Objectives of the program are given here
The proposed GIAN is envisaged to achieve the following objectives:
To increase the footfalls of reputed international faculty in the Indian academic institutes.
Provide opportunity to our faculty to learn and share knowledge and teaching skills in cutting edge areas.
To provide opportunity to our students to seek knowledge and experience from reputed International faculty.
To create avenue for possible collaborative research with the international faculty
To increase participation and presence of international students in the academic Institutes.
Opportunity for the students of different Institutes/Universities to interact and learn subjects in niche areas through collaborative learning process.
Provide opportunity for the technical persons from Indian Industry to improve understandings and update their knowledge in relevant areas.
Motivate the best international experts in the world to work on problems related to India.
Develop high quality course material in niche areas, both through video and print that can be used by a larger body of students and teachers.
To document and develop new pedagogic methods in emerging topics of national and international interest.
Guidelines:
Union Cabinet has approved a programme titled Global Initiative for Academic Networks (GIAN) in Higher Education aimed at tapping the talent pool of scientists and entrepreneurs internationally to encourage their engagement with the institutes of Higher Education in India so as to augment the country's existing academic resources, accelerate the pace of quality reform, and elevate India's scientific and technological capacity to global excellence. GIAN is envisaged to catalyse higher education institutions in the country, and that it will initially include all IITs, IIMs, Central Universities, IISc Bangalore, IISERs, NITs and IIITs subsequently cover good State Universities where the spinoff is vast. GIAN is an evolving scheme which will initially include participation of foreign faculty in Institutes as Distinguished / Adjunct / Visiting faculty / Professors of Practice, etc., to participate in delivering Short or Semester-long Courses. Other activities will be included in due course.
Each approved GIAN activity / course will be displayed in the GIAN portal. It will be the responsibility of the Host Institution to arrange for the conduct of the courses. This includes call for participation, registration, selection of participants, collection and disbursement of funds, contact and arrangements for national and international experts, arrangements for classes, accommodation, provision of certificates, conduct of examinations if any, credit transfer issues, creation of content and archival / maintenance of repository, linking with GIAN portal, submission to National Digital Library, etc. Each host Institution will maintain their local GIAN portal which will be connected to the main GIAN portal.
It is expected that each such course will be transmitted on-line and/or video recorded for others to view later through the local and national GIAN portal and the National Digital Library. All permissions for the same will be taken by the Host Institution. Typically many such courses may offer not only participation certificates but also allow participants to acquire credits. The Host Institution will allow for transfer of credits if required by institutions of participating institutions. Guidelines for credit sharing will be developed in due course by GIAN Implementation Committee for consideration by various Institutes.
The courses offered by a host institution should be made available for participation from other Institutions. In general it is not expected that more than 50% participants will be from the Host Institution. For courses offering credits, it should follow all standard norms of the Host Institution including continuous evaluation through assignments, quizzes, etc. and examinations like class tests, terminal examinations. Proposals can have scope for inclusion of Teaching Assistants. Results should be declared within one month of the completion of the course. Priority should be given to students taking the course for credit than those who only participate without credits. Other details will be defined in due course by a suitable Sub-Committee designated by the GIAN Implementation Committee.
I am requesting the Bredatorullahs' indulgence to keep this thread alive for a few days to collect some facts/ experience on this. The central organization is IIT Kanpur,
but 512 courses are apparently approved and they are all over the place.
Specifically sought:
Anyone who has taken such course(s)
Anyone who has TAUGHT such course(s)
Anyone who has seen them from a distance.
Trying to find out all I can, pls. Thx onlee.
One continuous party. Audience was spell-bound and speechless because they were getting so much exercise walking back to the food tables and stuffing themselves. Only poor E6C was kept busy all day flipping slides that no one paid the slightest attention to.
But request noted, will clean up language if there is any seriously useful info coming in. There is a good and urgent purpose in going to the trouble of digging up the info above, hain? 
I got a 100% on that Midterm Test. And then they brought in the twerp who was to teach the rest of the semester 
That sounds like hard work! 
at least at some places I have heard of. The near-total absence of Live Video also says it all.