India’s first Co-Curricular Record program launched by UFV Chandigarh

Indian students with their Canadian professors at UFV Chandigarh.

The University of the Fraser Valley recently launched India’s first post-secondary Co-Curricular Record program in Chandigarh.

A Co-Curricular Record (CCR) is an authorized record of students’ relevant and validated experiences outside the classroom. The CCR connects with students’ co-curricular experience and provides an authorized record of activities for employers and educational references.

UFV’s CCR successfully validates experiences measured against Institutional Learning Outcomes – a set of knowledge, skills, and abilities the UFV community has collectively decided every graduate should possess.

Jody Gordon, UFV Vice President, Students and Enrolment Management notes she and her counterparts in India have been working to bring this success story to Chandigarh.

“Ever since the launch of CCR at our campus in Canada we have wanted to bring this opportunity to our students in India,” says Gordon.

So far, 9,000 UFV students are active in the system in Canada, more than 1,180 have validated activities on their record, and upwards of 500 activities have been made available for CCR credit.

“Our team in Student Life at our campus in India have been working very hard to create learning opportunities outside of the classroom for our students to engage in. For example, students help with the preparation and the execution of Qbiz, a business quiz competition where high school students compete with each other to test their knowledge in current business affairs. This real world experience is valuable to a student’s overall learning. So it is imperative we recognize and validate it for future employers and graduate schools to see. With our Institutional Learning Outcomes already in place, what students experience in and out of the classrooms has become very fluid” says Gordon.

Adding CCR accreditation is cause for even more excitement at the UFV Chandigarh campus, now celebrating its 10th anniversary.

“This is a first in India and we’re thrilled,” says Associate Director, UFV India, Gurneet Singh Anand.

“Having our students graduate from UFV with two transcripts, one recognizing their academic achievement and the other recognizing their learning achieved outside of the classroom, will give our graduates an advantage in the employment market and for professional and graduate schools. We are very pleased to include CCR as part of the learning experience for our students in India.”

Second-year UFV Chandigarh School of Business student Ankita Sikka says adding CCR credentials can make a big difference when applying for jobs.

“While pursuing a degree all students learn the same concepts, but the difference lies in how we apply those concepts in our daily lives. Applying what you’ve learned in class requires enormous effort and is worth appreciation. A Co-Curricular Record is what validates this hard work. Employers look for a well-rounded candidate with varied experiences and our CCR becomes an archive for all we have to offer.”

One of the most impressive CCR activities in India is Chandigarh’s Student Company Program. Students learn important entrepreneurial skills while creating their own companies – operating through an entire business cycle (from business plans through organization setup and operations to liquidation). They make and market real products, raise capital and make actual profits (or losses) with the support and mentoring of a wide range of professionals.

Since 2006, UFV has delivered its Canadian BBA at the 16.5-acre campus of Goswami Ganesh Dutta Sanatan Dharma College Chandigarh (SDCC). Replete with state-of-the-art classrooms and computer labs, UFV Chandigarh has hosted a long list of dignitaries, including former Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Premier Christy Clark, former federal Minister of International Trade & Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway Ed Fast, and Abbotsford West MLA Mike de Jong.

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