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| EDUCATION TRIBUNE |
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Learning teaching
Distance education on roll
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Learning teaching IN a higher education institution, a college or a university, does a teacher/lecturer only teach? If your answer is “yes”, you are grossly mistaken. A teacher has to perform a wide array of activities and perform several such jobs for which he has no grounding. Apart from teaching, he will be setting question papers, evaluating answer papers, assessing students performance, conducting practicals, doing research, writing project proposal, developing curriculum, working on several committees (discipline, anti-ragging, sexual-harassment prevention, etc.), getting admissions done, holding/ attending meetings, making purchases for the college, buying equipment, setting up laboratories, managing finances, maintaining records, taking students on educational tours, counselling students, doing extension work, working as hostel warden/ magazine editor/ NSS programme officer/ examination invigilators during his tenure as a lecturer. As a teacher gets ahead into his career, he is expected to guide research students, coordinate activities, mentor, interview and recruit staff, prepare several reports on behalf of the college, collaborate with other institutes, conduct enquiries, head the departments or the college, manage the administrative staff, chair or convene meetings, work as member of Senate/ Syndicate/ Board of studies or other governing bodies, tackle policy matters, take important decisions, provide expertise in technical matters, in addition to teaching classes. A casual look at the list is sufficient to know that the above-mentioned activities are not at all “teaching”. Some would even like to argue that a lecturer or professor would be better off if he is unencumbered by these non-teaching activities. However, these peripheral activities are the ones which in fact decide the level of excellence of an institute. And who but a teacher can be given the responsibility of these jobs which are required to be done in an efficient and effective way in order to enrich the classroom teaching. That for performing these duties we need a professionally competent and skilled workforce is obvious. Then, what is there in teaching? Is it only to regurgitate the content in the classroom? In addition to making the students imbibe knowledge and understand the concepts, ideas, approaches and philosophy of the subject, teaching involves handling young adults, having an interdisciplinary approach, application of the discipline to life-situations, updating one’s knowledge, finding out novel teaching strategies, stimulating minds, motivating students, communicating effectively and many more implicit responsibilities, demanding special skills, sensitivity and correct professional attitudes. There is a deep-rooted assumption in society that one does not have to “learn” teaching; one automatically learns how to teach. Does one learn teaching through some divine revelation or is it an inherited talent? A student today becomes a lecturer tomorrow. How safe is it to assume that he’ll learn all the teaching and non-teaching skills that he’ll need to practice in the profession, develop the right attitude, sensitivity and efficiency overnight and without any external help? This faulty assumption is in fact the root cause of failures of several of our institutions. Even if a person learns these skills on-the-job, it will take years before one actually masters these skills by learning through hit and trial method. The damage done to the institute and students in this period is irreparable. Can this casual approach be allowed? The Yashpal Committee expects the colleges and universities to have rich undergraduate programmes, to develop knowledge products, to become autonomous, to engage with their alumni, their stakeholders, to have good governance, to undergo curricular reforms, to design syllabus, to adopt effective pedagogic practices, to allow the teachers to frame courses in any which way he desires, etc. It is obvious that all these responsibilities are to be shouldered by none other than the faculty. If we hold a reality check of what is it that holds our teachers back in performing these activities in an effective way, the most pronounced factor will be lack of skills and lack of knowledge about how to go about these jobs assigned to them. Teaching and teaching-related jobs call for certain skills, attitude correction, right behavioural approach, which can be learnt very effectively if one undergoes intensive training through hands-on-methods. The Yashpal Committee has not given due emphasis to this genuine but highly neglected area of in-service training to lecturers aiming at improving their professional skills. This is such an aspect that has the potential to highly impact the present system and bring about tangible qualitative changes in it. Earlier, the Radhakrishnan Commission (1948), the Kothari Commission (1964-66) and the National Policy on Education (1986) have seriously highlighted the significance of teacher development in order to improve quality of higher education. In 1987, 56 academic staff colleges—institutes imparting in-service training to lecturers—were established all over the country. Incidentally, this has happened during the tenure of Prof. Yashpal as chairperson of the University Grants Commission (1986-1991). The number of these