Teacher, Teaching & Educational System

How to become Academically

sound & vibrant

Dr S G DeshmukhDirector, ABV-Indian Institute of Information Technology & Management Gwalior

deshmukh.sg@gmail.com7 Apr 2012

Session at GLA University, Mathura

Opening quote….

“Quality in higher education has been a matter of importance, concern and priority at regional, national and international levels especially in the recent past”.

Cathamparampil et al.(2005)

Speaking points

Imperatives

Ground setting: Quality, IT etc.

Academically sound & Vibrant teacher

Implications and Role of Teacher and Teaching-learning process

Challenges and End thoughts

Imperatives .. Globalization : Borderless World of

accelerating multi-dimensional change

Quality of services(WTO, Washington accord), and Shift to knowledge economy

Role of private universities

Expectations of student community, and industry

Changing face of technology : Revolutions in Information Technology (IT)

Engineering & management Education

System MUST translate these challenges

through a Quality response

Growth of Higher Education

Institutes 1950-51 1990-91 2010-11

Universities 30 117 537

Colleges 750 7356 26,000

Student Enrolment

236,000 49,50,000 135,00,000

Faculty 24,000 272,000 530,000Source: Ramachandran S, 2011, Significance & contributions of self-financing institutions in higher education, Pride, Vol 1(1), pp 6-8

Imperative 1: Globalization of

Education

Globalization refers to the increasing flow of technology, finance, trade, knowledge, values and ideas across the borders(Knight & Wit, 1997)

It has multidimensional impact on the system of education.

It has underlined the need for reforms in the educational system with particular reference to wider utilization of IT giving productivity and quality dimension and emphasis on its R&D activities.

Imperative 2 : Expectations of

Student community and Industry

Bombarded with technological gadgets (Mobile, web, laptop etc.)

Low retention span

Teacher as a facilitator/coach

Dynamic requirements of industry

Gap between what is taught and what is required

Engineering Curriculum

Too much theoretical content

Compartmentalized approach

Lacks preparing student for problem solving skills

Gap between knowledge and skills

Not industrially relevant

Generation old Teacher

Relies on old text books/notes taught by his teacher

Uses old handwritten notes

Handles computer key board with one finger at a time

His son/daughter prepares power-point slides for him (many time grandson/granddaughter !)

Comfortable in communication through landline

Not comfortable in handling credit card

Worried about implementation of 6th pay commission !!

Refuses to acknowledge student

Generation Y student

Uses mobile on and off the class room

Handles Laptop in a WiFi environment

Watches ‘n’ number of channels on TV

Sees YouTube

Listens to Kolavari song via iPod/MP3

Participates in blog discussions

Hooked to Facebook , Hi5 or LinkedIn

Downloads material from the web

Adept in Cut and Paste mode

Comfortable in handling ATM

Reluctant to acknowledge teacher !!

IT is making world flatter !

(Thanks to Friedman)

Outsourcing dominated paradigm

Team work and leadership assumes new meaning

Geography has become history: Time and distance are no longer the important variables

Mobile dense and multimedia rich environment has accelerated digital environment.

Connectivity has made the global village possible

Working on-line, flexi-time, tele/videoconferencing, and continuous learning are changing the traditional notions of how work gets done.

Internet is changing the way we communicate with –suppliers, customers, potential and current employees by way of 2-way communications !

SMS driven communication

What is the QM Philosophy ?

Tenet 1 : Customers are vital to the operation of the organization. Without customers, there is no business, and without business, there is no organization (Deming ,1986).

Students as

Customer Product Knowledge carrier Co-producer !

Tenet 2 : Management needs to listen to nontraditional sources of information in order to institute quality,

People want to do quality work and that they would do it if managers would listen to them and create a workplace based on their ideas (Deming, 1986).Role of feedback vis-à-vis information systems

Remarks..

Efficiency : may relate to Quality of institution

May relate to utilization of resources

Effectiveness : may relate to Quality of Education per se !

May relate to quality of outcomes 1

Role of IT is vital both in Efficiency and Effectiveness IT as a tool for streamlining processes

IT for bringing in transparency and objectivity

Various initiatives- Enterprise wide information systems, e-learning etc.

About Teacher and Teaching &

Learning Process

Success as a teacher requires the presence of many qualities - whereas failure will proceed

from the absence of merely one of them

Teaching profession based on Value system !

In India, huge respect for teachers /Gurus

Sant Kabir etc.

Value/Ethical system

A value is the esteem we assign to an idea

Values are concepts , notions and opinions- not facts

A value system is structuring of person belief within his

or her cognitive frame work and acts as a guiding block

The value system is the prime determinant of ethical behavior

and is wholly responsible for a persons:-

Goals

Cognitive Processes

Work Habits

Compatibility With Others

Capacity to Adjust to a Changing World

Flexibility to adjust to dynamic

Value system

Values are conditioned into us by:Our parentsOur parentageOur spiritual make up Logic play little or no partInstilled through unconscious processOur environment and also sometimes political set up

Parents govern our value system byGenes and genetic programmingPlace in the familyCulture, environment and context Immediate neighborhood and peer groupValue system and goalsRewards and punishmentsEmotional opportunities

Work Habits and Teaching Skills INDUSTRY The habit of working steadily, productively,

voluntarily and with clear cut objectives in mind with Industriousness in mind

PERSEVERANCE To press on in an activity in the face of obstacles, until the objective is attained and to pursue things incessantly , ability to stick on

CONFIDENCE , Habit of solving one’s own problems despite difficulties and oppositions - instead of merely leaning on others.

ORDERLINESS The habit of assigning an order, pattern plan or system to one’s work., and environment, a sense of being ‘Organized” /neat and clean!!

