Educational Institutions In India Research Articles

Quality Practices and Accreditation in Higher Education Institutions: A Roadmap for Excellence in Engineering Education

In the current scenario of educational system, there is an increasing demand for higher education in India. Particularly, there is exponential growth and competition visible among Engineering Institutions in coming days. To stand out, it is very important for undergraduate educational institutions to maintain high-quality standards. Accreditations like NAAC and NBA has emerged as potential tool for assuring the quality of educational institutions in India. Stakeholders started believing in these scores to judge the performance of the Institutions. Hence, it is mandatory for Higher Educational Institutions to maintain the high-quality standards will not only help in getting accreditation but also helps in the growth of the Institution. This paper presents the quality practices to be followed by the educational institutions to achieve maximum accreditation scores. A new mantra which has 10 key points are proposed in this paper which will help the higher educational institutions to follow it as a road map for achieving excellence in Engineering Education. Keywords— Quality practices; Accreditations; Engineering Education; Quality standards; Higher Education.

Reimagining English Language Teaching: Towards Developing a Heutagogical Framework

Education in its essential meaning should beget a civilized and socio-emotionally intelligent, competent mindset in its stakeholders. However, this seems an ideal situation which is impractical owing to several conditions and constraints that impede the implementation of holistic education. Pedagogical practices initially relied on rote learning and thereafter several reforms in educational policies asserted the importance of nurturing global competency among the learners. However, this shift from rote learning to a more self-directed learning is a challenging transformation which is idealized to a great extent. In this article, we argue that a sudden shift may not be possible, and to realize learner autonomy and their self-directedness, there should be a gradual but steady progress from pedagogy to andragogy and then to heutagogy. Self-directedness and learner-centredness are the crucial aspects of heutagogy. Taking examples from a case study that we conducted with teachers of English from select higher education institutions in India, we analysed the various tenets of heutagogy and its practicality in the Indian context. We investigated how teachers are incorporating aspects of heutagogy in their English classrooms and what major challenges are encountered. Their individual classroom episodes may serve as an initial reservoir of ideas to orient further research in the field. The possibility of embedding the PAH continuum in classrooms is analysed through the lens of socio-constructivist theory. The insights from this study will be valuable for teachers and students who wish to gain a deeper insight into the heutagogical learning paradigm and its integration into language teaching in the classroom.

Using an Enterprise Social Network to build faculty engagement in Higher Education: An Experiment at Jammu, India

Abstract— Indian Higher Education is rapidly transforming with a national mission to improve quality and attain enhanced outcomes. Faculty is the bedrock of all institutional transformation initiatives. Faculty development has thus received significant attention from policy makers with several national initiatives in the offing. However, faculty support, engagement and true empowerment has not received the desired attention in a large majority of the institutions in the Indian Higher Education space. Apart from institutional commitment to building faculty engagement, an entire supporting ecosystem is required to create a culture of sustained performance leading to measurable outcomes. During the Covid-19 pandemic, online platforms for facilitating employee engagement gained traction across several industry verticals, a trend which has continued in the postpandemic world. We present a case study on implementing an Enterprise Social Network (ESN) at an educational institution in India for building faculty engagement. Initial results establish the effectiveness of Enterprise Social Networks for facilitating information flow, communication, sharing success stories and recognition, besides effectively chronicling events, activities, and achievements. We recommend adoption of such platforms, subject to some caveats. Keywords— Faculty Engagement; Higher Education; Social Networks.a

Navigating perspectives of students and faculty: Language of instruction in Indian medical education