training colleges has gone up to 65 since then. Their main function is to impart necessary basic skills through orientation courses to the newly inducted teachers and to update the knowledge of the senior lecturers through refresher courses. The courses have been linked with lecturers’ promotion and made mandatory. Today, the need of the hour is to make academic staff colleges hubs of academically conducive activities having a total and intense focus on growth of a lecturer in all the professional aspects that are required to run a higher education institute with special emphasis on teaching and professional skills, development of sensitivity and appropriate approach. We will surely gain from making academic staff colleges dynamic places to polish and refine the freshly recruited teachers into indispensable members of the education system. The writer is deputy director, Academic Staff College, Panjab University, Chandigarh |
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Distance education on roll THE distance education has all set to establish itself as a revolutionary approach of modern education . With the changing global scenario, the importance of distance education programs (DEP) have increased manifold with requirement of skilled professionals is going high. Interestingly, for example, the direct employment in IT sector alone is expected to be 2 million by end of 2009. The growth rate in the last decade is 26%. The IT sector is catering to the needs of BPO, IT enabled services, CAD,CAM, Programming system designs and support systems. The various DEP courses in IT lead to the career opportunities as IT Consultant, Hardware Engineers, Programmers, System Analyst, Tech Mktg. Executive, Software Engineering, Software Engineering, EDP Manager, System Manager, Project Manager etc. Similarly courses in Management through DEP give career opportunities such as Marketing Managers, HR Managers, Financial Consultant, IT Consultant, Retail Managers, Insurance Advisors, Administrative Managers, Event Managers etc. The distance education in India has grown by 500% per annum in the past 3 years. DEP provides the students with various advantages like option of study and work at the same time, option of regular classes in the distance education mode that s not available with correspondence courses besides option of learning management system facility and option of payment of course fee in instalments i.e. semester wise. It strives to reach out to the larger community deprived of higher education due to their geographical, economical, social or personal factors. The Punjab Technical University distance education programs are playing commendable role in developing the quality distance education and establishing the brand ‘India education’ across the globe. Within a short span of seven years PTU distance education program that was started in 2001 has firmly established itself with a presence of over 1200 learning centres across country with over 1.35-lakh students. Due to rapid scientific and technological developments, the knowledge acquired in formal institutes soon become outdated and one need to update it continuous, maintains Dr. Rajneesh Arora, Vice Chancellor PTU. This is not possible when one is working in a hectic work schedule. The distance education program helps in updating the same without compromising the employment status, he asserts. Says Dr. A.K. Saihjpal, Professor & Director of University Institute of Business Management Sciences at PU, Chandigarh, distance education is a modern system of non-formal education and indeed a futuristic mode of education as it offers flexibility with regard to qualification and age at entry level and convenience of earning while learning. Distance education is a futuristic mode of education which helps in maintaining earning while learning and offers opportunity to individual to acquire further knowledge and improve one’s professional competence, irrespective of geographical and economical reasons, points out Mr. RPS Bedi, Dean (DEP), PTU. The PTU’s learning centers are strategically located in and around Chandigarh and are offering quality distance education programmes in IT and Non-IT domains and students have choice to enrol with the most convenient PTU learning centres. Mr. Gurmeet Singh Arora, CMD, GCS Group - a PTU Regional Centre- says, education is a life long process. No one is too old, too big or too small to learn at any moment, neither anyone is too knowledgeable to learn new ideas, methods and concepts. The distance education concentrates on the needs and convenience of the learner. The learner learns at one’s own pace and convenience and improve academic standard of knowledge without compromising with present employment, maintains Mr. Arora. Interestingly many professionals while working have enhanced their educational skills through distance education programs. They managed to get far better jobs with lucrative pay and perks after completing their education through DEP. While working with CDAC, Mohali, Ms. Meena Gupta joined the distance education MCA course at GCS Computer’s zonal learning centre. After her course completion, she was recruited with Government College as a Lecturer in Computer Science at a package of Rs. 3 lakh. Recently she has got job with United Nation as Lecturer in Computer Science at an annual package of Rs 12 lakh. Meena credits her progress to her distance education degree at learning centre as the program has given her an opportunity to study while earning and achieve her goals.
