exam.
c) Presentation/discussion/group work: A total of 5 marks are allocated to
students presentation/discussion/group work during the workshops of the
course. The students will in groups (Not more than 10) give comprehensive
presentation of their assignments. Each presentation should not be longer
than 15-20 minutes followed by a Q/A session.
d) Mid-Term Examination: The mid-term examination will be conducted after
the mid-term workshop that will normally be conducted after about 7 weeks
of self study. There will be different types of questions. The type and

number of questions included in the exam, the division of marks and the
time allocated for each component is given below:

Types of

No. of

Questions

Questions

Marks

Time Allocated

Objective Type Questions

10

10

15min

Short Answer Questions

10

25min

Essay type Question

10

35min

30

1:15 hour

Total

e) Final-term exam: The final-term examination will be conducted after the

final-term workshop that will normally be conducted after about 14/15
weeks of self study. The pattern of the question paper will be same as
mentioned earlier for mid-term examination. The type and number of
questions included in the exam, the division of marks and the time
allocated for each component is given below:

Types of Questions

No. of
Questions

Marks

Time Allocated

Objective Type Questions

20

20

30 min

Short Answer Questions

15

35 min

2-3

15

55 min

50

2 hours

Essay type Questions

Total

Explanation: At the time of mid-term/final-term examinations the course

coordinator who is normally course teacher will conduct her/himself the
examination with the help of one assistant or clerk. If the students are more
than 30 but less than 60 another teacher will help course teacher. For
every additional 30 students one more teacher and clerk will be taken as
invigilator.

9.3 Field work/Internship

Generally, programs of applied nature are not offered through distance
education. However, if there is any program that has any course involving
field work/internship the following procedure will be adopted to complete
the course. The theoretical part of the course will be completed by the
student through self study material and field work/internship mechanism will
be evolved by the department. The division of marks for various
components of the course is given below. Student must complete all the
parts of the course. In ability to complete any part of the course shall be
treated as failure in that course. A department may adopt a different
division of marks for assessment keeping in view the requirements of the
course with prior approval of the competent authority.

Course components

Marks Total marks

Assignment/s based on the given material

10

Workshop with Mid-term

20

Field work/Internship

30

Report/Dissertation/Progress report etc.

25

Final presentation/ Viva Voce

15

b)

100

Theoretical examination: (20%)

Type of Questions

Questions to evaluate understating

Marks

Time

principles and

procedures of the work as well as critical thinking to

10

enhance problem solving

Preparation of portfolio/practical design and
implementation plan of proposed field work/internship

1.15
hrs

10

10

c) Field work/Internship
For each such course that involves field work/internship, the total number
of hours required to complete the task will be calculated by the department.
The student will be placed for field work/internship at the place of mutual
convenience. This placement will be considered as the substitute of
mandatory workshops and assessed by both the placement supervisor and
the teacher concerned. Student must submit a report as evidence of her/his
field work. If required the group of the students may be taken anywhere in
Pakistan for field work at their own expenses.
10.

Semester duration
The total duration of a semester will be 16 weeks. Student will be given self
study material for to study at home or at workplace and complete the given
assignment within a period of 6/7 weeks. After 6/7 weeks a face to face two
day workshop will be conducted for each theoretical course of 12 hours
duration and 3/4 day (24 hours) for practical course according to the given
schedule. The mid-term examination will be conducted at the end of the
mid-term course workshop. Similarly, the self study material will be given
for the second half of the semester and workshops of the same duration
will be conducted after 14/15 weeks for each course followed by the finalterm examination or presentation of report/viva voce for the respective
course. The final term exam will be based on the entire syllabi of the
semester. However, the weightage of the syllabi taught before mid-term
should be 20%.

11-

12.

Standard duration of credit hour

Theory:

1 Credit hour is equal to16 credit hours in a semester

Practical:

1 Credit hour is equal to 32-48 hours in a semester

Grading
i) Students will be rated according to the 4 letter grade system i.e. A, B, C
and D, with nine performance levels of A+, A, B, C and D for Master
Degree. For these grades F will be the failing grade.

Equivalence
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between letter grades, grade points along with percentages shall be as

