Exciting news continues to roll in from UFV’s campus in Chandigarh, India.
Celebrating its 9th year, UFV Chandigarh recently announced a record-breaking enrollment of two sections totaling 60 students. Overall, student strength at Chandigarh’s campus has reached a record high of 105 full-time students, with 24 recently arriving in Abbotsford to continue their BBA studies.
Meanwhile, UFV ESL instructor Raymonde Tickner continued her longstanding support of UFV Chandigarh by recently conducting an Instructional Skills Workshop (ISW), an internationally recognized peer-based educational development program with a 35-year history.
Held in Chandigarh through a partnership between Goswami Ganesh Dutta Sanatan Dharma College (GGDSD) and UFV, participants enhanced their teaching practices through the delivery of three 10-minute mini-lessons. Instructors practised their teaching skills by trying new teaching methods and explored rationales for delivery of learner-centred teaching methods. The success of this ISW was a direct result of the teachers’ engagement, commitment to the teaching models, and their active participation and support of one another’s skill development.
As well as teaching practice and valuable peer-based feedback, the ISW also gave participants a certificate and credit towards ID 3220 (Delivery of Instruction), one of the courses of the British Columbia Provincial Instructor diploma program, offered at Vancouver Community College, through the School of Instructor Education in Vancouver. Thus, participants gained two internationally recognized credits.
The six participants included:
- Dr. Kiranpartap from the Department of English from Fatehgarh Churian College near Gurdaspur
- Ms. Gurvinder Kaur from the Department of Computer Science from Gurdaspur College
- Dr. Meenakshi Negi from the Department of Commerce from the college in Kheri Gurna
- Mr. Ajay Sharma from the Department of Commerce from SD College, Chandigarh
- Dr. Monica Sachdeva from the Department of Commerce from SD College, Chandigarh
- Ms. Bharti from the Department of Computer Science from SD School, Chandigarh
The following people deserve special thanks for their vision, hard work, and financial and logistical support in the organization and sponsorship of the first Instructional Skills Workshop at Goswami Ganesh Dutta Sanatan Dharma College (GGDSD) in Chandigarh, India:
- Mr. Upkar Krishan Sharma, President of GGDSD College Society, Chandigarh
- Dr. Bushan K. Sharma, Principal of GGDSD College, Chandigarh
- Dr. Monica Sachdeva, Nodal Faculty Development Officer for SD College, Chandigarh
- Associate Professor Satwinder Bains, Director, Centre for Indo-Canadian Studies, UFV, Abbotsford, BC
Because of their vision and pioneering effort, GGDSD College and University of the Fraser Valley (UFV), Abbotsford, have launched this first faculty development ISW as one of the four touch points for institutional cooperation.