HED - Aviation Special by Connecta Innovation

INDIA EDITION MUST-WATCH

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UPES CENTRE FOR CONTINUING EDUCATION

CHAMPIONING QUALITY AND AFFORDABLE EDUCATION APRIL 2020

Higher Education Digest April 2020

Connecta

April 2020

Vol - 2 Issue - 5

Aviation Institutes Special (India Edition) Editor in Chief

Dr. Manoj Varghese

Managing Editor Rose Mary

Consultant Editors

Dr. Johny Andrews Anjana K Shyam S

Navya Venkatesh Stanly Lui Emma James

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Art and Design Ajay K Das

Sales & Marketing

Jyoti Kumari Prathyoosh K Shaji

Arati Waghmare Rupali Mohankar

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Higher Education Digest April 2020 March 2019

MANAGING EDITOR’S NOTE

We Shall Overcome

quote from a very famous fiction goes like this, “Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light”. The 2019 Novel Coronavirus, COVID-19, has been challenging human resilience for almost 5 months now. The citizens of the world have been asked to sit at home, resulting in a dominoes effect in the corporate world. This is especially true for the aviation sector, The Indian aviation sector is projected to incur a staggering USD 3.33.6 billion loss in the first quarter of the next financial year if flight services remain grounded till June-end, according to a report. However, IndiGo offered the Union Civil Aviation Ministry its ‘resources, aircraft and crew’ to transport medicine, equipment and relief material from one part of the country to another. They simply turned on the light, giving a ray of hope to many affected. We think this issue, “10 Must-Watch Aviation Institutions in India” could not have been released at a better time. With almost all aviation giants taking a hit, there will be a surge for masterful professionals who can help them overcome the economical atrophy.

We have also covered several authors who talk about not falling for the imposter syndrome, the importance of society ensuring its women’s health, and the role of Robotics in education. In the following pages, you will also read the words of a children’s advocate, underlining every child’s right to quality education. The story of Liljana’s perseverance, which we have portrayed in this issue, will surely move you, if not motivate you to rise to the occasion and your best to help those in help around you. I hope you, as our dear reader, use these quarantine days to introspect and catch up on all that you previously did not have time for. Always remember to disinfect, sanitize, repeat. This too shall pass.

Rose Mary

Higher Education Digest April 2020

ADVISORY BOARD Dr. Kuldeep Nagi, Ph.D, MBA, BSc. Program Director of Ph.D, Recipient of Fulbright Fellowship Award & Dan Evans Award for Excellence and Writer columnist.

Dr.Varughese K.John, PhD, MBA, MPhil, MCom, LLB. Program Director, MS in Management Program, GSATM - AU

Dr. Venus M. Alboruto, PhD, Master Teacher, Researcher, Innovator, Trainer.

6 Major General (Rtd.) Dr. Sunil Chandra, VSM (Vishishta Seva Medal), Ph.D, M. Phil, MA, M.Ed, PGBDA Ex-M D Army Welfare Education Society, ExCOO GEMS Education - India, Ex- Addl Dir Gen - Army Education, Mentor - Adventure-Pulse

Dr. Ajay Shukla, Ph.D, MBA, BE.

Mr. Sreedhar Bevara, MBA, B.Com

Co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer at Higher Education UAE

Senior General Manager: Panasonic Middle East & Africa, Thought Leader, Speaker & Author of ‘Moment of Signal’ (Amazon’s International Bestseller)

Mr. Amulya Sah, PGD PM & IR, PG Diploma in PM&IR (XISS Ranchi)

Shanthi Rajan (MSHRM, FHEA, AMCILT) Director, Institution Development, University of Stirling, RAK Campus, UAE.

Higher Education Digest April 2020

Senior Director HR. Head HR group Samsung R&D Institute India,Transformative HR Leader, Change agent, Digitization facilitator, Engagement architect, Trainer and Diversity champion.

Asst. Prof. Dr. Suramya Mathai, Ph.D,M.Ed,MA,BA. Teachers Training Expert, Writer, Author, Speaker & Social Worker

Higher Education Digest April 2020

UPES CENTRE FOR CONTINUING EDUCATION

CHAMPIONING QUALITY AND AFFORDABLE EDUCATION

ED SHEROES

Brewing a New Albania Through Education Liljana Luani

28 - 31 GRACIOUS AVATAR

Helping Young Women Soar

MENTOR’S MANTRA

ACADEMIC VIEW

Pushing Past Imposter Syndrome

Gamification of Learning and Introducing Robotics in Classroom

Ensuring Every Child Has The Right And Access To Quality Education

Will This New Era Take Care Of Women’s Health?

Dr. Tasha Eurich, Principal, The Eurich Group

Mr. Beas Dev Ralhan, CEO & Co-founder, Next Education India Pvt. Ltd.

