Faculty of NECU during the FDP training held on January 29.
Dimapur, January 30 (MExN): The North East Christian University (NECU), in collaboration with Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC), conducted a 3-day Faculty Development Programme (FDP) on Training of Teachers (ToT) from January 27 to 29.
According to an update, the training was attended by 35 teachers. The resource person for the FDP was Dr Ashis Kumar Chatterjee, Former Deputy General Manager (Training), National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), Govt. of India.
The inaugural session was chaired Dr Kangzangding Thou, Director (Academics). Welcome address was given by Prof Darlando T Khathing, Pro Chancellor, NECU. The session began with identification of key challenges faced by faculties in the classroom primarily in relation to the students.
Dr Chatterjee highlighted about four types of students- dominant, dormant, provocateur and critique and how each type can be addressed by the faculties. Noting that the covid-19 changed the education system coupled with technologies, he emphassed on the mantra of ‘teachers being a friend on the side and not a sage on the stage’.
With regard to Artificial Intelligence (AI), Dr Chatterjee asserted the need to incorporate it into our teaching methods. AI, according to him, is a bus of progress in the context of modern day technological changes. Likewise, he underlined the need to board the bus before it vanishes into the horizon. To dispel apprehensions about the dominance of AI, he said that AI is not an authority but an assistant.
To strengthen the teaching methods of the faculties, Dr Chatterjee emphasised on the usage of caselets as it facilitate critical thinking among the students. Taking examples of his experiences with students, he related how the use of caselets enabled higher order of learning since it translates theoretical studies into practice.
During his session on values and professional conduct, he raised a pertinent question on if values should be taught or caught? In line with the question, he urged the faculties to adapt three values- empathy, compassion and integrity.
Towards the necessity of fostering a gender sensitive education institution, Dr Chatterjee talked about the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal) Act, 2013 (SH Act, 2013). By having such systems in place, he asserted that work place will become safer, adding that the safety is not necessarily limited to women but even men.
At the same time, he opined that institutions should be proactive and not reactive. He also outlined the need for the gender sensitization and establishment of Internal Complaints Committee (ICC).
The final session was related to action planning for which five groups were divided to conduct group discussions and formulate suggestions, policies and actions. The collective consensus that emerged from the discussion was to be further converted into a collective practice so as to make it a culture of the institution. The concluding remark and vote of thanks was delivered by Er Kapil Thapa, Director PMHR.