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Campus Notes Guru Jambheshwar University of Science & Technology and the Hisar-based Haryana Space Applications Centre (HARSAC) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to introduce a two-year M.Tech course in geo-informatics. The MoU was signed by Devinder Dayal Singh Sandhu, Vice-Chancellor, and S. S. Prasad, Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Science and Technology Department and chairman, HARSAC. Chief Secretary Dharamvir was also present at the signing ceremony. The new course will be run on a self-financing basis with an intake of 30 students each year. Sandhu said the collaboration between HARSAC and the university would jointly design courses and conduct research programmes in geo-informatics. He said the MoU would help produce professionals in the discipline competent enough to be absorbed in geo-informatics field internationally. Speaking on the occasion, Dharamvir said geo-informatics was an emerging specialty which was a convergence of Geographic Information System (GIS), Remote Sensing (RS), Global Position System (GPS) and Information & Communication Technologies (ICT). He said geo-informatics helped in acquiring and analysing information about earth and its resources in spatial format. S. S. Prasad said a lot of work related to geo-informatics was being outsourced from developed countries to India, which had created a surge in the requirement
of trained manpower in the field. There is no university in Haryana and nearby areas providing an M.Tech degree
in this discipline. HARSAC is a premier institute of the Department of Science and Technology, Haryana, and promoted by the Department of Space, Government of India. It has well-trained faculty and the state-of-the-art infrastructure related to geo-informatics. The Haryana government has also declared it as a nodal agency for all geo-informatics-related activities in the state. CCS Haryana Agricultural
University, Hisar Associateship awarded
Dr Krishan Kumar Dahiya, professor of entomology, Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, has been awarded Overseas Associateship by the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of India, for his research and extension work on characterisation and dissemination of insect-pests resistance management strategies in BT cotton and other cotton crops. Dr Dahiya recently spent eight months at Ohio State University, USA, for the purpose and worked on international intellectual property and molecular genetics of insecticide resistance. He has been awarded certificate of merit and certificate of honor by HAU for his work. —
Contributed by Raman Mohan
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ADMISSION DEADLINE National Academy
of Agricultural Research Management (NAARM), Rajendranagar,
Hyderabad 500407 (AP) (ICAR) ICAR- Senior Research Fellowship leading to PhD in the field of Agriculture and Allied Science subjects (1 year) Eligibility: Masters degree (55%) Selection: Written Test: 20 December 2009; GD & Interview: 29/30 September ‘08 Application Form& Details: Website. Application Deadline: 30 September 2009 Armed Forces Indian Army, Directorate General Remount Veterinary Services (RV-1), QMG’s Branch, Integrated Headquarters of MoD (Army), West Block 3, RK Puram, New Delhi 110066 Remount Veterinary Corps (SSC) Eligibility: Males;
BVSc / BVSc & AH or equivalent degree. Selection: SSB Interview, Medical Test Application Form: Send in prescribed format on a plain paper (21cm x 36 cm) with required documents to above address by 16 September ‘09. Superscribe in red ink "Application for Short Service Commission in RVC" on envelope. Details: Employment News (15 - 21 August 2009) Application Deadline: 16 September 2009 Art & Design National Institute
of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Campus, Hauz Khas, New Delhi
110016 (M/o Textile, GoI) Short Duration programmes: Design, Management & Technology (Part Time) Application Form & Details: Website Application Deadline: 01 September 2009 IT University of Pune,
D/o Electronic Science, Ganeshkhind Road, Pune 411007 (Mah) 1) Diploma in
Computer Aided Product Design (1 year, Full Time) Eligibility:
BE (Mechanical / Production / Automobile). Application Form: Download from website. Details: Employment News (15 – 21 August 2009) / Website. Application Deadline: 22 September 2009 Law Institute of
Management Technology (IMT), Centre for Distance & Learning,
A 16, Site 3, UPSIDC Industrial Area, Meerut Road, Ghaziabad
(UP) MS in Cyber Law
and Security in collaboration with NLU Jodhpur (2 years) Application Form & Details: Website. Management Guru Gobind Singh
Indraprastha University, University School of Management
