I found a really interesting podcast by Graham Attwell describing and discussing the idea of personal learning environments (PLEs) where students can build up their own online learning tools using the Internet e.g. Wikipedia, blogs, discussions, online journals to create their own learning landscape. They have come about to get away from controlling learning for students, something a f2f classroom and Learning Management System tend to do. PLEs rely on providing a learner-controlled environment rather than a teacher-controlled environment.
This aligns with what is known as web 2.0 where learners search for and use Internet technologies and pick and mix so they set up their own networked system e.g. My spaces, Google, Flickr, ourmedia, MSN etc. depending on their needs. See the diagram of the future online learning environment on Derek Wenmouth\’s blog Blackboard and other Learning Management Systems belong in web 1.0 systems where software is provided for the learner and learning is very controlled rather than learner-centred. There are some projects underway (ELGG and JISC) to create PLE systems – a contradiction in terms really – see below.
Back in April 2013 I delivered a workshop at the IATEFL 2013 conference in Liverpool. The topic of the workshop was \’Criteria for Evaluating Web Tools and Apps\’ and in the workshop I encouraged participants to share and explore their subconscious criteria for deciding which apps and web based tools they used with their students.
I particularly encouraged them to think about \’authentic\’ apps rather than those made for learning. This is because in many ways I feel that most made for learning apps have made very little pedagogical progress beyond their roots in CALL from the last century.
I also believe that encouraging students to get \’hands on\’ with authentic apps has a much more important role in helping them to develop digital literacies which they can use outside of the classroom.
As a result of that workshop and the research that developed from it I\’ve now developed this list of criteria for evaluating mobile apps for educational purposes.
Here I\’ve divided the criteria into 4 categories and given some explanation of each. I welcome your comments and feedback as this is still very much a work in progress.
Technical
Accessibility – Will all the students have the necessary equipment to use it? Will it work across all / most mobile platforms and also work within a desktop web browser?
Unless teachers are working in a teaching environment where a uniform set of physical devices are provided for students, such as a complete set of iPads or Android tablets, then they need to check carefully that all the variety of devices that their students possess are all supported. The safest way to ensure this is to check to see if the app also has a browser based version, so that students without up-to-date mobile devices will still be able to participate.
User friendly – Will students be able to learn how to use it reasonably quickly?
Apps that are complex and take a long time to master may not be worth the commitment. Teachers need to ensure that they plan how to teach the students how to use the apps in a reasonable amount of time or have a strategy for gradually uncovering more features of an app as they develop more activities with it.
Registration – Do students need to register to use it?
Getting students and teachers to register and remember passwords can be laborious and time consuming, so apps that don’t require registration and particularly those which run in the browser on mobile or desktop can be very convenient to use. Registration does however offer students more protection and makes any potential misuse or mischief trackable back to its source.
Security – Is the app secure?
Although it can be difficult and time consuming to check, teachers need to determine that the app is secure and the creators will treat their students data and personal information responsibly and confidentially. If there is any form of social interaction enabled through the app teachers need to check if there is any mechanism or process for blocking and reporting abuse.
Financial
Price – Is it free or affordable?
One of the great advantages of apps is that many are free, freemium (have both a free and a commercial version) or are quite low cost. Having said that, even if low cost apps are being used it needs to be decided who will pay for them, especially if each student in the class needs one.
Business model – Is there a business model to support the app? Is it clear how it makes money?
Every app producer needs to make money somehow, so it is important to identify the business model supporting the development of an app. Although teachers and students are keen to use free apps, apps that have no visible business model may be generating money through advertising or by trading data. An app that has no visible means of financial support, may have a very short life span, rapidly become unreliable, and fail to develop and evolve due to lack of funds.
Motivational
Digital literacy – Does learning and using the app help students to develop a useful or transferable digital literacy?
Just using an app in itself doesn’t necessarily constitute developing a digital literacy. The use of the app must in some way develop a digital skill that can be transferred outside of the learning context and used in some authentic way either in the workplace or as part of the students’ lifestyle.
