Post-lockdown, universities in Pune plan major shift in academic structure
The virtual is going to be real at top city-based universities that have planned a major shift in academics once the lockdown imposed to control the Covid-19 outbreak is lifted.
Representative imagePUNE: The virtual is going to be real at top city-based universities that have planned a major shift in academics once the lockdown imposed to control the Covid-19 outbreak is lifted.
Among several measures planned for the future are hybrid or blended courses with only 50% students in class and the rest in hostels/homes; an entire semester moved online; more stress on continuous evaluation; building in-house online learning platforms; biometric attendance for students and staff replaced by iris scan; and, intranet-based attendance.
Classroom seating will be modified, helplines will be set up for counselling and the syllabi will have components of self-study, group study and self-paced learning. Projects are to be re-identified and major universities may opt for immersive technologies like augmented and virtual reality in preparation for the next academic year.
“We have made a standard operating procedure for being on the campus. Various measures will be taken, starting from a disinfectant tunnel at the entry to every unit being repeatedly sanitized. We are looking at hybrid teaching and learning process. If a class has 80 students, we are trying to work out a model where 40 will be in the classroom on any given day while the remaining will take online lessons from their homes or hostels,” said Nitin Karmalkar, vice-chancellor of the Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU).
Karmalkar said the content of about 400 courses is available online via national platforms like Swayam and National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning. “Our departments will watch and vet these videos. Wherever there are gaps, teachers in the department who are good at explaining concepts through videos will be told to incorporate local examples. I am also creating a group of psychology experts such as current and retired professors from affiliated colleges as well as others to counsel students,” he said.
Maintaining social distance in classrooms is a major challenge but we will educate our students, said Vidya Yeravdekar, principal-director of Symbiosis Society. “Our classrooms and hostel rooms are fairly large, so distancing is possible. Use of online education or blended learning will be done more in the first semester so that students can learn through such courses. We are prepared for the entire first semester using online courses. We have full-time counsellors and health care centres with qualified doctors on each campus,” said Yeravdekar, adding that the university practices continuous assessment.
Representatives of Flame University said that since March 17, the institution has conducted 2,590 classes online, with faculty teaching 194 courses and 890 students participating in remote learning sessions even from international locations. “If the situation mandates, we would be ready to offer classes online. We have counsellors to help students and a 24x7 health care facility with doctors and medical staff on campus. We have conducted our examinations online for the current academic year by making some changes in the evaluation criteria that allows students to demonstrate their learning without any compromise. We are using Moodle, a Learning Management System (LMS) which our students are familiar with. Once the grading process is completed, students get access to their results using their login,” explained Dishan Kamdar, vice-chancellor of Flame University.
Vishwakarma University has its own in-house learning platform, Vishwakarma Online Learning Platform (VOLP), for academic sessions. “Biometric attendance for students and staff will be replaced by iris scans and intranet-based attendance through login credentials. Students will be seated in such a way that everyone has a safety zone with a three-foot radius. Academic activities will be conducted in a phased manner so that only 40-50% staff and students are on campus at a time. Manual paper handling will be minimized and group activities will be conducted through participative online learning platforms,” said Siddharth Jabade, vice-chancellor of the university.
Somnath Patil, secretary of Dr D Y Patil Vidyapeeth Society that runs Dr D Y Patil Deemed University, said, “We are also looking at online and e-learning options. When colleges reopen, we will have a staggered and structured entry for students. We are also using online platforms to reach out to students. A component of the examination that has multiple choice questions will be held online. We are trying to increase the online examination aspect too,” said Patil.
Among several measures planned for the future are hybrid or blended courses with only 50% students in class and the rest in hostels/homes; an entire semester moved online; more stress on continuous evaluation; building in-house online learning platforms; biometric attendance for students and staff replaced by iris scan; and, intranet-based attendance.
Classroom seating will be modified, helplines will be set up for counselling and the syllabi will have components of self-study, group study and self-paced learning. Projects are to be re-identified and major universities may opt for immersive technologies like augmented and virtual reality in preparation for the next academic year.
“We have made a standard operating procedure for being on the campus. Various measures will be taken, starting from a disinfectant tunnel at the entry to every unit being repeatedly sanitized. We are looking at hybrid teaching and learning process. If a class has 80 students, we are trying to work out a model where 40 will be in the classroom on any given day while the remaining will take online lessons from their homes or hostels,” said Nitin Karmalkar, vice-chancellor of the Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU).
Karmalkar said the content of about 400 courses is available online via national platforms like Swayam and National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning. “Our departments will watch and vet these videos. Wherever there are gaps, teachers in the department who are good at explaining concepts through videos will be told to incorporate local examples. I am also creating a group of psychology experts such as current and retired professors from affiliated colleges as well as others to counsel students,” he said.
Maintaining social distance in classrooms is a major challenge but we will educate our students, said Vidya Yeravdekar, principal-director of Symbiosis Society. “Our classrooms and hostel rooms are fairly large, so distancing is possible. Use of online education or blended learning will be done more in the first semester so that students can learn through such courses. We are prepared for the entire first semester using online courses. We have full-time counsellors and health care centres with qualified doctors on each campus,” said Yeravdekar, adding that the university practices continuous assessment.
Representatives of Flame University said that since March 17, the institution has conducted 2,590 classes online, with faculty teaching 194 courses and 890 students participating in remote learning sessions even from international locations. “If the situation mandates, we would be ready to offer classes online. We have counsellors to help students and a 24x7 health care facility with doctors and medical staff on campus. We have conducted our examinations online for the current academic year by making some changes in the evaluation criteria that allows students to demonstrate their learning without any compromise. We are using Moodle, a Learning Management System (LMS) which our students are familiar with. Once the grading process is completed, students get access to their results using their login,” explained Dishan Kamdar, vice-chancellor of Flame University.
Vishwakarma University has its own in-house learning platform, Vishwakarma Online Learning Platform (VOLP), for academic sessions. “Biometric attendance for students and staff will be replaced by iris scans and intranet-based attendance through login credentials. Students will be seated in such a way that everyone has a safety zone with a three-foot radius. Academic activities will be conducted in a phased manner so that only 40-50% staff and students are on campus at a time. Manual paper handling will be minimized and group activities will be conducted through participative online learning platforms,” said Siddharth Jabade, vice-chancellor of the university.
Somnath Patil, secretary of Dr D Y Patil Vidyapeeth Society that runs Dr D Y Patil Deemed University, said, “We are also looking at online and e-learning options. When colleges reopen, we will have a staggered and structured entry for students. We are also using online platforms to reach out to students. A component of the examination that has multiple choice questions will be held online. We are trying to increase the online examination aspect too,” said Patil.
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