Author: Dr Prabhat Pankaj

Dr. Prabhat Pankaj is a postgraduate in Economics and a Ph.D. in applied economics. He is a teacher by choice and started his career 30 years ago in 1991 from Arunachal University. He has been teaching Economics at postgraduate and undergraduate levels for about 30 years, in Universities and B-Schools in India and abroad, including 7 years in Bhutan. Dr. Pankaj has also obtained his Executive Education in "Management and Leadership in Higher Education" at Harvard University, Boston, USA. Furthermore, He has written for the Times of India and other popular publications. Currently, he is serving as the Director of Jaipuria Institute of Management, Jaipur.

Stockholm Syndrome in ‘forced’ online learning during COVID-19 | The hate and love story of HEIs

COVID-19 pandemic forced teaching and learning to go online in a big way. Teachers and students both embarked upon a journey into several unchartered territories of online world. It all started with difficulties and subtle sense of negation. Then started the phase of explorations, experimentations and adaptation. Finally, as it got extended further, there started a third phase wherein both teachers and students admitted their love for online teaching and learning. This empirical story of exploration through the three phases of negation, adaptation and falling in love with the online teaching and learning reveals perfect demonstration of ‘Stockholm Syndrome’.

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Feedback opens the gateway of learning

Feedback is a magic wand which can open several gates of learning for students. However, the efficacy of feedback as a tool of learning would largely depend upon the manner in which feedback is given as well as the time when feedback is executed. As a faculty we must also learn the art and science of taking and giving feedback, of course both formal and informal.

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The 5 Cs Framework | Embedding environmental concerns in higher educational institutions

Respect for environment shall increase many fold if environmental education and concerns is imbedded into curriculum. Higher educational institutions can do much better by adopting 5 Cs framework which allows environmental consciousness to grow equally among faculty and students. It is through the ‘nudging of behavior and attitude’ that a true care for environment can be built and nurtured.

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4 Pillars of building Academic Culture | Passionate, Purposeful and Participative Campus

Passion and purpose are central to building an academic culture and they are also interchangeably depending upon each other. Without passion, no purpose can travel a long way, while without purpose, passion alone cannot produce desired results. If we continuously work on these 4 precepts, it is possible to build an academic culture which delivers, thrives and resonate with students and faculty in equal measures.

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Appreciative Inquiry | Building on our best of teaching experiences

Indeed, there are bad days in our teaching experience, but, we also have several wow-moments in our teaching. A day to reckon with and a day to remember forever, for many things we did in creating such a wonderful experience in the classroom. Appreciative inquiry allows focusing on positive and happy experiences towards building better teaching plans and of course our future as an effective teacher.

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There is no other way than to ‘Lead by Example’

The hallmark to lead our new generation of students in right direction is to strongly demonstrate what precisely we expect them to do. Students get energised and motivated to do more when they see teachers amply demonstrating qualities, in words and in action, which they really wanted students to develop. This is especially highly applicable when it comes to our ‘first generation learner’.

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Flip your class | Achieve greater student engagement and learning

Flipped class entails a highly productive pedagogy in ways more than one. It helps engaging students better, reduces the burden of time-crunch for faculty and facilitates better learning experiences. It becomes icing on the cake, if we really know how to bring innovations in flipped class methodology. Here is an account of few experiences in experimenting with innovative ways to flip a class.

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On being a Teacher

Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan’s life has a magical intertwining for
what it means being a teacher. The KRA (key result areas) centric approach to teaching will ensure ‘instrumental values’ for students. However, it is just one side of the deliverables. Learning experience of a student becomes a transformational journey, when the teacher choses to ‘go beyond the KRA’ and embrace duty and service as the credo. It is only through this approach and attitude that the ‘intrinsic value’ of education can be delivered. It is indeed a win-win situation, both for teachers and students.

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Learn to stay happy | Teach your students to be happy!

Leading universities have already taken to teaching happiness or positive psychology as part of curriculum. Happiness courses are seemingly oversubscribed and participants have acknowledged benefits in terms of distinct improvements in life-satisfaction. Such individuals are bound to spread the message and contribute positively and enthusiastically at workplace, family and society. Positive education agenda is the need of the hour and educational institutions must create a ‘center for happiness learning & practice’ to drive this agenda for faculty and students. This write up explores the contours of happiness teaching in educational institutions based on authors own experience of teaching, researching and practicing happiness.

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