Authenticity – Does it have an authentic purpose beyond language learning? Is it an app that a native speaker would use for a genuine purpose outside of a classroom?
Apps that are motivating for native speakers to use for a genuine purpose should also be motivating for language learners for that same purpose, so authentic apps that involve some sort of linguistic input or output are ideally suited to language teaching purposes.
Personalization – Does the app enable user to express some aspect of who they are and what they believe?
It’s important that language learners have the opportunity to use language creatively to express something of their own personality or identity. Apps which support this kind of creativity can be potentially very useful.
Pedagogical
Learning goal / outcome – Is there a a possible learning outcome that use of the app will lead to?
Using an app is not in and of itself a learning outcome. Use of the app needs to lead towards some form of learning goal. In some cases it can be easy to see what learning goals can be achieved through using the app, at other times teachers may need to think carefully what learning outcomes can be achieved through building activities which include the use of an app.
Interaction / communication – Does it support interaction and communication between users?
Apps which are developed around social interaction and communication are much more likely to be able to find a useful place in the language classroom and should be easier to base tasks around as communication naturally fits with the aims of language acquisition.
Prolonged use – Does the app need prolonged use to achieve a satisfactory outcome?
Many apps are designed around short daily tasks build up over a period of time to achieve an outcome. If teachers choose to use these kinds of apps they need to factor this long term approach into their timetabling.
Assessment – Is the work on the app assessable by the teacher? Does the app support the delivery of teacher response and feedback?
Students need to know that teachers are evaluating, assessing and responding to their work, so apps which can support this kind of teacher intervention can be potentially very useful.
Collaboration – Does the app support collaboration between users?
The ability to collaborate on projects or producing some form of tangible outcome is viewed as being a potentially significant digital literacy so apps which foster these kinds of collaborative interactions in a meaningful ways have great potential.
Context – In what context would the app be useful? For whom is the app more useful?
There are a number of different contexts in which apps can be used. Some may be more appropriate for use at home by the student, or in the class by students, whereas others could be more appropriately used by teachers for their own development or the development of content for students.
Reusable – Does the app have sufficient depth of purpose to support multiple activities and tasks?
Many apps have great novelty value which can be motivating for students, but novelty can soon wear off, so it is wise to weigh the amount of benefit students gain from novelty apps against their potential for extended use and the amount of time it takes to download install and register them.
Learner autonomy – Can app be used independently outside of the class by the student to support some form of learning?
Apps that can be used by students working independently may well help to foster a degree of learner autonomy if there is some in built learning outcome.
As I said, this is still a work in progress, and I did struggle with which criteria fell in to which of the categories and with the categories themselves, so all comments are welcome.
I hope you find these criteria helpful in evaluating the apps that you choose for your students.
Whether you’re looking for your first job or you’re contemplating switching careers, it’s important to take the time to discover your passion.
It can be difficult to find a job you are passionate about. Some people find their niche at an early age, but for most of us, it takes more time. For example, a few years ago I went back to school to pursue a career in healthcare. I wanted a job that was going to be a good fit for me and my family, and I’m confident I made the right choice.
Whether you’re looking for your first job or you’re contemplating switching careers, it’s important to take the time to discover your passion and explore careers that align with those interests.
Here are three tips for finding a career that’s right for you:
1. Reflect on your dreams and goals
Take the time to reflect on what you want from your life and what you have enjoyed doing in the past. This period of self-reflection can help you determine what you need to do to make your dreams a reality.
My children have always been one of my greatest passions in life. I became a mom at a young age and for many years my life was devoted to caring for my family. Once my children were older and more independent, however, I had more time to reflect on what I wanted from a career. I realized that being a mother had been my identity for so long that I needed to rediscover myself. I needed to become Natasha and not just a mother or a wife.
After some self-reflection, I felt that a career in healthcare would be a good fit for me because I have always had a passion for helping others and I enjoyed my previous experience working as a home and health aid. I recently graduated from Herzing University’s medical billing and coding program and I am excited to get started working in the field.
2. Explore your hobbies and interests
Think about the things you truly love to do — you might be able to fulfill those interests in your future career. College is an ideal place to begin this exploration because you have the opportunity to take a variety of classes, join student organizations and meet new people.
