Acting on the motto, ‘Transforming Education, Transforming India’, Lovely Professional University’s, Human Resource Development Center and Globalz House of Skills organized an online Panel discussion on the theme, HIGHER EDUCATION POST COVID-19– THE STRATEGIC SHIFT.
The Moderator Ms. Kamaldeep, a globally acclaimed expert in International Business, Founder and CEO of Globalz House of Skills posed a thought-provoking agenda to the eminent panelists Dr. Maurits van Rooijen, CEO (Academic) Global University Systems, CEO LSBF UK, Dr. Dharam Budhi, Professor and Executive Dean (Innovation & Entrepreneurship), Lovely Professional University and Mr. Sudeep Chhabra, Independent Consultant and Innovation Evangelist.
The panel contemplated upon the global challenges arising out of Covid-19 pandemic in the context of higher education system and suggested concrete measures by Higher Education Institutions.
Dr. Maurits van Rooijen based on his experience of coordinating with 50 University campuses across the globe, observed three significant megatrends – globalization, digitalization and growth of the knowledge-driven economy. His strategic response had two main aspects (1) Teaching fraternity need to think out of the box by adopting an interdisciplinary approach. This is especially required to come out with innovations for sustainable development (2) Contemporary professors shall be successful as servant leaders, thoughtfully navigating their teams with an inclusive approach.
Dr. Dharam Budhi laid emphasis collaborative studies promoting the notions of learning anytime and anywhere. He emphasized on adopting new paradigms of curriculum transaction like the flipped classroom, evaluating with open book tests and practical know-how through field training. “A comprehensive viva should be made compulsory to test the knowledge and the skills of students”, he said.
Mr. Sudeep Chhabra quite candidly conducted a SWOT analysis of the higher education system in India and pointed out the emergence of Competency-based education. Today’s learner is looking for ‘competencies on-demand’ drawing a parallel with ‘entertainment on demand’. He emphasized that Higher Education Institutions must respond with agility to tune their curricula and teaching methods in parallel with global trends. Teachers need to experiment with new ways of engaging students in virtual classes, creating their own SOPs.
Ms. Kamaldeep summed up the strategic shift required in higher education institutions w.r.t all stakeholders’ viz. students, parents, faculty and management.
Dr. Sunaina Ahuja, Professor and Head, Human Resource Development Center, Lovely Professional University in her closing remarks presented a lucid picture of the actionable for HEIs in terms of having access to Learning Management System, faculty reorientation to conduct teaching in blended mode with a flipped-classroom approach, train faculty to set Open Book Exams, use remote proctoring options, and access online platforms for student internship and training.
