Research proposal ugc mrp

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A Model Research Proposal
PART – B

Proposed Research Work

8. (i) Project Title:

ICT and Educational Community: Integrating ICT into Teaching and Learning process to Empower and develop proficiency of Teachers and Students
[With special reference to (TELL) Teaching English Language and Literature]

'''ii. Introduction:''' We live in an era of information explosion. Once there was famine of information, today we are drowned in the deluge of information. Gale of change is blowing in the pedagogy of English Language Teaching (ELT). Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is a catalyst agent. ICT has initiated new possibilities into the classroom. The marriage between education and Internet technology has made a deep impact on perspectives about teaching and learning. The role of the teacher, the nature and context of learning, as well as the function and relative importance of course content have all been challenged and redefined. Technophobic teachers have no place in this new world order. This research project aims at practical experiments with ICT in teaching English language and literature. It deals with the pragmatic aspects of using ICT with the student community of commerce, Business Management and Humanities. The Aim of this Project is to develop a model of teaching-learning incorporating ICT. This model aims at developing proficiency and empowering students as well as teachers alike.

The extensive use of web 2.0 components, internet, blogs, e-groups, SMSs, emails, socializing portals, e-dictionaries, e-ncyclopedia, ppt presentations, webcasting, audio-video etc as research tools will be made in the classrooms. The teacher-student community will be motivated to make use of cyber cafes and GPRS mobiles to interact among themselves.

The research project deals with very pertinent problem issues like: •	How far is ICT useful to student community, or is it useful at all? •	What is the Role of ICT in teaching English language and literature? What kind of methods can be used to overcome students' problems?

•	Can it empower teacher-student community? Can it improve their proficiency of learning? If yes, to what extent. If no, why?

•	How far is ICT useful to empower and improve proficiency of student community?

•	Can ICT empower and improve proficiency of student community?

Origin of the research problem:

•	Information and communication technology has changed the way people looked at education. We live in an era of information and knowledge society. This new society, to fulfill its needs, requires innovativeness in teaching and learning.

•	Of all the disciplines of education, Social Sciences and Humanities make least use of new technologies. It is urgent need of hour to make them aware towards use of ICT.

•	Worldwide research on use of ICT for teaching-learning is going on. Renowned universities of the world are spending dollars, pounds and Euros on this sort of research. Workshops, seminars and conferences are held on the same topics. Before they come to conclusion and thrust their conclusion on our students, let us work out some thing in our context and see how far ICT can be helpful to empower our students. Indian Universities should not be left behind in this research and development.

•	Traditional teaching methods have become obsolete. It is no longer yielding better results in TELL. It is the urgent need of the hour to find out better ways to use ICT and make teaching-leaning effective.

•	Are our teachers equipped for this new wave? Is our infrastructure suitable for extensive use of ICT? To what extent? What need to be done?

Interdisciplinary relevance:

•	This research can be useful for all the discipline of social sciences and humanities. •	It is in fact convergence of technology and education.

•	It deals with synergism of computer technology and TELL.

•	This research project has profound relevance for interdisciplinary teaching and learning. Its outcome can bring paradigm shift in the way things are taught and will be taught.

Review of Research and Development in the Subject:

•	International status: This research project will make significant contribution the international knowledge on ICT and education.

Internationally, all the renowned universities and educationists are engaged in research and development in how to make effective use of ICT for improving & empowering education system. Worldwide, thousands of conferences and seminars are held in search of best ways in which ICT can be used for TELL. This research also aims at such a lofty idea. What these international projects will do, may be true from their perspectives, what we will find here will be for out education system. •	National Status: 

Indians have proved their mettle as an intellectually powerful nation of the world. Thanks to IT technocrats and software engineers working in multinational IT companies. But still out education system is not coping with the moving trend. Foreign universities are eyeing entry into India. They are well equipped with IT facilities to woo our students. If our universities/colleges do not want to succumb to this foreign invasion, they should revolutionize their education system with the help of ICT. It is right time to do some research and development and establish a system where we make effective use of ICT and with that empower our teachers and students for international competition. This research project strives to labor in this direction. Its outcome will be of immense use in changing the way we look at our education system.

