What Are Value Added Courses (VACs)?
Value Added Courses are short-term certificate courses offered by institutions in addition to the academic curriculum. They aim to enhance student skill sets, align education with industry needs, and boost employability.
Example for value added courses
- Career Guidance and Counselling Techniques
- Child Rights Education
- Communicative Applications English
- Counselling SkillsII
- Educational Administration
- Employability Skills
- Human Rights Education
- Ilakkiyam koorumVizhumangal
- Intellectual property rights
- Life Skills
- Montessori Method of Education
- Positive Psychology
- Professional Ethics
- Research Skills
- SPSS
- Thirukkural koorum vizhumangal
- Yoga and Empowerment
- Digital Literacy and Cybersecurity
- Entrepreneurship Development
- Soft Skills & Communication
- Data Science with Python
- Environmental Sustainability
- Foreign Languages (French, German)
- Tally & Financial Accounting
- First Aid & Disaster Management
Role of Value Added Courses in NAAC Criteria
Offering VACs supports multiple NAAC Accreditation Criteria:
Criterion 1: Curricular Aspects (1.2.2 & 1.3.2)
- Enriches curriculum through certificate/add-on courses.
- Shows flexibility and interdisciplinary learning.
- Institutions can showcase the number of VACs offered, student enrollment, and outcomes.
Criterion 2: Teaching-Learning and Evaluation
- Promotes student-centric and experiential learning.
- Encourages faculty to mentor beyond the curriculum.
- Supports slow and advanced learners with diverse course offerings.
Criterion 3: Research, Innovations and Extension
- Encourages skill development, innovation, and hands-on learning.
- Bridges the gap between academia and industry.
- Courses like Data Science, Entrepreneurship, or AI strengthen this criterion.
Criterion 7: Institutional Values and Best Practices
- VACs often cover ethics, soft skills, green technology, gender studies, etc.
- Reinforces value-based education and holistic development.
Best Practices for NAAC Reporting
- Maintain clear records of course design, enrollment, and certification.
- Link courses with program outcomes (POs) and course outcomes (COs).
- Collect feedback and impact analysis from students.
- Display VACs on the college website with syllabus & photos.
- Highlight in SSR (Self-Study Report) and Annual Reports.