BA (Tourism) the best career choice post COVID19! Yes, it is true! The tourism industry has been badly hit due to the COVID19 pandemic. There has been loss that amounts to millions of dollars! It has also affected the livelihoods of small businesses like cottage industries that would earn revenue only from the tourism industry. Thus, you must be wondering why does the title of the blog claims that choosing Tourism to pursue your career is ‘the best!’ We might also be thinking that, won’t it be a disaster to take up Tourism for graduation given the present circumstances? Well such thoughts are quite natural and so is the fact that tourism industry will receive the biggest boom once the pandemic’s over. We at Garden City University have done our research before claiming it! Give, it a thought. Haven’t you already imagined travelling immediately post the pandemic? Isn’t your suitcase somewhere already packed inside your mind for you to set sail? Haven’t you been washing your car or bike everyday with the dream of that long drive across states? The answer for all these questions for sure is a big YES! We all are dying to get out on our toes and travel the world like never before. We have made our list of top ten travel ideas when we shared pics online of our previous travels hash tagging them with #throwbacks! We all are dreaming of the kind of things we would do that time we would be on a beach or just hitch-hiking! We have surfed the internet to find the best places to travel and have shopped keeping our future post-COVID travels in mind. So, the tourism industry is not going anywhere. Rather it will come back with a bang with even better means and facilities. As a young student, you need to look forward towards everything. If you have decided to take up Tourism as your study lets not have any abstract ideas which course demean you from taking this up! You are ‘destined’ to receive the best of education in the world of tours and travels at Garden City University. With the cure being found, soon the days of us stuck at home will be history. We will put on our travel shoes and go anywhere we want to go. After the pandemic, every individual who has been saving money all this time will want to travel. Now that we know how indefinite life can be, we all will want to taste travel at least once in life. With that kind of mindset, the beneficiary would be the Tourism department of every country. BA Tourism is one of the courses that will lead you to the success that you are craving for in this life. You would have the luxury of travelling and learning at the same time. The good part is, you would not even have to pay for your travels! Isn’t it the best part of BA Tourism degree? We assure you that the tourism industry will never crumble as all governments across the world are taking measures to revive this industry. Tourism industry pays for half the world’s population and hence no government will ever put a stop to it. In your idle time, as a student, think about your future! You need to think and ask yourself, where do you wish to see yourself in the next five years? Stuck at a boring 9-5 job or travelling worldwide and enjoying the luxuries of life? Luckily, at Gardencity University we make sure that you get the best out of a BA Tourism course. With the state-of-the-art facilities at your disposal, you will experience real life learning in this institute. Do not EVER be discouraged by the news that you are hearing as everything will pass! Have faith on yourself and us and take up Tourism as you are made for it! So, what are you still thinking? Enroll today for a ‘best’ tomorrow!
The Covid-19 Pandemic has made all of us aware of what is social distancing. In a couple of months’ time each one of us are, at least 6 feet away from our family members, our BFFs, that 2am friend and name whoever you want. But social distancing from social media? Is it even possible? FOMO is real so is our love for TikTok and whoever can even remember a life before Instagram or Facebook! Then one fine morning it struck us, real hard! When the Indian government banned 57, yes you heard it right, not 10, not 20 but 57 mobile applications in India! And, suddenly our virtual worlds came crashing down. First of all, the physical distancing and then that. It is a well-known fact that ever since lockdown social media has seen a rapid growth of virtual presence. According to a report published by the Financial Express the average time spent by users on Facebook was 41.4 minutes in comparison to 66.9 minutes during lockdown ever since March 29th. The average time being spent on TikTok went up from 39.5 minutes to 56.9 minutes, and on Instagram, from 21.8 minutes to 35.4 minutes. Let us all agree that our virtual media presence increased as a compensation to the physical distancing we suddenly faced. Ever since the first phase of lockdown social media has been instrumental in keeping our contacts alive. A simple cake baking video would make us want to try it at home. Physical exercises became popular only because of the urge to upload it online. Comments and likes made lockdown easier to handle. But have we ever given it a thought, what if there was no social media at all to ease our lockdown days? Seems impossible and crazy? Well, let us try imagining something like this. Let us see if we can survive at all without social media. Although many of us would agree that this is the ‘new normal.’ However, we should at least try to think of an alternative that will be handy if tomorrow the virtual world vanishes! So, here are few tips that you can implement to see if you still can survive if ever there is a virtual media pandemic: Schedule your Mobile/Laptop time– Remember, when you would put an alarm for waking up so that you do not miss your college bus, or you are right on time or class? Well we all were part of a schedule or a routine that made our life easier. So, try making a similar schedule for your presence on the virtual world, making sure that you turn off your apps once your time for the day lapses. Find a new hobby– We agree that during lockdown many of us tried new activities inspired by social media posts by our friends, family members or any random influencer that you may follow. But once done it’s important to get over that hangover! It is time you do not end up acquiring a hobby just for the sake of show-off on the virtual platform. Click pictures, do yoga, cook delicacies, dance your heart out but avoid posting them online. In that way soon you will develop a hobby that will be long-term! Spend time with the people around you, sans the mobile phone– seems impossible again? Most of you are living with your parents during this lockdown. Try having a daily conversation with your parents at least for an hour where your mobile phone will not be with you! You might initially get distracted or feel something is missing, not being able to concentrate on the conversation. But practise makes one perfect! You will see that you have been missing a chunk of your life because of the mobile. Prefer alternatives for social media urge: That urge to go online, check out the latest post, hit a like and comment can be put under control only if you find another serious activity to do. List out things that you like doing. Then sort out the ones possible without social media. Even if you find one such thing, start meditating on that. Very soon you might feel that your virtual presence was your ‘want’ and not exactly the ‘need.’ On this note may be its time we understand that our survival is not complimented by our social media presence. There was a world just sometime back when we survived without the urgency to go online and all of us are capable to doing it again! Social media of course, is a boon. It connects us with the worldwide, but one should be careful not to let it rule your life. So yes, social distancing from social media is a thing! It is possible and is highly recommended.
HOW TO COPE UP WITH YOUR MIND AMIDST COVID-19 Lockdown – a word which was obscure before December 2019 has now become the talk of town with endless versions. This is of course because of the “Corona” breakout aka “COVID” pandemic. But enough of the virus, let’s talk about human’s mental health during COVID-19. It is definitely a need of the hour irrespective of time. Ever since the virus started spreading to different parts of our country, various restrictions were implemented starting with “Complete Lockdown”. This resulted in shutting down of IT firms, educational institutions, travel or any organisation with more than 10 people. Apart from essentials, every single utility was closed and because of this, few started working from home, few lost their jobs, few had to close their only business which was a sole purpose of their bread and butter, the list goes endlessly. All of this had a huge impact in all the three sectors – primary, secondary, tertiary and none of us could go do a thing about it. From being “strive and succeed”, it turned upside down to “survive and strive”. Honestly, nobody expected this revolution within such a short span of time. Almost 90% of people are now staying at home either with a job or without a job or waiting for their exam results. The cycle of growth is now stuck in between and struggling to move forward. The current generation is stressed about sustaining their jobs and getting a job. The next generation is stressed about what’s next? When will we write the boards? When will I step into college life? But the real question here is, why is this a huge issue? The answer is simple: Imagine a bird which has been flying freely around the world. Now, due to circumstances it is put in a cage for more than 100 days without knowing the day of freedom. This is our exact situation right now. One might ask, you are told to stay inside your house. Isn’t it wonderful? Initially it can be. But later? After 100 days of staying at home? As a matter of fact, we are stressed like anything but there are some life transitioning and life transforming solutions for this. 1. Develop a routine/habit Being at home is always a blissful feeling because it is that time you can develop various habits. Set right your sleep cycle. Early to bed, early to rise. eat well, get 30mins of early morning sunlight, drink 3-4 litres of water everyday. Make this a daily habit as this is the time you can literally eat, sleep, maybe work and you won’t be questioned for doing that. Jokes apart, developing this basic routine will definitely change the way you see the world or even yourself. 2. Stay fit During lockdown, chances are high that your bed becomes your closest friend, so close that you don’t leave it until it’s pee pee time or poo poo time. Before lockdown we hardly went to gym despite paying fees, made new year resolutions on fitness etc etc. Only few caught hold of it and went to being fit. Fitness is an emotion many of us don’t prefer using. It keeps our bones and muscles, strong and flexible. Staying fit doesn’t mean you have to lift weights. You may practice Yoga too. These practices keep you physically as well as mentally strong. Get expert advices or you always have google (the right way). Start shredding some sweat. Know your inner self. 3. Bond with your family Gone are those times where you spend quality time with your family during weekends or during vacation. It is now you and your family inside a house 24/100*. This is the time you should bond with them. Talk to your parent(s) individually and together, find out what’s running in their mind. Talk your heart out, understand their necessities and expectations and vice versa. Love, affection and care doesn’t have limitations per say so learn the things you have always admired to learn from them. Make it a two way communication, guide them instead belittling them if they go wrong. Correct yourself if you are wrong. Be with them instead of just being in your own world. In this way, you will learn to understand them rather than being understood alone. 