Background: The introduction of medical education in a regional language in Maharashtra, India, has ignited a wide-ranging discussion within the medical community. It is important to obtain the perspectives of Indian medical students and faculty about the same as it can create a direct impact on their career. This article delves into the various perspectives of students and faculty regarding this initiative. It explores the historical backdrop of medical education in India and the evolving role of language, especially English, within the field. Aims and Objectives: The objective is to obtain the perspectives of students and faculty of medical educational institutes in India and to compare their opinion after grouping them based on their seniority, workplace (native state or migrated), and language of instruction during their schooling. Materials and Methods: The study is a multi-centric observational cross-sectional research conducted by two medical colleges in India (Government Medical College, Surat and RUHS College of Medical Sciences, Jaipur). It encompasses a nationwide online survey carried out by sharing a pre-designed questionnaire as a Google Form link from June to August 2023, following approval from the institutional ethical committees of both medical colleges. The responses were analyzed to compare the perspectives of different groups of participants regarding the need for the English language as well as regional languages for various requirements in the medical field, using Epi-info software version 7.2.5.0. Results: The results reveal that the majority of participants, including undergraduate students, postgraduate students, and faculty prefer English as the medium for medical education. However, the preference for regional languages is relatively higher among pre-clinical students and those with regional language schooling. The study also highlights that most participants believe English is essential for collaboration with the global medical community, higher studies, job opportunities, and competitive exams, whereas regional languages may facilitate a better understanding of concepts and doctor–patient communication. Conclusion: While the majority favors English as the medium for medical education, the introduction of regional languages may have its own merits. The decision to choose the medium of instruction for medical education should consider a balance between the linguistic diversity of India and the need for a globally recognized standard medical education system.

Students' Satisfaction from Online Learning: Structural Equation Modeling Analysis Based on Students' Perception in Higher Educational Institutions in India

Students' Satisfaction from Online Learning: Structural Equation Modeling Analysis Based on Students' Perception in Higher Educational Institutions in India

Tobacco Free Educational Institutions in India: TOWS Analysis

ABSTRACT Younger age has a greater likelihood of neurological vulnerability to nicotine initiation and addiction. Tobacco-Free Educational Institutions (ToFEI), guidelines are essential to promote a healthy learning environment for educational institutes. Better compliance with ToFEI guidelines leads to better implementation and enforcement for creating more positive and safe learning environment for student and staff. The need arises on identifying the potential areas of realistic engagement and action on tobacco use prevention among children using TWOS analysis of ToFEI guidelines in educational institutes. Moderate compliance has been achieved as far as ToFEI. TOWS analysis further enhances compliance in ToFEI by overcoming external factors (opportunity and threat) through its inherent internal factors (weakness and strength). Thus, clarity in strength and weakness of ToFEI guidelines will reduce vulnerability and susceptibility to threats by enhancing opportunities in ToFEI.

Intention to Use Social Media in Online and Blended Learning: Potential Predictors and Mediation of Collectivism

The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically impacted traditional classroom education and all the associated multi-stakeholders (Universities, teachers, and students). With education embracing online media, there is a need to develop sustainable models of education. Social media is a tool that can be effectively used to create sustainable development in higher education. In this context, this study emphasizes on the development of an empirical model for intention to use social media in online/blended learning in a multi-stakeholder (Universities, teachers, and students) context. A total of 330 samples were collected through an online survey from students/faculties of various public and private higher educational institutions in India. The data from the survey was analyzed employing Explorative Factor Analysis (EFA) using R-Studio and, Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Path Analysis (AP) using Structure Equation Modelling (SEM) on the AMOS 20.0 software platform. Results demonstrate a significant impact of perceived privacy, perceived security, ICT facility, and trust, on the intention to use social media in educational institutions following online/blended learning methods. The mediation of collectivism is also confirmed in this study. Hence, our findings will add value to the existing literature on online/blended learning and the sustainable development of education. By implementing more stringent security and privacy policies, good Internet connectivity, better technology infrastructure, and excellent and smart features in mobile, tablets, and laptops social media and collective effort of students, instructors, and external student communities may generate trust in the stakeholders, motivating them to use social media as a tool in higher education.

