The Asian regional centre of the Commonwealth of Learning (COL), the Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (COL-CEMCA), in collaboration with the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), effectively concluded the online Faculty Development Programme (FDP) on Technology-Enabled Learning (TEL) and Blended Learning at Somaiya Vidyavihar University (SVU), Mumbai, Maharashtra, on 17 January 2025.
Throughout the FDP, the COL-CEMCA consultants adopted various interactive and engaging facilitation approaches, such as presentations by experts, fun activities, and breakout rooms, to train more than 80 educators on NEP 2020, Technology-enabled Learning (TEL) and Blended learning, Open Educational Resources (OER), the Graduate Employability Framework, and Institutional Blended Learning Policy (IBLP) template.
On the conclusion of the FDP, Dr B. Shadrach, Director of COL-CEMCA, thanked SVU and its Faculty and Staff Development Centre (FSDC) team for their efforts in making the programme a success. “We are privileged to partner with SVU. This initiative not only equips educators with critical skills but also lays the foundation for further collaboration,” he remarked. Dr Shadrach also introduced resources offered by COL-CEMCA, including templates for IBLP, OER, and TEL policies, as well as future initiative around developing an institutional policy template on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Generative AI to streamline its adoption by educational institutions.
In her concluding remarks, Dr Preeti Rawat from FSDC, SVU, emphasised the significance of such programmes, highlighting their alignment with the vision of India’s National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, particularly in promoting Blended Learning. Dr Rawat expressed gratitude to COL-CEMCA for providing engaging and resourceful sessions, which were enhanced through interactive activities in breakout rooms.
The five-day workshop featured a rich array of sessions delivered by distinguished experts. On the first day, the participants explored the features of NEP 2020, while on the second day, Professor (Dr) Santosh Panda, Former Director, STRIDE, Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), New Delhi, led an insightful session on effective implementation of TEL. This was followed by a presentation by Professor Jeetendra Pande from Uttarakhand Open University, who discussed the advantages of OERs and their integration into blended learning environments. Dr. Ashish Kumar Awadhiya from IGNOU conducted a session on graduate employability offering participants valuable insights and practical tools, while Sheriya Sareen from IIT, Jammu, introduced the IBLP template on the final day.
The participants were encouraged to join the COL-CEMCA alumni network, subscribe to its newsletters, and create a WhatsApp group to stay connected and share best practices. The event underscored the pivotal role of technology and collaboration in shaping the future of education.