Pratima Kamble, Lead for CPYA program, Miracle Foundation India

Harshita Dilawri, Founder, Know Your Nutrients

INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE

NTENTS

Higher Education Digest April 2020

lthough there is pretty much nothing that can shake the aviation industry, a global pandemic, sadly, is one that can uproot the whole aviation ecosystem. With COVID-19 claiming thousands of lives worldwide, the aviation industry is having to deal with increasingly restricted services and plummeting revenues amid economic uncertainty and travel bans. After the announcement of the suspension of all domestic operations of Indian airlines from March 25 amid Covid-19 pandemic, Aviation stocks dropped up to 10%. Vistara, SpiceJet and GoAir have suspended much, or all, of their international operations and Air India and IndiGo, have truncated their overseas services. However, before disaster struck, the Indian aviation sector was touted as showing remarkable growth in recent years. The country had plans to construct over 100 new airports by 2035, offering a varied palette of jobs to choose from. Although airline operations are the core of the aviation industry, verticals such as airport operations, air cargo and ground handling contribute enormously to the workforce. For instance, based on a skill gap study conducted by Ministry of Civil Aviation with iMACS, it was estimated that by 2035, the Indian civil aviation sector including airlines, airports, MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul, an emerging vertical and with the massive growth projections in fleet size, strategic location, pool of engineering expertise and lower labour costs, giving India the potential to become a leading MRO hub in the South Asian region) and ground handling would jointly employ almost 1 million personnel directly and around 3 million people indirectly. Thanks to the global pandemic, Airline companies are reducing their operating expenses and looking for more ways to cut expenses. One particular area that has caught their attention is the training expenses. Therefore, once this dust settles, Aviation industries will look for job-ready professionals who can take the rein without much ado. This is why it is impertinent to strengthening aviation education institutions, build additional training infrastructure and enforce strict monitoring to ensure the quality of training and skill development. We at the Higher Education Digest felt the importance of showcasing â&#x20AC;&#x153;10 Must-Watch Aviation Institutes in Indiaâ&#x20AC;? during these troubled times as a means of igniting hope. The names listed in this issue have created a niche for themselves in the industry and will continue to support the Aviation domain at all times.

Higher Education Digest April 2020

University Name Academy of Carver Aviation Pvt. Ltd

City

State

Mumbai

Maharashtra

AJ Aviation Academy

Bangalore

Karnataka

Cirrus Aviation Academy

Bangalore

Karnataka

Gurgaon

Haryana

IIAAM Foundation-Institute of Indian Aviation and Allied Management Studies

Bangalore

Karnataka

Jettwings Institute of Aviation & Hospitality Management

Guwahati

Assam

Meridian International Institute

Bangalore

Karnataka

Calicut

Kerala

Dehradun

Uttarakhand

Bhubaneshwar

Orissa

Gracious Avatar Vision School of Aviation

Southern College of Engineering and Technology

UPES-Center for Continuing Education

Utkal Aerospace and Engineering

Higher Education Digest April 2020

Higher Education Digest December January 2019 2020

UPES CENTRE FOR CONTINUING EDUCATION

Higher Education Digest April 2020

CHAMPIONING QUALITY AND AFFORDABLE EDUCATION By Rose Mary

Higher Education Digest April 2020

T 16

here is a rising need for specialized skills in every segment and domain that has created ample career opportunities. This trend is going to further increase in future. University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES), Dehradun was established in 2003. The founders chose to tread on a different path by building an institution that would focus on the domain and industry segments instead of generic specializations to create a talent pool readily available to those industry segments. Other than the full-time programs, UPES today offers higher education programs to working executives through its Centre for Continuing Education (CCE). UPES-CCE offers degree and skilling programs across various domains including Energy, Aviation, Infrastructure, Logistics and Supply Chain, Industrial Safety, IT, International Business, Project Management, etc. “Regarded as Asia’s First University to offer domain-specialization programs, we started by offering B.Tech. and MBA programs for the Energy industry – Oil & Gas and Power. Over the last 17 years, we have expanded our offerings by including programs in Aviation, Shipping, Infrastructure, Design etc. We have continued the trend by launching meaningful and relevant programs”, says Ashok Sahu, Director –UPES Centre for Continuing Education

UPES-CCE has set up a robust process to suit the needs of working professionals. It has a dedicated team who keeps the students engaged throughout the program journey

Higher Education Digest April 2020

Adhering to the proper regulatory guidelines while drafting curriculums, UPES goes beyond by engaging industry partners, senior academicians from India & abroad in curriculum design and employs the best of instructional designers in making the curriculum stimulating. This approach helps students retain the knowledge gained and apply it on the job. UPES-CCE has set up a robust process to suit the needs of working professionals. It has a dedicated team who keeps the students engaged throughout the program journey. The pedagogy includes both synchronous and asynchronous learning. It organizes live interactive webinars every weekend. A world-class technology-led highly flexible environment focussed at engaging working professionals to help achieve the learning outcomes is provided.

