Online classes: From a Teacher's Perspective- Mr. Shrinivas S. Shikaripurkar
- Kavya Sangam
- Apr 9, 2021
- 3 min read
Mr Shrinivas S. Shikaripurkar is an Adjunct Faculty at SP Jain School of Global Management. This interview explores his experience with teaching the subjects 'Principles of Management', and 'Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility', to the first-year undergraduate students of SP Jain.
Did the experience of virtual classes match your expectation? And why?
Yes & No. Yes, owing to the access of innovative online teaching tools & platforms such as stylus, breakout rooms, ability to move seamlessly across multiple platforms. No, because I love to interact with my students in person!
How did you adapt your teaching style in response to the pandemic? Also, how far was the nature of the subject conductive to teach online?
Luckily for me, I have been introduced to online teaching methods nearly six years ago owing to which for me it was a smooth transition in comparison to some of the very senior teaching faculty members (over 70+ years of age) who struggled for a while with online tools & platforms.
When it came to teaching mathematical concepts for some of my subjects, it was, initially a struggle for me, since I prefer that my students solve their problems during the class & then showcase their workings to me on an individual basis. Showcasing hardcopy workings via a laptop enabled webcam was somewhat difficult & time consuming for the students.
In your opinion, what are some of the positives of teaching online in comparison to teaching face-to-face?
In a Synchronous method of teaching, key advantages would be on the element of absence of a physical "Group Setting Learning Mode". In a face to face method, Group Learning occurs as a result of which there could be scope for multiple disturbances from student peers as against in an online mode wherein the student by himself/herself can become a distractor to the learning experience.
For me, in my personal capacity, online teaching enables me to be very flexible with my online technology tools which I find it quite easy to handle given my age factor & my IT related past experience. I am able to manage my time more effectively since I can handle multiple teaching assignments within the same day, something that was not possible for me earlier owing to travel distances between campuses!
What advice would you provide to teachers conducting virtual classes to address their concerns?
Accept the underlying fact that "Change is the only constant" & in today's VUCA enabled world, given the Covid-19 impact & with the advent of 5G enabled platforms, teachers must brace themselves towards emerging trends in online teaching such as Gamification, Online Platforms, etc. Teachers must embrace technology to the fullest & embrace the emerging Hybrid Model of Learning.
What is the one learning from teaching online that you would incorporate in your teaching style henceforth? And why?
The use of stylus on the computer whiteboard. I just loved that feature & may shy away from using a whiteboard marker if given a choice even though my handwriting on both platforms is terrible! I find use of stylus very convenient since the erase function is very convenient (I am quite lazy when it comes to erasing the content on the whiteboard & this function of stylus is so very effortless!) Moreover I can even save my content to help students refer to in the future, should the need arise.
For more information about Mr. Shrinivas S. Shikaripurkar:
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