While attending Herzing University, I rediscovered another long-lost passion of mine: writing. I had always considered writing to be one of my hobbies, so I volunteered to write for the Herzing blog. I really enjoyed it and I am now exploring freelance writing opportunities while I work on furthering my healthcare career.
3. Determine what you want from your career
Once you have identified your career interests, determine what your ideal work scenario would be. Do you want to work from home? Do you want a flexible schedule or a fixed schedule? Which careers offer the best fit for your personal goals and lifestyle?
For example, I knew that I wanted a job that was Monday through Friday, and I wanted the opportunity to work from home so I could still be there for my family. I began researching office positions in the healthcare field and came across billing and coding, which seemed like the perfect fit for my criteria.
I encourage everyone to take the time to find a career that fulfills you and makes you happy. If you follow your passion, you can never go wrong. Put your efforts and time into something that matters to you!
In a discussion today at work about quality processes I remembered the model of education which has been successful for Athabasca university in Canada. Their enrolments have increased many fold because people can enrol for gap courses to complete qualifications they are taking at other universities etc.
Also students can enrol any time and at any stage of a course. To enable this flexible learning, Athabasca has a well resourced production team which goes through a strict quality control process to create high quality learning resources for distance students. The team comprises designers – educational and graphic, technical staff, editors, content experts, a project manager and others.
Once courses are developed for flexible/online modes, student support is well sychronised and tutors are employed to teach the courses which academics had a hand in developing as content experts. The academic staff merely oversee their courses and spend their time conducting research which increases the reputation of the university. Plus they are spreading the word and helping others to produce quality online learning.
For example, several staff have written a book on the Theory and Practice of Online Learning and it is freely available under a Creative Commons licence at: http://cde.athabascau.ca/online_book/ The book is edited by Terry Anderson and Fathi Elloumi (2003).
It provides an overview of educational theory, strategic approaches and infrastructure, technologies, development of courses, team projects, copyright, teaching, support for discussions and learners, library support, quality.
I guess this model gauges quality by the enrolment rates and the reputation of the university. Academic staff become well known because their ideas and research is of a high standard and they get time to undertake research and present and write scholarly articles. This means they are up to date with current trends and in turn this raises the reputation of the university which then attracts students.
The research reputation of an institution does influence the status of institutions in the international arena and I guess this is what has happened with places such as Harvard, Cambridge, Stanford and Oxford. All you need is a few high status researchers and the place goes up in lights…and of course the ability to attract the rich and famous
This picture shows the damage done to the road when the Water of the Leith got out of control in the May 2006 floods. I took this on a sunday walk with the dogs. This illustrates for me that “Quality is about preventing damage in education,not about fencing it off afterwards.”
This week and last we had two visiting speakers which focussed me in on quality again. John Milne from Massey university ran a workshop on eLearning Guidelines (an eLearning Collaborative development funded project). All NZ tertiary educators are invited to contribute to the guidelines and develop their own for practical use in their institutions through a wiki accessible from the eLearn website.
In response to a scenario we developed with a student who joined the workshop, we developed a couple of new and very important guidelines, and found several existing ones which were relevant.
The scenario was: An off-campus multimedia student is using blended methods (mainly eLearning)in a course. The student has a dial-up connection at home and has difficulty getting on-campus access to the computers and software. Not all computers have the necessary tools/software. The student also doesn’t have them at home and no access from home. The students are given training in using some software in the first week, then no further training and little support from the lecturer. There is no after hours support.
Some people in the workshop found the session a bit wishy washy, but it was a collaborative and consultative exercise which doesn’t suit everyone. Some people just want to be told. Guidelines are guidelines not standards and as such need ongoing discussion be dynamic and continually evolving.
The other speaker was Professor Fred Lockwood, a very experienced academic in the field of open and distacne learning. I went to hear his talk at the university about quality and distance education. I recorded part of the talk and had his permission to use it, though he did seem bemused that anyone would want to listen to it.