Higher Education Digest April 2020

A set of highly trained program managers and counsellors are available 24X7 in person or through a technology platform to support the students in any kind of academic, counselling or career related queries. It is noteworthy that majority of the UPES-CCE faculty have received their Ph.D. from top universities and carry out experiential learning by spending 12 days each year in the industry under the initiative called Abhigyat. UPES also has a robust internal system of up-skilling faculty members. Pedagogical Competence UPES-CCE follows a 3-pronged approach to teaching: e-Learning â&#x20AC;˘ Self-paced learning through world-class BlackBoard platform

• Dynamic e-Library that updates content regularly on the latest industry news and articles of interest • Recorded video lectures from industry experts Faculty-Led Live Sessions • Interactive live webinars attended by students from India and abroad • Discussion forums to keep students engaged through asynchronous mode • Sessions from Industry experts Projects and Industry Workshops • To complete their program, students have to do a real-life project assessed both by internal and external guides • Students are invited to attend industry workshops conducted in major cities

Higher Education Digest April 2020

UPES offers programs that prepare students for their future roles. Each program is tailored to develop an in-depth industry/domain expertise in students. The programs also focus on techno-commercial skills, people management, macro-environment, project management and communication skills that will make a student take mid to senior-level management roles confidently. â&#x20AC;&#x153;33% of our students have moved to a better job profile or have changed jobs or got pay raise or moved to the company of their choice within one year of completing their program. Between 2018 and 2020, 18 students rose to the business head or SBU head positions in their organizationsâ&#x20AC;?, adds Ashok Sahu. Maintaining close ties with the corporate world, UPES has a dedicated team that works closely with corporate on Curriculum collaboration, Co-certified courses, and Customized training solutions. Of the

Higher Education Digest April 2020

many collaborations that UPES-CCE cherishes with the industry, the following are the most notable ones: Indigo, GoAir, Vistara, SpiceJet from the Aviation Industry; HPCL, IOCL, OIL, Cairn Energy, BORL, Numaligarh Refinery Ltd. from the Oil & Gas Industry; Tata Power, BSES Rajdhani, BSES Yamuna from the Power Industry; DTDC, Expeditors, Safe-Educate from the Logistics & Supply Chain industry; and the Indian Air Force, Indian Navy and State Govt. of Uttarakhand. Opening its gates to students from all walks of life, UPES provides ample financial assistance to the deserving students. Special Scholarships are offered for Defence and Police Personnel and Special Scholarships for Govt. employees and those in PSUs. Moving forward, UPES - Centre for Continuing Education plans to introduce programs on Data Science, AI & ML and inculcate international curriculum through globally recognized institutions.

Higher Education Digest April 2020

MENTOR’S MANTRA

Pushing Past Imposter Syndrome 22

Dr. Tasha Eurich, Principal, The Eurich Group

couple of years ago, I happened to be in the same city where the annual conference for my fellow organizational psychology nerds was taking place. So, I took the opportunity to drop by and catch up with several colleagues I hadn’t seen in a decade. One had just snagged a big promotion; one had landed a massive research grant; another had recently published a brilliant book. But during our conversations, each one of these unquestionably successful people said something to the effect of “it’s only a matter of time before everyone realizes I don’t know what I’m doing.” I was totally floored, and not just because I have similar thoughts on an almost daily basis. In my team’s research on how we see ourselves, we’ve uncovered two general types of self-awareness deficiencies. The first is to overestimate our abilities and contributions, which, for obvious reasons, hurts our performance and strains our relationships. The second, which can be far more insidious, happens when we underestimate ourselves by downplaying our contributions, overlooking objective evidence of our effectiveness, or feeling undeserving of the rewards or accolades we’ve rightly earned. The phenomenon where successful people don’t internalize their own success has been dubbed “Imposter Syndrome.”

Higher Education Digest April 2020

Success is not easy for anyone, and it is almost always hard earned

23 Dr. Tasha Eurich

Dr. Tasha Eurich is an organizational psychologist, researcher, and New York Times best-selling author. Over her 15-plus-year career, she’s helped thousands of leaders and professionals—from public company CEOs to early stage entrepreneurs—improve their self-awareness and success. Her diverse client list includes organizations like T-Mobile, KPMG, Walmart, IBM, and the Miami Heat. A contributor to Harvard Business Review, Dr. Eurich’s work has been featured in outlets like The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, NPR, New York Magazine, Fortune, Forbes, and Fast Company.

Higher Education Digest April 2020

The phenomenon where successful people don’t internalize their own success has been dubbed “Imposter Syndrome.”

