Visiting Professorship at the
Julius Maximilians University of Würzburg, Germany,
2013-14 and 2016
Embedded Files
Prof. Shah with Prof. Regina Egetenmeyer and some students from the Julius Maximilians University of Würzburg, Germany
Prof. Shah addressing Students and Coalleagues during the Visit
Teaching Experience
I had the privilege of being invited twice as a DAAD Visiting Professor to teach the master student of Julius-MaximiliansUniversity, Wurzburg- one of the oldest and well-reputed universities in Germany. The visit materialised mainly due tothe initiative taken by Professor Regina Egetenmeyer, who is deeply interested in promoting internationalization. Withthe support of DAAD and the India Centre at Wurzburg, she has been quite successful in promoting cooperation be-tween India and Germany.
Seminars and excursions
During my visit in November 2016, I designed and taught the following course: International Networks andOrganizations in Adult and Lifelong Learning
During my earlier visit of three month duration, I designed and taught the follow- ing three courses.
A: International Perspectives on Adult and Lifelong Learning; B: Global Perspectives on Innovations in AdultEducation;
C: Asian Perspectives on Participatory Lifelong Learning and Information and Communication Technologies.
I noticed that universities in Germany prefer to use the term seminar in place of course.
From the beginning, I could feel that the entire teaching-learning process is planned in a professional manner at the J.M. University. Unlike India, where some broad topics and a reading list is given for different courses, in Germany the learning outcome for each seminar is spelt out so that the students could know in advance how they would bebenefitted from the seminar. The schedule of lecture is prepared in advance specifying the topic of different lectures,date, time and class room where the lecture would be held. All these details and ma- terials related to the seminar are uploaded on the university website three months in advance so that the students could decide about the choice ofsemi- nar depending on their interest and convenience. A brief CV and the photo of the teacher are also given so thatthe students get to know the academic back- ground of the teacher. Questions related to the course can be asked in theques- tion-forum on the university website
Each seminar comprises of 12-16 lectures of two hours each per week. Since I had offered three seminars during thethree months, the classes were held eve- ry alternate day. Sometimes, two lectures are held in continuity depending onthe convenience of students who are generally employed.
Instead of following the traditional method of lectures, I had negotiated the transaction of curriculum with the studentswith a view to seeking their opinion. All of them did not want long lectures which they considered to be monotonous. As per discussion, the following methodology was adopted to teach the topics. After I introduced the topic with the helpof power points for about 30-40 minutes, the students were given 15-20 minutes to read some basic reading ma- terialcomprising of not more than 10 pages already uploaded on the website so that they could get more clarity and I could besure that the students have read some basic text in the class. This was followed by a relevant video presentation wherean expert in the field would discuss some aspects connected with the top- ic. While the written matter introduced thestudents to the scholarly publication, the video familiarised the students with the experts in the field and gave them anopportunity to see and listen to them. This was followed by group discussion where 4-5 students formed a group and discussed various issues identified in the topics. This was done to enable the students practice peer group discussionand working in a group. Subsequently, group reports were presented and fol- lowed by open discussion in the class. Since all the students had laptops with them and class rooms had Wi-Fi and technologically well equipped, teachinglearning process was very smooth.
During the last ten minutes students were asked to write down the main points covered in the topic based onrecapitulation. After the class, the students could refer other reading materials available in the library and prepare detailed notes. As a teacher , I intervened whenever necessary and helped the students acquire relevant knowledge and in the process helped them develop different competencies of listening , reading, writing ,discussion, working ingroups, and presentation during the session.
The students appreciated this methodology and reported that it helped them derive maximum benefits within twohours of attending a session in an interest- ing and participatory manner. Examination was based on the submission of15- 20 pages essay on a topic selected in consultation with the teacher. The stu- dents are given detailed guidelines onwriting the essay and its evaluation. Each student is required to submit a certificate of self-declaration that the essay isself-written and not plagiarised.