In his talk he made several interesting points in the way of questions about what we do in distance/flexible learning. Reading between the lines and through his humour it was clear to me that he thought the university was deficient in many areas – he had just conducted a review of their distance programmes and was helping them with a distance learning strategy.
The points which I identified with were: 1. Learner needs and how important it was to pay attention to them. 2. The need to conduct developmental testing with realstudents and reward them with free fees for such courses, with new flexibly offered courses. Even something as a textbook recommended by a lecturer can be unsuitable in the opinion of the students. This is rarely done at OP. 3. Too much information was a common problem so that students who were expecting to study for 5 hrs a week ended up getting increasingly more stuff to read and hand in until they could end up studying well over the 5 hrs per week. In Fred’s words, “good value for money getting 35 hrs a week of study…”
I brought Fred back to OP to speak with a small group (in the Council room with tea) including some managers and people from EDC and other parts of OP which was good. We had an informal discussion and some good points came out e.g. open courseware. Looking out for the learners – part-time, lifelong learners etc. It was a useful session but I wish I’d asked him to chat about developmental testing so the managers could have got the message.
Fred has also asked me to contact him about putting together a book proposal for something from NZ and across countries too for the Open and Flexible Learning series. Not sure whn I’ll have time to do anything, but it would be good to coordinate something and collaborate to write a chapter.
Quality is very important in not only attracting students but also in helping with retention. Quality starts before students enrol (18% lost before they “register”) and should continue all the way through with the resources offered, access, teacher support/facilitation and should meet learners’ needs.
Unfortunately in the model we appear to be adopting, online and product is being pushed which is shoving us along the inflexible rather than the flexible path. If we were truly to meet learner needs, we would adopt a truly flexible model where learners negotiate their content and their assessments and the way they learn. We are trying this to some extent with the Design course.
Check out this list of resources to help make it easy to find the right scholarship for your nursing education.
There’s never been a better time to begin or advance your nursing career, but financial pressures might make you hesitant to take the next step. Fortunately, there are a variety of nursing-related scholarships that can help you reach your career goals without added financial strain.
To help, we’ve put together a list of resources that make it easy to find the right scholarship for your nursing education.
How do scholarships really work?
Before you begin your scholarship search, it’s important to understand the different types of scholarships available and the benefits to each. The most common type of scholarship is one that is applied through the college or university you plan to attend. The organization awarding the scholarship works directly with your school to apply the scholarship funds toward your tuition and other expenses, making the process simpler and easier for you.
Some scholarship funds are awarded to the recipient directly. This could be in the form of a direct deposit into a personal banking account, or a check given to you from the awarding organization. Typically, the recipient will then need to sign off on what the money will be used for. The advantage is that you have more freedom to decide how you want to use your funds. For example, you could put money towards other educational expenses besides tuition, such as housing, fees and textbooks.
The terms of each scholarship are different, which is why it is critical to find the scholarship that is right for you.
Here are our tips for finding the perfect nursing scholarship:
1. Search online
There are many nursing-related websites that can be helpful for your scholarship search, including nurse.org, nursejournal.org, and allnursingschools.com. These sites allow you to sort through scholarships based on your education level, experience and the scholarship amount.
Herzing also offers a variety of other general scholarships and grants. Once you have found a scholarship that you want to apply to, Herzing’s financial aid advisors can also help you through the application process, including finding references, updating your resume and reviewing your written statements.
3. Research nursing associations
Many nursing and healthcare associations offer scholarships for those who are looking to begin or advance their healthcare careers. If you are new to the nursing field, you might be eligible for scholarships through the Health Occupations Students Association (HOSA). The American Nurses Association (ANA) also offers a variety of different scholarships for current and aspiring nurses. If you are a member of a minority or underrepresented group, the National Coalition of Ethnic Minority Nurse Associations (NCEMNA) group can help you identify scholarships offered by other minority nursing organizations across the country.
4. Look into local scholarships
Local nonprofits, businesses, churches and clubs are great places to look for scholarship opportunities. Be sure to tap your network of family, friends and colleagues for help. They might have ties to local organizations you’re not involved with, and they can help you find out about scholarship opportunities you might not have discovered otherwise. The library is another great resource, as it typically keeps a list of local scholarships that are available to community members.