Dr. Tasha Eurich

Higher Education Digest April 2020

In the 1970s, Oberlin psychology professor Pauline Clance was the first to publish her observations of imposter syndrome in action. Even though her students had attended the best schools, excelled in standardized testing, and earned exceptional grades, many didn’t feel like they deserved to be attending the prestigious university, reporting, “somehow the admissions committee made an error.” People with imposter syndrome usually work harder than they objectively need to. They often recognize this pattern but struggle to break it—If I pull back even a little, they worry, I’ll finally be found out. This cycle has real consequences: even though people experiencing imposter syndrome can achieve their goals in spite of their self-perceived inadequacies, they’re more likely to experience depression, psychological distress, and poor mental health. So who is vulnerable to imposter syndrome? In short, literally everyone. Initially, it was thought to affect mostly women. Female leaders, for example, tend to under-predict their boss’s ratings of them even though they are seen as slightly more effective (on average) compared to their male counterparts. But imposter syndrome has since been demonstrated in both men and women across a variety of professions and cultures. And despite evidence that 70 percent of people will experience at least one episode of imposter syndrome in their lifetime, most suffer in silence. An important first step, then, is to name and normalize the experience of imposter syndrome. But here’s what I think is the more fundamental problem. Whatever it is we are trying to achieve, when we look at those who are outpacing us, we inevitably have a biased perception of their journey. It’s rarely evident to us, nor do they typically advertise, how much fighting, flailing, and failing they had to do to get where they are. To us, they look like elegant swans gliding across the water, when in reality, and out of our view, they are furiously paddling beneath the surface. As writer Iyanla Vanzant so eloquently put it, “comparison is an act of violence against the self.” The root of imposter syndrome may therefore be comparing ourselves to others without a full picture of what they had to do to get there. The next time you see someone who appears to be effortlessly succeeding while you’re fighting to keep your head above water, remember that even those who are miles ahead of us face their own stressors, struggles, and self-doubts. Success is not easy for anyone, and it is almost always hard earned. The more we remember that, and the less we compare ourselves to others we feel are outpacing us, the more we can celebrate and appreciate just how far we’ve come, and how far we have yet to travel.

Higher Education Digest April 2020

GRACIOUS AVATAR

HELPING

YOUNG WOMEN 28

SOAR

or most of us, getting served a 7-course meal 30,000 feet up in the air is a dream come true. Oftentimes, Air hostesses are envied for their working environments and the glamour it comes with. They seem to showcase it as easy and doable. However, working in the aviation industry is not a piece of cake. It requires commitment, dedication and a passion for servicing. Another aspect of working in the aviation industry—one that is seldom spoken about—is that one has to be unique and should stand out from the crowd. Khushboo Sharma firmly believes that everyone must carry their beauty and personality with dignity. She says, “Every girl is unique and has her own style; my job is to polish her skillset and boost her confidence. In my 14 years of professional experience, which spans Hotels, Makeup and

Higher Education Digest April 2020

Fashion to Aviation industries, I have realized that while there is so much to learn, there is also so much potential for each of us to do the public so much good. Thus, in December 2017, I quit my job and started Gracious Avatar. Like the name suggests, my sole motto is to reach out to you, make you a confident individual, equip you with your subject knowledge and help you realize your dreams. In doing so, I also accomplished my dream of becoming an entrepreneur.â&#x20AC;? Khushboo says that young adults should be taught to focus on their skills and not just on achieving marks. Rote memorization can only do so

Higher Education Digest April 2020

much for you. They must be able to think critically and question why certain things work the way it does. She further comments that the Indian education system focuses on the macro aspect rather than the micro aspect of the job market. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We do have best-skilled manpower in the world when compared with the other country which is developed. The major issue here is a lack of diversity and specialization in education. I believe that the increase in specialization studies for students will help increase skilled manpower and in return help in the growth of India.â&#x20AC;? Gracious Avatar perfectly understands the amount of dedication and resources the students invest in their professional courses, and hence, the team strives to be honest and the best in providing first-class training and delivering projects. What makes Gracious Avatar different from its peers in the market is that not only does it preach, but also practice friendly customer service, delivering professional services, quality trainings, transparency, cost-effectiveness, and timely improvisation in training delivery modules.

Gracious Avatar, like the name suggests, exists to make you a confident individual, equip you with your subject knowledge, and help you realize your dreams

Higher Education Digest April 2020

Khushboo Sharma, Director, Gracious Avatar

“The first 2 weeks of any course at Gracious Avatar are based on teaching students the importance of time and money. Aviation or the service industry may look very glamorous from the outside. However, it works on emotions, attitude, time management and discipline because you directly connected to people’s life. Hence to make them understand the idea of making a great career and continue to live their dream we ensure that they start living these habits,” says Khushboo Sharma, Director, Gracious Avatar. The institute also holds special facilities such as periodic social gatherings, meditation sessions, wellness sessions and counselling sessions for everyone at the academy. A testament to these initiatives taken by Gracious Avatar is that 82% of the academy’s students have received placements with industry giants like IndiGo, Go Air, Vistara and Flybig. “My last batch placement percentage is 95. Key placement simply means when you get through more than one airline and then it’s your choice where to join, the same happened with the last batch where 3 of my girls got through two companies,” points out the Director. Speaking about her students, Khushboo is proud that she has been able to do her bit in empowering young women to realize their dreams. “Some parents give their daughters a month to do what they want to and then propose to get the girls married. However, my girls take this as a challenge, work hard and get selected by leading aviation players, start earning and look after the parents- who initially wanted to get them married. As an individual and as a woman, this is a major achievement for all us.” Going forward, Khushboo intends to take Gracious avatar to new heights by implementing programs that are the need of the hour and by helping young individuals realize their true potential.

