Title of the Practice : 'Empowering Visually Challenged Girl students through Holistic Education'
Objectives of the Practice
To provide a conducive educational ecosystem for visually-challenged girls students.
To mentor, counsel, and train students with disabilities to help them pursue their career goals.
To enhance students’ digital skills required to make them employable
To make visually-challenged students aware of various government educational scholarships earmarked for them, gender equality and schemes meant to benefit them.
To assess the impact of the university academic infrastructure and the participation of visually-challenged students in sports and cultural activities.
Empowering visually-challenged students is a dream-come-true initiative of the university. As per the Persons with Disabilities Act 1995, the university must ensure that the campus infrastructures address the accessibility issues of PwD students.
Social stigma, discrimination, and entrenched ideology of disability are inhibiting their career and performance.
The challenge for the University is to create awareness among all students and staff to become compassionate towards visually-challenged girl students.
The need for devising mechanisms to enhance their digital and communication skills, acquaint them with the university infrastructure, help them avail themselves of government scholarships, organize extracurricular and sports activities for them.
The need for increasing the number of hostel seats to meet the growing demand, make them interact with mentors and role models which can play a critical role in supporting and motivating them. Special care and protection to be provided for hostel boarders during the COVID period.
The Practice
A total number of 127 students with disabilities have been admitted to UG and PG between the academic year 2018-2023. In 2018-19 only 09 students had been admitted and in the academic year 2022-23, the number of students increased to 60. At present, 60 boarders with disabilities are residing in the hostel, of whom 77 % are visually-challenged. Category-wise, the boarders are divided into 33% SC, 27% ST and 27% OBC of which 17% are BPL card-holders and 70 % belong to the low-income group. 38% of hostel boarders are receiving scholarships. The university has divyangjan-friendly rams, lifts, washrooms, scribe clubs with volunteers and screen-reading facilities, soft copies of reading material, JAWS software etc.
The university organizes annual coaching camps for its visually-challenged cricket team. Self-defence training is also imparted to them. Two of the visually challenged students represented India in the International Cricket match organized by the International Blind Sports Federation at UK, and were awarded gold medals for their performance.
The University has received funds from Government of Odisha for fully- furnished digitally equipped 100 bed capacity hostel, which will help it meet the growing demand for accommodation for students with disabilities.
Counselling and skill enhancement training programmes are organised regularly to enhance their employability.
The university ensures admission of students with disabilities through open quota and reservation quota.
Examination Fee concession and reservation policies have been implemented for visually-impaired and PwD students.
Awareness programmes for teachers about teaching modules and evaluation procedures to address the differently- abled students have been conducted.
Career counselling is provided to them to understand their aptitudes and assist them in getting appropriate scholarships during their studies and employment thereafter.
University Scribe Club volunteers support visually-challenged students for screen reading and taking their dictations examinations. Software JAWS is a great help to them in the library.
In 2023, with a special donation of RDWU alumna, Binodini Mohapatra, digital learning corner was created in the Kuntala Kumari Central Library to enrich learning experiences of visually-impaired students.
Visually-impaired students are encouraged to participate in cultural programmes, sports, competitions, World Disabled Day functions, and other special days. Aseema Hostel celebrates the birthdays of its boarders.
The University has collaborated with DiverseUs Society, Bhubaneswar and a network of stakeholders to extend support services and organize training programmes. A certificate course on disability studies has been introduced.
Evidence of Success
Two of the visually-challenged students qualified for the Odisha State Civil Services.
Chief Minister of Odisha rewarded the two gold medal winners in the international cricket match with 20 lakhs rupees each.
News media and sports association’s support has created a new platform as never before.
Visually-impaired boarders opine that pursuing higher education in this university has boosted their confidence and self-esteem (Source: Survey 2023).
Nurturing and mentoring visually-impaired students’ curricular performances, their engagement and participation in various competitions, sports and extension activities have filled them with a new sense of individuality and aspiration.
Enhanced participation in classes and hostel activities, greater confidence to speak out, conversations about their career aspirations, improved leadership qualities and representation of their collective identity.
Government schemes implemented to build new digital educational infrastructure, carried out curriculum amendment, increase in the receipt of government scholarships, participation in counselling, seminars, and workshops organized by the university and other institutions.
Certificate Course in Disability Study has been introduced in the university.
Engagement in extracurricular activities like, dance, comedies, self-written drama, singing, caricature, recitation of poems and waiting for the monthly birthday celebration dates have added to their self-esteem and strengthened their collective identity.
Problems Encountered and Resources Required
Visually-challenged girls come from backward and rural areas and socially stigmatized environments because of which they lack technological know-how, and communication skills. This has resulted in low confidence and poor self-esteem, adversely affects their overall performance.
Adequate numbers of staff are needed to address their day-to-day issues.
Support is extended to them during natural calamities and COVID-like pandemic.
They are provided with security, protection, and support during health emergencies food supply, hygiene, and sanitization.
Funds are made available to meet future expenditure towards maintenance and adequate digital infrastructure and other support services.
Stakeholders and staff show gender-responsive attitudes towards students with disabilities. While these girl students are struggling to realize their aspirations through higher education gender-appropriate behaviour is creating hurdles for them.
Notes (Optional) any other information regarding Institutional Values and Best Practices which the university would like to include.