5. Check with your employer
If you are currently employed, you could reach out to the human resources department at your company and ask if they offer any scholarships or tuition assistance for employees. Many hospitals aspiring to Magnet Status work with educational institutions to meet the rising demand for nurses with BSN degrees, and provide financial incentives for current nurses to advance their education. Talk with your manager or an HR representative to find out if your employer will cover or subsidize the tuition for your nursing degree.
6. Consider the Nurse Corps program
Nurse Corps is a federal scholarship program for nurses, nursing students and nursing faculty. Recipients are awarded funding for tuition, fees and other educational costs in exchange for their commitment to work at a Critical Shortage Facility (CSF) for a minimum of two years after graduation.
Many Americans in underserved areas go without preventive care and vaccines because there are not enough health care professionals to provide treatment in their communities. The Nurse Corps Scholarship program is designed to improve access to healthcare services in these areas, while empowering aspiring nurses to fulfill their passion for caring for others.
To be eligible for the Nurse Corps scholarship, you must be enrolled in a professional nursing degree program at an accredited nursing school. You can be enrolled in a diploma, associate, baccalaureate, or graduate nursing program.
Additionally, if you are already a licensed registered nurse, advanced practice registered nurse or a nurse faculty member with qualifying nursing debt, you may be eligible for the Nurse Corps loan repayment program. You also must work in a critical shortage facility or an eligible school of nursing in order to apply for the loan repayment program.
Need help getting started?
It’s always a good idea to get to know the financial aid staff at the college you plan to attend. At Herzing University, our financial aid advisors can help you find the scholarships that best fit your needs. Schedule an appointment with our Financial Aid Department to talk through your financial assistance options, and take the next step to invest in your future!
Union Human Resource Development Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ announced the dates of remaining examinations of CBSE Class X and XII in New Delhi today. The Minister said that the examinations of Class X will be conducted for the students of North East Delhi only, while the exams of class XII will be held for students across the country including North-east Delhi. All examinations will be between 10:30 am to 1:30 pm.
Earlier during a webinar interaction with the students on May 5, Shri Pokhriyal had said that the remaining exams of CBSE X and XII will be conducted between July 1-15.
On this occasion Shri Pokhriyal said that the ministry of HRD was fully committed to the fact that while announcing the exam dates, special care will be taken that the students get plenty of time for exam preparation and now students will be able to concentrate on their preparations. The Minister added that apart from this we have also instructed CBSE to take care of social distancing while conducting examinations so that the health of students and teachers can be ensured. The Minister also extended his best wishes to the students for the examination.
Government has accepted and implemented three important recommendations of Committee of Experts (CoE) under the Chairmanship of Lt General D B Shekatkar (Retd) relating to border Infrastructure. These were related to speeding up road construction, leading to socio economic development in the border areas.
On the matter related to creating border infrastructure, the Government has implemented recommendation of CoE to outsource road construction work beyond optimal capacity of Border Roads Organisation (BRO). It has been made mandatory to adopt Engineering Procurement Contract (EPC) mode for execution of all works costing more than Rs 100 crore.
The other recommendation relating to introduction of modern construction plants, equipment and machinery has been implemented by delegating enhanced procurement powers from Rs 7.5 crore to Rs 100 crore to BRO, for domestic and foreign procurements. Border Roads has recently inducted Hot-Mix Plant 20/30 TPH for speedier laying of roads, remote operated hydraulic Rock Drills DC-400 R for hard rock cutting, a range of F-90 series of self-propelled snow-cutters/blowers for speedier snow clearance.
New Technology like blasting technology for precision blasting, use of Geo-Textiles for soil stabilisation, cementitious base for pavements, plastic coated aggregates for surfacing, is also being used to enhance the pace of construction. With the empowerment of field officers through enhanced delegation of financial and administrative powers, there has been significant improvement in faster financial closure of works.