follows:
GRADING CRITERIA/READY RECKNOR TABLE
Numeric

Grade

Letter

Remarks

Numeric

Grade

Letter

Equivalence

Point

Grader

Remarks

Equivalence

Point

Grade

100

4.0

A+

Excellent

74

3.3

Good

99

4.0

A+

Excellent

73

3.2

Good

98

4.0

A+

Excellent

72

3.1

Good

97

4.0

A+

Excellent

71

3.1

Good

96

4.0

A+

Excellent

70

3.0

Good

95

4.0

A+

Excellent

69

2.9

Satisfactory

94

4.0

Very Good

68

2.8

Satisfactory

93

4.0

Very Good

67

2.7

Satisfactory

92

4.0

Very Good

66

2.6

Satisfactory

91

4.0

Very Good

65

2.5

Satisfactory

90

4.0

Very Good

64

2.4

Satisfactory

89

4.0

Very Good

63

2.3

Satisfactory

88

4.0

Very Good

62

2.2

Satisfactory

87

4.0

Very Good

61

2.0

Satisfactory

86

4.0

Very Good

60

2.0

Satisfactory

85

4.0

Very Good

59

1.9

Poor

84

3.9

Good

58

1.8

Poor

83

3.9

Good

57

1.7

Poor

82

3.8

Good

56

1.6

Poor

81

3.7

Good

55

1.5

Poor

80

3.7

Good

54

1.4

Poor

79

3.6

Good

53

1.3

Poor

78

3.5

Good

52

1.2

Poor

77

3.5

Good

51

1.1

Poor

76

3.4

Good

50

1.0

Poor

75

3.3

Good

Below 50

Fail

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ii) Fraction marks 0.50 and above obtained in a course is to be rounded up to

the next whole figure such as 64.50 to 65.00.
iii) SGPA of a student will be calculated as below:

Course

Credit
Hours

Marks
Obtained

Grade

GP

Quality Point

CxG

(%)

C
I

95

A+

4.00

08.00

II

88

3.70

11.10

III

87

3.70

11.10

IV

70

3.00

09.00

67

2.70

05.40

Total

13

44.60

SGPA = Sum of QP / Sum of Credit Hours

SGPA = 44.60/13 = 3.43
SGPA = Sum of n Quality Points / Sum of Credit Hours of n semesters
13.

Maintaining enrolment/Good standing

To remain on the roll of the department a student has to continuously
maintain in time submission of the assignments, minimum 80% attendance
in the workshops, appear in mid and final term examinations and obtain
minimum CGPA of 2.00 in each semester. Inability to meet any of the
conditions mentioned above will make the student ineligible for the award
of degree. However, at the end of first semester a student fulfils all the
requirements with a minimum SGPA of 1.4 will be eligible for promotion to
the second semester.

13.1

The minimum CGPA for award of degree will be 2:00 with no F grade

13.2

A student may clear his/her failed course/s or subjects in which obtained

D grade by

repeating the said courses at the end of the subsequent

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workshops of the same course/s to be offered by the department on the

payment of the prescribed fee of Rs: 1000 for each course
13.3

If a student has genuine personal problem or is seriously ill and produces a

medical certificate duly signed by MS of the respective area and has
completed all other formalities but missed the workshop coupled with
mid/final term examination/s the department will arrange a special
workshop/s and examination/s for the student on paying Rs: 1000 per
course. The medical certificate and information of the personal problem
must reach the department before or on the examination date. The
genuineness of the personal problem will be determined by HOD/Chairman
whose decision will be final. Such a student will be given incomplete (I)
grade.

13.4

A student who fails to attend the workshops of all courses without any
genuine reason will have to attend the workshops together with the next
group of the same semester. In case of no such group the student has to
request for a special workshop on payment of Rs; 3000 for M. Phil and PhD
and Rs: 2000 for each BS and master level courses.

14 Repeating courses
Student who fails in any course has to pass the course within the specified
time duration of the degree. The student(s) desiring to repeat fail course(s)
with subsequent workshop/s will request in writing to the HOD/Chairman
concerned within ten days of the commencement of the workshop. If
allowed by the HOD/Chairman, the student will have to deposit fee of Rs.
1500/- for each course. Similarly, a student can improve D & C grades
with a view to improve CGPA. Following are the conditions for repeating a
course:
I. Whenever a student fails should repeat the course when it is offered to
improve her/his grade.
II. A student can repeat a maximum of three courses at BS and master levels
and maximum two at M. Phil and PhD levels during a semester to improve
or pass her/his grades.
14

III. In case a student repeats the course which has already been awarded D
or C grade/s only better course grade should be included in her/his
transcripts.
IV. The student(s) shall have to deposit a prescribed fee of Rs. 3000/- per
course at BS/ Master and Rs. 5000/- per course at M. Phil/PhD in advance.
15-

Semester break//Freezing

15.1

In case a student due to some unavoidable circumstances (prolonged

illness, performing Haj or such other genuine reasons) is unable to
continue his studies, she/he may apply for a semester break. This option,
however, will be available only once during the course of his/her studies.
The case will be put up to the Program Committee for consideration. In
case, the Committee recommends to the dean who if approves, semester
break will be allowed for a maximum period of one year. The student will
join the next semester after the semester break and the parked semester
will study after completing all semesters.

15.2

The total time period however, for completion of the program will remain
same as already prescribed in these rules.

15.3

Withdrawal from a course will be allowed latest up to mid-term workshop.

Withdrawn course will appear on transcript with letter grade W.
Explanation:
Where courses of a prior semester(s) are deemed as pre-requisite for
subsequent semester(s) those who have availed semester break will have
to clear such courses(s) of earlier semester before proceeding to the next
semester.