Appraising a structured peer mentorship program among physical therapy graduates

Abstract: PURPOSE: Mentorship is an integral part of student training in higher education. The most commonly adopted design in Indian Educational Institutes is traditional mentorship; teacher–student mentorship. Larger mentor–mentee ratios are one of the difficulties in this ongoing design, thus we investigate the effect of a concept called peer mentoring where students are assigned specific older peers as mentors. METHODS: The study commenced after receiving ethical approval from the Institutional Ethics Review Committee. Written informed consent and demographic details were obtained from all the participants. One hundred and twenty students were recruited to participate in the study through a systematic random sampling method. Further on they were divided into two groups: teacher–student mentorship and peer mentorship, respectively. All participants were pretested using “Westside Test Anxiety,” “Rosenberg Self-Esteem,” and “Self-Perception of Test Taking Scale.” One session was conducted every week for 12 weeks. The postassessment was performed using the same preevaluation measures. RESULTS: Findings of the present study demonstrate that by the end of 12 weeks’ both groups demonstrated reduction in anxiety, improved self-esteem and confidence, and test-taking skills. However, students undergoing peer mentorship demonstrated a greater reduction in their anxiety levels (P < 0.05), better self-esteem levels (P < 0.05), improved confidence levels and test-taking skills (P > 0.05) as compared to traditional mentorship. CONCLUSION: Peer mentorship program was beneficial in reducing anxiety levels and improving self-esteem, confidence, and perception of test-taking skills. As a result, peer mentoring must be implemented as an adjunct to traditional mentorship programs in higher education.

The Tech Tale Of Progression - Need For Academic Collaborations And Tie-Ups

The pace of internationalization is rapidly rising thanks to unfettered communication channels and affordable travel. To take advantage of the potential this presents, institutions all around the world are establishing international partnerships and developing relationships with other universities. International collaboration in higher education fosters knowledge growth, open transfer of ideas, and enduring connections between institutions of higher learning. Collaborations between international and Indian educational institutions have definite advantages. Two major shortcomings in India's current educational system have to be corrected for the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020 to succeed. The first is flexibility in terms of subject options, course length, organization, and other factors. The second involves integrating top-tier foreign institutions and resources into Indian society. In this context, the researcher wants to discover what edupreneurs think about these partnerships and collaborations and wants to promote them throughout all of their universities. Therefore, the researcher takes 245 sample edupreneures from four sides of India which states contain the highest private universities as of 25-01-2023 i.e., Gujarat (West side), Rajasthan (North side), Karnataka (South side), Jharkhand (East side). He gathers their perspectives on the necessity of academic partnerships (both national and international) and tie-ups for Indian higher education using a questionnaire and analyses their opinions through factor analysis, multiple linear regression analysis, and ANOVA.

The Role of Higher Education Institutes in Achieving the Gole of Developing

India, a nation known for its rich cultural heritage and diverse demographics, has set forth ambitious goals for its development trajectory. In this pursuit, higher education institutes emerge as pivotal agents, shaping the intellectual, social, and economic landscape of the country. This paper explores the multifaceted role of higher education institutes in India’s development agenda. Through a comprehensive review of literature, policy analysis, and case studies, it elucidates the challenges, opportunities, and strategies for leveraging higher education to propel India towards sustainable development. The findings underscore the imperative for collaborative efforts among stakeholders to foster innovation, inclusivity, and excellence in higher education, thereby catalyzing India’s journey toward prosperity and global leadership. As India strives towards the ambitious vision of Viksit Bharat (“Developed India”) by 2047, higher education institutions (HEIs) stand at a crucial juncture, poised to play a transformative role in this national endeavor. HEIs serve as talent factories, equipping individuals with industry-relevant skills and fostering innovation through research and entrepreneurship. This drives economic growth, technological advancement, and job creation, particularly in knowledge-based sectors. HEIs act as pillars of social empowerment by promoting inclusivity, critical thinking, and lifelong learning. They contribute to closing the gender gap, improving healthcare access, and upholding human rights, leading to a more equitable and just society. HEIs nurture responsible citizens who actively participate in democratic processes. They foster critical analysis, encourage informed choices, and promote transparency, strengthening democratic institutions and governance.

