Research Paper
E-ISSN NO : 2455-295X | VOLUME : 3 | ISSUE : 9 | SEP 2017
OPINION OF RESOURCE PERSONS AND PARTICIPANTS IN REFRESHER COURSES IN ARTS: A STUDY DR. ZACHARIAS TIRKEY 1 1 ASSISTANT
PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, MEGHALAYA.
ABSTRACT The purpose behind the Refresher Courses is to improve collegiate education through transmission of knowledge gained through such courses to the students. In order to familiarize with the use of Computers in teaching, participants in each Refresher Course are given hands-on training in preparation and presentation of reports, classroom lectures, spreadsheet and graphics, and on internet use as an aid to teaching resource collection. Teachers working for the cause of Higher Education will have to continuously endeavor to develop their professional skills with a view to providing top class service to their students. The present study is undertaken to find out the Opinion of Resource persons and participants in Refresher courses in Arts. The study on the whole reveals that there is a sound and positive opinions in participants and resource persons towards refresher courses in Arts on the academic staff colleges in North Eastern Region of India. Keywords: Opinion, Resource Person, Participants, Refresher Course, ARTs.
1.0 Introduction Teacher is the central to the system of Higher Education and the success of the structure rests on his/her motivation and abilities. The earlier conception that a good teacher learns on the job or improves by emulating senior colleagues is outdated. Teachers need to acquire skill-sets, for the different kinds of roles they have to play to be successful educators. Given the importance of the communication and knowledge revolution, they have to continuously update their knowledge and also need to handle and be aware of the different kinds of databases available. Teachers also require an orientation to pedagogies, the science of teaching, because teaching is about communicating and becoming an effective communicator is not easy. Education is also about imparting values and the notion of the preceptor, that is, teaching by precept is an essential aspect of the Indian ethos. What values do we accept and how effectively can we communicate them is an important topic for discussion at this institution. Educators also double up as mentors, and require a basic knowledge of counseling and psychology—all this has to be learnt. We emphasize the notion that the teacher is a professional who requires training in the technologies of teaching– the Orientation Programme and the Refresher Courses organized by the CPDHE are structured around this concept. The Refresher Courses are primarily subject-oriented and are introduced for the in-service teachers who have completed five years of service. The length of service of a teacher required for participation in a Refresher Course has now been reduced, provided the teacher participants has already attended an Orientation Programme. A teacher can now participate in a Refresher Course one year after attending an Orientation Programme even before completion of five years of service in a substantive post. The objective of these courses of 3-4 weeks duration is to
keep the teacher aware of the new knowledge in their respective discipline that are continually proliferating at a tremendous rate and also to provide them an opportunity to refresh in their already acquired knowledge. If the teachers are not adequately updated with the new knowledge and information in their respective disciplines, the education of our student is bound to be out-dated and would eventually lose its relevance. During the tenure of these courses eminent resource (persons who are leading exponents in specific areas of a particular subject are invited to highlight the major latest developments in their respective areas of specializations. Listening to the highly informative and thought-provoking lectures delivered by the resource persons and interacting with them the participating teachers can get them refreshed in the existing knowledge and updated with the latest developments in their respective subjects to a great extent. In addition, each refresher course also includes participant-seminar sessions, in which each participating teacher is required to deliver a lecture on a topic directly related to his or her teaching curriculum, which is being evaluated by an eminent resource person. The knowledge acquired by the teachers from these courses is bound to raise the standard and quality of their teaching and is thus disseminated to the students who are considered to be the ultimate beneficiaries to these academic programmes. The importance of the RCs lies on how effectively this transmission of knowledge from the highest level to the learners in the college and universities is taking place. The quality of these courses is also an important factor. The ASC always takes particular care for the maintenance of the quality of its courses (both OPs and RCs) and works out a detailed programme for the evaluation of these courses by introducing various feedback processes. Both OPs and RCs conducted by ASCs are quite strenuous courses of studies. As the Refresher Course is
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subject-specific and provides opportunities for the serving teachers of colleges and universities to meet their peers in an atmosphere of mutual learning and interaction. The Course is intended to give information about the latest additions to the knowledge base in the subject through experts in various activity-fields. The course also helps the teachers in tackling problems associated with introduction of new courses of study and revision of syllabi, and in finding out the latest trends of research in the concerned subject. The Course is prepared with a good mix of current topics from diverse fields such as; Human rights, Women empowerment, Information technology, Environmental education, Value education, Quality in Higher Education, Assessment and Accreditation of Colleges and Universities. Taking a look in this manner, Dhar and Singh (1990), Ramabrahman (1991), Patil (1995), Rai and Rai (1995), Singh (1997), Rastogi (1998), Vijayakumar (1998), Dutta (2000), Pawar & Chandra (2011), indicate that there is a significant influence of types of colleges with the opinions of participants and resource person towards teaching research activities, participants and resource persons, extension activities, physical facilities, evaluation and professional growth of refresher courses in Arts. Whereas, the studies such as Ramabrahman (1991), Rai and Rai (1995), Singh (1997), Rastogi (1998), Vijayakumar (1998), Pawar & Chandra (2011), show that there is no significant influences of types of colleges participant and resource persons with the opinions of participants/resource persons towards attainment of objectives, teaching learning methodology, course content and course materials, management system, evaluation system education awareness, of refresher courses in Arts.
