NE NEWS SERVICE
COIMBATORE, FEB 10
With educational institutions pivoting to virtual and online learning methods, equipping faculty members with the knowledge to harness digital technologies became critical, says an expert.
Educational institutions have switched over to virtual classes during the pandemic-induced lockdown to engage with the students. This sudden change in teaching methodology caught the teachers unaware. To fill this digital divide, Isha Vidhya, Isha Foundation’s not-for-profit education initiative, recently organized virtual training programmes for its faculty members, in collaboration with Outreach, technology major Cognizant’s employee-led volunteering programme. The training modules were part of Outreach’s ‘Cognizant e-Teacher’, aimed at helping teachers gain hands-on experience in the use of digital technology, thereby enabling them to teach their students virtually.
As part of this initiative, Cognizant Outreach volunteers conducted two virtual training courses for the faculty members: the ‘Digital Mastery’ module that would enable them to use smartphones and computers effectively and the ‘Digital Teaching’ module to empower them with tools and techniques to enhance student engagement and learning outcomes during virtual teaching.
More than 60 Cognizant Outreach volunteers enabled over 1,400 hours of learning for 374 Isha Vidhya faculty members across 10 districts in Tamil Nadu, training them on using Microsoft Office suite, creating digital content, using social media effectively, and staying safe online. The initiative is expected to positively impact over 8,000 students annually.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected the education system and access to learning for millions of students in the country,” said Deepak Prabhu Matti, Global Head of Cognizant Outreach. “With educational institutions pivoting to virtual and online learning methods, equipping faculty members with the knowledge to harness digital technologies became critical. Outreach’s ‘Cognizant e-Teacher’ programme is aimed at addressing this need and ensuring that students’ learning and education do not stop. We are pleased to partner with Isha Vidhya in this important initiative,” he added.
A participant faculty member from Isha Vidhya Ramaniyam Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Vanavasi, said, “During the COVID-19 lockdown, we had to switch to alternatives to traditional classroom learning. Virtual classes became the need of the hour and our mobile phones were crucial tools. The training helped us understand how we can use our smartphones to make learning effective and interesting for our students.”