4. Study courses There are tons and tons of courses online which you could take up for free. Explore yourself if you are figuring out as to what you can do with life. Explore different fields and gain more knowledge because any knowledge is good knowledge. Example: coursera, google digital marketing, online theatre classes. 5. Write/Speak Many of us don’t prefer writing down our thoughts and it is not that wrong an issue. We have this taboo of bottling down our thoughts until it bursts out on its own. HELL NO! Writing down your thoughts or talking to someone you know and trust helps you free your mind. It can be as simple as writing a rhyme that comes in your mind or singing a song that’s stuck in your mind for a long time. Start with basic writing, do this continuously and you yourself will see some change in yourself. If writing is not your cup of tea, speak. Speak with people you know and trust, speak your heart out. The more you speak the more you get relieved. Lockdown has got us stressed but it is not the end. It is the beginning towards a better self. It is pretty natural for your mind to go crazy during these tough times but stay put. Follow a regime. Push yourself from being a couch potato and figure out a new you, version 2.0 maybe! This is the time you can use to utilise who you actually are. Stay calm. Believe in yourself. Reach out to people. Stay healthy and most importantly STAY HOME! STAY SAFE!
WHAT SHOULD BE THE MINDSET OF A STUDENT BEFORE ENTERING COLLEGE LIFE AND HOW SHOULD PARENTS TREAT/HANDLE THEIR CHILDREN DURING THIS STAGE? A child who is getting into a college from school is at the peak of his adolescence. An adolescent has the characteristics of both an adult and a child. They are in a period of transition from a child to an adult. Physically they are an adult and mentally still they have the residue of a child. The first time this combination of adult and a child is going to face the society for the first time. Till then they were under a very protected environment provided by the parent and the school. A college is a place where they will be treated as adults. From learning to making friends they have to do it on their own. The deadly combination of a child and an adult plays a major role in this. When they enter into college life they might feel lonely if they are in a new environment and excited if they are continuing their old friendship. In the first case, to protect themselves from the loneliness they may go for friendship randomly. They won’t be aware of their level of frequency with them. There is a possibility that they may get succumbed to pressure to maintain their friendship. In the second case with their old friends in a new place will be excited that they may try to explore new things. Risk-taking behaviour will be predominant during this phase of life. Speaking about the approach by Parents: You need to understand that your son/daughter is not a child anymore. This is the first chance they are getting to have their choices, take decisions and to be free. There are chances that they may take the wrong decisions. They may not be willing to share things with you. They will like to have secrets. They will believe that they are adults and they are right, at the same time the child in them will confuse them about their decisions. They will need your help but they will hesitate to ask you. They will have a secret love for you but the external behaviour will be different, like they may express too much anger and argue with you. Sometimes they may verbally offend you. To understand them may be a bit difficult, but they require parental support until they grow up into a full adult, which they will attain only after the age of 20. During this phase parental support should not be given directly, they don’t like to be treated like a child. They will expect you to treat them like adults. In short, they will expect you to be friendly with them. But remember they want the parents to be friendly, not as friends. Most of the parents make the mistake of being their friends, where they will not get a chance to correct them if they go deviant. About education, this is a period where their intellectual capacity will be at the peak. They will be able to grasp abstract concepts easily. But since they are undergoing a stressful period till class 12, in the first year of college their perspective towards academics will be less towards scoring. And if the parents are going to put pressure on scoring, there is a possibility that they may rebel as they are with a mixed group of friends and no personal attention from the teachers. In such a situation parents should mellow down and tell them that this is the time for their enjoyment of their college life but at the same time they should set a standard of scoring concerning academics. If the parents could control their anxiety and go along with their children in a friendly manner, they will feel supported. To Summarise, With Parents: When your child was in school they needed your support – a third-hand help to walk through their decisions. But when they enter college, their mind behaves like a swing sometimes like a child and sometimes like an adult. During this period, all you need to do is guide them when they are in need and not when you think they need you. For Students: Sometimes we are too much indulged in minor issues that we leave out on noticing the major ones. Think your college life as a former and your marks as latter because at the end of the day you are going to be treated as adults in college and you are indeed going to become one. So, why feel afraid about what’s not even there yet. Just be focused on what you are doing. Colleges and marks don’t decide your future, but your hardwork and smart work does.