Culture of Educational Institutions on Psychological Empowerment of Women Employees in Higher Education Institutions

Women’s empowerment is a worldwide issue addressed by the government in every country. It has been the main agenda point discussed in all government plans. In India, we aim to achieve women’s empowerment and gender equity, one of the sustainable development goals to be achieved by 2030. Women’s empowerment is achieved by creating a conducive social environment that facilitates individual or collective decisionmaking for social transformation. This can be achieved by looking at women’s empowerment from a psychological perspective. This study aims to find the impact of institutional culture on the psychological empowerment of women faculty in higher education institutions. It also aims to find suitable institutional culture types to enhance women’s psychological empowerment in institutions. This study was developed based on selfdetermination theory proposed by Edward Deci and Richard Ryan in 1985. Descriptive research was conducted, and quantitative analysis was carried out with IBM SPSS and AMOS version 23. A sample of 385 women faculty working in higher education institutions in India was contacted to collect primary data. Structural equation modeling was used to test the proposed model, and it was found to be acceptable. Statistical analysis of the data reveals that there exists a strong positive relationship between dimensions of institutional culture and psychological empowerment.

Ink to Pixel: Wattpad as a Pedagogical Tool for English Literature in India

Digital Humanities is a burgeoning field where traditional ink converges into digital pixels. Descending from the field of computing humanities data, the scholarly activity continues to produce innovative projects. As far as digital pedagogy is considered, the 2012 edition of Debates in the Digital Humanities shed light on the state of pedagogy as a neglected stepchild of Digital Humanities. But with technological innovations, various digital pedagogical tools have emerged in the past decades. Post Covid-19 lot of digital pedagogical tools have been recognized by educators as part of teaching methodologies. In India, teaching methodologies have evolved to a significant degree from traditional teaching to digital classrooms. Lot of innovative methodologies are employed by the faculties to enhance students’ learning and performance. English Literature is one of the most sought out humanities programs offered in Indian Education Institutions. When it comes to Literature teaching, professors employ various teaching methodologies including e- teaching, where digital tools are being employed. The paper aims to establish Wattpad, a digital platform for writing and reading stories, as a pedagogical tool for English Literature in India. This digital storytelling platform provides a space for the students’ literary expression where they can read and write literary pieces and get real time feedback from users which boosts interactivity. By using this digital pedagogical tool English Literature students are encouraged to apply their literary skills by employing what they have learnt during their course to produce literary works.

Gender and experience as moderators between talent management and turnover intention among faculty members in higher educational institutions in India

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the relationship between talent management, organizational commitment and turnover intention. The moderating role of gender and experience in relationships was explored.Design/methodology/approachA conceptual model was developed, and relationships were studied by collecting data from 392 faculty members working in higher educational institutions (HEIs) in southern India. After checking the instrument’s psychometric properties using the LISREL package of structural equation modeling, data were analyzed using Hayes’s PROCESS macros.FindingsThe results revealed that talent recruitment strategies positively predict organizational commitment and negatively predict turnover intention; organizational commitment mediates the relationship between talent management and turnover intention. Further, the results documented that experience (first moderator) and gender of faculty members (second moderator) influenced the relationship between talent management and organizational commitment and organizational commitment and turnover intention.Practical implicationsThe outcomes of this research are helpful for the administrators of HEIs to strategize to attract and retain talented faculty to maintain sustained competitive advantage. This research also helps to understand gender differences that exist in talent management and retention and organizational commitment in HEIs.Originality/valueThe three-way interactions between talent management, gender and experience in influencing organizational commitment and turnover intentions is a novel idea that contributes to the talent management literature – the relationship between talent recruitment strategies and talent engagement. The implications for talent management theory and practice are discussed.

