UGC NET Syllabus for Paper 1

1. Teaching Aptitude

• Concept of Teaching: Objectives, Levels (Memory, Understanding, Reflection), Characteristics, Basic Requirements.
• Learner's Characteristics: Adolescent and adult learners (academic, social, emotional, cognitive), individual differences.
• Factors Affecting Teaching: Related to teacher, learner, support material, instructional facilities, learning environment, and institution.
• Methods of Teaching: Teacher-centered vs. learner-centered methods; offline vs. online methods (e.g., SWAYAM, MOOCs).
• Teaching Support System: Traditional, modern, and ICT-based.
• Evaluation Systems: Elements and types of evaluation, evaluation in the choice-based credit system, computer-based testing, innovations in evaluation systems.

2. Research Aptitude

• Research: Meaning, types, characteristics, positivism, and post-positivist approaches.
• Methods of Research: Experimental, descriptive, historical, qualitative, and quantitative.
• Steps of Research: Thesis and article writing, format and styles of referencing.
• Application of ICT in Research.
• Research Ethics.

3. Reading Comprehension

• Comprehension: A passage is given, and questions are asked to be answered from the passage.

4. Communication

• Communication: Meaning, types, and characteristics.
• Effective Communication: Verbal and non-verbal, inter-cultural, and group communications, classroom communication.
• Barriers to Effective Communication.
• Mass-Media and Society.

5. Mathematical Reasoning and Aptitude

• Types of Reasoning.
• Number Series, Letter Series, Codes, and Relationships.
• Mathematical Aptitude: Fractions, time & distance, ratio, proportion, percentage, profit & loss, interest & discounting, averages, etc.

6. Logical Reasoning

• Structure of Arguments: Argument forms, structure of categorical propositions, mood and figure, formal and informal fallacies, uses of language, connotations, and denotations, classical square of opposition.
• Evaluating Reasoning: Deductive and inductive reasoning.
• Venn Diagrams: Simple and multiple uses.
• Indian Logic: Means of knowledge.
• Pramanas: Pratyaksha (perception), Anumana (inference), Upamana (comparison), Shabda (verbal testimony), Arthapatti (implication), and Anupalabdi (non-apprehension).

7. Data Interpretation

• Sources and Acquisition of Data.
• Quantitative and Qualitative Data.
• Graphical Representation: Bar-chart, histograms, pie-chart, table-chart, and line-chart.
• Data Interpretation.
• Data and Governance.

8. Information and Communication Technology (ICT)

• ICT: General abbreviations and terminology.
• Basics of Internet, Intranet, E-mail, Audio, and Video-conferencing.
• Digital Initiatives in Higher Education.
• ICT and Governance.

9. People and Environment

• Development and Environment: Millennium development and sustainable development goals.
• Human and Environment Interaction: Anthropogenic activities and their impacts.
• Environmental Issues: Local, regional, global (e.g., pollution, climate change).
• Natural and Energy Resources: Solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, biomass, nuclear.
• Natural Hazards and Disasters: Mitigation strategies.
• Environmental Protection Act (1986), National Action Plan on Climate Change, International Agreements (e.g., Montreal Protocol, Rio Summit, Kyoto Protocol, Paris Agreement).

10. Higher Education System

• Institutions of Higher Learning: Ancient India to post-independence India.
• Oriental, Conventional, and Non-conventional Learning Programs.
• Professional, Technical, and Skill-based Education.
• Value and Environmental Education.
• Policies, Governance, and Administration.