DIMAPUR — Sazolie College, Kohima, in collaboration with the United Board, organised a one-day faculty development programme (FDP) on ‘Enhancing teaching, learning and research’ on October 3 at the college campus.
The event featured a team of four members from the United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia namely Dr. Pareena Gupta Lawrence, president of the United Board; Rev. Dr. Spurgeon, director for South Asia; Dr. Anita Tiphagne, assistant director for administration and partnership; and Dr. Samrat from Scottish Church College, Kolkata, an update from the college stated.
In her keynote address, Dr. Pareena Gupta Lawrence informed that the United Board, a non-profit organisation with its headquarters in New York, is committed to advancing Christian higher education in Asia. She stated that “these are both challenging and exciting times” for higher education with many changes coming.
She emphasised the technological advancements in higher education in the post-pandemic era, which have opened up many possibilities, making collaboration and participation in joint projects easier and more convenient.
However, she also noted that those advancements have posed challenges “as our curricula are not adapting quickly enough to the changing world.”
Dr. Lawrence went on to state that faculty member, who grew up without Artificial Intelligence (AI), have to integrate AI into classrooms as time reshapes the landscape of higher education. She reiterated the United Board's commitment to helping institutions navigate this process.
She further mentioned that the United Board is collaborating with 200 Asian colleges and universities across 25 countries.
Dr. Spurgeon talked about whole person education and covered the four aspects of human development: intellectual, moral, social and spiritual. He emphasised the importance of fostering thinking abilities by encouraging creativity, reflective and critical thinking and empathetic communication in students.
He further explained that intellectual capacity is connected to moral capacity, as it involves having the freedom to make the right choices.
“Morality, being unconditional, requires no external authority to understand or follow. It also includes exercising freedom with responsibility and cultivating unconditioned behavior in students,” he said.
Additionally, Dr. Spurgeon highlighted the need to develop social skills and to help students find meaning and purpose in life through activities that could boost their participation.
“Dr. Anita’s area of concern involves rethinking and reframing our roles as facilitators, providing opportunities for learning by shifting our focus and adapting teaching methods to make learning more effective, relevant, and practical,” the update informed.
Dr. Gopal Chetri, principal of Sazolie College, in his welcome address, expressed hope that the United Board's intervention would positively impact the quality of education in the region in the days to come.
He also highlighted the need for innovation by incorporating new ideas, concepts, and proposals and emphasised the importance of combining human intelligence with moral, ethical and spiritual values in order to meet the rising challenges and bridge existing gaps.
The FDP witnessed participation from ten colleges.