Higher Education Digest April 2020

INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE

Ensuring Every Child Has The Right And Access To Quality Education -Pratima Kamble, Senior Coordinator-Education for the northern and western region of India and the lead for Child Participation and Youth Advocacy (CPYA) program, Miracle Foundation India

he Miracle Foundation supports children in need of care and protection (CNCP) to have a better quality of life while bringing about sustainable change that reduces the need for child care institutions (CCIs). In order to achieve this, our core initiatives include providing highly specialized training and resources for social workers, caregivers and government officials that make decisions impacting millions of vulnerable children. In addition, we ensure every child thrives and is entitled to an education, nutrition, health, and protective services by leveraging our proprietary Thrive Scaleâ&#x201E;˘ Methodology. For the past 20 years, Miracle Foundation has improved the lives of more than 15,000 children and impacted almost 300 CCIs. Ensuring every child receives a quality education and acquires the knowledge and skills to be empowered, informed, engaged, and become an active citizen is a priority for Miracle Foundation. We do so by ensuring children have access to high quality education while living with their families and while they await placement from a CCI into a family. The Right to a Quality Education while Children await Family Placement Each school-aged child awaiting placement into a family while living in a CCI attends school consistently throughout the academic year and receives tutoring or other after-school support to help improve academic performance. (e.g., house parents

Higher Education Digest April 2020

Once children are reunited with their families after thorough assessment and preparation, we prepare a robust education plan.

33 Pratima Kamble

With 9+ years of work experience in the social sector and proven abilities in program management, impact assessment, developing new strategies and community development, Pratima Kamble has been working in the field of Education, Child Rights, CSR, Women Empowerment, Children in Need of Care and Protection and underprivileged children. Currently, working as a Senior Coordinator-Education for the northern and western region of India and the lead for Child Participation and Youth Advocacy (CPYA) program at Miracle Foundation India, she has presented papers at the National and International seminars. She is also a certified career counsellor. She strongly believes that children are the best teachers as they teach you things in unexpected ways. Decisions made for a child should not be solely made by adults, but adults and children need to work together to see that decisions are in the best interest of the child.

Higher Education Digest April 2020

Pratima Kamble

My first priority is to spread awareness about education because it was the only thing that made me reach where I am today and it is the only powerful thing can change the world for betterâ&#x20AC;?

Higher Education Digest April 2020

helping younger children, outside tutors when appropriate, etc.). Qualified resources are used to identify children with learning disabilities (e.g., certified special educators, psychologists, disability centers or schools to perform testing) to ensure they are provided with the necessary accommodations at school as well. In order to help children determine their academic abilities, long-term educational goals and future career path, we partner with experts on the ground to provide children ages 15 and up with aptitude testing and career counselling. Children are supported, encouraged, and given access to higher educational opportunities (university or vocational training) without discrimination or bias, which leads to employment and helps them become self-sustaining adults. A structured education plan and training for the right life skills play a key role in shaping the personalities of these children. To ensure the education journey of these children is fruitful, Miracle Foundation does not do it alone. Instead, we leverage all the important people in the children’s life and make them a part of the process. This involves providing highly specialized training to coaching teachers and house parents, inviting family members to career counseling sessions, and advocating with the school to provide children with the necessary support and ultimately a quality education. Providing Quality Education to Children in Families Our work is not limited to CCIs but it is extended by providing the same support once children go back to their families. Around 8 million children are living under the care of these institutions around the world, and 80% of them actually have a living parent or relative. Miracle Foundation actively works towards reuniting children without parental care with their parent/s and/or relatives. Making sure children continue to have access to quality education remains top priority. Once children are reunited with their families after thorough assessment and preparation,

we prepare a robust education plan. Support can include items such as providing access to school supplies/educational toys, transportation to school, after school tutoring, testing and support for learning issues, financial assistance, help accessing government schemes, linking families with education and skills for employment, and supporting other children in the family to purse education too. We continue to follow up with the child and family regularly to ensure there are no dropouts. Today, we have these young adults pursuing the career they always dreamt of since they were children. We are proud to see them becoming Engineers, Medical professionals, Chefs, Teachers, Social Workers and so on. In the 2019-2020 academic year we supported 209 young adults to pursue higher education. Child Participation We at Miracle believe that children are the true ambassadors to advocate for their rights and we provide them with an opportunity to do so. Children get an opportunity to understand and choose what career options are suitable for them with the help of career counselling support and every CCI is equipped with an education children’s committee. The youth leaders of these education committees help other children by coaching and guiding them in their education. They also encourage regular use of the library to read books and newspapers to enhance their knowledge about the world around them. At a national and international level, children advocate for their rights and share insights on improving the child care system (e.g., access to education, health, right to live in family, etc.) through our Child Participation and Youth Advocacy Program. Absalom, one of our Youth Ambassadors says, “My first priority is to spread awareness about education because it was the only thing that made me reach where I am today and it is the only powerful thing can change the world for better”. At Miracle Foundation, we’re committed to supporting Absalom and other children change the world!