2.0 Need and Significant The refresher courses in NPE, 1986, envisage that “in addition to orientation courses for newly appointed lecturers, refresher courses will be organized for all serving teachers in colleges and university departments. The refresher courses will provide opportunities for serving teachers to exchange experiences with their peers and to mutually learn from each other. Refresher courses will also provide a forum for serving teachers to keep abreast of the latest advances in the various subjects. With the introduction of refresher courses, it is hoped that the culture of learning and self-improvement will become an integral part of educational system at the tertiary level�. The National Policy on Education NPE, 1986 in its programme of action makes a pointed reference to the crucial link between teacher motivation and the quality of education. The NPE recognized the need for improving the status of the teacher and proposed to provide opportunities for professional and career development so that teachers may fulfill their role and responsibility within the system of higher education. It was proposed to enhance their motivation, skills and knowledge through systematic orientation in specific subjects, techniques and methodologies, and thereby inculcate in them the right kind of values that would in turn encourage them to take initiatives for innovative and creative work. Every training
programme should be aiming at bringing about positive change in the increase of knowledge and skill addition, change in attitude and behaviour, improvement in the performance of work, improvement in organizational climate, affects the personal growth to minimize the resistance to changes. It is pertinent to empirically examine the various opinions of teacher training programmes that have been organized in different universities of North-Eastern part of India like, North Eastern Hill University Shillong, Gauhati University Guwahati, Manipur University and Mizoram University. It is due important that special attention is to be paid towards the studies on service oriented organization, which play vital role in education system of the North East Region. But for teacher quality improvement it is prime duty of the university to know the various reactions of teacher participants, resource persons towards the orientation and refresher courses so that consensus and collective effort of Academic Staff Colleges be fruitfully achieved in the long run. Further, it has been found out from the literature review that, not a single study has been conducted in North-East parts. To keep in the above view for better teacher education and for further policy implications, the investigator has selected this area of study with the intention to carry out the research work for the larger benefit of the teachers, parents, learners and policy makers of this country and region too.
3.0 OBJECTIVES a)
To study the influence of sex, teaching experiences and types of colleges with the opinion of participants and resource persons towards refresher courses in Arts.
b) To study the interactional effect of sex, teaching experiences and types of colleges with the opinion of participants and resource persons towards refresher courses in Arts.
4.0 HYPOTHESIS a)
There is no significant influence of sex, teaching experiences and types of colleges with the opinion of participants and resource persons towards refresher courses in Arts.
b)
There is no significant interactional effect of sex, teaching experiences and types of colleges with the opinion of participants and resource persons towards refresher courses in Arts.
5.0 METHOD Keeping the nature of the study here the Survey Method is employed to undertake the Opinions of Participants and Resource Persons towards Refresher Courses in Arts subject of Select Academic Staff Colleges in North-Eastern Region of India.
5.1 Population & Sample There are 66 RCs conducted by UGC-ASC: Gauhati University, North Eastern Hill University and Mizoram
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University in the period from 2009-2011 as per the data available from the Annual Reports of the Universities mentioned above. There are 1401 RPs and 1724 Participants for RCs. The table given below indicates the above figures.
a) Population
Bartlet test, X² test, test of goodness fit were used. For data analysis percentages, Mean, Standard Deviation, Three way ANOVA & Post hoc ‘t’ test were used.
6.0 MAJOR FINDINGS a) Participants’ Opinion on Refresher Courses in Arts
Table 5.1: Population Program
RP 1401
1724
Total
1694
2253 Annual
Participants’ opinion in refresher courses in Arts for the sex (male & female) data as a whole and its dimension do not show any significant differences.
ii.
Participants’ opinion on refresher courses in Arts for the teaching experiences (<10yrs & >10 yrs) data as a whole and its dimension do not show any significant differences.
iii.
The participants from non-govt. colleges have positive opinion towards refresher courses in Arts on the whole and towards physical facilities, professional growth, attainment of objectives, teaching research activities and educational awareness in refresher courses in Arts.
iv.
Participants’ opinion on refresher courses in Arts for the interactional effect between sex & teaching experiences, data as a whole and its dimensions do not show any significant differences.
v.
Participants’ opinion on refresher courses in Arts for the interactional effect between sex and types of colleges data as a whole and its dimension do not show any significant differences.
vi.