The assignment is uploaded on the university website. I had introduced book review as an important assignment toenable the students develop the competency of critical reading and reflection and make sure that they are familiarwith at least two recent publications related to the seminar. I selected the two re- cent publications of the UNESCO –viz. Global Report on Adult Learning and Edu- cation and Rethinking Education which are ratedhighly by scholars in the field of lifelong learning. Although all the students submitted the reviews, I found the reviews written by two students worth publishing and accordingly forwarded them for publication in the Indian Journal of Adult Education. I have noticed that the students were regular in attending lectures and came well prepared. Since they were employed and self supporting, they were very serious and committed to studies. I never saw them in ahurry to leave the classroom.
I was quite happy to see the involvement of students in administrative work. The maintenance of attendance sheetand providing technical support to the teacher was entrusted to one of the student who is employed on part time basis by the university. One of the striking features of German university system is a very lean administration. In Germanythe Head of the Department is assisted by two or three students who worked on hourly basis attending to several administra- tive tasks. In some of the Departments of the university, there is only a part time Secretary to manage theoffice work unlike India where the Head of the Depart- ment is assisted by two or three full time staff members.
Prof. Shah at the UNESCO Institute of Lifelone Learning (UIL) with Prof. Arne Carlsen (Director, UIL) and some students from the Julius Maximilans University of Würzburg, Germany during a field trip
Field Visit to the UNESCO Institute of Adult and Lifelong Learning (UIL), Hamburg was an interesting aspect of the seminar on International Networks and Organisations on Adult and Lifelong Learning. Since the students had already learned about the role of the UIL, the field visit was aimed at providing them an oppor- tunity to observe its functioning and role in the promotion of lifelong learning and to meet the specialists working at UIL. Students spent a whole day at the Institute listening to presentations by the faculty members on various ongoingprogrammes and research projects. Students also got a chance to visit the UIL library and Documentation Centre and browse through recent publications. They were also briefed about the UIL scholarships, provision of internship and other research facilities. Subsequently, two students applied and received scholar- ship. The visit in fact helped the students establish personal contact with some of the staff members of the UIL. During the visit some of the studentscould also visit the Ethnology Museum located adjacent to the UIL.
Following are the details of the three seminars:
Seminar 1. International Networks and Organizations in Adult and Lifelong Learning: Aims, Main topics and Learningoutcomes.
The course aims at providing an overview of important international organizations and networks in the field of adult and lifelong learning in different countries focusing on their programmes, researches and publications. A brief discus-sion on theoretical perspectives covering different theories of globalization and the emergence of knowledge society willhelp the students analyze the function- ing of different global networks and develop a comparative perspective. Thecourse would also discuss selected innovative projects undertaken by these or- ganizations with a view to motivating the students to undertake comparative studies and learning from other countries and cultures. It is expected that thecourse would not only help the students to acquire a broader global perspective on the developments in the field ofadult and lifelong learning but also motivate some of them to undertake further studies related to these organizations. An im- portant part of this course will be a field visit to the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) in Hamburg witha view to familiarizing the students with actual functioning and programs of the Institute and providing them anopportunity to personally meet and discuss with specialist working on different country pro- jects and explore thepossibilities of internship at the UIL.
I have found that the students in Germany were regular in attending lectures
and came in time and well prepared. Since they were employed and self- supporting, they were very serious and committed to studies. They were never in a hurry to leave the classroom after the lecture
Main topics:
Theoretical Perspective on the Study of Global Organizations & Networks - discourse on cultural theories ofglobalization
Networks & Organizations having primary interest in Adult & Lifelong Learning
Adult Learning Documentation and Information Network ( ALADIN ) of the
UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning
The International Council for Adult Education (ICAE)
The ASEM Education and Research Hub for Lifelong Learning
European Society for Research in Education of Adults (ESREA)
World Literacy of Canada
Institute for international cooperation of the German Adult Education As- sociation. (IIZ/DVV)
European Association for the Education of Adults (EAEA)
The Asian South Pacific Association of Basic Education (ASPBAE)
Networks &Organizations having limited interest in Lifelong Learning
OECD
UNESCO
WORLD BANK
ACTION AID
Commonwealth Foundation
Commonwealth of Learning
Note: Each of the above networks/organizations will be discussed in terms of their objectives, programmes,researches, publications and role.
