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Focus on practical
learning Studying abroad: The
Malaysian experience Texting could be used
as a teaching tool Campus
Notes
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Focus on practical learning Fine arts is in fact less of a discipline and more of a way of life where hands-on, practical, innovative, subjective, personal insights and experiences have greater value than uniformity of thoughts, fitting into a pre-set mould or plain theorising. It is unfortunate that due to lack of vision and understanding about specific requirements of the discipline, teaching of fine arts in higher education is fast tilting towards more of theorising and less of practical. This harmful trend needs to be checked at the curriculum-framing level and the faculty recruitment level while fixing eligibility conditions and in breaking the invisible walls which exist nowhere but in our minds as fixed and rigid notions. In some of the pioneering universities of India such as MS University, Baroda, and Visva Bharati University, Santiniketan, both diploma and degree courses are run simultaneously. Whereas a degree course has a greater emphasis on theory, with a minor component of practical, diploma deals largely with the technical aspect with a small component of theory. Students are encouraged to take up either of the two courses depending on their temperament and competence. There is no discrimination between the two because of this difference. Both are considered equivalent for all purposes, including faculty recruitment and eligibility, resulting in a balanced mix of experts in theory as well as practical. Students get the best of the two dimensions. Unfortunately, the scenario like this is not consistently found in other institutes of the country. Presently, the discipline of fine arts has been placed under the regulatory body of the All-India Council of Technical Education (AICTE). However, this has not helped at all because desired emphasis has not been put on practical competencies and appreciation of technical capabilities, which is reflected in curriculum, teaching, evaluation, or as a mandatory requirement for recruitment. The rules and regulations are so framed which put high premium on degrees earned by theoretical traditions such as Doctor of Philosophy, but scoffs at the five-year diploma in fine arts which the student has earned through rigorous practice of technology. Diplomas are often seen as ranking below degrees in the provisions of higher education. In fine arts institutions today, syllabi hardly train the students on practical aspects, while teachers teach theories only, and examinations evaluate what the students can mug. The challenge in fine arts higher education today is to prepare students with a deep understanding of theory and an equally sound dexterity in techniques of fine arts, which is difficult looking at the faulty strategies we are adopting. With a vast repository of knowledge and time needed to gain a reasonable level of competence in the techniques, we need urgently to knock down invisible walls which we have built up due to our narrow-minded perspectives.
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Studying abroad: The Malaysian experience YOU will be treated like an adult here, so you have to understand their expectations and your responsibilities,” said the Student Assistant assigned to me on my first day of studying at Monash, an Australian University, which has a campus in Malaysia, where I study. She went further by telling me that no information regarding my study program would be conveyed to me personally. I would have to make an effort myself and find out what I was supposed to be doing and when. Managing work independently and learning to work without direct supervision are the fundamentals of my educational experience at Monash. I woke up to the differences in my first two weeks, when I started to work on my very first assignment. After seeing the marks, I realised that my overall grade was based more on my daily work, and the exams at the end of the semester carried less weight in the grading process. Thus, throughout the semester students are engaged in management of weekly reading tasks, preparation for tutorials, and timely completion of assignments rather than just the study involved near the exam periods, like I had done in India. Besides this, the assignments involve critical use of wide range of library and IT facilities for research purpose. The use of credible source materials mainly books over the Internet is heavily inculcated. Referencing and citations of every word or sentence written by someone else used as evidence in one’s work must be carried out. This enables markers to identify and evaluate your work from someone else’s work. Therefore, by doing this we gain the ability to formulate, investigate and present an independent research project with a developed capacity for critical thinking. The education received in universities like this is highly interactive and based on practical skills, unlike in India wherein the focus is mainly theoretical bookish knowledge. Herein participation in online discussion groups, collaborative presentations and projects and the experience of working constructively with others in group situations are carried out very often. In order to maintain an active relationship between the lecturers and the students, also to nurture a respect for opinions of others, discussions are held wherein ideas, knowledge and thoughts are exchanged. Foreign universities in comparison to their Indian counterparts aim to provide a learning environment in which the lecturers make lectures more like a dialogue or a discussion rather than a boring monologue. Hence, it is more enjoyable for both the students and the lecturers. The students especially enjoy being given the opportunity to participate and express their views in class. Teaching methods are made inspiring and engaging by showing videos and films during the lecturers. As William Arthur Ward says, “The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires”. The “edge” these global universities have over our Indian tertiary institutions is that they believe education is not what is made to be assumed but information given across to students for them to apply their analytical mind and give feedback to enhance learning. Studying in Monash has really “messed with my head”, but in a good way. I like a teacher who gives you something to take home to think about besides homework!