Introduction Maintaining social distancing amongst peer pressure, and friends will be one of the hardest things you will ever have to do. The best way to approach it is to have an open and frank discussion about your expectations and the expectations of others, on the need for social distancing to be enforced and maintained. How to maintain Social Distancing While we were in the worst phase of the lockdown, little crosses in tape were made at the required distances apart, in front of take- away and other food outlets. This left us in no doubt how far away from each other we had to stand, and we knew what was required of us. Many of us found this quite useful and just stood on the cross as requested. This would probably be useful for students who are used to abiding by the rules. Keep 1.5 meters away from one another where possible. Avoid physical greetings like shaking hands, hugs and kisses Do not handle cash, use a card. Try to avoid public transport Avoid crowds When you haven’t seen one another for a long time it is hard not to greet one another in the old way, but if we can get used to it we will manage to do it for a year or two, until hopefully the virus goes away. Some of these measures are here to stay. In some states we have done extremely well in containing the virus, other places have not been so fortunate and are forced to remain in lockdown. The other thing to be aware of is Clinically vulnerable people, (grandma and grandpa) who are often in fragile health, We have to stay well in order for them to stay well as we would never forgive ourselves if they caught anything from us. When your friends apply the pressure to ignore Social Distancing You can be fined for not social distancing, but it is usually not enforced, and the restrictions have been eased a bit. No more than 100 people for non essential indoor gatherings. No large outdoor gatherings. Restriction in visiting aged people comes to only close relatives. No overseas travel, except with special clearance and quarantine at either end of trip. How is Corona Virus Spread? The virus is highly infectious and spreads from person to person through close contact, coughing or sneezing through droplet infection. This is why it is a good idea to wear a mask if attending a lecture, just to be safe. Also virus can be spread from touching door nobs and surfaces which should be cleaned at least daily. There is no evidence that the Corona Virus is present in water, so keep washing your hands and keep using the hand sanitizer. If you are going to the Teller machine to withdraw money, take a disposable glove with you as the virus can linger on places that people touch all the time. Staying in Touch with Friends while Social Distancing For a while it may be safer to stay in contact with friends on Video Calls, Zoom or Skype, you can talk every day and you won’t miss a thing. This way you are totally safe and it won’t be forever, this is the ultimate in social distancing, until it is safe to meet up again. If you meet up with friends for lunch try to eat outside, as it is much harder for Covid-19 to spread outdoors in fresh air. Conclusion You will find with a bit of practice you will become really good at Social Distancing and it won’t be such an effort, but will become part of daily life even though it feels very unnatural at the moment.