The participants from govt. colleges having more than 10 years of teaching experiences have more positive opinions towards refresher course in Arts on the whole and towards attainment of objectives and financial system in refresher courses in Arts.
vii.
Participants’ opinion on refresher courses in Arts for the overall interactional effect among sex, teaching experiences and types of colleges data as a whole and its dimension do not show any significant differences.
PT
RC
*Source of the Sample: Universities-2009-2011.
i.
Reports
of
the
b) Sample Based on the previous records, 20% available population is selected randomly as the sample of the study from the courses organized 2009-2011in Refresher Courses. The table below indicate the figures clearly;
Table 5.2: Sample Training Program
RP
PT
Total
RC
95
166
261
*Source of the Sample: Annual Reports of the Universities 2009-2011. *Gauhati University: G.U., *North-Eastern Hill University: NEHU. *Mizoram University: MZ.U.
5.2 Tools The investigator used the self developed and standard form of Opinionnaires to collect the required data. The opinionnaires were standardized and were found to be highly reliable and valid for the purpose. The tools are mentioned below; a) Opinionnaire towards Refresher Courses in Arts for Resource Persons b) Opinionnaire towards Refresher Courses in Arts for Participants
5.3 Procedure of Data Collection The investigator visited various colleges/ universities/institutions and personally met Resource Persons and participants who were involved in Refresher courses of UGC-ASC in North Eastern Hill University, Shillong, Meghalaya, Gauhati University, Assam and Manipur University, Manipur and collected the required informations. Many envelops were also dispatched through various teachers, head of departments to collect the information.
5.4 Statistical Techniques The investigator used ‘t’-test for scale standardization. For verifying the assumptions of ANOVA Skewness, Kurtosis,
b) Resource Persons’ Opinion on Refresher Courses in Arts i.
The female resource persons have more positive opinions towards participants, teaching research activities, financial system and evaluation in refresher courses in Arts.
ii.
The resource persons having more than 10 years of teaching experiences have more positive opinions towards refresher courses in Arts on the whole and in dimensions towards physical facilities, professional growth, participants, attainment of objectives and evaluation in refresher courses in Arts.
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Research Paper
E-ISSN NO : 2455-295X | VOLUME : 3 | ISSUE : 9 | SEP 2017 Resource persons for RCs in Arts can be introduced with the UGC guideline in North Eastern Region of India.
iii.
Resource persons from non-govt. colleges have more positive opinions towards financial system in refresher courses in Arts.
iv.
Female resource persons having more than 10 years of teaching experiences have better opinion towards R.C. in Arts.
f)
v.
Female resource persons from govt. colleges have more positive opinions towards participants and evaluation in refresher courses in Arts.
g) A proper physical facility is vital to run refresher courses and for this UGC-HRDCs may take suitable measures as the requirement arises.
vi.
Resource persons from both govt. & non-govt. colleges having more than 10 years of teaching experiences have more positive opinions towards professional growth in refresher courses in Arts.
vii.
Female resource persons from both govt. and non-govt. colleges having more than 10 years of teaching experiences have more positive opinions towards physical facilities, professional growth, teaching research methodology, management system, financial system, content enrichment & course materials, extension activities, and educational awareness in refresher courses in Arts.
7.0 SUGGESTIONS The various suggestions are given in the followings: a) Concerned institutions with collaborative endeavor with UGC-HRDCs in North East Region of India can bring out systematic and scientific prepared training materials for university/college teachers. b) For teaching learning practices in education, course content for courses materials are vital to impart the desired aims and objectives. And so too, in the case of teacher education and more specifically teacher education at university/college teachers. c) Teaching learning methodology in RCs in Arts the UGC-HRDCs efforts to bring out latest trends in training programmes to impart skills, techniques for teaching in university/college level besides lecture method of delivery of contents can be introduced in line with teachers professional growth. Therefore, resource persons with diversified area of interest can be invited for RCs in Arts from different universities across India. d) Analysis indicates that participants did not face problems related to management of RCs in Arts. This shows that HRDCs in North East Region are organized well. However, due measures can be taken with concerted efforts with the resource persons who are invited and with the cooperation of participants/teachers to continue maintain the qualitative aspects of the training. e) Although there were favourable opinions towards the resource persons from the participants of RCs Arts, yet appropriate system of selection of
Proper allotment of finance, planned through SMART assessment is necessary for the HRDCs to come up with definite goals.
8.0 CONCLUSION Thus, the present study was an attempt to find out the opinions of the resource persons and the participants on refresher courses in Arts of UGC-HRDCs in North Eastern Region of India. The study on the whole reveals that there is a sound and positive opinions in participants and resource persons towards refresher courses in Arts on the academic staff colleges in North Eastern Region of India. However, If the above areas of study be taken up in a broader manner, the attainment of objectives of the refresher courses would be achieved in greater height.
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