The land acquisition and all statutory clearances like forest and environmental clearance are also made part of approval of Detailed Project Report (DPR). Further, with the adoption of EPC mode of execution, it is mandatory to award work only when 90 per cent of the statutory clearances have been obtained, implementing the recommendation of CoE regarding obtaining prior clearances before the commencement of the project.
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting today to review the response measures against cyclone ‘Amphan’ developing in the Bay of Bengal.
Prime Minister took full stock of the situation and reviewed the response preparedness as well as the evacuation plan presented by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF). During the presentation of the response plan, DG NDRF informed that 25 NDRF teams have been deployed on the ground while 12 others are ready in reserve. 24 other NDRF teams are also on standby in different parts of the country.
The meeting was also attended by Shri Amit Shah, Union Home Minister; Shri PK Sinha Principal Advisor to the Prime Minister; Shri Rajiv Gauba, Cabinet Secretary, besides other senior officers of Government of India.
Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh has lauded the Army medical COVID related assistance for Northeast and Jammu & Kashmir, and appreciated the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) for responding to step in at the early stage of pandemic, in order to supplement the diagnostic and treatment facilities in the initial phase of preparedness.
In the context of Northeast, General Banerji briefed Dr Jitendra Singh about the latest developments and current status. He disclosed that while in Arunachal Pradesh, Military Hospital Tenga had 80 designated beds for COVID and 2 ICU beds, Military Hospital at Likabali has 82 designated beds for COVID and 2 ICU beds. Similarly, at Jorhat in Assam and Shillong in Meghalaya, Armed forces Medical Services had made available 110 and 247 designated COVID beds respectively, in addition to 10 and 4 ICU beds respectively.
While receiving an update from the Director General, Armed Forces Medical Services (DG AFMS), Lt Gen Anup Banerji, Dr Jitendra Singh had a special word of praise for the Army Command Hospital in Udhampur which had earmarked 200 designated beds for COVID cases and 6 beds in ICU for critical cases including civilian patients, in the beginning itself. Similarly, he noted that the Army Hospital in Srinagar had also designated 124 beds and Army Hospital in Rajouri had designated 82 beds for COVID cases in order to supplement the facilities set up by Health authorities of the Union Territory government. In addition, the Command Hospital Udhampur was also providing diagnostic facilities right from the beginning, he added.
Dr Jitendra Singh appreciated the proactive support in the initial stages of COVID pandemic which had also contributed in reducing the disease burden. He also mentioned the quarantine camps and isolation facilities set up by the Armed Forces Medical Sercvices.
Director General AFMS informed the Minister that the number of such hospitals is being enhanced depending upon the situation and availability of equipment from suppliers. He assured the Minister that in future also, the number of beds will be increased depending upon the situation.
Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare participated in the 73rd World Health Assembly (WHA) through Video Conference, here today. India’s response on address of Director General, World Health Organization (WHO), delivered by Dr. Harsh Vardhan is as follows:
“Her Excellency Ms. Keva Bain, President of the World Health Assembly, Dr. Tedros, Director General of WHO & Excellencies,
At the very outset, I wish to express my deepest condolences at the loss of lives across the world due to COVID-19. I also take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude for the efforts of those who are in the frontline of this battle.
We, in India, undertook the COVID-19 challenge with the highest level of political commitment. Our Hon’ble Prime Minister, Mr Narendra Modi, personally monitored the situation and ensured a pre-emptive, pro-active and graded response, leaving no stones unturned to contain the deadly virus from spreading.
India took all necessary steps well in time, including surveillance at points of entry, evacuation of nationals stranded overseas, massive community surveillance through robust disease surveillance network, strengthening of health infrastructure, capacity building of over two million frontline human resources, risk communication and community involvement. I think we did our best and we did well. We are learning and we are confident of doing better in the months to come.
Excellencies, today there are compelling circumstances that have forced us all to meet virtually. The 73rd WHA is the first ever virtual health assembly, it is unprecedented, but it’s also perhaps the most important one ever; because as we sit and discuss here, the pandemic continues to kill thousands of people and also causing a deep global recession.