If you’re looking to enrich your knowledge of English literature at one of the top colleges in Bangalore, look no further than the BA English (Hons) at Garden city University. This three year degree with honours will not only develop your knowledge of the English language and the breadth of your experience with various forms of English literature, but will also develop key skills that will help you to stand in good stead for employment as a graduate. Who is this course for? This course is primarily for prospective students who wish to continue their study in English literature to higher education standard. This means that this course will cater for those who simply wish to enjoy the various forms of English literature, from prose and poetry to screenplays and non-fiction, as well as those who wish to move into specific employment related to English literature such as publishing and journalism. What can you expect from the course? Students can expect a challenging and diverse course that will develop their knowledge of English literature through the centuries and introduce them to various forms of literature from the metaphysical to Neo-classical. The BA English (Hons) is comprised of core units that will analyse and critique the evolution of English literature from the early modern period to the modern day. A typical student will study a varied programme that will include along with many units of work; seventeenth century prose, American literature, and Victorian literature. The course will also develop your critical thinking and critical writing skills, enabling you to appreciate and critically deconstruct some of the greatest works of English literature in print today. By the time you graduate, you will have not only deepened your passion for the English language and English literature, but will have developed a set of key skills in analysis and evaluation as well as academic writing skills that will stand you in good stead for further study or future employment. What is the value of studying this course? The value of studying BA English (Hons) is unique to each student. Some students study this course simply because they love English literature in all its forms. The value this course brings them is the opportunity to explore and develop that love over an uninterrupted period of time in an academic environment that can offer them support and encouragement. Other students see the BA English (Hons) as a necessary stepping stone to further study such as a Masters degree in English literature and then perhaps a PhD, and many more students view the BA English (Hons) as a required qualification for their chosen career, be that teaching English or working in advertising, for example. What are the career opportunities on doing post-graduation? Career opportunities on doing post-graduation are positive. BA English (Hons) equips students with a qualification and a set of skills that will enable them to pursue a career in a plethora of job settings. Many students tend to move into careers in publishing, journalism, the creative arts, advertising, teaching, television, theatre, film and PR. The BA English (Hons) also opens up the opportunity for some graduates to continue studying English literature at post-graduate level, with a view to working in academia, while others decide to study a closely related subject at post-grad level such as history or law. It is often the case that BA English (Hons) graduates are some of the most versatile graduates that can pursue careers in all manner of sectors owing to their skill set of creative, analytical and evaluative skills. It is not unknown for English graduates to establish themselves in finance, accounting and even politics for instance! Why study BA English (Hons) at Garden City University? Garden City University is not only one of the top colleges in Bangalore but has an international reputation for academic excellence. This means GardenCity University graduates can have the confidence that their degree will stand them in the best stead for future employment or further study. For more details about how you can apply to study BA English (Hons) at Garden City University, head over to https://www.gardencity.university/bachelor-of-arts-english-honours.php
If you’re a science student and if you’re confused about which one to choose, we have got it all covered for you! Read on to know more. Here is a detailed study of each of the courses that you are keen on. Whether you take B.sc Biotechnology or B.tech Biotechnology, the major subject of Biotechnology has a very good scope in the 21st century. Not to forget, biotechnology is one of the fastest evolving streams of science which has garnered a strong place in today’s fast-growing and developing world. The Healthcare sector has ever been evolving and Biotechnology plays an instrumental role in all the latest developments and additions in this sector. Before you dive into the matter of which course is better and which one to select from two, we suggest you to understand the concept of Biotechnology first. Know what it is and then you will find it easier to chase your passion and fulfill your dreams! Before you dive into the matter of which course is better and which one to select from two, we suggest you to understand the concept of biotechnology first. Know what it is and then you will find it easier to chase your passion and fulfill your dreams! What is Biotechnology? This is a Bachelor’s degree comprising of 3 years degree program. It focuses mainly on the science subjects mostly on biological sciences and the detailed aspects of biotechnology. There will be a more in-depth study of the fields relevant to biological sciences such as microbial genetics, microbiology, molecular biology, animal and plant biotechnology, and biochemistry. There are excellent R & D programs and centers that provide this course. B.Sc Biotechnology Attendance at a university provides you with opportunities to meet people who are different from you. They will have different backgrounds, different economic situations. Religious and political beliefs may differ from yours. You will meet people from different countries and cultures. You will have the great advantage of expanding your understanding of the world around you through the people you meet at college. Attendance at the physical campus, instead of just online, gives you opportunities outside the classroom setting to learn from new people about their ideas and cultures. When we say, it is a 3-year degree program, you’d be more accustomed to various researches throughout your studies as this course is mainly designed for researchers. The 3 years degree curriculum is a comprehensive design to sharpen your critical and reasoning skills. You will have enough time to chill