Groups-based assignments have been introduced to hone students' interpersonal skills, says TSAS expert

With Coronavirus outbreak, a lot of industries have been impacted and so has the education sector. But, it seems that there are few universities and institutes who have hardly found it difficult to move to the virtual classrooms. In such testing times, experts at Teri School of Advanced Studies (TSAS) discuss about their prevailing culture which helped with swift transition to online mode.

Here is the edited excerpt of the conversation:

Q: How has today’s scenario of lockdown and global pandemic impacted your education system?

A: TERI School of Advanced Studies (TERI SAS) responded as per the directions received from MHRD and Government of Delhi. Classes were shifted to the online platform (Microsoft Team) since March 16, 2020. Prior to this, some training was imparted to the faculty and staff supporting the programmes. IT staff has constantly provided support to the teachers and students since then. These facts were reported in both rounds of fortnightly feedback collected from the students so far.

Q: What are some of the interesting initiatives your institute has taken to make it easy for your students and also contribute to eradication of this pandemic?

A: We are one of the few early birds who could analyse the situation on time and respond accordingly. Our prevailing culture helped in this swift switch. All the students have their login ids and password to the institute’s portal. Our team of faculty members have been using this portal for quite long to upload study material, mark attendance, and release semester results. The same is the situation now. Students can also access E-Resources made available by the library. We have also given VPN access to students so they can securely access the services on the college’s website

Q: How is the institute planning to conduct exams, evaluate and declare result online?

A: Even before the advent of the pandemic,we have been conducting many assessments through online mode. These include assignments, projects, term papers, take-home or open-book written examinations, and even presentations at the time when students were on fieldwork.

Written submissions compulsorily go through Turnitin checks, reports of which are shared with students, online. Feedback is often shared with students via mail.

After the lockdown policies were imposed, faculty is working towards converting classroom-based traditional examinations into online quizzes and assignments through Microsoft Teams and other applications.

Q: How are students responding to new initiatives?

A: Students have responded positively to the initiatives, as captured through two rounds of feedback. They appreciate the efforts made by the faculty. Some of the difficulties that they convey, such as internet speed, software or hardware related matters, limited number of computers at home, long screen time, distractions, are structural. They also requested more time to prepare for examinations, slowing down the pace of classes, reducing the number of hours of engagement per day, difficulties in handling practical subjects or those which require derivations. Appropriate solutions for these problems are being devised by the management and faculty.

Q: What impact will it have on students’ interpersonal, team management skills?

A: Not just students, but the disruptions owing to pandemic have compelled adaptations by faculty and staff as well. We are confident that this experience will enhance the capacity to perform a variety of tasks under adverse conditions, with limited resources. Given that each member of the TERI School of Advanced Studies (TERI SAS) community is performing the tasks assigned to them from home, they are honing their skills to improve time management as well. Several groups-based assignments have been inculcated into the curriculum specifically to hone students' interpersonal and team management skills. These assignments are now being carried out through online platforms that enable team projects.

Q: What are the best practices that the college is adopting to ensure seamless online learning?

A: The college has subscribed to Microsoft Team, three years ago. All transactions, from classes to meetings are taking place on it. Feedback from the students reveals that over time they have become quite conversant with this platform. University is also keeping track of the status of teaching in every course.

Q: How will today’s situation revolutionize online learning in India and abroad?

A: Many universities have started preparing two sets of programmes on the same subject, one for offline and the other for online mode. They differ on coverage and contents of courses, study material, the extent of fieldwork, practicals and assessments. At this moment in time, UGC allows a University to offer programmes in open and distance learning mode, subject to its NAAC score. We can expect some relaxation in this criterion.