COL in Action highlights July 2024
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Implementing blended learning in West Bengal.
Educators in West Bengal, India, have augmented their digital and blended pedagogy skills through a significant capacity-building project implemented from 2021 to 2024.
“Implementation of Blended Learning in Educational Institutions” is a partnership between the Commonwealth of Learning’s (COL’s) @COL4D regional centre, Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (CEMCA) @CEMCA_COL, and Netaji Subhas Open University (NSOU), India, and was executed in three phases. The project aligns with India’s National Education Policy 2020, which emphasises increasing the Gross Enrolment Ratio and promoting education for sustainable development.
Through workshops conducted over the three phases, 572 educators were trained across NSOU’s extensive network of Learner Support Centres. The training focused on innovative pedagogies, blended learning strategies, and enhancing teacher performance. The NSOU faculty involved in the training included several education, ICT and project management professionals who employed various methodologies to facilitate the sessions.
Professor Indrajit Lahiri, Vice Chancellor of NSOU, noted the crucial role of blended learning during the Covid-19 pandemic, which accelerated technology integration in education and transformed the traditional classroom model.
Dr B. Shadrach, Director of CEMCA highlighted the project’s incorporation of emerging technologies like Generative AI, which extends blended learning beyond traditional online and offline instruction. This, along with the National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET) initiative supported by CEMCA, enables NSOU to certify and assess skill-based courses tailored to local industry needs.
He observed, “The project’s outcomes have been significant, leading to enhanced student performance, increased access to education for students facing geographical or socio-economic barriers, and flexible course delivery that accommodates working professionals and students with other commitments. Additionally, this initiative has fostered collaboration with institutions and experts, reduced instructional costs, and promoted psychological ease and comfort among learners through problem-based learning and experiential learning mechanisms.”
This CEMCA and NSOU capacity-building initiative marks a significant milestone in transforming education delivery in West Bengal. It sets a precedent for higher education institutions in other states to follow, inspiring a hopeful vision for the future of education in the region.
#BlendedLearning #DigitalEducation #ICT #WestBengalLearning #InnovativeTeaching #EducationForAll #FutureOfLearning #LearningTransformation #EdTechInIndia #InclusiveEducation #DigitalInclusion
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Upcoming webinar announcement!
#COL4D’s Virtual University for Small States of the Commonwealth (VUSSC) will be organising a series of webinars entitled “VUSSC Voices” and they will be held bi-monthly.
Title: VUSSC Voices Webinar #1
Date & Time: Wednesday 4 September 2024 at 11:00 hrs Pacific Time.
Key Presenter: Ms Kevaun Sears, Vice Principal, Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE), Guyana
Chair: Dr Lisa Tomlinson, Head – Literatures in English, UWI, Mona
VUSSC Adviser, COL: Dr Schontal Moore
Webinar Objectives:
- To expand and strengthen alliances among VUSSC stakeholders.
- To facilitate the sharing of experiences, explore responses to common challenges, provide guidance, and promote knowledge sharing and collaboration across Commonwealth countries.
- To discuss the challenges faced by small Commonwealth countries in accessing high-quality post-secondary education.
- To highlight how VUSSC addresses these challenges through collaborative development and distance learning.
To register for this free webinar, click here: us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_X-DPZWrYTVy6B1S3py6-9A
#VUSSC #Resilience #SmallStates #CHOGM2024 #CommonwealthEducation #DistanceLearning #GlobalEducation #PostSecondaryEducation #EducationalCollaboration #SmallStates #KnowledgeSharing #EducationForAll #WebinarSeries #COL4D #EducationChallenges #InclusiveEducation
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