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of Foreign Trade, B 21, Qutab Institutional Area, New Delhi
110016 (Deemed University) 1) Executive PG Diploma in International Business (1 year) 2) Certificate Programme in Export Management (4 months) Eligibility: For 1: PG / Engineering Degree + 3 years work experience / Bachelors degree + 5 years work experience. For 2: Bachelors degree / Diploma with 2 years work experience (on 31 October ’09) Selection: Interview Application Form & Details: For 1: Website For 2: Send Rs 250/- by DD favouring "Indian Institute of Foreign Trade," payable at New Delhi to the above address / Download from website Application Deadline: For 1: 15 September 2009 For 2: 18 September 2009
IIM Indore,
Prabandh Shikhar, Rau-Pithampur Road, Indore 453331 (MP) Management Education programme (12 week intensive programme) Eligibility: Middle level managers of large organization / Executives of fast growing organizations / Entrepreneurs and owner-managers / Officers from public service organizations / Managers from NGOs and public trusts Application Form & Details: Website. Application Deadline: 16 October 2009 Institute of
Management Technology (IMT), Centre for Distance & Learning,
A 16, Site 3, UPSIDC Industrial Area, Meerut Road, Ghaziabad
(UP) 1) PG Program
in Mgmt (3 years) Eligibility: Website Application Form & Details: Website. Protective Services The Commandment 25 Bn BSF, Chhawla Camp, Najafgarh, New Delhi 110071 Constables (General Duty) in BSF for candidates belonging to Delhi and UP Eligibility: Class
10 Selection: Written
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Learning Centre, ATDC Hub Gurgaon, SCO 18-19, 3rd
Floor, Sector 14, Old Delhi Road, Gurgaon 122003 (AEPC, M/o
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year, Distance) Eligibility: Bachelors degree / Full Time Technical Diploma holders Details: Employment News (15 - 21 August 2009) / Website Application Deadline: 31 August 2009 Scholarships D/o Biotechnology,
M/o Science & Technology, Block 2, CGO Complex, Lodi Road,
New Delhi 110003 (M/o Science & Technology, GoI) Award of
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North-Eastern States under Special Program for the North-East
2009-10 in areas of: Eligibility:
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Commissioner (Handlooms), Udyog Bhawan, New Delhi 110001 (M/o
Textiles, GoI) Sant Kabir Award - 2009 Eligibility: National Awardees / State Awardees / National Merit Certificate holder / Handloom weavers of exceptional & extraordinary skills. Age: Not Below 55-years Award: Selected Sant Kabir Awardees will be given a gold coin, one shawl, a tamrapatra & one citation. Financial assistance will also be sanctioned to innovate & create 10 new products of high level excellence, aesthetic value, & high quality befitting the stature of the Awardee. Application Form: Send application with 2 passport size photographs & sample of the masterpieces made by them should be deposited in the office of the concerned Weavers Service Centre, Office of the Development Commissioner (Handlooms) at the above address. Details: Website Application Deadline: 15 September 2009 Development
Commissioner (Handicrafts), West Block No 7, R K Puram, New
Delhi 110066 (M/o Textiles, GoI) Shilp Guru Award - 2008 Eligibility: National Awardees / State Awardees / Craftsperson of exceptional & extraordinary skills. Age: Not Below 55-years Award: Selected Shilp Gurus will be given a gold coin, one shawl & one citation. Financial assistance to the extent of Rs. 6 lakhs will also be sanctioned to innovate & create 5 new products of high level excellence, aesthetic value, & high quality befitting the stature of the Guru. Application Form: Send application to the office to Ad, M&SEC, Dy Director, RD&TDCs, Regional Directors, Office of the Development Commissioner at the above address. Details: Website Application Deadline: 30 September 2009 Sciences – Social National Institute
of Public Cooperation & Child Development, 5 Siri
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of Haryana, 3113, Opposite T25/8, DLF Phase III, Sector 24,
Gurgaon 122010 (Har) MPhil / PhD in English / Economics / Political Sc Selection: Entrance Test, Interview Application Form & Details: Website Application Deadline: 09 September 2009 Vocational Micro Small &
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Kanjpura Road, Karnal 132001 (Har) (M/o MSME, GoI) Management Development Programme on "Personality Development & Business Soft Skills Mgmt" Eligibility:
Class 12 Application Form & Details: Website Application Deadline: 23 August 2009 Pervin Malhotra, Director, Career Guidance India (CARING) (www.careerguidanceindia.com)
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