digitalLEARNING-Aug-2011- [12]-Promoting Collaborations in Higher Education

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Promoting Collaborations in Higher Education The World Education Summit 2011 held exclusive sessions on higher education during 13 July – 15 July 2011. There were discussions on pertinent issues like India’s move towards a knowledge economy in a globalised world, distance learning and the role of technology in education, skills development, accreditation and assessment. Report:

L-R: Prof R P Agrawal, Prof Dinesh Singh, Prof V S Ramamurthy, HE Prasad Kariyawasam and Prof V Rajasekharan Pillai

Session: IMPERATIVES FOR GROWTH IN A KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY: PERSPECTIVES FROM THE LEADERSHIP Moderator Prof R P Agrawal, Chairman, BoG, IIT Delhi

Prof Dinesh Singh

Prof Pankaj Mittal

Speakers • Prof V S Ramamurthy, Director, National Institute of Advance Sciences (NIAS) • Prof Dinesh Singh, Vice Chancellor, University of Delhi • HE Prasad Kariyawasam, High Commissioner for Sri Lanka to India • Dr Pankaj Mittal, Vice Chancellor, BPS Women’s University The aim of this session was to discuss India’s transition to a knowledge economy – an economy that creates, disseminates and uses knowledge to enhance its growth. Discussants argued for globally competitive institutions and good researchers who are also good teachers for a strong research and teaching community.

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Drawing on past examples of knowledge driving the economy in India, it was brought to the notice of everyone present how Indian merchants, when they went to Europe for purposes of trade, saved journey time than their European counterparts because of the nautical tables they used. This not only helped save time but also ensured transport of goods better and safely. The question raised was, is knowledge still driving the economy in India?

For various reasons, education institutions in India have become silos. As the Indian economy is growing, it is growing independent of any great educational institution inputs. As this growth is not coming from the knowledge sector, the question arises that can this growth sustain itself? Just having industrial growth and high-tech products is not enough as India enters different markets in different parts of the world.

A common concern that emerged throughout the session was, divesting education from the real world is harmful. Knowledge that comes from the undergraduates must be integrated into systematised knowledge and the emphasis should be on inter-disciplinarily studies. For example, in health, the best solutions are today coming from technologists and mathematicians. Such interdisciplinary studies, therefore, have to be encouraged and promoted.

Certain key suggestions that came out from the session were • Knowledge should create innovators and should not be driven by rote learning to pass exams and get jobs • Identify capable students and introduce them to the teaching culture during their higher education under a mentor • India needs to harness experts on politics and economy of the countries whose markets she enters • Apart from ICT skills, the 21st century knowledge economy also demands soft skills such as prob-

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lem-solving, effective communication, team work, analytical skills .

• It is important to improve the Research and Development infrastructure in India Session: IMPROVING GROSS ENROLLMENT RATIO AND MANAGING QUALITY IN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTES: HOW TO BRIDGE A BALANCE (Special Session in Collaboration with IGNOU) Chair Prof K Kannan, Vice-Chancellor, Nagaland University Speakers • Prof Ajoy Kumar Ray, Vice Chancellor, Bengal Engineering & Science University • Prof Pankaj Jalote, Director and Professor, Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) • Dr Ifeanyi Paul I., National Open University of Nigeria • Dr C Raj Kumar, Vice Chancellor, O P Jindal Global University • Prof Dinesh Singh, Vice Chancellor, University of Delhi Presentations and discussions in this session steered towards the fact that the Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) cannot be spoken of without associating it with retention. Retention is possible only when there is a sensitivity and understanding about where the students come from. The role of ICTs in improving GER was also discussed in this session. Further, there were thoughts that there should be a move from regulation to self-disclosure regimes by the government.

Session: IT FOR EDUCATION ADMINISTRATION AND GOVERNANCE This session saw deliberations upon designing and developing appropriate learning environments based

L-R: Prof K S Rangappa, Dr Vinay Kumar Pathak, Dr B K Murthy

L-R: Prof Pankaj Jalote, Prof K Kannan, Dr Paul Ifeanyi, Prof Ajoy Kumar Ray, Dr C Raj Kumar, Prof Dinesh Singh

Moderator Dr. Vinay Kumar Pathak, Vice Chancellor, Uttarakhand Open University Speakers • Dr BK Murthy, Director, Head, National Knowledge Network Division, Ministry of Communications and IT, Department of Information Technology, Government of India • K S Rangappa, Vice Chancellor, Karnataka State Open University Plans and recommendations • Mesfin Benhur, General Manager, Wireless and Networking Solutions, APAC, Motorola on sound pedagogical and didactical principles to ensure optimal learning in new environments. It emphasised the importance of keeping abreast with developments in learning theory and to identify and anticipate shifts in learning paradigms to be able to adopt and adapt educational technologies.

