SNDTWU fights Covid-19 with Constructive Academics
Southeast Asia and India’s first Women’s University, Shreemati Nathibai Damodar Thackersey Women's University has accepted the challenge to fight back the challenging circumstances arisen out of Covid 19.
Since 25th March students' teaching-learning processes at Mumbai, Juhu and Pune campus have been shifted to online environments. Diverse modes of communications have been taken up by the teachers as per the information close to 80 teachers have so far taken up sessions with their students and started providing learning resources to their students. Open source Learning Management Systems like Moodle is being used by 20 teachers for discussion forum activities, assignment submission and online quizzes. Apart from Moodle, more than 30 teachers are using Edmodo and/or Google Classrooms. Zoom is being used by more than 60 teachers, whereas others are using Skype, WizIQ, BigBluebutton as Virtual Clasrooms, Duo and Google Hangout for synchronous sessions. WhatsApp and EMails are extensively used for interaction and advising, solving queries, research guidance and giving feedback for research dissertations by almost all post-graduate teachers and Ph.D. guides. Screencast videos and podcast are being developed by some teachers during this lock-down period. Other tools like Google forms, Socrative quizzes, Buble.us, ezTalk, Kutuki, Open Matlab, Online Octave and LTspice simulation tools are being used by Technology teachers. Many teachers are exploring varied tools on their own for their self-growth and student outreach. The Teaching-Learning Centre of Department of Educational Technology under PMMMNMTT conducted two online workshops by March 2020 training 160 participants in innovative online pedagogies and during the year trained 355 teachers from 15 States about one fifth have reported back that they are using ICT extensively during this critical period. Faculty Development Programme on Action Research was organized for four days by Department of Education Technology and PG Department of Education during 4 to 8 April which was attended by 70 teachers and Library administrative staff.
Department of Extension Education undertook research on “Information Seeking Behaviour and Corona Lockdown during March 25 to April 5 which was administered online and 516 responses received in a week’s time. Preliminary findings were shared immediately. The data processing is in progress.
University administration is holding online meetings. College principals have reported to be conducting virtual meetings with their staff members. Students are being supported for personal as well as academic queries. University Department of Psychology is in a process of establishing helpline for mental health counseling. NSS and Students Development Departments are into Digital outreach for Covid19 awareness and action. As a Public institution of repute, each and every members of the University is helping the society to the best of their knowledge with knowledge.
April 10, 2020