AI FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: ASSESSING STUDENT INTEREST, EDUCATION, AND CAREER PATHWAYS

Artificial Intelligence is one of the most used and efficient technologies in the world right now. When harnessed effectively, AI has the potential to address global challenges, aligning with the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals. In this study, I am exploring the career opportunities for AI engineers in India, encompassing opportunities within both corporate entities and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) committed to advancing sustainable development. It further analyzes the specific skills required to join as an AI Engineer in these organizations. As a part of this study, I also conducted a survey among engineering students to know their interest and understanding of AI in the context of sustainability. In addition, the study investigates the curricular offerings of AI programs in Indian educational institutions, assessing the extent to which they prepare students for the demands of the industry, with a particular focus on the inclusion of sustainability-related content. KEYWORDS: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Self-Selected Versus Assigned Target to Reduce Smartphone Use and Improve Mental Health: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Smartphones have become integral to people's lives, with a noticeable increase in the average screen time, both on a global scale and, notably, in India. Existing research links mobile consumption to sleep problems, poor physical and mental health, and lower subjective well-being. The comparative effectiveness of monetary incentives given for self-selected versus assigned targets on reducing screen time and thereby improving mental health remains unanswered. This study aims to assess the impact of monetary incentives and target selection on mobile screen time reduction and mental health. We designed a 3-armed randomized controlled trial conducted with employees and students at an educational institution in India. The study is conducted digitally over 12 weeks, including baseline (2 weeks), randomization (1 week), intervention (5 weeks), and postintervention (4 week) periods. We emailed the employees and students to inquire about their interest in participation. Those who expressed interest received detailed study information and consent forms. After securing consent, participants were asked to complete the initial survey and provide their mobile screen time during the baseline period. At the beginning of the intervention period, the participants were randomly allocated into 1 of 3 study groups in a 2:2:1 ratio (self-selected vs assigned vs control). Participants in the self-selected group were presented with 3 target options: 10%, 20%, and 30%, and they were asked to self-select a target to reduce their mobile screen time from their baseline average mobile screen time. Participants in the assigned group were given a target to reduce their mobile screen time from their baseline average mobile screen time. The assigned target was set as the average of the targets selected by participants in the self-selected group. During the intervention period, participants in the self-selected and assigned group were eligible to receive a monetary incentive of INR (Indian Rupee) 50 (US $0.61) per day for successfully attaining their target. Participants in the control group neither received nor selected a target for reducing their mobile screen time and did not receive any monetary incentives during the intervention period. All participants received information regarding the advantages of reducing mobile screen time. As an incentive, all participants would receive INR 500 (US $6.06) upon completion of the study and a chance to win 1 of 2 lotteries valued at INR 5000 (US $60.55) for consistently sharing their mobile screen time data. Currently, the study intervention is being rolled out. Enrollment occurred between August 21, 2023, and September 2, 2023; data collection concluded in November 2023. We expect that results will be available by early 2024. The monetary incentives and self-selected versus assigned targets might be effective interventions in reducing mobile screen time among working professionals and students. AsPredicted 142497; https://aspredicted.org/hr3nn.pdf. DERR1-10.2196/53756.

Investigating job Burnout determinants influencing teaching employees in private educational institutions

Job Burnout among the teaching employees in private educational institutions has become a big issue in today’s scenario. Job stress, job satisfaction, hectic time schedule, work life balance, organization commitment factors are becoming more prevalent among employee’s decision to burnout the present job or the company. Educational institutions are not having focused strategies to retaining the employees as they are in the process of having turnover intention which lead to burnout. Investigating the relationships between job burnout, job stress, work engagement, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment among faculty members at private educational institutions in India is the main objective of this study. The present study conducted through primary data by preparing the suitable questionnaire and collected the responses from 171 teaching employees of different private educational institutions in India. This study analysed the data by different tools and techniques like average, mean, correlation and regression. The findings revealed a significant association between burnout and workplace stress, as well as between job satisfaction, work engagement, and job stress. Burnout and job satisfaction were found to be significantly associated. The results demonstrate the importance of these factors in connection to job commitment and burnout. The implication of the study focuses on management must devote a lot of efforts in assessing their physical and mental working conditions in order to give services with the highest level of quality in education institutes.

