What is EDM 2023?

16th International Conference on Educational Data Mining(EDM) held at IISc Banglore in July 11-14th. EDM is a leading international forum for high-quality research that creatively explores educational data to answer educational research questions, including understanding how people learn and how teaching induces learning.

What did i do at EDM? 

EDM offered Professor Ram Kumar Scholarships. The amount was $100  to 50 participants. Luckily i got the scholarship and permission from my guide to attend the conference. Stay and travel to conference was sponsored by the ET department only. My agenda was- 

• To attend panel sessions, poster presentation, paper presentation and understand the landscape of EDM. 

• Making some professional connection 

• Letting people know about what we do at ET, IIT B

My motivation

My motivation to do all this was that i wanted to visit the IISc institue and experience its reserach legacy, beautiful campus, lovely weather of banglore, try out authentic south indian cuisine and experience the silicon valley of India.

Stay:  Hoysala Guest House, IISc, Bangalore

Team ET at EDM

Almost all the scholars of educational technology attended the conference. Some of them presented posters and doctoral consortium. Everyone made good networks and invited people over the upcoming conference Technology for Education (T4E) 2023 organized by ET only.    

My learning

General takeaways from panel discussions

Fun at Banglore

Food: I ate the best south indian food in Bangalore. The weather is really good. I tried thatte idli, muskmelon shake, ghee podi dosa, poori sagu & biryani at a south indian canteen in IISc, Dosa at MTR restaurant, Chaat at Santhanam Sweets and idli with chatni at a roadside stall. All dishes were authentic and rich in taste. Must try- MTR Restaurant, Santham Sweeets

Shopping: Commercial street has captured my attention. Visited twice to experience every corner. 

Sight Seeing: IISc Campus, The Museum of Art & Photography, Visvesvaraya Industrial & Technological Museum 

Context: Parimal and Pramod Chaudhari Centre for Learning and Teaching at IIT Bombay organized a workshop on the theme - Effective teaching in diverse settings. The workshop audience was new faculty members from IITB. The sessions involved experienced faculty sharing effective teaching strategies in varied settings such as large classes, project-based courses, programming classes, online & blended classes and lab-based courses. 

Workshop faciliated by (ET Prof): Prof. Sahana Murthy, Prof. Sridhar Iyer 

Date: 25th & 26th July 2023

My role: I got an opportunity to be a TA for 3 hours for the workshop. My job was to noting questions, creating an archive of questions for the panel, assisting the speakers and facilitating as needed

My learning: 

1. Learnt some strategies to engage learners in a class such as Think Pair Share. 

2. How to write down learning objectives effectively using Blooms Taxonomy.

3. Use of mentimeter

4. Peer Instruction Technique

General takeaways: 

• Why should you care?- it should be conveyed in your instructions

• Seek advice from the seniors instructor- who must have taught something in their classes

• Content you are teaching might get irrelevant in next few years then what should you teach? - Learning to learn

• Don’t teach all the examples/topic- Teach one, keep one for homework and another for an assignment

Additonal Resoruce to be watched: 

1. Learning Objectives I & II by Prof.Sahana Murthy- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Os5rY2faig8 

Additional benefit: Food, Certificate & a modest honorarium from PPCCLT 

Know more about PPCLT- http://www.ppcclt.iitb.ac.in/ 

Context: SCERT, Lucknow, UP had planned to adopt some EdTech Digital Classroom Product for their schools. The state government decided to select the product based on evaluation using EdTech Tulna Framework. As a part of team Tulna, 4 trainers visited SCERT Lucknow and trained 15 teachers. The training was on how to read the Tulna Framework and how to evaluate a product using the index. 

How the training was conducted? 

Teachers and trainers gathered in the meeting room of SCERT, Lucknow. Trainers and teachers introduced themselves to each other. Trainers provided the printed copies (English & Hindi version) of Tulna Index to the teachers. Trainers used the PPT and helped teachers how to read the index and evaluate a product on the Tulna Construct and Criterias. 

Supervisor & Trainers: Prof. Sahana Murthy, Dr. Sheeja, Dr. Madhuri, Meera, Angelina & Me  

What is EdTech Tulna Framework?

EdTech Tulna defines a set of research-based standards for quality design of EdTech products for the Indian context. Leveraging its multi-dimensional evaluation model it also evaluates existing EdTech products and makes these reviews available in the public domain for consumption by all stakeholders looking to adopt EdTech. 

My role: I got an opportunity to train teachers on the "Technology and Design" construct of Tulna. Technology and Design had 8 criterias which took 1.5 hours to complete. Teachers got a fair understanding of the Technology & Design construct which was reflected in their engagement during the training and feedback after training. The team also appreciated my effort and training style.   

My learning: 

1. It is important to grab learners attention by making them realize their importance in the process. 

2. The medium of instruction should be as per learners background and context to make the communication process smooth. 

3. Every voice matters. It is the responsibility of the trainer to provide eqaul opportunity to ask questions, share their views/understanding and speak without any hesitation to each person in the room. 

