Lockdown Unlocks Academic Innovation
- Reporters: Althea Melanie and Hannah Harriet
- Nov 22, 2020
- 3 min read
COVID-19 has been adversely affecting education, mainly due to the fact that teachers and students cannot be physically present on campus for classes. As a result courses with practical or hands-on components and their assessments face numerous challenges. In-person discussions with teachers and teamwork among students are sorely missed. The lockdown has raised the bar for students in executing their tasks and performing them through an online platform. The students of WCC have been exceeding every expectation through innovative strategies, with remarkable results.
The English Department offers various courses that are heavily application-oriented. Two such courses for final-year students are Theatre and Short Film Production. The students of the Theatre course usually perform a play as a class, on which they are graded at the end of the semester and students of Short Film Production make short documentary films in groups. However, due to the sudden lockdown in March, the productions were halted and innovative strategies had to be devised to enable these students to complete their coursework.
Students were asked to individually produce short films on their phones for both courses and they had to use the techniques and skills acquired from each course. “The students were graded mainly based on their originality and creativity. They had to do everything one would require to do in a physical theatre, from their makeup to sets and props, including lighting. All that was missing was a tangible audience,” says Dr Annie Kuriachan, Head of Department of English.
"One major challenge for the teachers was to adapt the course to suit the present need without diluting the requirements of the course”, says Ms Anna Mathew, Assistant Professor in the English Department. Normally, these short films are produced in groups. In the online mode, it was modified into a short film where each student had to work individually to present what they had learnt in the course.
In spite of having the privilege of working from the comfort of their homes, the challenges involved were countless for both courses. The major fear of students was to meet the given deadline and still be creative while sticking to the time limit, especially when the government announced examinations for final years at short notice.
Similarly, first-year students of WCC were assigned innovative projects for Environmental Studies (EVS) that included conserving the environment in their own homes and showcasing their efforts through slideshows, PPTs, short video presentations etc. The main purpose of such assignments was to create awareness among students and to help them discover and appreciate the environment around them instead of staying glued to their screens during lockdown. In this way, they also spread awareness about the importance of the environment to other people through their creative projects.
A number of EVS students of the English department made videos of their own gardens, documented their plants and even demonstrated techniques like vermicomposting, home-made organic fertilizers and rainwater harvesting. Caroline, a first-year student of English says, “I’ve been growing flowering plants and ornamental plants. I have also given the botanical names of plants in my assignment.” Similarly, Analena, another first-year English student says, "It was not only an assignment but also a contribution to the environment.” Through this assignment, the students learnt to be proactive and passionate about maintaining their environment. They have beautifully captured their gardens and portrayed it in the form of videos, pictures and presentations.
Editors: Sahana Mira S, Dainty W
Comments