Cultivating a culture of inquiry: exploring the factors influencing the integration of research and teaching in higher education institutions

PurposeTo determine the factors influencing the perception of undergraduate students toward research–teaching nexus and also to examine its impact on the attitude of the students.Design/methodology/approachThe study used a quantitative design to examine the perceptions of students in higher education institutions in India. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to describe the data and test the hypothesis. The data was collected using a structured questionnaire for a sample of 188 students from higher education institutions (HEIs). Further, in line with the purpose of the study and to test the hypotheses, the study used descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis and multivariate regression analysis.FindingsThe study demonstrates that the factors influencing the perception of undergraduate students toward research teaching nexus were identified using principal component analysis (PCA) with varimax rotation, conducted on 27 measurement items. In addition, the results of the multivariate regression analysis indicated that research-based, research-tutored and research motivation dimensions, significantly impact the graduate students' perception of research–teaching nexus.Practical implicationsThe outcomes of this research may become valid input to HEI regulators, researchers and teachers while framing the policies and implementation of the same about the pertinent issues discussed in the paper. Further, it contributes to the existing theory that teaching–research quality and level of motivation are also the predominant factors influencing the teaching–research nexus among students. In addition, the outcome of this paper also supports HEIs to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) at large.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the ongoing debate and scarce literature on research–teaching nexus at the higher education level. The factors derived in this paper propose a framework for aligning teaching and research in academic programs to create high-quality human resource in the nation.

Part-Time Mothering: A Poetic Autoethnography of a Precariously Employed Academic’s Mothering Experiences

While studies have explored the experiences of motherhood among female academics, the experiences of motherhood among precariously employed academics have not received adequate attention. This autoethnographic inquiry uses poetry to embody my experiences of mothering, in the context of my emotional journey and my subjectivities as a precariously employed academic in a premier higher educational institution in India. From a critical feminist standpoint, the poem explores the experiences through known metaphors including the leaky pipeline of academia, work–life imbalance in the ivory tower, and the sense of being on the hamster wheel. This work is a critical inquiry voicing the everyday realities of precariously employed academics mothering their children. It delves into how the nature of their work status influences their inner turmoil, decisions, and actions vis-à-vis motherhood. It also attempts to demonstrate and raise consciousness about how the private (motherhood) and the public (work) interact.

A Transformation from Chalk and Talk to Online Education -A New Mantra for Learning

There have been significant changes in the education sector for the last two years. The Carona affected every sector of the world including education. The primary, middle, higher education academic activities have been badly affected due to this Carona. The administrators, teachers and the learners of the academic community are subjected to loss of time, unable to attend to regular classes, unable to conduct and take examinations and as a result all the students are promoted to higher education on the basis of some criteria. This has affected the learners unable to fetch seats in higher educational institutions in India and abroad. Proper assessments of students could not be made. The advent of online education, entry of different platforms for providing online education has resolved many of the issues of traditional chalk and talk education and paved the way for global learning opportunities. In this paper an attempt is made to present the key issues relating to online education and how the online education will assist the learners to improve their skills for better employment opportunities.

Plagiarism awareness efforts, students’ ethical judgment and behaviors: a longitudinal experiment study on ethical nuances of plagiarism in higher education

ABSTRACT Widespread academic dishonesty among higher education (HE) students has been a concern for higher education institutes (HEIs). Ethics literature reports that unintentional plagiarism is more prevalent among HE students and the root cause is, limited or no awareness of nuances of ethics concerning plagiarism resulting in poor ethical judgments. This study attempts to examine what is students’ ethical reasoning for unintentional plagiarism and how HEIs’ ethical awareness efforts impact students’ ethical judgments which ultimately shape their ethical behavior. The study also explored whether and how individual-level factors such as intrinsic religiosity, age, gender, and work experience moderate the focal relationships. A longitudinal quasi-experimental field study was conducted. The subjects of the study were 294 postgraduate students of an internationally accredited higher education institution in India. The pretest–posttest design involved a set of experimental manipulations reflecting the HEI's endeavors to explicate the unethical implications of plagiarism.