•	Significance of the study: •	This research project will have tremendous significance on education, in general and in TELL, in particular. •	Hypothetically, we believe that teaching English language and literature is not cup of all English teachers. Neither are all of them efficient to teach. Even with the degrees of Ph.D. or NET clearance certificate, they fail to teach English language and literature effectively.

•	Use of ICT can help us overcome this hurdle. Say for instance, teaching English language requires high level proficiency over pronunciation, stress, intonation and phonetically correct language. Which most of Indian teachers fail to possess. The use of language labs, pre-recorded CDs, etc can help overcome this problem. Similarly, teaching foreign literature is also one of the hardest nuts to crack. The cultural difference makes it more difficult. In such a given situation, not all teachers are well read and well travelled all over the world that they can teach their students with great efficiency. Here again, use of ICT in form of DVDs of Encyclopedia, internet resources, graphical presentations, audio books, movie clips etc can be of tremendous help.

•	 Our experiment with this sort of teaching to various groups of student community will, we hope, give us some substantial results.

(iii) Objectives:

•	To fulfill XI plan period thrust area on more access, inclusiveness, ICT integration, quality and excellence in higher education.

•	To make maximum use of ICT to empower and develop proficiency of teachers and students community.

•	To maximize use of computers, internet & multimedia resources in TELL.

•	We are expecting to reach at some teaching methodology where in a good combination of traditional approach and modern technique synergize to give us better options in TELL.

•	To expose teacher and students to e-libraries, e-resources, e-information and make them free from close-minded outlook towards education and life.

•	To share and extend experience of using the Internet in English language teaching in order to increase the effectiveness of the teaching/learning process.

•	To facilitate the exchange of information and networking among teachers and trainers interested in using information technologies in their teaching.

•	To exploit the potentials of teachers and develop their training skills with the help of web resources like WikiEducator.org.

(iv) Methodology :

•	Pragmatic approach

•	This research project proposes to work in following method:

o	To make study of the curriculum of English taught in commerce, management, Language and literature of various colleges and Universities.

o	To prepare modules of incorporating ICT in their curriculum.

o	To organize workshop of English Teachers dealing with these topics. These teachers will be given ready made modules and their suggestions will be included in it.

o	These teachers will then deal with the topics with the help of multimedia, internet and web-resources.

o	Questionnaire will be filled at the end of workshop and after teaching these modules to assess the outcome of this pragmatic approach.

o	The questionnaires will help us to know the pitfalls in the method and it will be overcome in next workshop.

o	By this way, we plan to evolve a method which can be suitable to our students and can help in developing their proficiency as well as empower our teachers. •	During workshops we will make extensive use of camera shooting. These shots will be analyzed openly to improve mistakes. This is essential to develop proficiency in speech.

•	 Establish common platform at WikiEducator.org. to develop e-resources which can be used by teachers and students. It will be freely accessible by one and all. So we also take a step in the direction of copyright to free access realm, which is of great importance to third world countries.

(v) Year-wise Plan of work and targets to be achieved


 * First 3 Months: Selection of curriculum of colleges and teachers. To establish rapport wit them and orient them regarding this research project.


 * 4 to 18 months: Workshops of teachers and teaching. Teaching English to commerce, business management and literature students with resources developed in the workshop. Survey of the effect of new method of teaching and its analysis.


 * 19 to 24 months: Analysis of Questionnaire. Survey of success rate of the research project. Report writing and submitting report in book form to UGC.

(vi) Details of collaboration, if any intended – N.A.

9. Financial Assistance required

Item Estimated Expenditure

(i) Books and Journals:

Give tabular list of books and journals required and its estimated cost.

Item Estimated Expenditure
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'''ii. Equipment, if needed:'''

Give tabular list of books and journals required and its estimated cost.