and study and work on the labs simultaneously. Garden City University in Bangalore is one such reputed university that provides this valuable course. One of the main add on is that the same university provides you with an opportunity to pursue your master”s degree, followed by campus recruitment which helps you to work with MNCs and get placed in labs and companies alike. Once you pursue your Ph.D., you can explore more opportunities to establish your research center, or you can work on some papers and publish the same. You can also become a leading scientist for an on-going project or research; you can also opt for becoming a research professor at an esteemed university. All these can give you a great chance to achieve the goals in your life as a scientist. B.Tech Biotechnology This is a branch of science that leads to biotechnology coupled with some branches of engineering. It is a 4 years degree program. Just as the name says, this course is a tech-oriented program integrated into biotechnology as majors. In this course, you will dive into the core subjects only in the second year. The exposure to major subjects is minimal in the first academic year, however, you’ll perhaps get more chance to learn about the tech and industrial trends in the first year of your studies. B.tech has more laboratories and hands-on experiments compared to other courses. One of the best parts is that, if you are keen on pursuing higher studies, you don’t have to go for masters and then a doctorate. you can opt for a Ph.D. directly after the B.tech program. Some of the major papers include Thermodynamics, Biochemical Engineering, Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Microbiology, etc,. If you are worried about the scope for B.tech students, then here is it. Although this field has ever been evolving and flourishing, the exposure and the recognition are still low compared to other streams. However, if you are someone keener on pursuing B.tech in biotechnology, you can easily find jobs in pharmaceutical companies. Or if you think you can lead a team of researchers, you can join a project and work on the researches. Furthermore, if you are keen on becoming a professor, you can also opt for becoming one in an esteemed university. This field is vast, diverse, and certainly research-oriented. You got to be really passionate to chase your dreams. However if you are more into technology and tech trends, go ahead with Garden City University. You can check out the website for more details about the admission process and the classes!
Deciding to go to college is a difficult decision for many young people and their parents. Where should you go to college? Why should you go to college? What should you study? How can you pay for your college experience? Today, more than ever before, students are also asking whether or not attendance in a university setting is worth it. Why not just do all your coursework online? It will be less expensive and more convenient to attend college courses online. Many reasons exist, however, for physical attendance at a college or university. A college education will teach you many things beyond academics. Consider the following reasons for attending college or university: Learning to live with others is a lesson you will not learn through an online college. In today’s world, many young people have not had the experience of sharing a room with someone else. In a university setting, you often have at least one roommate. College attendance will teach you how to live with other people. Who will clean the room? How will you share the space of a dorm room or apartment? You can learn valuable coping and people skills by having roommates. You will encounter people who are not like you. Attendance at a university provides you with opportunities to meet people who are different from you. They will have different backgrounds, different economic situations. Religious and political beliefs may differ from yours. You will meet people from different countries and cultures. You will have the great advantage of expanding your understanding of the world around you through the people you meet at college. Attendance at the physical campus, instead of just online, gives you opportunities outside the classroom setting to learn from new people about their ideas and cultures. How will you react when faced with new opinions and ideas? It is very easy to adopt the ideas and belief system of people we are surrounded with. College attendance will expose you to new ideas and new beliefs. How will you react to these new ideas? Will you explore them? What if they conflict with your ideas? Can you learn something from beliefs other than yours? Will you learn to respect those whose ideas are different from yours? College is a great place to learn how to do this. Do you know how to handle responsibilities? When you leave home to attend university or college you will not have your parents to help manage your life. You have to assume responsibility for your own life. Here are a few examples of these responsibilities: Scheduling – You must learn to schedule your time and to follow your schedule. Do you have time for that party, or do you need to be studying for the exam? Your mom is not there to tell you when to study, or when to go to bed; you must learn to deal with schedules on your own. Deadlines – When is that paper due? Which day is the final exam? At what time does that assignment need to be turned in? You are responsible for keeping track and meeting all these deadlines! Laundry – Yes, you are responsible for doing your laundry. Do you know how? If you stay home and take online courses your mother can continue doing laundry for you, but at some time you need to grow up and do your wash! Bills – Have you ever had to pay bills before? Do you know what happens when you are late with a credit card payment? Going away to college often means learning to pay your bills. And pay them on time! You will also learn how to manage your own personal and moral responsibility. Going away to college requires personal and moral responsibility and accountability. Whose moral code will you choose? Do you accept responsibility for your actions? Your parents are not on-site with you to tell you how to live or how to act; what will you use as your moral compass or guide? What are your grounding principles for life? Facing these questions on your own can provide you with a great growing experience. Even though doing your college degree through online coursework may be more cost-effective, it may also deprive you of many valuable experiences and learning opportunities. The full college experience goes far beyond academic learning to encompass broadened awareness of the world around you and personal growth and development.