Collaboration, interaction and sharing emerged as the key paradigms for quality education and innovation during the session. It was suggested that the government could act as a catalyst towards this end.

The government could take steps to ensure an agile, responsive, and unified organisational structure for information technology planning at universities; plan and deploy an integrated, comprehensive and robust networking and telecommunications infrastructure to support all types of digital communications.

The session also highlighted the need to deploy and operate a “next generation” information environment to support pervasive and aggressive use of Information Technology (IT) in all facets of university life. It focused on developing standards and purchasing programmes for hardware and software that could ensure a manageable and least cost maintenance programme campus-wide.

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Prof V S Ramamurthy

Dr C Raj Kumar

Prof Pankaj Jalote

Mesfin Benhur

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Moderator Amit Khare, Joint Secretary, Department of Higher Education, MHRD, Govt of India Session Chair N K Sinha, Additional Secretary (TEL), Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India Speakers • Prof M J Xavier, Director, Indian Institute of Management, Ranchi • Prof P R Ramanujam, Pro Vice Chancellor, Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) • Sumeet Verma, Head Higher Education, Intel Technology India Pvt. Ltd. L-R: Prof M J Xavier, Amit Khare, N K Sinha, Sumeet Verma, Prof P R Ramnujam

N K Sinha

Suggestions • Infuse IT into appropriate areas of university teaching and learning • Establish standards for delivery systems in technology classrooms • Establish comprehensive career paths for IT staff across the campus, including competitive salaries and opportunities for professional growth and advancement • Provide extensive computer training opportunities for the university community • Acquire an integrated library management system and increase digital library information holdings • Develop goals and policy for the use of e-mail for official university business, academics and research • Formally establish an Information Technology Coordinating Council (ITCC) for academic computing and instructional technology services

turn this section of the population into a skilled and qualified force. Learning in silos should be broken to bring greater diversity on the table.

Suggestions • Most of the costly technologies and softwares are web-enabled, hence, can be shared among all learning institutes • Low-cost devices should be produced (like the computers at US$35 declared by the Government of India last year, that is now at the production stage) to be made available to students in India • Direct Transmission to Home (DTH) channels to be made available on computers, which are low cost, for students so that they can access educational channels and programmes on air • Integration of haptic simulators with the vocational modules • All educational processes should be archived

Amit Khare

Prof M J Xavier

Prof K Kannan

Session: CREATING A LANDSCAPE FOR FOSTERING DIVERSITY AND ENCOURAGING INTERNATIONAL PARTICIPATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION AND SKILLS TRAINING The emerging trend of ‘internalisation’ was discussed during the session and it was arrived at that India should look at other parts of the world other than the US and UK for learning collaborations. The need of the hour is to develop globally competitive workforce who can be absorbed anywhere.

Discussants reiterated that learning should be a collaborative and community approach, and content should be pedagogically effective and competent.

Students should be able to mix and match what he or she wants to learn; thus, content should be available to this end. Discussants also asserted that if the system cannot absorb the unskilled and unqualified, “we will not be able to achieve our development goals.”

Hence, it is important to come up with modules to

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Session: INTERNATIONAL PRACTICES IN ASSESSMENT, ACCREDITATION, EVALUATION AND QUALITY STANDARDS IN HIGHER EDUCATION This session deliberated upon the diverse range of practices in accreditation, audits, institutional aca-

L-R: Rajeev Menon, Biswajit Mukherjee, Prof H A Ranganath, Dr Thomas Christie

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Moderator Prof H A Ranganath, Director, National Assessment & Accreditation Council (NAAC) Speakers • Dr. Thomas Christie, Director, The Aga Khan University Examination Board • Rajeev Menon, GM and Head of Innovations and New Products Development, MeritTrac Services • Biswajit Mukherjee, International Center for Academics, College of Distance Education and Online Studies, Nepal

demic reviews, evaluation and other quality assurance activities at the programme, institutional, national and regional levels, as well as audits in higher education institutions. It was brought to focus that for the first time, institutions during Assessment and Accreditation are being challenged with queries including accessibility to the physically challenged and being sensitive to their needs, adoption of energy efficient systems, water harvesting and conservation efforts, eco-friendliness and quests towards a carbon neutral campus.

The major highlights included: Internationally accepted accreditation framework needs to be developed, accreditation to facilitate mutual recognition of programmes, and accreditation as a step towards global ranking has to be ensured.

L-R: Prof Ajoy Kumar Ray, Prasanna Goudar, Deepankar Bhattacharya, Dr C K Ghosh, Prof Fong Soon Fook

Moderator Prof Ajoy Kumar Ray, Vice Chancellor, Bengal Engineering & Science University Speakers • Prasanna Goudar, Vice President, Pearson Education Services • Prof Fong Soon Fook, School of Educational Studies, Universiti Sains Malaysia • Deepankar Bhattacharyya, Senior Manager – India (Education Programmes), Autodesk • Dr C K Ghosh, Director, National Centre for Innovations in Distance Education, IGNOU • Kapil Khandelwal, yGen Management Consulting Pvt. Ltd.