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Texting could be used as a teaching tool WHILE debate is going on as to how text messaging and its distant cousin ‘tweeting’ is degrading formal writing among teens, a media literacy expert at the University of Illinois has said that these new forms of communication have a far bigger role to play in education and research. Carol L. Tilley, a professor of library and information science at Illinois, has said that schools and libraries should consider embracing texting and tweeting as a means of engagement rather than simply outlawing it. “I think if you’re an educator or librarian looking for new ways of to reach out to teens and tweens, then texting is one possibility. Over 70 percent of teens have a cell phone, so I think it’s a viable alternate means of engaging with that age group,” said Tilley. When used as a tool for ubiquitous learning, text messaging and tweeting wouldn’t be tools of distraction, but a means of engagement for this generation of gadget-obsessed teens. “Teachers could send reminders about assignments, links to study guides or updates on their progress grading major projects by text or by tweet. If they’re away at a conference or need to use a sub for a day, they could use Twitter to stay in contact with their class without having to physically be there,” said Tilley. Texting and tweeting could be seen as continuing the tradition of play and economy in language, which Tilley argues is good preparation for more formal writing assignments - provided that the use of emoticons and text-speak don’t spill over into their final drafts. “Young people learn about the importance not only of argumentation but also how to deliver a certain message to an audience, especially given the limitations of the medium itself. From an educational standpoint, that helps students become more in tune with language,” she said.
— ANI
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Campus Notes THE Board of Management of Haryana Agricultural University has appointed new heads for six teaching departments of the university. They are: Sucheta Khokhar, R. P. Gupta, Ajit Singh, A.S. Dindwal, Asha Kawatra and A. K. Bhatnagar. They will head the departments of entomology, veterinary pathology, veterinary mircrobiology, agronomy, foods & nutrition and languages and Haryanvi culture, respectively. The board has also appointed the Dean of College of Veterinary Sciences, Dr S. K. Nagpal, and the Dean of College of Agriculture, Dr S.S. Pahuja, as technical advisors to the board. The term of a non-official member of board, Kushal Pal Sirohi, has been extended for another two years. It has also decided that experience of eight years as professor will be essential qualification for the posts of dean, director and registrar in the university.
Director of research awarded
The Fertiliser Association of India (FAI) has awarded the Golden Jubilee Award for Excellence to Dr R.P. Narwal, director of research, and his team of researchers. The award carries a gold medal, a cash prize and a citation. The award was given by M.K. Alagiri, Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers, at a ceremony recently. Dr Narwal has 33 years of work experience and has published 99 research papers in the field of nutrient management. The team includes R.S. Antil, A.P. Gupta, J.P. Singh, K.S. Sekhon and D.S. Mehla.
Guru Jambheshwar University of
Science & Technology, Hisar The Print Media Academy, Heidelberg, Germany, has gifted a software, 'Prinact', worth Rs 80 lakh to the Department of Printing Technology of the university. The software package was handed over recently by Professor Rajender Kumar, Print Media Academy, to the Dean, Dr Dharminder Kumar, and Ambrish Pandey of the Department of Printing Technology. The department is the second in the country to get this software. — Contributed by Raman Mohan
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THE much-acclaimed Yashpal Committee Report points out that our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes are too theoretical, the implication being that they are devoid of practical experiences. The report rightly draws our attention to the chasm that exists between theory and practice, which fragments knowledge and leads to confusion in our education system. The observation is pertinent. The trend of skewed emphasis on theory can be somehow justified in case of disciplines with a solid theoretical history and background, but it is entirely unexplainable when we find this lopsided approach in a subject like fine arts.