Higher Education Digest April 2020

ACADEMIC VIEW

Gamification of Learning and Introducing Robotics in Classroom Mr. Beas Dev Ralhan, CEO & Co-founder, Next Education India Pvt. Ltd.

‘A

ll work and no play make Jack a dull boy.’ In this world of online education, computerized learning and video games, children are always hooked onto one device or another. The era of outdoor games is gone whereas the online screen time is increasing every day. With every passing day, technology is evolving in a manner which heralds of a day, not far away, when every educational component will be digitized and easily accessible. But will that be effective for learners? Will the huge amount of screen time, which is so much fun for today’s students, bring the same amount of joy for future learners? We can’t be too sure about this. We are aware of the fact that any revolutionary technological intervention needs to knit the benefits of both hardware and software. This integration is capable of bringing the fun of handson creation and the pleasure of learning by doing, something which ensures not just visual and auditory learning potential but enhances our kinesthetic learning skill of learners. We must understand that we need ourselves and the future generations to grow holistically to witness a wonderful tomorrow which needs more than just the touch of our fingertip. As education is one of the greatest pillars for self-development, it is imperative to mould the academic sphere in a way that can broaden the exposure for learners and give them ample opportunity to be their best versions. As education has the power to transform life, educators across the globe are working tirelessly to make innovations that not only provide learners knowledge but also keeps the joy of learning alive in them. Be it designing a brandnew curriculum which is age-appropriate or incorporating hands-

Higher Education Digest April 2020

Gamification is a concept that applies the elements of gaming in nongaming contexts

39 Beas Dev Ralhan

Beas Dev Ralhan is the CEO of Next Education India Private Limited, a technologydriven education enterprise, headquartered in Hyderabad. Prior to Next Education, Beas worked as an entrepreneur, investment manager and consultant for around a decade. In recognition of his immense contribution to the K–12 education segment, CII (Southern Regional) bestowed upon him the ‘Emerging Entrepreneur’ award in 2015. He also received the Indian Education Leader award at the 7th World Education Summit, 2016. Beas likes to be a part of ventures where technology is the game changer. He ardently believes that a real change in education can take place with teachers adopting and incorporating technology in the child’s learning process, and this learning via technology can create a difference in the lives of millions of students.

Higher Education Digest April 2020

on learning activities and gamification to make learning fun, continuous research and development are going on with the aim of building the best for our next generation. In this article, we will talk about how gamification is changing the face of education. But before we proceed, let us get to know what gamification is. Gamification can be defined as a set of activities and processes to solve problems by using or applying game elements. Applied in a non-game context, gamification commonly employs game design elements to improve user engagement, productivity, flow, and learning. For example, McDonald’s had incorporated ‘Till Training’ to train their employees on the new cash register and ordering system. The company has developed a game that involved scores, different challenges, timers and feedback. The game helped employees to stay equipped with an environment which is identical to their would-be real-life situation. But the game gave them the leverage to make mistakes and learn from them. In the educational spectrum, gamification is considered as a technique that can enhance learners’ communication in a classroom scenario. Involving games in the class acts as a stimulus and improves learning outcome, collaboration and communication skill and make the learning a joyful experience.

Beas Dev Ralhan

Higher Education Digest April 2020

Importance of gamification According to the literature review published in Springer International, gamification in education has proved to improve the “Learner Outcome”. The review has stated that gamification in the classroom has enhanced the qualities of participation, engagement, productivity, motivation, enjoyment, sense of achievement and sense of accomplishment. Based on 15 studies on gamification in education, the researchers demonstrated that gamification has a significant role to play to transform education. Top scientifically proven benefits for gamification of learning are as follows: • Increases learner engagement • Advocates collaborative group learning • Ensures a better learning outcome • Improve the capacity of knowledge absorption and retention

Based on 15 studies on gamification in education, the researchers demonstrated that gamification has a significant role to play to transform education

â&#x20AC;˘ Makes learning fun and interactive â&#x20AC;˘ Provides students with the opportunity to check and experience the real-world applications â&#x20AC;˘ Enhances the overall learning experience Robotics, an integral part to gamify education Gamification is now perceived as a significant education tool. Many educational subjects are being articulated by gamification because it is capable of engaging young minds and draw their undivided attention. Applications, Software, Coding, and Robotics are invoked in the academic domain to fascinate learners and keep them hooked with the idea of learning. Teaching young students the abstract subject of programming can be challenging as it is often too complex and difficult to grasp. But introducing Robotics, which is comparatively simpler to understand and more tangible, can be a great start. When students program physical robots, it becomes easier for them to understand the intricacies and capabilities of robots. They learn the skills needed to create precise and accurate instructions and have fun while learning valuable lessons. The demand for robotics in education As the post-millennial generations are more exposed to different technological devices more from a tender age, they tend to be extremely inquisitive about technology

