An international conference on ‘Innovating Pedagogy 2019: Language, Literature and Vocational Education’ conducted by Institute for Entrepreneurship and Career Development (IECD), Bharathidasan University, here on Saturday explored views and research outcomes of academics and researchers to prepare learners at all levels to leverage modern tools and portals of learning for harmonious development.
About 150 delegates from across the country and Malaysian universities presented 120 articles on the conference topics of which a few pertained to cutting-edge practices on vocational education of students with special needs. The IECD and DDU-Kaushal Kendra of the university organised the event in collaboration with Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, and Universiti of SAINS in Malaysia.
The conference was organised in the context of the dire need of academia to improve human development index in knowledge and skill domains, E. Ramganesh, Organising Secretary, and Director of IECD, said, citing the World Bank’s 2019 World Development Report on the future of work, suggesting flexibility between general and vocational streams, particularly in higher education to enable workers to compete in changing labour markets where technology plays an increasingly important role
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Presiding over the inaugural session, University Registrar G. Gopinath said that in the emerging situation, it was necessary for students to develop the capabilities for unlearning and relearning. The teacher-centric pedagogy has to turn student-centric. The desired outcome can be derived by making the process of learning interesting alongside technology-integration, he said.
Mr. Gopinath released a book on ‘Innovating Pedagogy 2019’ containing the contributed articles on the occasion.
Inaugurating the conference, R. Ilango, Member, Syndicate, Bharathidasan University, emphasised on infusion of value-system into the process of education in an environment of cultural appreciation to equip students to face future challenges with self-confidence.
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In his key-note address, Sohami Abdul Aziz, Professor, Universiti SAINS, Malaysia, called upon teachers of language and literature to integrate media and technology to enhance the creativity and employability of students. The media’s use of language is central to the construction of what people think the language is, could or ought to be like, he said.
Earlier, Mr. Sohami and Mr. Ramganesh exchanged MoU documents for collaborative academic activities and research by the IECD and Universiti SAINS, Malaysia.