Challenges • Accreditation in the current global practice is very complex, not in accordance with the changing scenario in education service sector • Accreditation has to be in accordance with the new modes of programme delivery like ODL, online, and m-Learning • Accreditation policies need to have a more global approach than a local approach • Accreditation policies should be in accordance with new educational standardisation approaches like ISO

Challenges • Change the status quo in education • Create a new mind-set of academics and stakeholders • Retraining of faculty members • Develop scientific temper (i.e., the inquisitiveness to question) among students • Merge real life applications with scientific theories

Session: SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS (STEM) EDUCATION: ELEMENTS TO DRIVE INNOVATION AND DISCOVERY This session focused on STEM education, a move world-over to promote a drive towards innovation and scientific discovery, as well as to maintain a nation’s economic competitiveness. The session discussed the importance of STEM education in a globalised economy, strategies used by educational institutions to adopt STEM education, and policies, practices and case studies that have promoted STEM education across the globe.

Session: CHANGING DYNAMICS OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN A GLOBALISED CONTEXT: ENVISIONING STRATEGIES FOR THE FUTURE Speakers in this session discussed changing patterns of higher education and accreditation in a globalised context, curriculum practices, need for maintaining quality standards in education, and challenges and opportunities for higher education in the changing times. They also emphasised the majority of problems faced by the management or an administrator in an educational institute is due to wrong information, no information or delayed information to the concerned stakeholder in the system. They brainstormed on methods to remedy this.

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Prof H A Ranganath

Prof Fong Soon Fook

Prof Ajoy Kumar Ray

Dr C K Ghosh

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Moderator Dr Darlie Koshy, DG & CEO-IAM & ATDC Speakers • Ranjan Choudhury, Principal, Programme Development, National Skill Development Corporation • Manfred Haebig, Manager, GIZ • A S Kumar, Head, Infrastructure Advisory Division, Fortress Financial Services • Goeffrey Conaghan, Commissioner to India, State Government of Victoria, Australia • Manish Upadhyay, COO, EnglishEdge

L-R: Shantanu Rooj, Dipankar Choudhury, Dr Seema Parihar, Dr Sandhya Chintala, Divya Bhasin, Sandhya Guness, Pureza Veloso

Moderator Dr Sandhya Chintala, Senior Director-Education Initiatives, NASSCOM

Dr Sandhya Chintala

Pureza Valdehueza Veloso

Goeffrey Conaghan

Manfred Haebig

Speakers • Pureza Valdehueza Veloso, President, Cebu International Distance Education College • Sandhya Gunness, Lecturer, University of Mauritius • Divya Bhasin, CTO, EnglishEdge • Dipankar Choudhury, Managing Director, yGen Management Consulting Pvt Ltd • Dr Seema Parihar, Joint Director, Developing Countries Research Centre, University of Delhi • Shantanu Rooj, Director, Glodyne Technoserve Limited

Suggestions • Use mobile technology for learning and exchanging information • Students should be accommodated as interns in the industry during vacations for real-time experience • Cloud computing that comes with no capital investment and is scalable and accessible on demand across the Internet, should be invested upon by the educational institutes on a pay-peruse basis, eliminating upfront investment costs • Collaborative Digital Learning methodologies: Hybridisation of face-to-face and online teaching methods • High levels of interactivity to aid the traditional teaching programmes Session: EMPLOYABILITY GAP IN HIGH GROWTH SECTORS: IMPLICATIONS FOR AN EXPANDING ECONOMY In a growing global population that still falls short of skilled workforce, the session deliberated upon best practices to promote skills training to the youth, effective policy reforms to create quality in skills training,

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and strategies for aligning education with employability skills. There were also discussions on accelerating the process of setting up vocational universities and clusters across all the states in India and in integrating the industry with vocational training.

During the session, what was also touched upon is the expanding German economy and relationship with India that can be tapped through skill development.

Suggestions • The Indian textile and fashion industry is in great demand and requires many skilled people. The academia and industry need to address this together. So is the case with Bollywood which requires animators, editors etc. in a large scale

L-R: Manfred Haebig, Ranjan Choudhury, Geoffrey Conaghan, Dr Darlie Koshy, A S Kumar, Manish Upadhyay

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Like in Germany, even in India, while imparting skills training, an individual should be an ‘employee’ rather than a ‘trainee’ Campaign against the stigma associated with vocational training and encourage industry participation in government-sponsored schemes Evolve a better institutional and regulatory framework for increased private sector participation in existing or new ITIs Evolve a mechanism for ensuring regional participation and micro level development encouraging the unreached population’s participation in vocational training through PPP