Field visit to the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, Hamburg.
Reflections on field visit.
Learning outcome:
It is expected that at the end of the course, the students will be able to:
acquire knowledge and understanding about the programmes of different
international organizations and networks
analyze selected activities of international networks in the light of globali- zation theories
identify areas of further study and research
explore the possibilities of future association with some of the institutions and develop a global perspective onadult and lifelong learning
Seminar 2. Global Perspectives on Innovations in Adult Education: Aims, Main topics and Learning outcomes.
This seminar aims at providing an analytical framework for the study of innova- tions in adult education. Promoting creativity and incentivizing innovations through our educational institutions is a first step towards broadening anddeepening the impact of innovations in our society and economy. Diffusion of Innovations offers valuable insights into the process of social change: What qualities make an innovation spread successfully? Why do certain innovationsspread more quickly than others? And why do others fail? The course will not on- ly help the students understand thediscourse on innovation and change but al- so develop an analytical insights into various dimensions with reference to se- lected case studies from the regions of Asia, Arabia ,Africa, Latin America , Eu- rope and North America.
Main Topics:
Innovation theory & diffusion of innovations.
Concept of Innovation & Empirical Models.
Discourse on innovations.
Role of technology in innovations.
Challenges of adoption of innovations.
Selected case studies of innovations in adult education from different regions of
Asia, Arabia, Africa, Latin America, Europe and North America.
Learning outcome:
After the course, the students are expected to:
have an understanding of innovation, selected innovative programmes of adult and lifelong learning in differentcountries;
develop comparative perspectives on adult education in Europe, Africa,
Arabia, Asia, Latin America and North America.
draw insights to evolve new strategies towards tackling the problem of il- literacy in Germany
Seminar 3. Asian Perspectives on Participatory Lifelong Learning and Infor- mation and Communication Technologies.
This course aims at providing an introduction to those students who are inter- ested in having a non-Europeanperspective on adult and lifelong learning poli- cies and programmes with a special focus on a developing country in Asia— India. As a prelude to discussing different themes, the course will cover brief discussion on theories of social change and development discourse. This may help students understand the dynamics of social transformation througheduca- tional interventions.
Main topics:
Theories of social change
Development discourse
Definitions, terminologies & basic concepts related to literacy, adult edu- cation, lifelong learning and information and communication technolo- gies.
Global context and challenge of literacy & impact of literacy on develop- ment
Society, literacy and development in Asia
A case Study of development of adult education in India-1:Historical Per- spective,
Case study of development of adult education in India-2. Policy and Plan- ning of Adult and Lifelong LearningProgrammes
Innovative programmes-literacy campaigns &Mahila Samakhya( Women’s Empowerment
Training of Adult Educators
Role of Information & Communication Technologies in adult education in India
Participatory research method
Review of two films on literacy campaigns followed by discussion
Learning outcome:
After the course the students are expected to:
have better understanding of the magnitude and problem of illiteracy in developing countries specially India
acquire knowledge and understanding of the policies and innovative pro- grammes of adult and lifelonglearning in Asia with special focus on India
develop comparative perspectives on adult education in Europe and Asia
draw insights to evolve new strategies towards tackling the problem of illit-
Elaborate reading list is provided for all the seminars and it was in two parts. While part one formed essential readings of not more that 30 -50 pages per topic , the second part had books covering further information. To facilitateeasy access, the reading materials are given in Pdf files which the students can download in their laptops and read at their convenience.
