Online instruction has begun to complement classroom teaching and blended mode of teaching will become the new normal even in the post COVID-phase, Higher Education Minister K.T. Jaleel says.
He was speaking at a five-day ‘virtual’ workshop on virtual teaching being organised by the Kerala State Higher Education Council.
Inaugurating it, Dr. Jaleel stressed on the need to embrace online learning in the post COVID-19 scenario. “While virtual teaching or learning is not a substitute for the ‘real’ mode, it has become the sole alternative under the existing circumstances in which physical distancing is a necessity,” he said.
Pointing out that many teachers without prior experience had to switch over to the online mode under compulsion, Mr. Jaleel said the role of technology in teaching would prevail even after the pandemic-induced health crisis. He also called for steps to address the problems posed by digital divide that could upset initiatives towards ensuring equity and access.
Presiding over the inaugural session, KSHEC vice chairman Rajan Gurukkal said the pandemic always had been a catalyst for the growth of science and technology.
“COVID-19 has contributed significantly to transform and diversify educational technology and tools. Quality online teaching, learning and evaluation tools are high-input facilities that demand considerable investment for establishing the necessary technological infrastructure,” he said.
Three hundred teachers out of over 1,000 who have registered for the programme from colleges and universities will be imparted training organised under the auspices of the KSHEC faculty development centre. The workshop is being conducted through the video conferencing platform Cisco Webex and will involve instructions transmitted through other applications and open source learning platforms such as SWAYAM and Moodle.
While eminent academicians including N.J. Rao of IISc and Chandrasekhar R. of IIIT Bengaluru led classes on online instructional methods and tools on the first day, Vice Chancellors of CUSAT and Mahatma Gandhi University, K.N. Madhusoodanan and Sabu Thomas, are among those who will speak during the subsequent sessions of the workshop.
KSHEC member secretary Rajan Varughese said the council had targeted training 2,500 teachers on virtual teaching before January 2021.
Study areas including software-driven course designing, web-based instruction, computer-mediated communication, mind mapping, administration of videos, imaging technology, infographic visualisation, hosting audio-video podcasts, effective management of digital content, and instructional system model will be covered during the workshop.