and computational discoveries. So, if learners are introduced to the basics of Robotics and programming languages from an early age, it can stimulate their mind with creativity and satisfy their curiosity. Moreover, children always find robots intriguing. The movements of a robot, the method of controlling the movements as well as the whole programming behind running a robot are always significant areas where learners pay undivided attention. For example, in a workshop organized by Next Education India Private Limited, which was solely about Robotics, students from different age groups were introduced to two robots named MEER and AZZY. We witnessed how a student can first feel overwhelmed seeing MEER moving, followed by trying to learn the programming behind the movements. Gamification is a concept that applies the elements of gaming in non-gaming contexts. It is a tried and tested method which witnessed significant growth in different areas of education. The goal of education is not to simply cram facts, but also to create opportunities for a child to develop new perspectives, and it is to this end that gamification is much needed, with the added advantage of motivating students. Be it honing creativity amongst learners, motivating them to innovate, or making them future-ready, gamification and robotics are all about empowering learners and introducing it in schools can translate into successful futures.

Higher Education Digest April 2020

ED SHEROES

Brewing a New Albania Through Education By Navya Venkatesh

Higher Education Digest April 2020

evenge is a dish best served cold and in Albania, it can be served very cold indeed. Spanning for generations, blood feud disputes are sucking in descendants who had nothing to do with the actual abuse or murder. In the northern and central Albania, the ancient code of conduct known as the kanun still regulates the lives of a large portion of the population, which is forcing generations of families into confinement.

Gjakmarrja is a very sensitive topic for Albanians and it has not been an easy job for Liljana. But the expressive eyes and the love for life these children have has given her the strength to educate these children and strive for them to do more

The Dark Shadows of Gjakmarrja According to the old Albanian laws, the tradition of Blood feud is pursuing redness, mostly by the families in the highlands. Gjakmarrja, the kanun of revenge, has seen a revival in the postcommunist Albania with a chaos. This tradition allows you to kill a member of a personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s family, who may have killed someone from your family, irrespective of them being connected with the killing or not. Even children are not exempt from this barbaric custom. This has resulted in Albanian children confining to a safe places, where they are not able to attend schools, leading to lack of education and socialization. This negative tradition, which continued for several centuries, stopped during the Communist Regime, where they took efforts to reconcile families in conflict and punish harshly anyone who still followed the tradition. Unfortunately, after the political changes in 1991 in Albania, several problems came up in terms of the functioning of institutions, the judicial system, and the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

Higher Education Digest April 2020

response to this tradition. Consequently, the tradition made a come-back, this time with stronger roots than before; and the fear of being killed, for no fault of theirs, led the families to confine into their homes and never get out. Meet Liljana Luani It is in this wretched atmosphere that Liljana Luani, a teacher at the Pasko Vasa elementary of Shkoder decides to take matters into her hand. She started visiting and schooling children who live under the threat of Gjakmarrja. Although it took several attempts for her to gain the trust of the affected families,it has been almost 15 years since she started volunteering to teach and educate these lonely children. Whether they are in nearby villages or remote highlands, Liljana reaches them in their hideouts and teaches them the basics

Higher Education Digest April 2020

of appearance and education with the hope that someday they will come out of this isolation and return to their normal life where they would sit, interact, and learn with their peers, giving them the feeling of being equal to them. Afew years after she started her crusade to help innocent children, Liljana wanted to help the women of these families to become more independent, rather than just being housewives, scared for about 90% of their lives. After a lot of effort, she succeeded in setting up a â&#x20AC;&#x153;Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Centreâ&#x20AC;? that gave them training in vocational skills. The fact that they were acquiring some sort of skill development gave them courage to move out of their houses without fear. She aimed to make them more independent as well as take back home a new perspective and end this culture of revenge. A Ray of Hope for a Better Tomorrow Gjakmarrja is a very sensitive topic for Albanians and it has not been an easy job for Liljana. But the expressive eyes and the love for life these children have has given her the strength to educate these children and strive for them to do more. Liljana believes that the only way this mindset can be changed is through education. It is in the hands of these young children that lies the secret to ending this inhuman custom and bring about a change in the community. Liljana is a true hero, raising a new generation away from these medieval traditions by nurturing them with love and respect for life, for people, and the environment with no room for hatred.

Higher Education Digest April 2020

INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE

Will This New Era Take Care Of Women’s Health? Harshita Dilawri, Founder, Know Your Nutrients

ew year, new beginnings but same old community problems! It’s high time that we women take charge of our own health AND empower each other in the same context. We all are very well aware that how women empowerment is not only important but necessary for it’s own sake. It’s a well-known fact that health of a woman has a high impact on the development of the family and society. There are several studies based on health of women especially in our rural areas where it’s seen that they really neglect their health just because they have to take care of their family and that’s their priority. Did you know that MDG – Millennium Development Goals aims to promote gender equality and empower women through elimination of gender disparity in social and health context? But the question here arises will it really happen or even if it happens will it be for the good? The answer here is still not known but we are really struggling to get the answer mainly in view of health sector. However, it’s crucial to know that if improving nutrition is a goal of interventions like agriculture or medical or any other domain, it’s crucial to understand how to identify and address the constraints women face in multiple domains. As rightly said by Jawaharlal Nehru that, you can tell the condition of the nation by looking at the status of women. This clearly says it all, women’s empowerment is vital to sustainable development and the realization of human rights for all. When women are empowered, whole families benefit, and these benefits

Higher Education Digest April 2020

Of all the factors to empower a woman, health is the most needed yet ignored attribute.

