Three Day Orientation Programme On Quality Development Innovations In Modern Day Education

With the phenomenal changes in educational and information technology, the role of a teacher has undergone dramatic changes. He/she is expected to possess skills and abilities to plan the curriculum, make rational use of the media technology, and design an assessment strategy. This is possible only through a systematic approach to faculty development.

The goals of faculty development are: (i) To improve practice in teaching, research, and institutional service and also to manage change by enhancing individual strengths and abilities as well as organizational capacities and the overall culture. (ii)Faculty who engage in professional development experiences benefit in terms of increased vitality, informed pedagogy, teaching innovations, and scholarly teaching. (iii) Faculty professional development contributes to the effective use of emerging technologies and establishes a firm foundation for the holistic development of high-quality programs and curricula. (iv)The faculty development programs are tangible indicators of the institutions’ inner faith in their academic workforce. Examples of such improvements include development and use of new teaching methods and evaluation techniques, enhanced processes for analyzing, planning, and implementing curricula, new perceptions about factors that influence relationships between students and teachers, and increased commitment to educational scholarship – investigating teaching and learning processes. (v)Above all the quality of the orientation programmes / seminars/conferences/workshops conducted under the aegis of the Faculty development Programme constitute the essential determinant of the grade awarded to the college by NAAC (National Assessment and Accreditation Cell).Therefore as a part of the Faculty Development Programme, the Faculty Development Cell of the college organized its first Orientation Programme on Quality Development Innovations in Modern Day Education from 14th November 2014 – 16th November 2014.

DAY 1: 14TH NOVEMBER 2014

 The ball was set rolling by the inaugural speech by Honourable Vice Chairman of the Governing Body, Mr. Meeraj D Shah, followed by the welcome address delivered by  Revered Teacher-in-Charge Prof. Debjani Ganguly

The first speaker of the session, Prof. Sudipti Banerjee, Department of Commerce, Calcutta University, in his lecture on TIME AND STRESS MANAGEMENT, elucidated the significance of proper usage of time by a teacher. The speaker enlightened the august faculty members with the techniques of effective time management in order to realize both the qualitative and quantitative improvements in teaching-learning process.

Prof Banerjee’s lecture was followed by the lecture on CRISIS MANAGEMENT IN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS by Prof Prabir Kumar Das, Member Secretary, WBHES. The speaker not only identified the multifarious potential crisis that the educational institutions are facing today but also the processes by which an institution deals with a major event/ condition or situation that has the potential to cause harm or injury to individual(s) or the institutions’ stakeholders and/or damage to property and/or significantly disrupt the operation of the institution, threaten the institution’s financial standing or its ability to fulfill the institution’s mission beyond the immediacy of an emergency.

The final speaker of the session, Mr. Sanat Bhardwaj associated with SEBI; spoke on DESIGNING FINANCIAL PORTFOLIOS WITH INFLATIONARY CHALLENGES.

 DAY 2: 15TH NOVEMBER 2014

The second day of the programme was initiated by Prof. Anthony Gomes, Dept. Chemistry, Calcutta University. His lecture on RESEARCH ETHICS FOR YOUNG RESEARCHERS, dealt with ethical issues and its violation in research. The speaker emphasized on promotion of ethical conduct in research as a shared responsibility of the academicians, research institutes and the society. Ethics education helps young researchers understand the rules of professional behavior in research, to know their rights and to fulfill their responsibilities as an academician and an effective teacher

The brilliant musical performance of Mr. Nabhodeep Chakraborty (the second speaker of the session) on ATHERO O UNEESH SHATAKER ADHUNIK BANGLA GAAN, although created a purely non-academic ambience yet provided many noteworthy information on the development of Bengali language, literature, culture and traditions over the years.

The final session on HOW NOT TO TEACH? by Prof Asit Datta, Applied Optics and Photonics, Calcutta University, was a path breaking lecture on the act of teaching with due emphasis on the innovative methods a teacher should adopt so as to become a pace setter effectively guiding the students towards their goals.

DAY 3: 16TH NOVEMBER 2014

The final day of the Orientation Programme began with an exploration on the VIOLATION OF LAWS RELATED TO HUMAN RIGHTS by Prof. Jatin Kumar Das, Department of Law, Calcutta University.

Prof. Pritha Mukherjee’s, (Dept. Psychology, Calcutta University) lecture on SELF MANAGEMENT: PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE, created an awareness among the faculty members regarding the psychology of the college students. Prof Mukherjee emphasized on the fact that the teaching-learning process should be student centric with due emphasis on a child’s psychology and his emotional needs.

 The three day Orientation Programme ended with the audio-visual lecture of Mrs. Prakriti Dutta, M.Sc University of Edinburgh on SINGING CURES: TOWARDS A MUSICAL TOOL TO REPAIR LIVES. Mrs Dutta’s lecture focused on the healing effects of music on our psychological maladies.