Item Estimated Expenditure
{| width=75% class="wikitable sortable" ! width=25% | Equipmets ! width=25% | Justification ! width=25% | Approximate Price



'''iii. Field Work and Travel:'''

Give lump sum amount.

'''iv. Chemicals and glassware and Softwares:'''

Item Estimated Expenditure
{| width=75% class="wikitable sortable" ! width=25% | Chemicals / Glassware / Software ! width=25% | Justification ! width=25% | Approximate Price

v. Contingency ( including special needs) :

Give lump sum amount.

Overhead charges - 10%. (These charges are for college/university resources utilised for the research project.)

Total:

9. Any other information which the investigator may like to give in support of this proposal which may be helpful in evaluating.

 * This research project is framed in accordance to UGC XI plan approach Paper.

•	The thrust area of UGC XI plan approach Paper relates to the same five goals of access to higher education (reflected in enrolment ratio), equal access to socially and economically disadvantaged groups or inclusiveness, and quality and excellence, relevance and value oriented education.

•	Access: More students need to be enrolled. From 9% intake to 15%. This is possible only through web-based learning. Because its difficult to increase infrastructure, man-power etc at such a pace and it also will require more monetary investment, which may not be afforded by State Government. The easiest solution is to do research work on how ICT can help in teaching-learning, and if effective implementation of such network is possible, it can help in more intake with less investment on man-power and infrastructure.

•	Inclusiveness – disparity like inter-state, rural-urban, inter-social groups, male-female etc. The major concern for disparity in above areas is the quality of teacher, teaching content and teaching methodology, among several others. My research paper aims to solve this problem area. If through ICT we are able to develop some such methodology where in equal distribution of study material, question paper-sets, proper guidelines, access to best teachers of India form anywhere and at anytime, it can be of great help to answer disparity problem in country like ours. The point can be that how would rural people access to ICT. Today, Govt. of India is striving to connect all gram panchayats with hi-tech internet facilities. In fact, it has successfully done in Andhra Pradesh and going on in Gujarat state. •	Quality and Excellence: Relevance of Education: (a) This research project deals with promotion on skill: it aims at empowering skill of using English among students and their proficiency development.. (b) It deals with employability: this research also attempts at increasing employability of students with the help of soft skills development through developing proficiency in English.

ICT integration: Now, more than ever, moving vast amounts of information quickly and efficiently across great distances is one of the most pressing needs. With the advent of optical fibre, cellular telephony, Internet, voice over internet etc, distances have essentially disappeared in the global scenario. With the Internet, faster communication medium is available to reach large number of people at a very low cost. Through the application of information and communication technology, institutions will acquire the ability to diminish the impact of space, time and distance and spread across the country to any remote areas. Advanced technologies like computers and information technology can be used to educate large number of students at all levels of education who are useful to themselves and to the society globally. This requires the development of advanced information and communication infrastructure development envisaged and supported by EDUSAT. It also requires research in the development of innovative teaching methodology. UGC can avail infrastructure facilities. Effective use of the infrastructure lies with teachers and students. This research project endeavors to develop capabilities of teachers and students to make maximum use of infrastructure.

If we can find out how ICT can be useful in teaching language and literature, we can increase intake capacity to ‘n’ umber of times, and with least expenditure on infrastructure and salary of new recruitment of teachers we can impart quality education in the field of TELL. There wont be any problem of inconclusiveness of ST SC or OBC students also as we can enrol all the students without any merit list.

New Schemes under XI plan period:

XI plan will have ambitious schemes and programmes for taking full advantage of information technology in higher education. Efforts will be made to capitalise the benefits yielded during the X Five Year Plan and harvest newer possibilities of revitalising and empowering universities and colleges through network, e-resources, online learning, archiving of contents .Several programmes like Digital Repository, Network of colleges and universities, course wise e-content development, CEC, audio-video centres etc will be launched by UGC during XI plan period. This research project also aspires the similar sort of goals.