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Colleges take to online tools to prepare syllabus, solve students’ doubts
With classes suspended till March 31 amid the coronavirus outbreak, colleges in the city are using online tools to prepare the curricula and update the study material
With classes suspended till March 31 amid the coronavirus outbreak, colleges in the city are using online tools to prepare the curricula and update the study material for the new academic session.
Moreover, college administrations are also providing online doubt-clearing sessions and counselling to students.
At Mithibai College in Vile Parle, the Board of Studies is conducting video conferences every day to set up the curriculum and update the study material for the new academic session. This year, a large part of the college administration’s work is to develop e-content for students. The new syllabus will be tabled at the academic council’s meeting scheduled on April 1. “We are looking at the possibility of conducting the academic council meeting online, too,” said Rajpal Hande, principal, Mithibai College.
Meanwhile, teachers at Mithibai have taken to Google Classroom –a free online teaching and learning platform from the software giant – to help clear doubts of students and prepare them for the upcoming viva exams in April. Teachers at the SIES College in Sion are also using the online service to instruct their students.
The faculty at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai, is also making arrangements to work online for setting up the syllabus for the upcoming academic year.
The University of Mumbai too issued a notice to faculty and researchers to start online teaching, create online content as well as set up syllabus for the upcoming academic year.
Another online tool that has come to the colleges’ rescue is the Massive Open Online Course model (MOOC). These are free online courses available for anyone to enrol. With final exams due in April, third-year BCom students at Mithibai Motiram Kundnani College of Commerce and Economics (MMK college), Bandra, may soon be asked to sign up for MOOCs curated by the teachers, said principal Kishore Peshori.
Students worried about the impending exams and the delay in their graduation and colleges are now also providing counselling to students. “At this time, exams should have been going on but everything is at a standstill. Students are worried. We are not only providing students with online doubt-clearing sessions but also counselling them online to calm their nerves,” said Ashok Wadia, principal, Jai Hind College.
Maharashtra chief minister and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray as well as NCP chief Sharad Pawar asked their MPs to stay in their constituencies till March 31. Pawar asked NCP MPs to work in their constituencies instead of attending Parliament session is in Delhi. Sena MP Arvind Sawant said, “When the CM is working toward stopping the outbreak, we must help the government.”
As trustees of Bada Qabrastan at Marine Lines have requested people to not gather for Shab-e-Meraj festival on Sunday night amid coronavirus outbreak, devotees from Dongri, Pydhonie and Mohammed Ali Road, complained that products required for their prayers such as sweets and fruits, were unavailable on Sunday evening after the curfew was extended till Monday morning.
After the Catholic Church assured the Bombay high court that there will be no public mass in the city’s churches till April 4, other Christian denominations too have issued a circular suspending worships, programmes and formal services. The Methodist Church also suspended mass until March 31. The St. John the Baptist in Thane conducted live streaming of its Sunday mass for devotees.
The Navi Mumbai police on Sunday booked Nikunj Savla, 29, the owner of Café Arabian Nights in Vashi for keeping his outlet open despite the state government’s orders to shut the service till March 31. In similar cases, a real estate agent was booked for keeping his office running. The Panvel police booked 34 people in two separate cases for gathering at religious places.
Dettol hand wash manufacturers on Friday told the Bombay high court that it has suspended its hand wash advertisement after Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) moved the HC against Dettol’s advertisement which showed soap cakes were ineffective while hand wash gives better protection. HUL said when WHO has issued guidelines to use soap and water, the advertisement creates doubts.
The Navi Mumbai police on Sunday issued a directive that the curfew has been extended till 5am on Monday. Around 5pm, minutes after the clapping exercise, the Navi Mumbai police issued the order of extended curfew till 5am. “Civilians are requested to not step out of homes after 9pm except for medical emergencies. Those violating it will face action,” said Ashok Dudhe, DCP, zone 2.
Nine people were booked for gathering to play cricket while 10 shopkeepers were booked for opening shops, in two separate incidents of violating the Janta Curfew on Sunday. The Mahatma Phule police of Kalyan zone 3 police booked nine people, who gathered at Kala Talao area in Kalyan (West) to play cricket, under section 188 of the IPC. Ten shopkeepers were also booked for opening shop.
Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) chief on Sunday instructed contractors to not cut wages of labourers working in different infrastructure projects in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). MRDA metropolitan commissioner RA Rajeev said, “All contractors will counsel labourers not to panic and...ensure payments of sustenance amounts to labourers.”
Five students with home quarantine stamps, who had returned from abroad to their homes in Tarapur Atomic Power Station and Bhabha Atomic Research Centre colonies in Palghar were warned of strict action by Palghar taluka health officer for roaming in the colony premises.
A Vashi resident will perform tenth-day rituals for his son’s death with close family and not invite anyone in wake of the coronavirus outbreak. Nilesh Patil’s son died on March 14 and the tenth day rituals will be performed on March 23. The 13th day puja on March 26 will also be a family affair.
Putting the ‘Janta curfew’ in good use, the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) disinfected public places since Sunday morning. TMC carried out sanitation and disinfection drives at bus depots, railway stations and markets in the city following directives by Thane civic commissioner Vijay Singhal. A civic official said, “We have deployed 10 tankers, 80 spraying machines and 10 vehicles for the drive.”
In view of the coronavirus outbreak, several people from Panvel and Kamothe offered food to people in need, and said they would continue with their efforts till March 31. “There are daily wage workers in nearby slums who have lost their work due to the pandemic. Hence, I made dal khichdi for around 10 people and offered them food,” said Suby Rana from Kamothe.
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