Programmes / Activities

Orientation Programs

These 4 – weeklong programs are intended for new entrants to teaching in colleges and universities. The objectives of an Orientation Program are to inculcate in young teachers an understanding and love for the profession of teaching. To this end, the UGC has suggested a broad framework of 4 components as the basis for the design of Orientation Programs. These components are:

1. Awareness of Linkages between Environment, Development and Education;
2. Philosophy of Education, Indian Educational System and Pedagogy;
3. Resource Awareness and Knowledge Generation; and
4. Personality Development and Management.

The Orientation Programs conducted by the ASC, Gauhati University; seek to create awareness among teacher participants regarding the duties and responsibilities of teachers toward the stakeholders in higher education and society at large. These also endeavour to provide the teacher participants with the perspective and skills considered essential to becoming a good teacher.

The UGC – ASC, Gauhati University has, till the end of the 2006 – 2007 academic session, conducted 70 Orientation Programs. Four Orientation Programs have been planned for the current academic session.

There will be an assessment of 100 marks consisting of the following component : (i) Practice Teaching : written material 10 Marks, presentation 15 Marks, (ii) On Course Assignment 15 Marks, (iii) Test on Course Contents 25 Marks, (iv) General Awareness 20 Marks and (v) Hands – on Test for Computer Learning 15 Marks. On the basis of your performance, grades will be awarded as A (75% or above), B (60 to < 75%), C (50 to < 60%), and F (< 50%, not qualified)

Refresher Courses

These courses are of 3 – week duration and have a specific subject orientation. A Refresher Course is designed to provide teachers with knowledge on the latest developments in a particular subject, including new pedagogical approaches. These courses are expected to enable teachers to expose their students to the frontiers of development in their subject and also to undertake ambitious restructuring of curriculum. Each course also has a compulsory component of topics like human rights, gender issues, environmental education and information technology, which, because of the depth of perspective they provide, are relevant across the boundaries of disciplines. Recently the UGC has encouraged Academic Staff Colleges to organize Multidisciplinary Refresher Courses and this Academic Staff College has conducted such Refresher Courses in Environmental Education, Computer Education, Value Education and Comparative Literature.

The ASC, Gauhati University has, till the end of the academic session 2006 – 2007, conducted a total of 180 Refresher Courses covering 27 disciplines. For the 2007 – 2008 academic session, the UGC has approved a total of 12 Refresher Courses for this ASC.

A very important feature of both Orientation Programs and Refresher Courses in the UGC – ASC, Gauhati University; is the emphasis on computer literacy. Teacher participants are taught word processing skills, use of spreadsheets and the preparation and use of multimedia learning resources. In addition to these, refresher courses also include an exposure to subject related computer applications.

There will be an assessment of 100 marks consisting of the following component : (i) Seminar Write-up 10 Marks, presentation 15 Marks, (ii) On Course Assignment (5 X 3) 15 Marks, (iii) Test on Course Contents 25 Marks, (iv) General Awareness 20 Marks and (v) Hands – on Test for Computer Learning 15 Marks. On the basis of your performance, grades will be awarded as A (75% or above), B (60 to < 75%), C (50 to < 60%), and F (< 50%, not qualified).

Workshops

Workshops are of short duration (3 – 5 days), and are targeted at college principals, academic administrators and senior faculty in institutions of higher education. They are usually planned to address issues, which are identified as challenges in the continuously evolving arena of Higher Education. The Academic Staff College, Gauhati University has in recent years, organized Workshops in Assessment and Accreditation of Affiliated Colleges, Counseling, Guidance and Mental Health of College Students and Higher Education in the 21st Century: Strategies for Survival. A workshop on Financial Management was held for the session 2007 – 2008.