The university received donations from alumna, and these have been utilized in establishing a digitally-equipped study corner in the Central Library for students with special needs.
Women’s start-ups have been initiated to provide skill training to students for promoting employability.
The university has a scribe club, members of which serve visually challenged students, as writers during examinations.
The university proposes to provide free food for boarders with disabilities. Proactive measures are being taken to enhance their employability.
The university model of holistic education to empower the visually- challenged students is gaining visibility.
The university is also in the process of designing audio-visual classroom teaching modules for UG and PG programmes, which can be used by the students at their convenience.
The university empowers visually impaired students through education, gender sensitization training, self-defence practice, sports, yoga, and indoor games for bringing happiness to their lives on campus.
BEST PRACTICE-2
Title of the Practice : Nurturing Excellence through Digital Competence
Objectives of the Practice
To develop digital competence among UG and PG students of the university.
To bridge the digital gap among the students on the campus.
To create a techno-savvy workforce in the university to meet the demands of various government departments, industries and boost economic growth.
To create awareness among the girls about cybercrime and cyber- security mechanisms.
Students need to be educated to confidently use digital technologies for information, communication and basic problem-solving in all aspects of life.
Digital competence includes collaboration, personal development, data literacy, information literacy, technical skills, critical understanding, and communicative abilities, which lead to mastery of digital technology in classroom learning
Nurturing digital competence among girl students is an essential professional skill, which promotes their self-confidence.
Gender is a mental block when it comes to the use of digital platforms. It affects the girls’ career aspirations, participation in e-governance (admission, examination, searching learning materials, Apps, software, online learning platform) of the ICT world.
Digital learning divide is quite prevalent among girls coming from rural areas and socio-economically backward communities.
Inappropriate reliance on technology may lead to getting trapped in cybercrime and hence the need for the cyber security of girls is of paramount importance.
The Practice
Digital competence is grounded on basic skills in ICT, i.e. the use of computers to retrieve, assess, store, produce, present and exchange information, and to communicate and participate in collaborative networks via the Internet.
The university introduced an e-learning certificate course for all students in The e-learning centre is equipped with 80 computers, 24-hour online services, IT experts for teaching and practice. The master timetable accommodates group classes. The E-learning Centre first introduced a certificate course on Diploma in Computer Applications (DCA) from the session 2017-18 and subsequently extended the course to other undergraduate and post graduate students. In view of meeting the growing demand for computer education among students, a compulsory Allied Core (AC-101) paper titled ‘Computer Applications in Teaching Learning’ has been introduced for Post Graduate students from the academic year 2022-23 across all programmes. On successful completion of the course, students receive a course completion certificate.
In addition, students apply their computer skills to use the Language Lab. The physically and visually challenged students take advantage of the digitally-equipped Study Centre located in the university library.
Fundamental digital skills include basics of Computer Applications such as Synchronous, Asynchronous, Blended learning and Mobile Learning, Web 2.0 technologies, Open Education Resources, Artificial Intelligence and Plagiarism Regulations.
Through continual contextualized digital literacy development activities, the university encourages students to strengthen their digital skills.
The university is also facilitating specialized digital skills such as the use of photo-shop and media technology to create documentaries for media students and social media analytics for marketing majors. The elective course created a pressing need that motivates the need to learn how to use the applications.
Cyber-crime awareness training programmes are being conducted regularly for the benefit of students since 2022. Types of cybercrimes and cyber security mechanisms are examined as part of these training programmes. Students are taught how to protect themselves from cyber frauds, scams, violence, violations of cyber rules, and are informed about cyber security rights. The university collaborates with the City Police Commission rate to conduct all such programmes at regular intervals.
In order to provide sustainable digital training and improving skills, the university has robust IT infrastructural system and mechanism.
Evidence of Success
After acquiring computer application skills students can operate and use the basic computer software for excelling in their career. Over the years, the university has provided computer training and certification to more than 6,000 students. E-learning Centre of the university has created a learning platform to students where they master digital competence.
A Total of 6442 number of students successfully passed in the digital competency test in last five years. The year-wise data are: 1034 in 2019, 1163 in 2020, 1338 in 2021, 1397 in 2022, and 1510 in 2023.
The use of windows, word processers and excel sheets has helped students to explore and access online study materials, reports, books, articles, and journals. Assignment submission, PPT design and presentation exploring secondary data and information through online search engines for dissertation/ project report subject contexts have become a routine practice.
Increased participation has been witnessed in all other areas of e-communication namely, YouTube, media platforms, online professional and social groups, Language Lab, virtual webinar, conference and lectures.
Advanced-learners also assist in university research projects, website designing and software development. They join various online programs from SWAYAM or NPTEL for getting wide exposure.
Students have become aware of cybercrimes and cyber security regulations through various educative programmes and workshops. They are being trained to report any kind of cyber bullying.
Problems Encountered and Resources Required
Continuous practice and training are required for digital competence. Students need to be consistent in their learning.
To meet the growing demands of the university, e-learning courses require the availability of a greater number of computers and expansion of the Centre’s infrastructure.
Adequate human resources are required for making digital learning meaningful and sustainable.
Financial capital is required to maximize the investment outcomes of the E-learning Centre. The Centre must move upward to meet professional research goals.
There is a need to invest subscribing online sources of literature, books and reading materials in collaboration with Population Research Centre, India and to access online database.
