#ThankfulGratefulBlessed

My heartfelt gratitude to everyone who supported me throughout my journey and helped me achieve this wonderful milestone.

#ThankfulGratefulBlessed

My heartfelt gratitude to everyone who supported me throughout my journey and helped me achieve this wonderful milestone: UPES Annual Award for Academic Excellence 🏆

I feel honored to be a part of an awesome School of Liberal Studies team that inspires me to be better and give my best every day. 💫

I would like to express my gratitude to Ram Sharma and Dr. Shubhashis Gangopadhyay for all the encouragement and guidance 🙏🏻 

Dear Atri Nautiyal, your unwavering support and positive leadership have been a source of motivation since the very beginning. Thanks for everything, Captain Cool 🌟 

Dear Aswani Dravid, your trust in me and in my abilities has made me do things which I could have never imagined in the past. Congratulations to you too 💐 

Thank you Pooja Khanna, Ritam Dutta, Ravindra Singh Rawat, Yamini Negi, Dr. Shalini Vohra, Dr. Annapurna Parige Nippani Dr. Sunita Bhola, Bharti Singh, Nishant Mishra, Shatavisha Mustafi, Mariyam Ilyas Siddiqui, Dr Richa Chilana, Bitopi Dutta, and Raghavan S for always being there 💙

Thank You very much for all your lovely wishes 🌸

Best regards to everyone
Gaurav

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One Year As a Researcher!

One Year As a Researcher! 

Last year in 2022, on this day today, I started my journey as a PhD research scholar. 

I vividly remember how I turned towards Gamification as It was getting difficult for me to engage my students (during my life skills classes) while teaching them online. 

And since then, I kept evolving my self-invented Gamification framework further and named it Star Count System, which later got recognized by Blackboard as well. 

Success of my experiments with Gamification further inspired me to choose this as my area of research because of my sheer interest and curiosity. 

During my one year journey as a PhD research scholar, I had the opportunity to explore areas like gamification, lifeskills, higher education, student motivation, student engagement, trainingand development, pedagogy, learning design and so on. 

What made my journey worthwhile, is the following set of milestones that were achieved within one year, 

✓ Book Chapter in ISBN edited Book (to be published shortly). 

✓ Paper presentation in an international conference at the Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani (to be held next month). 

✓ One research paper under review (to be published in Springer publication). 

✓ Poster presentation at the international conference by GUS Canada. 

✓ One International grant award by the Fulbright Association, Washington D.C. 

✓ Selection in the US Alumni Micro Grants Competition 2022 by U.S. Embassy India. 

✓ International Award in teaching and learning category by Anthology Inc, USA. 

✓ Conducted a series of workshops for 6 American universities and 1 Singapore based startup. 

✓Conducted faculty development program on Teaching and Learning for law academicians at the UPES. 

And above all, what has made my journey truly remarkable is my association with two super-brilliant wizards who also proved to be a constant source of motivation and encouragement: My supervisors, Aswani Dravid, Ph.D and Zac Fitz-Walter, without their guidance and support, I wouldn't have been able to come this far.

"Thank you isn't really enough to express how grateful I am..." 

#gratitudeblog

Project स्वावलम्बन: Reflections

'Project Swavlamban' was initiated as a 'Gesture of Gratefulness' to all 'Didis' (housekeeping staff)
for their sincere work and dedicated efforts.

Project स्वावलम्बन: Reflections

The one of many highlights of 'Project Swavlamban' was the wrap-up event when our women trainees showed a lot of confidence and had big smiles on their faces to display and sell their homemade products of different kinds.

'Project Swavlamban' was initiated as a 'Gesture of Gratefulness' to all 'Didis' (housekeeping staff) for their sincere work and dedicated efforts. As a matter of fact, Project Swavlamban would have not been possible with such preciseness and professionalism if we had not secured the grant support. 

We were able to successfully execute 72 hour long capacity building training only because we had all the essential resources in place. Whether it was about back-to-back skill training sessions or it was about helping them organize the wrap-up exhibition in order to sell their handmade art and craft products; it all turned out to be an accomplished project as we had financial support to provide these energetic and ready-to-learn groups of women with all the necessary mentoring and materials. 

The one of many highlights of 'Project Swavlamban' was the wrap-up event.