This is the time when humankind must come together. Today, I urge upon all Governments, industry and philanthropy to prioritise the long term and pool their resources, to ensure everyone benefits.
On our part, India is playing a key role in fostering bilateral and regional partnerships. Under our Prime Minister’s able leadership, India has supplied essential medicines to 123 nations as an expression of solidarity.
Therapeutics, diagnostics and vaccines for the whole world is the only way out of this pandemic. Global collaboration is paramount. Governments, industry and philanthropy must pool resources to pay for the risk, the research, manufacturing and distribution, but with the condition that the rewards should be available to everyone, regardless of where they have been developed.
Today, in the two-day deliberations, we should share our learnings from how each one of us has tackled this catastrophe since January, how we can support the financial or technical gaps that some of our member states may have and agree to continue R&D in an aggressive and collaborative way.
In congratulating all those who are striving to save humanity, we welcome efforts to make all International Institutions more reflective of 21st Century realities. India will always stand with such efforts to foster meaningful and broad-based change.
I close my speech today with a loud applause for all those across the world who are in the forefront of this battle against a deadly virus.
I stand here to honour the doctors, the nurses, the paramedics, the scientists, the journalists, the delivery boys, security staff, sanitation staff and the police personnel – the forgotten roles who are today playing ‘super humans’. They are our real heroes.
Many thanks for the opportunity to speak before this august gathering.”
India has taken the first big step towards becoming Aatmanirbhar (self-reliant). Immediately after Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s call for encouraging local products, Home Minister Shri Amit Shah has made it mandatory for all canteens and stores of paramilitary forces to sell only “Swadeshi” products procured from Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC). The move will open great employment opportunities for farmers, unemployed youths and lakhs of people already engaged with cottage and village industries.
An order to this effect has been issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs on 15 May 2020 that will come into force from June 1, 2020. Once it is enforced, only Indian products procured from KVIC will be sold through Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) canteens. The decision will also positively impact the production and sales of KVIC.
“The Khadi and Village industries Commission with 17 products has been registered with Kendriya Police Kalyan Bhandar (KPKB)…Now the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, has decided that only swadeshi products will be sold through KPKB Bhandars w.e.f 1st June, 2020. In view of the above, all Master Bhandars may place their demands directly to KVIC,” the order read.
KVIC Chairman Shri. Vinai Kumar Saxena has lauded the decision of Home Minister saying this will provide a big boost to the cottage and village industries sector apart from the MSME units. “This decision will directly benefit lakhs of people engaged with manufacturing of various products of village industries. With this order over 10 lakh personnel of the various paramilitary forces will be added to KVIC’s consumer base. As a goodwill gesture, the KVIC has also decided to supply products to CAPF canteens at a small margin of 3% as against the 20% margin in other cases,” Saxena said.
Notably, there are 20 master bhandars of these forces across the country with an annual turnover of over Rs 1800 crore. The KVIC is likely to get major share of the total turnover. At present, KVIC has registered 17 products for supply to CAPF canteens. These include khadi national flag, eatables like honey, pickles, edible oils, agarbatti, papad, amla products, cotton towels etc Further, a list of 63 new products like Khadi clothes, woollen, cosmetics like herbal oil, shampoo, soaps, face wash, tea, coffee and others has been submitted to CAPF canteens to be included in the supply list at these stores.
In a discussion today at work about quality processes I remembered the model of education which has been successful for Athabasca university in Canada. Their enrolments have increased many fold because people can enrol for gap courses to complete qualifications they are taking at other universities etc.
Also students can enrol any time and at any stage of a course. To enable this flexible learning, Athabasca has a well resourced production team which goes through a strict quality control process to create high quality learning resources for distance students. The team comprises designers – educational and graphic, technical staff, editors, content experts, a project manager and others.
Once courses are developed for flexible/online modes, student support is well sychronised and tutors are employed to teach the courses which academics had a hand in developing as content experts. The academic staff merely oversee their courses and spend their time conducting research which increases the reputation of the university. Plus they are spreading the word and helping others to produce quality online learning.