Personal experiences of living in Würzburg
The experience of teaching at the J.M. University not only enriched me profes- sionally but also personally. The opportunity provided me a chance to interact with the students and academics from Germany and other Europeancountries and experience the campus life, familiarise with German culture and taste local cuisine. A visit to X mas marketin the company of the Head of the Department
-Professor Regina, and the staff and students and tasting hot wine was memo- rable. It was a pleasant surprise to meet Professor Bruckner , Head of the India Centre, who not only spoke chaste Hindi but also organised the Deepavali festi-val. My stay at Wurzburg was made.
The university has an excellent guest house in the city. Since the room had a high speed internet connection, I couldwork uninterruptedly and stay connect- ed with friends. I enjoyed my stay on the twelfth floor room of the guest housewhich provided a breath taking view of Wurzburg and the historic monuments, cathedrals, chapels and the sprawlingwine yard. Wurzburg being the capital of the German wine region Franconia , it was not surprising that the universityowns wine yard which produces high quality wine sold at the university store. Although some of my friends whohad been to Wurzburg told me that I may have problem with food, I did not face any issue as the Mensa (universitycafeteria) served wide variety of high quality food at a nominal charge. I ob- served that the Mensa gave furtherdiscounts to the students and teachers. Alt- hough I visited most of the restaurants in the city, I really liked the Cafeteriaon the top floor of Galleria Mall which had a buffet serving a wide variety of vege- tarian and non-vegetarian food, delicious pastries and variety of beverages. I was quite surprised to know that a small place like Wurzburg has threeIndian restaurants and whenever I visited, I found lot of local people enjoying food. It seems that Germans havedeveloped a taste for Indian cuisine.
While the quality of food was quite good, it was modified to appeal to European taste by making it less spicy and oily.
Being a small place one could walk around the city visiting several historic monuments like the the Marienberg Fortress, Princes' Building, Hofgarten - Wurzburg Court Gardens, Wurzburg Residenz , Museums and churches andleisurely stroll on the banks of the Main river or sip wine on the old Main Bridge which seems to be the most soughtafter meeting place for many. Some of the cathedrals have special prayer rooms in the basement where one could pray or meditate. The serene atmosphere in the elegant churches provided a peaceful place and time for reflection. AlthoughI regularly visited in most of the churches for meditation, I felt special vibrations in Kappele Würzburg which is a picturesque chapel located on a hill top and known as a pilgrimage centre because of its healing powers.
Since I had free weekends and X Mas holidays, I travelled extensively in Germa- ny by purchasing the German Railway Pass available for non-Germans at a high- ly subsidised rate. As suggested by a student, I travelled to Rome and spentthe Xmas day at the main church where Pope delivers X mas sermon. I also visited Prague which is a historic place bustling with tourists. Since I travelled by bus from Prague to Wurzburg, I could see the beautiful countryside and on the way, had a stopover at Nuremberg, another historic place worth visiting near Wurzburg.
Although most of the local people understood English, the taxi drivers were not conversant in English and hence I always showed a slip on which the address of the place where I wanted to go is written so that they had no difficulty inun- derstanding. The availability of bus near the guest house made my travel to uni- versity very comfortable.Travelling around the city was no problem because of the availability of Tram which invariably was on time asmentioned in the time table. With a monthly pass one could travel around the city. Hardly the pass was checked by the driver or anybody. During my three month stay, I never saw any inspector checking the pass. Honesty and punctualityseems to be an inte- gral part of German culture. Though a new place, I felt quite safe walking around the city even late night unlike many cities where one may not dare to go out at late hours. I found Wurzburg to be very safe,beautiful and clean city.
I appreciate the professional and personal support provided by Professor Regina Egetenmeyer and her students especially Ms. Stefanie Kroner and Ms. Clara Kuhlen who were always happy to help me which made my stay atWurzburg very comfortable.
Prof. Shah with German and Indian Colleagues and Students at the International Institute of Adult & Lifelong Education, India
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