The one of many highlights of 'Project Swavlamban' was the wrap-up event when our women trainees showed a lot of confidence and had big smiles on their faces to display and sell their homemade products of different kinds. Also, the certificate distribution ceremony was the testinominal of the grand success of 'Project Swavlamban' that enabled these women to realize their true potential and all the credit goes to the support we received through the grant.

For all of us, 'Project Swavlamban' has been a great learning experience in various ways and means. Working with the housekeeping women staff has made us realize and learn the following important takeaways, 

1. These women are very much aspiring and have passion to make their mark, irrespective of their backgrounds and professions. 
2. They are keen to become self-dependent and want to support their families to the best of their abilities. 
3. What they needed was a bit of inspiration and a detailed set of guidance in order to make their aspirations come true. 
4. Some of these women showed extraordinary entrepreneurial skills and executed the assigned tasks and activities very well. 
5. Most of the women worked really well when they performed in a team setting. 
6. Many of these women took active part in the wrap-up exhibition and produced their best work. 
7. When encouraged and motivated, they willingly participated in opening their saving accounts and exhibited interest in various money saving banking schemes too. 
8. Almost all of them came from humble backgrounds and working full time as a housekeeping staff required them to dedicate more than 8 to 10 hours a day; yet they managed to attend more than 75% of training programs overall. 
9. Initially, they were a little shy and hesitant but overtime, they started showcasing their openness and readiness to learn and become confident with each passing day. 
10. Last but not the least, their attitude towards themselves changed for the better and they all were appreciated and acknowledged by the higher management of the university, by the end of the project.
    
    

    

    'Project Swavlamban' has been a great learning experience in various ways and means.

Keeping these takeaways in mind, the entire team of organizers and facilitators have felt fulfilled and satisfied with their contributions and have become determined to keep this spark of change and betterment alive, even during their informal interactions with these women. 

With working closely, we have developed more respect and a sense of belongingness to these groups of super-women and we hope to continue this chain of change in future as well.

The entire team of organizers and facilitators felt fulfilled and satisfied with their contributions to Project स्वावलम्बन.

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Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Classroom and Beyond

Teachers should find a variety of stories that challenge stereotypes and preconceptions.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion 

in Classroom and Beyond

A teacher's own actions and characteristics serve as the foundation for the magic of encouraging fairness, diversity, and inclusion in the classroom.

So, it was a 'dream-come-true-moment' for me when I received the news that 'Living Conversations' project has won Blackboard Catalyst Award, 2022 for being a highly innovative skill development course with adaption of new delivery, pedagogical models, and tools for positively influencing the educational experience of students. 

Eventually, my experiences as a course leader and course designer have taught me the following most crucial lessons as a teacher, 

• An excellent teacher is one who enhances the learning environment via amazing enthusiasm, a genuine interest in students, and excellent abilities in both (i) Course content and (ii) Pedagogy.
  
  
• Teachers should shift roles from lecturers to inspiring facilitators who provide tools, track student growth, and motivate them to solve challenges.
  
  
• Teachers should actively seek feedback and collaborate with others in an effort to improve student outcomes.
  
  
• Teachers ought to establish classroom standards that encourage inclusivity and openness among the students. Students should believe that their voices matter and are taken seriously.
  
  
• It is important to promote understanding of and appreciation for individual differences in the classroom. Group activities support inclusion in the learning process and encourage involvement from all students.
  
  
• Guest talks and masterclasses should be explored as forums for students to openly discuss issues related to equity and diversity.
  
  
• Teachers should find a variety of stories that challenge stereotypes and preconceptions.
  
  
• In order to ensure that classroom materials are available to all students and never discriminate against anybody, teachers should employ a range of instructional formats, even if this involves modifying materials for audio, big print, or video.
  
  
• Last but not least, a teacher's own actions and characteristics serve as the foundation for the magic of encouraging fairness, diversity, and inclusion in the classroom.

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Boot Camp for Life Skills: Learning By Choice

"When students get to make decisions about their learning, it can be powerfully motivating."

Boot Camp for Life Skills:
Learning By Choice

Student choice builds ownership in the learning and it leads to increased engagement and empowerment. Student choice creates an environment where students discover what they want to learn.

