‘If you can read this blog, thank a teacher.’ Alas, teaching in higher education is a thankless job despite the faculty’s dedication and commitment throughout the time. The role and responsibilities of a teacher are least appreciated; rather, they sometimes become a subject of mockery at colleges and universities. Undermining the significance of a teacher is no less than a sin, and every student needs to realize this undeniable fact.
Appreciating the importance of faculty in higher education
The role of a faculty in higher education can be defined at the undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral levels. As defined under the thumb rule of education, teachers work on the basic concepts of graduates, make them experts in the field in master’s degree courses and refine them to devise their inventions and research during the doctorate program.
The time when teachers were only concerned about the curriculum and syllabus of the course has gone. A university or college faculty has to devise teaching techniques and methodologies to train students and enhance their overall personality. As employers focus more on candidates’ practical approach towards apprehending the business, the concept of teaching in higher education has been completely transformed. The faculty is more inclined towards conducting workshops, company visits, seminars, and events to render industry-level exposure to the students.
The faculty’s approach towards students is modernized, which has developed a sense of responsibility among students. They develop the traits like self-confidence, leadership skills, interpersonal skills, and radiant personality under the supervision of excellent faculty.
Overall, the faculty in higher education has to take the lead for academics and extra curriculum. Also, it has to actively participate in the corporate world to get updates on employers’ expectations so that the academic curriculum can be amended accordingly.
Challenges faced by the faculty of a university or college
Students often need help understanding how tough it is to be a higher-education teacher and fail to realize their challenges. Devising new and modern teaching methods and creative ideas daily requires deep thinking. Some best universities in our country provide a dedicated team to assist the faculty in making proposals related to research work. Sadly, most of them provide a common staff room to the teachers where they can hardly do any sincere work.
The management of higher educational institutions often needs to pay more attention to the teaching faculty as it has enormous other tasks to complete. At the same time, the administration wants the best outcomes from the students, and if they fail, the faculty has to take the onus.
Say, for example, a student of B Tech CSE fails to get good marks in the examination, which impacts his overall performance at the time of campus selection. Now, the bottle of blame would be turned to the concerned faculty, and the entire story would take a new twist. The parents and the university management would only pay heed to the efforts made by the teacher that may include doubt-solving sessions, extra classes, well-researched and best teaching techniques, etc.
How worthwhile is it to invest in faculty development?
Faculty in higher education have truly made efforts to come a long way and build a career around learning. Thus, they can sense the significance of continual education. Many educators will be interested in growing their skills through multiple learning opportunities provided by the university or college.
Today’s ever-evolving platform of higher education demands a well-certified and skilled faculty. Also, teachers form a respectable aura around the learning landscape as higher education institutions count upon their faculty to attend national and international conferences, seminars, and workshops and participate in industry publications. The training programs designed for faculty help teachers to connect with the changing world and technology and leave their pedagogical impression on the students. The impact of an institution’s initiative to render the best training and development scope to its faculty is widespread.
GLA University has a well-certified and experienced faculty to guide the students and boost their morale. Students pursuing courses like LLM, BA LLB, mechanical and civil engineering, data analytics, AI, and machine learning study under the guidance of excellent subject experts that the university recruits through proper scrutiny. GLA also conducts workshops and seminars for teachers of UG, PG, and doctoral programs to enhance their learning arena.
Not least of all, politicians, policy planners, bureaucrats, and higher education regulators that have been taught by teachers for many years find it hard to realize the importance of teachers. However, no other profession deserves a gesture as respectable as a teacher’s.