4. Accept the mistake. The trainer will get participants confidence if s/he accept the mistake(if done any) while providing information to the participants. 

5. Get ready of instant hickups. Internet down, No electricity, Poor management, less enthusiasum, No technical support etc. are the part of such trainings. Be ready to take up the challenges and to rolling up your sleeves. 

Context: Annual progress seminar requires the researcher to present the thesis work as well as the courses, TA duties and other work s/he has done throughout the year. 

What is required from the researchers? 

i. Submission of Report: The reseracher will have to submit a report first to the guide and RPC members. RPC members are two faculty you choose to give you a critical feedback on your work. 

ii. Prsentation (PPT)- On the selected date you present your work. 

My thesis supervisor & RPCs: Prof. Sahana Murthy, Prof. Shyaamantak Das, Prof. Sridhar Iyer  

What did i present? 

The title of my APS is "Teacher Professional Development in India". I read the NEP 2020, national professional standards for teacher, reports on teacher education, explored online courses available for teachers and a literature survey to understand what makes a TPD program effective. The idea was that i look at the implemented work on the field and then understand the literature. 

Here is the link to my PPT- Link

My learning and takeaways: 

1. I couldn't come up with a good reserach goal and gap. 

2. I need to see the feasibility and actual need of doing work in teacher professional development domain. 

3. I need to be self-critical about the work i am doing instead of keeping myself away from the hard realities. 

4. I need to discuss more with my guide about how would this work be, before presenting it to the big audience.  

Context: Trying to reflect on the dimensions and process of making the education policy 

Speker: N V Verghese, NIEPA 

Discussion: 

Member at New Education Policy 2020 Draft

Education Policy in Indai- 1968, 1986, 2020

3 Dimensions/Principals of a policy: Democracy, Equality, Economic Growth 

Why democracy: not a part of India before independency | Lowest per capita

• Liberal democracy, Electoral democracy

• Democratic framework, Planning framework

• 2020- Market mediated process

• 90% + students for higher education enrol in state universities only but very less funding

• Certralization of education has changed the landscape of education in India

• Think tank approach to policy making

• Universities are relaying on the secondary source of data not on primary

What is the differnce between when policy formulation took place?

• 1986 Policy had a social framework

NEP 2020

• In formulation of policy, a bureaucratic approch was being taken

• T.S Subramanyam Committee to prepare a draft 

Content of the policy- 1968

• 10+2+3 vs 11+3 disparities between states

• universalization of primary education

• Three language formula

• ***Hindi is not a national language, it is just a language spoken by majority of population

About 1986 policy

• inequalities were highlighted 

• target group orientation- social targeting, regional targeting, 

• minority education priority 

• regional disparity

• 9 educationally backward state (BIMARU): AP, UP, Bihar, MP, Rajasthan, Orissa

• Navodaya vidayalay establishment: Real marriage of equity and academic

About 2020 policy

• new structure: 5+3+2+2

• universalization of higher education 50% enrolment by 2035

• Institution consolidation- in terms of numbers and disciplines

• Flexibility in higher education

• Merging of regulatory bodies

• NAAC

• ***This policy has not been presented to the parliament. 

General: 

1. Major expension happpens at social sciences as a teacher a can teach large number of students however a technical course/institute requires equipment/lab so the expension doesn't happen. 

2. Major crisis- Schooling without learning

Further Readings: 

1. Publications from NIEPA- http://www.niepa.ac.in/publications.aspx  

2. New Education Policy 2020- https://www.education.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/NEP_Final_English_0.pdf 

Read: 

1. Human Capital Theory

What is T4E 2023? 

Trying to reflect on the dimensions and process of making the education policy 

What is my role in T4E? 

T4E Statistics

Context of the Workshop

Senior research scholar of ET decide to conduct a workshop on Qualitivative Research Methods in order to discuss, What is Qualitative Research Study, How to design QUAL, What are the theories behind, How to situate your QUAL Research etc.   

The Resource Person (Research Scholar)

Nandan P.A  & Alekh V

Workshop Agenda

1. INTERVIEW

2. INTERACTION ANALYSIS

Workshop Notes- 

THEME: Qualitative Interviewing

1. Approach: 

• Trust and Mutual Respect

• Collectively driving the interviwe

• Together workout to answer the RQs

• Make the interviewee comfortable by telling why are you doing this, consent form, ethical practices you will be following 

2. Your Attitude

• Be responsive, accommodative, polite

3. Struture of the interview

1. Main question

2. Follow-up questions

3. Probes

4.Type of questions, probes

• Experience and behaviour question- Tell me about

5. Interview Protocol

a. Date and time and place the interview

b. Name of the interviewer and interviewee

c. Brief description of the project

d. Questions

SLIDES FOR REFERENCE

Link to the slides: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1oJb3-CPdl1YzkZ-tbyrI_BD84YYNbBPi24CJC3XQjOs/edit#slide=id.g2c1898ca843_0_109