"When students get to make decisions about their learning, it can be powerfully motivating." - Stephen Merrill

Student choice builds ownership in the learning and it leads to increased engagement and empowerment. Student choice creates an environment where students discover what they want to learn.

And this is exactly what we experienced in the first boot camp of our award-winning life skills course 'Living Conversations'.

We witnessed almost a houseful show today. We had students from various MBA branches and batches to learn significant life skills like public speaking, interpersonal skills and so on.

What makes this entire event extremely remarkable is because of the following facts, 

1. Students showed up entirely 'by choice', not by any compulsion. 
   
   
2. Students already knew their participation would NOT earn them any 'credits', 'marks', or even 'attendance'. 
   
   
3. Students also knew they would be assigned various tasks and activities to perform, post their participation in the boot camp.

That is why we say “Learning happens the best when it's 'Learning By Choice' and that's what true educators believe in the most."

Employability & Education

The youth of India are facing a roadblock both in achieving the degrees on paper that
they want and the vocationalskills that they need.

Employability & Education

There is a need to ensure that India's youth is supported in completing higher education and also gaining the right skills to secure employment.

Do you know India needs 2.7 million skilled professionals by 2023?

The youth of India are facing a roadblock both in achieving the degrees on paper that they want and the vocationalskills that they need.

According to the World Economic Forum, of the 13 million people who join India’s workforce each year, only 1 in 4 MBAs, 1 in 5 engineers, and 1 in 10 graduates are employable.

The employability crisis of graduates in India is a strange conundrum because India is a powerhouse when it comes to the available workforce, 50% of the country’s population is below the age of 25.

The skillgap has been taken into account by the National Education Policy (NEP) released in 2020 which recommends training students in vocational skills right from school.

There is a need to ensure that India's youth is supported in completing higher education and also gaining the right skills to secure employment.

As per experts, we need more,
- Skill Training
- Internships
- Industry Projects
- Shop Floor Experiences
- Industry Mentoring
- Career Sessions
- Incubators

Fixing India’s employability crisis needs a multipronged approach that brings together adequate skill development measures right from the school-level, a booming industry-academic partnership that equips the youth with employability skills.

Gamification As A Training Tool

Gamification works because it triggers real, powerful human emotions such as happiness, intrigue, and accomplishment.

Gamification As A Training Tool

Educators and training & development professionals should not underestimate the potential of gamification in skill training. For professionals seeking to introduce or expand the use of gamification in their sessions, here are some simple approaches as a starting point to gamify the teaching and learning process.

Albert Einstein himself indicated that games are the most elevated form of investigation. Games promote situated learning and higher-order thinking skills.

Gamification uses positive reinforcement techniques to make learning an enjoyable experience and I have been practicing 'gamification' since the pandemic, to make my online classes more engaging and effective.

I continued with 'gamification' even in my hybrid as well as offline classes for facilitating life skills courses to university students.

On the top, you can see the leaderboard with stars (= points) earned by students for performing assigned tasks and activities during an entire semester.

It was quite exciting to notice how my students experienced an exponential growth in their leadership and teamskills.

Here you can see the feedback by one of my student cohorts post completion of a life skills course 'Leadership and Teamwork'.

It was quite exciting to notice how my students experienced an exponential growth in their leadership and teamskills.

Simply put, gamification is the use of game-design elements and game principals in non-game contexts.

Educators and traininganddevelopment professionals should not underestimate the potential of gamification in skilltraining.

For professionals seeking to introduce or expand the use of gamification in their sessions, here are some simple approaches as a starting point to gamify the teaching and learning process,

🎁 Award points or badges to students for meeting academic objectives.

🥊 Create missions for students using a fun theme.

⛳ Use levels, checkpoints, and other methods of progression.

✨ Maintain a progress bar to record students' advancement in learning.

🎳 Let students set their own goals, then track their own progress in a fun/visual/personal way.

🏆 Create leaderboards to gauge classroom progress and instill a sense of competition.

Remember, gamification works because it triggers real, powerful human emotions such as happiness, intrigue, excitement and accomplishment. 

Play on!

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Gaurav Misra 'Fulbright's gamification based framework 'Star Count System' won him Blackboard Award, 2021 at the Asia Pacific level, for being one of the most innovative teaching methdologies for studentengagement.

Student-feedback says it all.

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