Introduction:
As everyone knows, the COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically changed education with tremendous change in the entire higher education system. It has created a distinctive need for e-learning & teaching in all areas, including remote areas. Even before this pandemic, information communication technology emerged at high speed, but this pandemic made all of us technical experts sustain in the virtual world. In the system of higher education & even in society, teachers are pivots of the education system and play a very important role; hence, they need to evolve more than ever, an innovative approach to equip themselves with the skills necessary to create a holistic and stress-free learning environment for teaching and learning.
Education is the single most important instrument for social & economic transformation. Various government initiatives are being adopted to boost the growth of the education system, besides focusing on new education techniques, such as e-learning and m-learning. In contemporary times our universities cannot promote an academic life in isolation but are required to champion reason and imagination in engagement with the wider society and its concerns.
While it is universally accepted that the teacher is the pivot of the educational system, our system does not provide adequate opportunities for their professional development. Being a teacher sharpens the intellects of students and is considered an important source of this drastic transformation of students.
Realizing that teachers have to be in the centre stage of these developments, provisions for their motivational training and consistent exposure to innovative trends and advanced knowledge in various disciplines and across disciplines need to be revisited and re-engineered in consonance with the contemporary scenario of the country. Not only the faculty but also new strategies for the governance of educational institutions are also needed to promote innovative, broad, and dynamic collaborative models. Under the given scenario it is expected that teachers will assume the role of a leader & facilitator.
Kothari Commission (1964) remarks that it is education that determines the level of prosperity, welfare, & security of the people. It is still relevant in the context of teacher education.
Teacher education in India, over the years, has been striving to make the teachers internalize this mission & steer them towards achieving it. But unlike the teachers in school education, a faculty in higher education joins the teaching profession without any formal training in teaching, learning, & assessment. Understanding the capabilities in these areas, along with the awareness of policies, governance, & administrative structures, can help new teachers entering higher education to improve their teaching and management skills, adjust to the culture of higher education institutions, and better understand their professional responsibilities. The teachers are also expected to have a clear understanding of planning curriculum & pedagogical strategies, generating new knowledge for an equitable society, maintenance of academic integrity,, and integrating sustainability in teaching and personal life. Quality of education is determined as well as dependent on the quality of teachers.
Faculty induction through the Malaviya Teacher Training Centre constitutes an important strategy for achieving faculty excellence along with all the above goals.
The present higher education system focuses only on the subject knowledge of the faculty. It does not focus on the teaching-learning process, pedagogical content, and various tools, which are very vital to increasing the quality of the learning experience in different educational programs.
Hence, it will be mandatory for newly appointed faculty to undergo the Faculty Induction Programme after their appointment in higher education institutions.
This Induction Programme will include teaching and research methodologies (Flip classrooms, collaborative learning, case approach), Use of ICT, curriculum structure and design, sensitization to gender and social diversity, professional ethics, sharing of best practices and updating development in the field of study, etc.
The Faculty Induction Programme has a critical role to play in promoting academic excellence and innovation. This is one of the priority actions aimed at improving the professional capability and performance of teachers to deliver effective and quality learning.
Hence, the Faculty Induction Programme will include four possible types of development:
- Personal: (Interpersonal Skills, Career Development & Life Planning Issues)
- Instructional: (Course Design & Development, Instructional Technology)
- Organization: (Ways to improve the institutional environment to better support teaching)
- Professional: (Ways to support faculty members so that they fulfil their multiple roles of Teaching, research, & service)
UGC-Malviya Mission Teacher Training Centre of Sant Gadge Baba Amravati University, Amravati, has conducted the Faculty Induction Programme by keeping all the above in mind. The Faculty Induction Programme is of one-month duration, consisting of 24 working days. (24x04=96) for each day, 06 contact hours each of 90 minutes duration. Along with these live sessions, various assignments, project proposal writing, MCQ tests, and microteaching technique assignments will be given to teacher participants to complete contact hours.
Evaluation & Grading will be carried out strictly by considering Gurudakshata and UGC MMTTC guidelines. There will be live interaction among participants and resource persons for almost all sessions. Group discussion was also carried out for a few sessions as per the needs of topics. The entire programme was based on Gurudakshata, & resource persons were invited strictly on the basis of modules given in Gurudakshata. Almost all modules in the range of 70 to 90% were completed by eminent experts across India.
Objectives:
The Faculty Induction Programme of our Malaviya Mission Teacher Training Centre is planned & designed based on Gurudakshata modules to fulfil all specific objectives listed below. Those objectives can orient teacher participants on various generic aspects of teaching and learning, instructional methodologies, and assessment & evaluation techniques. ICT-enabled teaching & learning, etc., and equip them with knowledge of university rules & regulations, basics of governance & administration.
- To understand the roles and responsibilities of assistant professors—in the institution, society, etc.
- To make them understand various pedagogical processes with reference to the Use of Resources & Assessment, Management of Classroom & Transaction, and aims of Higher Education, institution planning
- To develop Various skills among participants
- To make them familiar with structure, functioning, governance, rules, regulations, and professional expectations in educational institutions.
- To train them for various ICT-based methods and techniques of evaluation, teaching, learning, e-content development, etc.
- To make them aware of administrative setup.
- To sensitize them about classroom realities.
- To understand the bond between different stakeholders for realizing professional aspirations.
- To develop them as agents of socio-economic change for national development.
- To create awareness about the environment and sustainable development.
- To make them understand the role of facilitators.
- To adopt transformative and innovative approaches in higher education.
- To understand the significance of higher education.
- To acquire and improve basic skills of teaching at the college and university level.
- To understand the organization and management of a college/university.
- To create and utilize opportunities for personality, initiative, and creativity.
- To provide a comprehensive and structured look at the challenges and opportunities brought by the use of ICT & open content (OER & MOOCs) in higher education.
- To sensitize and motivate the faculty to adopt learner-centered approaches.
- To promote academic excellence and teach innovation, research capabilities, and leadership skills.
- To improve professional capabilities and teacher performance of teachers to deliver effective and quality learning.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the Faculty Induction Programme (Guru Dakshta), participants will be able to:
- Apply Effective Teaching Strategies: Utilize a variety of pedagogical techniques to enhance student learning and engagement.
- Conduct Rigorous Research: Design and execute research projects, contributing to academic knowledge and innovation.
- Demonstrate Professionalism: Exhibit high standards of professional conduct and ethical behaviour in all academic activities.
- Integrate Technology in Education: Employ digital tools and platforms to facilitate teaching, learning, and research.
- Foster Student Development: Support the holistic development of students by addressing their academic, emotional, and social needs.
- Exhibit Leadership Skills: Lead and collaborate effectively within academic and institutional settings, contributing to policy-making and administration.
- Promote Lifelong Learning: Commit to continuous professional development and lifelong learning to stay updated with the latest advancements in higher education.
- Course Coordinator: Dr. Varsha S. Kumar
- Course Coordinator: UGC MMTTC