Instead of physical internships, students participate in research-based internships to help society, says expert

Covid-19 has brought about a change in the world. Nothing would now be the same, be it our workplaces, day-to-day needs, healthcare system and education. All of these activities are now been taken up remotely and are being serviced contactless, online. Work-from-home is the new normal and so are online classes. Although some institutes were already conducting online classes for distance-learning courses, but taking the complete curriculum online was the new challenge. Talking about how their journey of completely transiting to online mode for the time being with Shiksha.com,  experts at RICS School of Built Enviornment share their experience. Here is the edited excerpt of the conversation.

Q: How has today’s scenario of lockdown and global pandemic impacted your education system?

A: Prior to Covid 19, like everywhere else, our students too were attending regular classes on the campus and the faculty was delivering face to face lectures. Unfortunately, the pandemic hit at a time when campuses are most busy with activities to finish courses before the exams. However, now due to the imposition of the lockdown and the need to maintain social distancing, physical classroom learning is not possible. To ensure continuity in learning and ensure that there is no disruption in the academic calendar, we immediately switched to an online mode of lecture delivery by the faculty. In order to continue to provide the rigour that is required in our courses, we ensured the delivery of the same timetable that was followed in the face to face sessions at the campus. Our endeavour was to ensure a continued curriculum delivery so that the students do not miss out on any aspect of their education and are glad to say that we were able to achieve our objective and completed the academic delivery as per the schedule.

Q: What are some of the interesting initiatives your institute has taken to make it easy for your students and also contribute to the eradication of this pandemic?

A: As an educational institution we took the best route possible for us, which was to educate the students about how the world is grappling with an unprecedented pandemic which is causing havoc everywhere. We interacted with our students virtually and created a lot of awareness of about the Sars-CoV-2 virus: about how it spreads, what are the health implications, why social distancing is important, etc.

We reiterated to our students the importance of respecting the lockdown and following the government directives. Without creating any panic, the highly contagious nature of the virus was highlighted; as it spreads through close human contact, the importance of maintaining social distance was emphasised. They were not only made to understand the importance of staying home and keeping themselves safe but also advised to educate other family members and friends about adhering the lockdown norms and following various advisories issued by the government and other relevant authorities.

In order to seek admission for our courses starting in the next academic year, we have made our admission process completely online. The students desirous of taking admission can complete the entire process online, starting from the application process to appearing in the interview and finally the fee payment by the selected students. The entire process is completely contact-free and is conducted online to make sure that the students do not have to travel outside their houses to participate in the admission process.

Q: How is the institute planning to conduct exams, evaluate and declare result online?

A: The April-May period is usually an important time for an educational institution in India as they conduct the end of term examination during this period to evaluate their students. We are part of Amity University hence would conduct the examination as per the directions of the University. Amity University already has the requisite technology and infrastructure needed to conduct these exams in an online mode. However, like all other universities, Amity is also waiting for guidance on this subject from the University Grants Commission (UGC). As soon as they receive the guidelines, the examinations can be conducted accordingly. 

Q: How are the students responding to the new initiatives?

A: Our students are upbeat and positive. They really appreciate the fact that despite the unprecedented situation of a lockdown, the institution immediately stepped up and started online classes to ensure that there is no disruption in their learning, and they could maintain their academic progress.

Other than the academic front, the students are also actively engaged in various extra-curricular activities like music, singing, quizzes and various other online activities conducted by the student clubs. The idea is that they should be able to continue to enjoy and have fun with their other fellow mates that can help boost their morale and keep their spirits high in these difficult times. This has been received very well by the students and as per them, it has helped in providing an overall feeling of positivity.

Q: What impact will it have on students’ interpersonal, team management skills?

A: It is understandable and true that interpersonal and team management skills are better acquired in face-to-face and group activities. However, despite the constraints imposed by Covid-19 we had to ensure that the students do not miss out on this aspect of their development. Even if they are not together in the same space physically, thanks to technology, we are continuing with various online activities that can help them acquire and display these skills online activities. They are made to work in teams, have virtual team meetings, form various strategies and conduct online presentations. Therefore, even in the face of these challenging times and the limitations caused by the pandemic, we are trying to ensure that we successfully hone their interpersonal and leadership skills.

Q: What are the best practices that the college is adopting to ensure seamless online learning?

A: As I already mentioned earlier that with the help of the online tools and quick adaptation to the online delivery by our faculty, we immediately switched to an online teaching mode to ensure the continuity of education could be maintained, and our students do not lose out on their academic progress.

Our institute has always believed in delivering industry and practice-based curriculum to the students with the active involvement of industry experts.  We are continuing to conduct guest lectures by industry leaders, who address the students and share their insights about various industry-related issues including the impact Covid 19 will have on the sector. The only difference is that now instead of a physical classroom these industry interactions are happening online, however, we are ensuring that the students still get a similar experience and can engage with these industry experts to get the desired industry exposure.

Every year during the summers, our students go through a two-month industry internship which gives them a real-time feel of the industry and how they would fit into their job roles. This year, due to the Covid-19 restrictions, they had to forego the experience of being on the site or in the offices of the interning organisations, however, instead, we have provided them with intensive research-based internships on the topics pertaining to live problems that the industry is facing. Each student during their internship is being mentored by the faculty and industry guides on their respective research topics and after their research, we look forward to seeing some innovative projects taking shape. Our endeavour to keep the industry involved is certainly helping the students. 

In addition, we are also continuously counselling our students primarily about their anxiety on the employment situation in the industry post-Covid-19. In fact, even in these conditions when organisations are looking inwards and re-strategising, we continue to receive hiring requirements from organisations.

Q: How will today’s situation revolutionise online learning in India and abroad?

A: Over the years, globally there has been a slow but steady shift towards online learning but many people still seemed to prefer the face to face physical mode. Some education portals tried the “Learn while you Earn” module where students could work during the day and study at their convenience, but it didn’t get the desired response. That could be because online learning at present is more of a monologue on the part of the teacher with less interaction between the student and teacher.

However, it seems the current pandemic has changed the general outlook towards online learning and has helped in generating more interest in digital learning. A few years ago, nobody could have imagined that we would be virtually delivering lectures or classes in real-time but the lockdown has forced all levels of educational institutes whether it is schools, colleges or universities to resort to this measure to continue to impart an uninterrupted education. Everybody has adapted to this new mode of learning. Certain activities that were thought to be difficult to conduct online are now happening with ease.

However, to maintain a continued interest in online education, a lot of content needs to be digitised and made more engaging. Some more thought needs to go into how student teacher interaction can be maximised online. But yes, going forward, more and more education institutions will be looking at delivering several courses online and this accelerated interest by institutions will ensure that digital education makes its way more rapidly into our education system than envisaged earlier.