During one of my big data analytics class a few weeks back (before lockdown started, when we were having regular classes), I asked a question to a class packed with about 80 students. None of the students were able to give a proper answer till an unexpected one replied. I could immediately comprehend that the student had used google to find out the right answer. At that instance, I was testing perhaps the ability to remember facts among my students. BE OMNIPRESENT Today, when I recall the incident while conducting online classes and tutorials, what I feel is that classroom might not be an essential place for learning anymore. Some of us may think that, nothing’s going to change in these few months of lockdown and we are going to get back to our conventional teaching methodology but the students are getting into a habit of learning from us online, surfing content and clearing doubt online. While a teacher is delivering lecture, she/he cannot be sure that the student will be glued to their laptop/mobile phone/tab/PC screen dedicatedly to listen to them. Rather she/he may be busy surfing the internet to find some stuff of their interest or may be judging the lecture by finding out content on the same topic online. Thus, the way we deliver a lecture, controlling the class, establishing our authority over the students, may cease to exist. This in turn will result into a situation wherein our intellect and innovation in delivering a lecture online will decide whether a student wants to attend to our lecture or not. The more views our lectures get in youtube would decide who is the “Jeetu Bhaiya” (the famous physics teacher of web series “Kota Factor”) and who is “Batla Sir” (the infamous chemistry teacher in the same web series). Digital prowess or shall I say online prowess will be a necessary skillset to be present in a teacher’s sleeve of skills. While online learning was already there affecting adversely the conventional classroom contact teaching, the growth rate was not considerable enough. But coronavirus effect has changed the scenario completely for online mode of learning to a great extent. LET THE TECH TALK Landing of technology start-ups and legends in the education space has brought out a new terminology, Edtech. Simultaneously, our responsibility as a teacher has also increased to a great extent in becoming savvy with these newer technology products. It is important to remember that technology is a tool, not a subject and thus the way we handle them/learn them is different than the way we traditionally learn a subject. Many of us fail to understand this aspect of technology. The biggest weapon in our sleeves is the intent behind trying new things. A teacher of the future will be like a CEO of a start-up tech firm who is willing to try and learn new technology and once the prowess is established she/he will be able to implement the same in creating a better learning environment for the students of future. THE “JASON BOURNE” SYNDROME Jason Bourne is a famous espionage series originally written by Robert Ludlum and later conceived as a very successful movie series. In almost each of these movies, we see the protagonist speaking multiple languages and acquainted with various culture making himself comfortably mix among the aliens. Likewise, a future teacher while teaching marketing, might use a media and journalism tool to create a better use case. Multidisciplinary approach towards the subject matter will be the new mantra – “jack of all trades and the master of all trades also”. SAY NO TO 9-5 All the above factors prepare us to face one final stand-off. Am I bound by time or am I ready to pounce on to the forthcoming opportunity? The teacher of tomorrow needs to be free from the traditional work hour model. Teaching will no longer be confined within the boundaries set by time, rather a 24X7 approach will work here. A typical day in the life of a teacher for tomorrow will have a classroom lecture delivery, a peer review meeting, an online lecture, a web meeting with stakeholders, research work, consultancy work and many more. SECOND ANGLE: THE STUDENT’S ANGLE As a student myself, I feel that my best friend is not an individual in my class or in my home town anymore. My socializing is happening on my Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) only, i.e., my mobile phone. Information is available to us from all available sources, just like what we studied as the characteristics of a perfectly competitive market in economics. So, there are lot of service providers (Higher Education Institutions or HEIs) and lot of service takers (students) available with almost no barrier to entry and exit. I AM THE KING A student of the future (very near future) will behave like a typical customer demanding education as per their convenience and requirements. They will expect customization and personalization of education as a product based upon their field of interest and dream. Traditionally, we have seen a set pattern of programs being run in various HEIs and the students subscribing to them year on year, but the future set of programs will be more of an a la carte combination of courses chosen and decided by the student. A student will be the only qualitative assessor of these programs because they will have a feeling that – “the customer is the king”. We can also say that the legal maxim of caveat emptor will be applicable for them as well. SUPPLY WHAT IS DEMANDED When I completed my mechanical engineering, many of my classmates from the same branch and many other branches of engineering joined a reputed Indian IT company (name withheld). Later on. I came to know that, all of them were converted (the correct word would be reskilled) to work as IT professionals within a span of three months of them joining that company. Whatever my friends had learnt over last 4
