IIT-B to Extend its Teacher-Training Programme

In order to integrate technology in the training of teachers, IIT B is planning to set up a centre of excellence to coach teachers across the nation. This will be the first of its kind of centre in India, where there will be a combination of online and offline learning methodologies. Down the line, the institute plans to extend its existing teacher training programmes to cover hundred million teachers.

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Under the ‘Train 10,000 Teachers (T10KT)’ Programme, the institute has already trained around 1.5 lakh engineering college teachers. Now the institute aims to extend its training of teachers from colleges to vocational training institutes and even schools.

Methodologies of T10KT Project:

• It offers a four-week model where teachers are taught through pre-recorded videos
• Exposed to live-streamed lectures from the IIT-B
• Get knowledge of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)
• Workshops are conducted
• Teachers can access the training from their home
• Performance of the teachers is evaluated

Now the institute comes with the new proposal to build a ‘Centre of Excellence for Online and Blended Learning and Educational Outreach’. The proposal was presented in an alumni meet held recently to invite financial assistance.

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The estimated budget to establish the centre is around INR 100 crore. Interestingly the institute has sought financial assistance from its alumni association to set up the centre instead of MHRD. The proposed centre of the institute will have three wings like-

• Research wing to conduct research in the field of education technology
• Outreach wing to conduct massive teacher training programmes
• Innovation wing to implement the research findings through projects

Deepak Phatak, a professor in the computer science and engineering department of IIT-B said that they have been providing training to teachers of various engineering colleges since 2009. Now the institute feels to extend the training to teachers from schools and industrial training institutes (ITIs). There is an urgent need to improve the teaching methodologies of teachers and their skills, especially in remote locations.