16. Program duration

Generally, there will be a two years Master and four years Bachelor
program but a student repeating the course(s) shall be required to
complete the course(s) within a maximum period of one additional
academic year. Thus, the maximum time period to complete Postgraduate
Program is three academic years and for undergraduate program it will be
15

five years. The maximum period for M. Phil and PhD will remain same as
approved for such programs in formal system.
17. Thesis/Research Report
Students at BS, MA/MSc, MS/MPhil and PhD levels may be required to
conduct a small or large scale study as the partial fulfillment of their degree
program. Students will prepare thesis/research report under the guidance
of a supervisor. The supervisor will generally be a full time faculty member
whether regular or contract and paid remuneration as per approved rates.
However, the co-supervisor may be a full-time or part-time senior faculty
member from within the Islamia University of Bahawalpur or from any other
institution in or out of Pakistan.
Explanation: Other rules for conducting research at M. Phil and PhD levels
will remain same as already approved for formal programs.
18. Internship/Project
Every student at graduate level is required to write a project report (similar
to thesis with less intensity) or will do his / her internship in an organization
which relates to his / her discipline. This is to be done when the student is
at senior level, i.e. final year under the supervision of a full time (regular
and contract) faculty member.
19. Thesis/Project evaluation
For undergraduate and postgraduate programs there will be a departmental
Research Committee (DRC) comprising HOD/Chairman and two senior
most teachers of the department with one co-opted member of the
concerned specialized area (if any). It will be approved by the Dean
concerned on recommendations of HOD/Chairman.
19.1

Functions of DRC

i)

Provisional approval of research topics for each student/group

ii)

Approval of supervisors
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iii)

Recommendation of a panel of external examiners for approval

by the Vice Chancellor.

iv)

Conduct of evaluation/Viva Voce.

v)

Preparation of result and forwarding the same to the controller of

examination

19.2

At BS and master levels four hard copies along with one soft copy in
the form of CD of the thesis or project report shall be submitted by
the student(s) on a topic approved by the Departmental Research
Committee (DRC) within 2 months (extendable upto a maximum of
15 days by the Dean concerned) after the date of the last paper of
final-term written examination.

a)

There will be three examiners for the evaluation of the thesis

HOD/Chairman of the department, one internal who will be the
supervisor and one external examiner.

b)

The evaluation of thesis by the examiners will be done in the

department concerned. The student shall present himself/herself
personally before the examiners for the defense of his/her research
work.

c)

The candidate who does not qualify the thesis examination may
revise the same in the light of the instructions given by the
examiners or shall conduct research on new topic duly approved by
the DRC. Student(s) failing to submit the thesis within stipulated
duration may be allowed to re-submit thesis in the next session of
the same program as to be scheduled by the department. Such
student will pay additional fee of Rs. 2000/= for the evaluation of the
thesis.

d)

Such student (s) as mentioned above will be awarded Grade I in

thesis. The degree as successful candidate will be issued to the
student if he/she passes this course (thesis/report) and fulfills the
CGPA criteria.

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20. Declaration of result and award of degree

a)

The teacher concerned is required to mark the mid/final term papers

and show these to the students at the end of each workshop. At the
end of final term exams and declaration of provisional result the
course teacher will prepare three copies of the awards. She/he shall
retain one copy as record, submit one copy to the Controller of
Examinations IUB and submit the remaining copy to the program
coordinator of the department along with the marked answer
sheets/Term Papers/Reports etc.

b)

The course coordinator will present the results to the Program

Committee that will verify the results compiled and finalize the same
within 10 days of the declaration of the provisional results at the end
of the workshop. The result of each semester duly signed by the
program committee will be notified by Controller Examinations within
15 days from the date of declaring provisional results except final
semester result that will be notified by Controller Examinations within
15 days from the date of the final evaluation of theses/projects or
completion of internship.

c)

At the end of each semester, each successful student will be issued

semester result card while on successful completion of prescribed
course of studies and other requirements a comprehensive
transcript will be issued by Controller of Examinations. Accordingly,
Graduate/Masters Degree/M.Phil/PhD will be conferred upon the
students who quality for the same.

21.

Criteria for position holders

Three positions namely 1st, 2nd and 3rd shall be awarded (if applicable as
per University rules and regulations.). The award of these positions shall be
on the basis of CGPA. Incase of equal CGPA, positions will be determined
on the basis of higher percentage of marks. Semester positions will be
determined on the basis of SGPA of the respective semester.

In order to qualify for the award of any of these positions; a student is required to:
18

i.

Pass all the courses (both credit and non-credit) in the first
attempt

ii.

Complete all courses opted and never withdrawn any course due
to any reason.

iii.

Has completed all assignments in time and maintained 80%

attendance in all workshops.

iv.

Appear in all mid and final examinations.

In case of tie, the same position will be awarded to the number of students
securing the same percentage of marks.
NOTE:

Semester procedures/Rules other than these or any issue for

which these rules have no explanation will be referred to
Semester Implementation Committee for Distance Education
whose decision will be final.

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