Introduction Education has been perceived as the most precious wealth for mankind, and we the human beings always feel pride in claiming that we are educated. Being in a country which has the legacy of having imparted the best of education from the ages of gurukula to the modern day education there has been a humungous growth and transformation in the field of education. Technology has been changing and there have been a lot of advances and the demands are also increasing. There may be people who say education is not all, it is not really necessary to be a graduate to grow greater heights in a career, this would also mean we are redefining the word education. Gone are the days when the educational qualification one possessed was directly linked to the career he or she possessed. Today being educated is a mark of defining oneself. When we start contemplating on the point if education would continue to exist as it has been? Would there still be the conventional education as before? Would the old classical universities with a legacy of hundreds of years still continue to create a spark? Would the teachers still have the same demand and can command the same respect and love from students? Would it still be a pride to be called a teacher? How would the generation of the future perceive education? The answer to all of these is – YES, education will still continue to rule, it will never disappear, but the only difference is we are at phase of a great transformation, a great change and which is truly very welcoming. One of the most important emphasis of this change is that every step towards imparting education is learner centric and the learner (student) is the prime factor. Everything else -the teacher, the university, curriculum all of it would revolve around the needs and likes of the student. Education in the future would give more independence to a student and make them more responsible in choosing what exactly they want. Education in Future Learner centric is the word. Student is the boss. Education in future is going to be personalized, customised, and on demand. It is about giving students more opportunities. Education is going to be more available and giving students the option to learn at different times, there are more options of personalized learning. Education is going to be more of project based, problem solving and would start involving a lot of field work. This is a realization to the fact that students who move out of an educational institution seldom are abreast with the nuances of the outside world. Education of the future is aimed at giving the right exposure to a student and aims at making them industry ready. The option to study anytime anywhere is going to be a boon. Students are not going to be bounded in the classrooms. Students would have the choice of framing their own curriculum. It is going to be all about “Education is my choice at my pace at my time”. The Role of a Teacher The role of a teacher in future is going to be more demanding and challenging. With the advances in technological tools it is already a challenging situation for teachers today who have to prove to be exceptionally good to be addressing a class. The common question from the student what is the benefit of attending a classroom session has already put teachers in to a questioning mode. It is very true that a teacher who is not well informed and not technologically advanced will be easily replaced. Gone are the days when a teacher could stand in front of a class show their power by demanding respect students in future are looking for more. The future role of a teacher is much more bigger. A teacher of the future has a larger picture than the classroom teacher. A future teacher plays the role of a guide, facilitator, mentor. The students would not connect with a teacher just because he is delivering knowledge content. Students would connect for better advices, for helping with a direction. Mentoring is going to be the primary role of a teacher in the future. The Guru, the teacher, the Professor is getting transformed in to a Mentor, a facilitator. Classrooms of the Future It is going to be an age of technological advances and digital learning is going to create a strong bench mark. Access to online technology, concept of study whenever and where ever, availability and accessibility of resources, blending of online and classroom teaching. Flipped classrooms have been gaining popularity. Classrooms of the future are going to slowly find its place due to all the advantages. Distance learning has been there for years now, but the online educational tools have taken education to the next level. Massive Online Open Courses are MOOCs are gaining great popularity. Every other software company has started to promote their concept of digital learning. We already have robots replacing teachers in classrooms. Online learning platforms integrated with all Artificial Intelligence are going to be the classrooms of the future. Pedagogical tools The new advances in educational technology, mode of education and delivery demands the advent of new pedagogical tools. The classical methods of teaching would fade away. Teachers would resort to more of video or demo based sessions. Learning by doing and seeing would be most preferred. Simulations would take over. More of project based studies would be introduced to improve the thinking ability of students. It is going to be more of a project driven than a process driven education in future. Examinations in future The examinations will stop being the one step to determine the future of a student. The classical concept of one term end examination which is decisive will fade. Students will be assessed at every step. Every session, every class will assess their performance. The word examinations would be slowly replaced with assessments. So giving due credit for all