47 Harshita Dilawri

With over 12 years of experience in Health, Nutrition and Diabetic Education, Harshita possess a great zest and zeal to help people maintain and attain their good health by natural and day to day food. She is a passionate nutritionist, diabetic educator, and a metabolic balance coach with a background in both therapeutic nutrition and food science. Being a life member of Indian Dietetic Association and Indian Diabetic Association, she keeps updating the new diet and concepts about Nutrition. Having international work experience in Denmark she can work more closely into not just local Indian diets but international diets too.

Higher Education Digest April 2020

often have ripple effects to future generations. But the study of women’s empowerment has raised a lot of concerns and issues that are associated with other demographic and health outcomes. The WHO constitution states: “The enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being without distinction of race, religion, political belief, economic and social condition.” A major obstacle to enjoying the right to health is being born female. We define nutritional empowerment as the process by which individual acquire the capacity to be well fed and healthy. This process entails access to and control in the context of health. Things like knowledge of practices around water and sanitation, endemic and epidemic/ communicable diseases. Women from both urban and rural sector should be aware of disease transmission and treatment focusing on diseases that have strong links with nutrition like diarrhoea, malaria and TB.

Higher Education Digest April 2020

There are three main domains relevant for nutritional empowerment – food, health, and institutions. Every International Women’s Day it’s recognised that the role of nutrition really plays a role in achieving gender equality. Time and again it’s seen that malnutrition is one of the most persistent barriers to women’s empowerment. Such inequalities in nutritional access and opportunity compound the negative and cyclical effects of poverty and undercut development initiatives before they have a chance to succeed. There are several examples where it’s seen that how poor nutrition in women can result in deficiencies, which can be taken care of nutritional interventions for e.g. in schools, young girls are given Iron-Folic acid supplements to combat anaemia. This further can help them to empower each other that how nutrition can really help in daily activity and bodily functions.

Collaborative action between gender and health can help maximize the impact of gender policies on health and vice versa. Harshita Dilawri

When the community expands out, we all prioritize proper nutrition for our women When we prioritize proper nutrition for girls and young women, we truly lay the groundwork for them to grow, learn, earn and lead. Well-nourished girls are better able to go to school and get an education, more productive and have stronger immune systems. By investing in nutrition, societies become more sustainable and equal -- a point most starkly reflected by the fact that 12 of the 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are directly related to advancements in nutrition. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nothing new to know that womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s empowerment and equality is a fundamental human right and critical to achieve development objectives, including health. Today, women are coming up and participating in political situations, controlling resources including land hence an access to employment and education are crucial for promoting sustainable development. Needless

Higher Education Digest April 2020

Improved health outcomes for women can help to strengthen their own agency and empowerment

to say, that there are numerous pathways by which greater gender equality can lead to improvements in health and quality of life for women and their family members but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sad that much is said and known, and less work is done for the same. We must understand that a woman can actually empower another woman, as a mother, wife, and daughter, because they are likely to access health services and have control over health resources, and less likely to suffer domestic violence. These mothers who know how to empower and be empowered are more likely to survive, receive better childcare at home and receive health care when they need it. At the same time, improved health outcomes for women can help to strengthen their own agency and empowerment. Healthy women are more able to actively participate in society and markets and take collective action to advance their own interests. They are likely to have greater bargaining power and control over resources within the household. Therefore, collaborative action between gender and health can help maximize the impact of gender policies on health and vice versa. Of all the factors to empower a woman, health is the most needed yet ignored attribute. Though much work in terms of policies is done already, still constant reinforcement is needed to both women and the policy maker. Till today, where much of nutrition education is already been imparted, we can still see lot

Higher Education Digest April 2020

of issues like - Gender-based differences in power and resource-access have affected the quality of life of the women, including its health. Second would be maternal under nutrition or malnutrition in India, measured by chronic energy deficiency, defined as a bodymass index (BMI) <18.5 kg/m2, affects 47 per cent of rural women , then thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hormonal problems for women which are not confined to those involving the sex hormones but also affecting many other glands like thyroid or even UTI, kidney infection, cancers of breast or cervix being very common. Though measures are already been taken in rural areas and urban slums, people in general are not that knowledgeable about their health matters, like the prevailing health issues, how to prevent and treat those, what are the resources available and how and when to utilize these etc. Many backward ignorance, Socio-economic backwardness, traditions and superstitions had been acting as block to progressive thinking including development of the concept of positive health. Thanks to panchayats and voluntary agencies like mohila mandals and youth clubs can contribute very significantly where the health workers particularly woman are empowering each other. The bottom line is womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s empowerment is vital to sustainable development and the realization of human rights for all where one woman MUST take care of the other and help them grow in each sphere of life including HEALTH.

Higher Education Digest April 2020