Online Events Galore

Women's Christian College has always encouraged its students to pursue what they are passionate about. The college has been conducting a variety of events during lockdown, such as live webinar sessions, online workshops, training programmes, cultural events and competitions which have created a platform for staff and students to explore and develop their skills in many fields. The online events are built on innovation, creativity, passion and career aspirations.

Women's Christian College started having power-packed events and activities at the very start of this pandemic lockdown, boosting the students intellectually, mentally, physically, and spiritually. One might think WCC, like many other colleges in the city, may have conducted a few run-of-the-mill events, basic activities and so on. However, this was not the case. The events were not only made accessible to all students of the college, but every department had its own expectations fulfilled through numerous career guidance programmes, Human Resource Development activities, live sessions with professionals, e-quizzes, e-certificate courses, panel discussions, and a lot more interesting platforms and opportunities, including paid-internships.

The English Department organised notable workshops on “Reimagining the English Classroom” by Ms Preethika Krishna, and “Eye Movements: How We Read Words and Formulaic Language” by Roopa Leonard, a Language Researcher and alumna of the department. These webinars taught unique techniques, methods and ideas, to hone the skills of staff and students.

The Department of Computer Science provided training sessions to staff and students on various subjects, from online teaching and assessment tools to an introduction to Artificial Intelligence and so on. The Department of Psychology organised programmes on Mental Health Psychology and various career options in Psychology such as Sports Psychology, Defence Psychology, and Neuropsychology, through webinars. The Department has also been effectively offering a telephone counselling service for students during lockdown. Online mind sports in Mathematics, quantitative aptitude, and logical reasoning were some of the creative events conducted by the Department of Mathematics.

The Home Science department’s creative entrepreneurial venture in the Food and Textile Industry gave impetus to many entrepreneurs within the college. Nutrition Week celebrations were also organised by the department and the students actively participated from the safety of their homes. The department organised a programme for Anganwadi workers, working in primary healthcare sectors of rural areas, where mothers who didn’t get adequate treatment, were provided with necessary healthcare. During lockdown, they also conducted a virtual programme called "Diet for severely malnourished children" for these mothers.

The Department of History provided information on “The new normal" in the hospitality industry, changing consumers’ behaviour, global economic analysis, and many more webinar sessions that focused deeply on new ideas and in-depth studies for their students.

The Language Department has actively engaged students in online quiz competitions and events. The NSS also played an important role in contributing to World Environmental Day, World Tree Day, World Doctors Day, and International Yoga Day. The IRC (Information Resource Centre) of the college has created a platform for students to access resources for e-learning, by making library resources available.

WCC has not only conducted webinars for academics but also for one’s spiritual well-being. WCC's SHOFAR (Serving Him in Obedience, Faithfulness, Adoration and Reverence) band has been conducting live sessions on Tackling COVID and restoring hope in the lives of people.

The college arranged activities for faculty as well. A number of Faculty Development Programmes were conducted to train teachers to take online classes and assess their students. “Both the faculty and students could thus interact and also make themselves familiar with the online mode of communication before regular classes started,” says Dr Lilian I Jasper, Principal of WCC.

Webinars conducted by the Physical Education department were one of the highlights of the institution’s online events. This year, the students had an excellent opportunity to acquire knowledge about health and life-saving techniques through theory sessions. Some of the topics which were covered included components of physical fitness, aerobic and anaerobic exercises, health and wellness, health triangle and first-aid. Dance sessions organized by the department introduced another method to stay fit. The students looked forward to every class with great expectation. Other practical sessions consisted of aerobic activities, emphasising stretching and exercises to tone the body. At the end of every session, quizzes were arranged to assess their learning. The students remarked on how well they were benefited with Physical Education (PE) classes and how it was a stress reliever amidst tiring academic work. A much-awaited event of the college, the inauguration of Arrowsmith Indoor Sports Training Facility and Buck Physical Education building by Ms Apoorva IAS (Principal Secretary to the Government, Ministry of Higher Education), took place on November 17, 2020. The multi-purpose indoor sports training facility will have the provision for students to play basketball, badminton, volleyball, handball and table-tennis. The Buck Physical Education building has a fitness centre and the facility for indoor games such as table-tennis, carrom and chess and aerobic activities.

Innauguration of Arrowsmith Indoor Sports Training Facility and Buck Physical Education building on November 17th, 2020

These are just a few of the programmes organised this academic year and several more are in the pipeline. WCC has been actively coordinating with faculty members to provide a fruitful lockdown to every student of the college, by providing all-round development in keeping with its prime motto “Lighted to Lighten".

Editors: Prema Tressa Abraham, Neha Peter