For example, several staff have written a book on the Theory and Practice of Online Learning and it is freely available under a Creative Commons licence at: http://cde.athabascau.ca/online_book/ The book is edited by Terry Anderson and Fathi Elloumi (2003).
It provides an overview of educational theory, strategic approaches and infrastructure, technologies, development of courses, team projects, copyright, teaching, support for discussions and learners, library support, quality.
I guess this model gauges quality by the enrolment rates and the reputation of the university. Academic staff become well known because their ideas and research is of a high standard and they get time to undertake research and present and write scholarly articles. This means they are up to date with current trends and in turn this raises the reputation of the university which then attracts students.
The research reputation of an institution does influence the status of institutions in the international arena and I guess this is what has happened with places such as Harvard, Cambridge, Stanford and Oxford. All you need is a few high status researchers and the place goes up in lights…and of course the ability to attract the rich and famous
This picture shows the damage done to the road when the Water of the Leith got out of control in the May 2006 floods. I took this on a sunday walk with the dogs. This illustrates for me that \”Quality is about preventing damage in education,not about fencing it off afterwards.\”
This week and last we had two visiting speakers which focussed me in on quality again. John Milne from Massey university ran a workshop on eLearning Guidelines (an eLearning Collaborative development funded project). All NZ tertiary educators are invited to contribute to the guidelines and develop their own for practical use in their institutions through a wiki accessible from the eLearn website.
In response to a scenario we developed with a student who joined the workshop, we developed a couple of new and very important guidelines, and found several existing ones which were relevant.
The scenario was: An off-campus multimedia student is using blended methods (mainly eLearning)in a course. The student has a dial-up connection at home and has difficulty getting on-campus access to the computers and software. Not all computers have the necessary tools/software. The student also doesn\’t have them at home and no access from home. The students are given training in using some software in the first week, then no further training and little support from the lecturer. There is no after hours support.
Some people in the workshop found the session a bit wishy washy, but it was a collaborative and consultative exercise which doesn\’t suit everyone. Some people just want to be told. Guidelines are guidelines not standards and as such need ongoing discussion be dynamic and continually evolving.
The other speaker was Professor Fred Lockwood, a very experienced academic in the field of open and distacne learning. I went to hear his talk at the university about quality and distance education. I recorded part of the talk and had his permission to use it, though he did seem bemused that anyone would want to listen to it.
In his talk he made several interesting points in the way of questions about what we do in distance/flexible learning. Reading between the lines and through his humour it was clear to me that he thought the university was deficient in many areas – he had just conducted a review of their distance programmes and was helping them with a distance learning strategy.
The points which I identified with were: 1. Learner needs and how important it was to pay attention to them. 2. The need to conduct developmental testing with realstudents and reward them with free fees for such courses, with new flexibly offered courses. Even something as a textbook recommended by a lecturer can be unsuitable in the opinion of the students. This is rarely done at OP. 3. Too much information was a common problem so that students who were expecting to study for 5 hrs a week ended up getting increasingly more stuff to read and hand in until they could end up studying well over the 5 hrs per week. In Fred\’s words, \”good value for money getting 35 hrs a week of study…\”
I brought Fred back to OP to speak with a small group (in the Council room with tea) including some managers and people from EDC and other parts of OP which was good. We had an informal discussion and some good points came out e.g. open courseware. Looking out for the learners – part-time, lifelong learners etc. It was a useful session but I wish I\’d asked him to chat about developmental testing so the managers could have got the message.
Fred has also asked me to contact him about putting together a book proposal for something from NZ and across countries too for the Open and Flexible Learning series. Not sure whn I\’ll have time to do anything, but it would be good to coordinate something and collaborate to write a chapter.
Quality is very important in not only attracting students but also in helping with retention. Quality starts before students enrol (18% lost before they \”register\”) and should continue all the way through with the resources offered, access, teacher support/facilitation and should meet learners\’ needs.
Unfortunately in the model we appear to be adopting, online and product is being pushed which is shoving us along the inflexible rather than the flexible path. If we were truly to meet learner needs, we would adopt a truly flexible model where learners negotiate their content and their assessments and the way they learn. We are trying this to some extent with the Design course.
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