Sharing of Innovative Experiences and Practices amid COVID-19 Disruption-AMDISA

[Shamim Ansary]

IPE during the times of COVID-19: The story of transformational change in learning and teaching

The threat of COVID-19 across the world has impacted every one of us. Many institutions are experiencing disruption of scheduled work and academic activities due to extended and indeterminate campus closures. Institute of Public Enterprise (IPE), Hyderabad has taken a two-pronged approach to ensure that the learning for the students continues without any disruption. The institute has implemented a) Asynchronous method of teaching and learning and b) Synchronous method for face-to-face instruction.

IPE’s asynchronous approach is based on creating and distributing content like PowerPoint presentations, course materials, assignments, e-learning resources and e-library links etc. developed by the faculty members to the students through e-mails, chat applications etc. to ensure student interaction. The synchronous approach is using a video-conferencing tool to achieve faculty–student interaction in a live mode. IPE has utilised the services of Zoom platform and moved its entire offline time-table to online where faculty and students can hear, see, and interact with each other at the same time and can have a “in person” class experience.

IPE has armed itself with these initiatives primarily because of the foresightedness of its Board of Governors, faculty, staff and its investment well ahead of the present times in information technology by way of putting in place the requisite hardware, software and trained manpower well versed in the latest techniques of learning. The faculty, staff and students have been provided with laptops, desktops, printers, wifi and other related facilities. This is how the most recent meetings of its Board of Governors, Executive Committee, Finance Committee and Annual General Body were conducted through Zoom endorsing fully the Prime Minister’s frequently made appeal to defeat and banish COVID-19 through social distancing, IPE has permeated in itself the stakeholder theory. 

IPE prides itself on providing high quality learning experience and with seasoned faculty members in its fold the business is as usual in the institute and the learning for the students never stops.

Below we describe how teaching and learning is undergoing a transformational change in India in various universities:

    1.   DIGITAL TEACHING-LEARNING INITIATIVES AT ASSAM ROYAL GLOBAL UNIVERSITY, GUWAHATIThe Assam Royal Global University (RGU), a State Private University in Guwahati Assam, has taken prompt steps to resort to the digital platforms on March 21st 2020 -the day HRD ministry issued notification about work from home. before the Lock Down.

    As all heads and faculty members were part of different Whatsapp group so necessary guidelines were given and we started preparing for online classes and sharing study material with students. It is worth mentioning that many faculty members started online interaction with students from 16th march itself.

    The University management issued operating guidelines on 23rd march as Assam state was not under lockdown, IT team of university worked whole day and checked that all faculty members are provided with class wise/ subject wise group id’s of students they also provided training of google classroom and other platforms to faculty members. ROYALNet the digital platform of the University where we manage attendance, upload lesson plans and study material became very helpful as students are receiving relevant material, assignments, videos, video links on this platform while studying from home. All faculty members are in constant touch with their students through the respective WhatsApp Groups as well as through the mass student e- mail network, ROYALNet and google classroom.

    The faculty members are very actually and enthusiastically using digital platforms and frequently using Google Classroom and began uploading learning materials, useful links, youtube video lectures, assignments and also some of their own video lectures as per the scheduled classes and reporting on daily bases.

    Examinations were also conducted online in some e-classes, Some other examinations are being planned for the coming days. The students have started submitting their completed assignments through e-mail.

    The students are regularly motivated and directed to be responsive to the digital transactions by each teacher. The senior officers, right from the VC, Chairperson (Academic), the Deans of Schools and the HoDs and Coordinators are regularly monitoring the progress of the pedagogic exercises of the University in the digital ecosystem.

    The University has already developed few video lectures and demonstrations by the faculty members. The process shall now be accelerated so that we achieve best results during lockdown period. As of now, as an emergent exigency the response from the digital mode is very encouraging and effective to a great extent too. Stay home, stay safe- work from home and take this opportunity to learn more is current focus of Royal global university.

    2.   NMIMS faculty is now delivering lectures, and assessing students online. Even the attendance records are maintained as students login. Multiple technologies like Zoom are being used.

    3.   In the wake of the nation-wide lockdowns, TCS is offering schools and colleges, access to the TCS iON Digital Glass Room, a virtual learning platform, free of cost, so students can continue learning at home through this unprecedented period.

    4.   The TCS iON Digital Glass Room is a mobile and web education platform for schools and colleges, that empowers educators to engage with students in real time by sharing lessons, videos, worksheets, assignments and assessments, using interactive methods like polls, debates, quizzes, surveys and many more tools. As an add-on, the platform also provides an embedded live classroom, which simulates live classroom teaching.

    TCS iON Digital Glass Room is available to educational institutes of all types, irrespective of the medium of instruction, Board/University affiliation, or size. Interested schools and higher education organizations can register for the platform by going to https://learning.tcsionhub.in/hub/glass-room/

    Pls forward to anyone who might find this useful.

    5.   https://www.livelaw.in/news-updates/covid-19-nlud-introduces-free-online-e-pg-pathshala-courses-for-law-students-to-avail-study-at-home-facility-153938

    We had put up this for students of law on 19th now working to organise online classes through Zoom.

    6.   Presently Zoom happens to be one of the best for online course instructions, conferencing and sharing. Requesting all to take care in these difficult times,

    7.   BITS Pilani has gone Live online for all its UG and PG classes following its entire Time Table for all the subjects since March 19. This is happening across all its campuses, namely Pilani, Goa, Hyderabad and Dubai. Dubai started it on March 8. The campus shutdown happened on March 9 in Dubai. Connectivity issues at the student end is a challenge. Attendance in online classes is high, the experience so far. We appreciate this opportunity to share our narrative.

    8.   For Jain University Kochi Campus we are starting online classes through zoom from Friday onwards Already students have been shared with learning material and ppts So we hope that this situation will not lead us into more crisis.

    9.   At Symbiosis, we are conducting online classes using Zoom and similar tech. Faculty members are delighted with the results!  Access to online databases is also helping faculty to devote time to research.

    10.   Good Day to everybody! I greet the Aiu' idea of forming the group and congratulate. In pursuance of the UGC guide lines, I have assigned academic tasks (research articles/ editing/ commentary/ translation...) for the lockout period to the teachers of our University.