Faculty Enrichment Programme The IQAC of St. Xavier’s College organized the annual Faculty Enrichment Programme on 27th and 28th March 2015 on the theme ‘Fostering and Sustaining the Enhanced Quality of Higher Education’.
The resource person for the programme was Prof. Dr. S. Sivasubramanian, Advisor R&D, Vels Univerisity, Pallavaram, Chennai and former Vice- Chancellor of Bharathiar University and Noorul Islam University; an eminent scientist, distinguished academician, able administrator and a pioneer in the field of organic Chemistry. Principal Dr. Fr. Walter de Sa welcomed the faculty and the resource person. He urged teachers to ‘shape the world and stop it from going to sleep’. He wished the faculty fruitful deliberations. At the outset, Prof. Sivasubramanian highlighted three vital factors in the context of quality in higher education. He stressed that: i) Teachers can make or break an institution. For it is teachers who build the country in the classroom ii) It is vital that the right kind of people with the right frame of mind, occupy the right positions in an educational institution iii) It is necessary to innovate to achieve excellence. In the first technical session titled, ‘Status of Quality in Higher Education and Motivating Teachers to impart, sustain and foster quality in Higher Education’. Prof. Dr. Sivasubramanian outlined three aims of higher education namely: Preparing students for challenges- social and ethical Preparing students to get employment To seek truth He identified five Cs, ie., Competence, Confidence, Congruence, Creativity all oriented towards being able to conquer the world in terms of securing a good career. Prof. Sivasubramanian examined the concept of quality in relation to NAAC parameters. He shared the opinions of significant leaders in the context of education in India mainly regarding concerns like the need for quality teachers, innovation in teaching techniques and corruption in education. While there are pockets of excellence, there is much to be desired. In order to address these challenges and recharge quality it is imperative for an institute of higher education to have: Visionary and missionary management An effective and inspiring principal with a vision Committed teachers Participating students and A watch-dog society This will lead to the ability to stay inspired and inspire others. Prof. Sivasubramanian conducted a detailed analysis of how quality can be maintained considering the institution, the head, and the teachers. “Be a learning institution, not a teaching institution” he insisted, adding that it was important to be a thinking, responsive, people friendly, participating and technology savvy institution. The head of the institution should not sugar-coat reality, should refuse to accept the status quo, create a sense of urgency, call people to act in accordance with their highest values, be a role model, encourage faculty and students and build confidence. “Be a mentor, not a tutor,” he exhorted the teachers in an institution of higher education. He urged them to build networks to create and spread knowledge, constantly challenge their knowledge boundaries, inculcate original thinking in themselves and students, and aim to win accolades at the global level through original research, consultancy and collaboration. The challenges facing higher education were taken into account. These included factors like privatization, students, research, use of technology, and infrastructure. The need for a paradigm shift from teaching to e-learning, was stressed. Prof. Sivasubramanian was convinced of the underutilization of technology and encouraged effective use of technology. “Managing the class is an art” observed Prof. Sivasubramanian. He enumerated the qualities of a good teacher who understands that, ‘teaching is not to reach the mind but the heart’. He went on to chart the challenges facing academic programmes. Challenges in terms of students, institutional administration, research and the use of technology. Prof. Sivasubramanian suggested numerous open sources like Coursera, Edx, Khan Academy, available online as a rich data base to be mined by teachers. He placed emphasis on the need for classrooms to be technologically upgraded. Citing numerous success stories of Indians spearhead global companies abroad he drove home the point that we in India fail to create a suitable ambience for our talent or support innovation. The ways in which the institution and the teachers could recharge quality were considered. This can be best achieved by creating a sense of belongingness to the institution and having efficient feedback and grievance addressal channels. He then examined the initiatives undertaken by Smiriti Irani the Minister for Human Resource Development, aimed at enhancing quality education. The need to be student centric and use ICT enabled technology was underlined inorder to face a generation of technophiles. 10 technology tools were discussed in detail as also their potential drawbacks. The final session analysed the role of the Principal in enhancing quality by working in tandem with the IQAC and by enhancing the seven assessment criteria stipulated by NAAC namely Curricular Aspects, Teaching Learning Evaluation, Research Consultancy and Extension, Infrastructure and Learning Resources, Student Support and Progression, Governance and Leadership, Innovative Practices. The session ended with Prof. Sivasubramanian insisting: “Never be satisfied with what you are academically.” The sessions were reflective of his rich experiences as an educationist over nearly five decades and marked by conviction, relevant examples and enthusiasm.