TASK AND TIME ORIENTATION :: ability to finish a task once it is taken up and within given time limit

Teaching Skills

Knowledge

Preparation

Organisation

Effective Lectures

Time management

Enthusiasm & energy /zeal

Voice

Pitch

Pace

Volume

Modulation

Words

Handling of Audio/video

Audience level

Questions

Posture

Eye contact

Way of handling queries

Classroom communications

Positives of Lecture Mode

Time, cost and energy efficiency.

Up-to-date information based on home work/past

experience

Summaries of material/ view points from a variety of

experts and printed sources, internet resources

A pattern for organization of material which helps the

students to read more effectively

Effective use of pedagogy and material

Negatives of Lecture Mode Very large classes (even in IITs!!)

Lack of adequate/ desired facilities(Class rooms)

Difference in students vis-à-vis teacher's expectations.

Lack of visible recognition

Preoccupation with completing the course work.

Heterogeneity /diversity of students

Not able to retain student attention span (especially in

mobile age !!)

Monotony of daily routine(notes becoming yellow!)

Boring commanding position

How do we learn best?

We learn approximately

25% of what we hear

50% of what we see

75% of what we do

100% of what we teach

NOT INCLUDED INTERNET !!

What should be our goal?

Students hearing a concept

Students seeing a demonstration

Students doing a problem

Students teaching themselves or others (peer to peer group)” Example :AASF forum in IIITM

Students becoming our teachers

How to engage ?

Varying the pace

Connecting with them physically, emotionally and spiritually

Showing a visual/Youtube documentary

Asking the students to write something

Using humor/jokes to enlivening the atmosphere

Raising question

Using a small group activity

Breaking up the session into several little units.

Student Motivation guided by…

Make students partners in the teaching- learning process.

They are co-producers according to TQM perspective

Be sensitive about student needs.

Provide extrinsic motivation

Allow some quite time./Time for meditation?

Take them out for filed study !

Meticulous Planning required for.. KNOWLEDGE BASE

content well chosen and well structured

ascertain at what level to pitch the lecture

CLARITY

ensure that the lecture move in a logical manner and the movement is clearly understood.

Ensure that you can be heard and what you show can be seen by all the students.

GENERATING INTEREST

adopting different approaches and openings in your lecture.

Making effective use of audio-video aids.

Encouraging students involvement

introducing variety in pace of delivery and intonation.

People Skills.. Soft skills

Ability to get along with following groups :

Students

Peers

Subordinates

Superiors

Staff/lab people

This needs

Human Qualities

Communication skills

Social intelligence

Understanding of perceptions

COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Listening

Discussing

Writing

Advocating

IT skills

SOCIAL INTELLIGENCE

A good understanding of people and how to get along with them

Social media

People Skills .. Soft skills

Ensuring Effective Delivery Rehearse Mentally OFTEN/PUT A MIRROR

AND SEE YOURSELF !

Practice using Audio Visual Aids/take a mobile shoot and observer yourself

Ensure Audibility

Check body language

Introduce Variation in Pace and Intonation

Recognize Limits of Attention Span

Steps to Become Academically Sound

& Vibrant Teacher ..1.. Overall Goals Work Habits People Skills Social & Emotional Intelligence Emotional attachment

A OVERALL GOALSDiscover your mental make up Identify your overall personality styleDo SWOT analysis Identify the things you ought to be doing to satisfy your

inner self and just follow your inner self Talk to your role models for clarity

Role of a mentor

Must identify a mentor

Learn from the story of Eklavya

Follow the mentor with passion and zeal

Mentor also acts as an emotional support system

Just copy best practices !!!

Steps to Become Academically

Sound & Vibrant Teacher ..2.. B WORK HABITS : Elements to Become productive

teacher

1 Achievement and Self-improvement Needs

Reading from role models/your teachers/

Contemplating what you might like from life in the way of material rewards

Setting a series a goals for your teaching career

Developing a special expertise

2 Developing a passion

3. Quality mind set

4. An eye for details

5. Life long learning attitude

Steps to Become Academically

Sound & Vibrant Teacher ..3..

C PEOPLE SKILLS Social Intelligence that guide the behavior Contemplating your overall style and addressing your likely

problems Understanding people psyche and adjusting accordingly Understanding spirituality Navigating in situations of conflict and contrasts Basic orientation towards psychology of people and place People come in al shape , size and colour !! In our context, language, religion, bringing up habits etc also

play a role

Steps to Become Academically

Sound & Vibrant Teacher ..4..

D OVERALL

Education and academic background

Experience of dealing with a variety of contexts,

situations

Analytical mind set

Professional Decision making

Creativity and innovation

Mind set for sensing “novelty”

Remarks.. Both teachers and students construct

knowledge collaboratively and the student is an active partner in this process.

Teacher as a guide rather than a sage on the stage !

Self-directed and life –long learning

Teacher's role not extinct but Distinct (Fr Rex Angelo, 2009)

Teaching as a reflective practice not a reflex practice

Insights..

Shift from the perspective of knowledge giver/sender to the perspective of knowledge receiver/recipient

Emphasis on Learning !!!

People do not select medium BUT they adopt themselves to medium (Prof N Cho, Hanyang University, Korea, 2 Jan 2009 at IIITM Gwalior)

Insights..

Change of mind set

From bureaucratic to process oriented

From paper bound to paper less (or less paper !)

From command and control to empowerment and distributed decision making

Academia has to recognize the importance of flexibility

Accordingly, teacher has to change !

End Thoughts..

Highly dynamic, turbulent environment characterized by various imperatives

Teaching – learning process needs to be understood

Skill set need to be developed to become an academically sound and vibrant tecaher

Thanks a lot for your patience … Acknowledgement

Prof N V Ratnalikar

Engineering Education Foundation, Pune