Agencies for Professional Development

Anjukrishna R (B.Ed, St.Joseph college of teaceher education for women, Ekm)

To enhance quality of education and quality of educationalinstitutions, to update educational methodology and to offer publicity to educational innovations by conducting various types of educational research every state establishes some institutes, council

In-service Education :

As required by state law, local governments are implementing teacher qualification systems and promoting in-service training for large numbers of school principals, so as to further improve school management standards.To cope with the shortage of qualified teachers, the State Education Commission decreed in 1985 that senior-middle-school teachers should be graduates with two years' training in professional institutes and that primary-school teachers should be graduates of secondary schools. To improve teacher quality, the commission established full-time and part-time (the latter preferred because it was less costly) in-service training programs. Primary-school and preschool in-service teacher training programs devoted 84 percent of the time to subject teaching, 6 percent to pedagogy and psychology, and 10 percent to teaching methods. In-service training for primaryschoolteachers was designed to raise them to a level of approximately two years' postsecondary study, with the goal ofqualifying most primary-school teachers by 1990. Secondary-school in-service teacher training was based on a unified model, tailored to meet local conditions, and offered on a spare-time basis. Ninety-five percent of its curricula was devoted to subject teaching, 2 to 3 percent to pedagogy and psychology, and 2 to 3 percent to teaching methods. There was no similar large-scale in-service effort for technical and vocational teachers, most of whom worked for enterprises and local authorities.

In service Teacher Education isClassified into Degree and Non Degree Education

Degree education includes not only the make –up education

for in-service teachers without qualified certificates but also

upgaradation for in service teachers with qualified

certificates.

Non Degree education: Continuing education of primary and

secondary school teachers.

It is divided into 2 parts:

·         Probation Period Training of New Teachers and

·         Post Training of existing teachers.

Probation Training: Formation of ardent love for education and students, familiarization with education regulations andteaching outlines, common rules on textbooks, professionalethics.

Post Training: According to present job responsibility, qualifications and parts of post requirements at higher level.

In service education helps teachers to accomplish their tasks and create conditions for promotionociations. They are as followes

SCERT (State Council of Educational Research and Training)

State council is the apex institute of the state. itcarries the responsibility of teacher education, research and evaluation.

Objectives :

It‘s objectives are :

·         To enhance quality of education by conducting various types of   educational research.

·         To improve teacher education

·         To enhance quality of educational institutions

·         To upgrade educational methodology

·         To offer publicity to educational innovations.

Role and Functions :

The Role and functions are primarily concerned with ensuring quality in respect of :

·         Planning

·         Management

·         Research

·         Evaluation and

·         Training

functions

·         To improve school - education, continuing education, non-formaleducation and special education.

·         To impart in service - training to the inspectors of preprimary tohigher secondary education.

·         To impart in service - training to the teachers from pre-primary tohigher secondary schools.

·         To make available extension - services to teacher - education -institutions and co-ordinate the same.

·         To prepare teaching aids for educational institutions.

·         To motivate teachers to undertake /investigative researchregarding content cum methodology

University Grants Commission (UGC) :

Established on 28th December, 1953, at New Delhi. UGC was given autonomy by govt. of India in 1956.

Functions :

·         It provides financial assistance to universities and colleges tomeet their requirement.

·         It extends the financial aid for the development of Universitiesand maintenance.

·         It provides a guide-line to Center and State Govt. for giving grantto a University.

·         It provides the grants for five years to establish as new Universityin the state.

·   It provides the grants for five years to start new department orany academic programme in the University but now state Concurrence is essential.

·         It encourages higher level research work and teaching activitiesby providing financial assistance.

·         It provides the grants for higher education and new programmesin the Universities and colleges.

·         It provides the fellowship for teachers and project work forUniversity and college teachers.

Teacher Education Committees :

·         To upgrade the standard of education Teacher-educationcommittees were formed consisting of seven members for twoyears duration.

·         It provides awareness of new innovations and research inteacher-education.

·         The national fellowship and teacher fellowship are granted forencouraging research and teaching work.

·         UGC provides travel grants to the university lecturers forattending international conferences and seminars.

·         Visiting professors are appointed from among the Universityprofessors for inter change programmes and delivering lectures.

·         Residential facilities for university and college teachers are alsoprovided.

·         Research associates are appointed for post doctor work.

Research :

UGC is giving substantial grants to University teachers for

conducting their own researches. In 1953-54, Ministry of Education initiated a scheme providing grants to teachers, colleges and departments of education in the Universities in order to enable them to carry out research on educational problems selected by them and approved by the central ministry. The main purpose of the scheme is to provide facilities for research which, in many instances, has been held up owing to dearth of funds. It is to be carried on by the staff of the training colleges assisted by some research fellows assigned to them and some financial facilities. Equipment is provided to facilitate the completion of the projects.

Centre for Advanced Studies (CASE) :

For the improvement of standards of teaching and research in India.UGC has set up CASE in different branches of knowledge. It selected the faculty of Education and Psychology, Baroda as the CASE in Education which functions on an all India basis and aims at raising standards of teaching and research in education. It has built up its programme in collaboration with research workers from outside

National Council of Teacher Education (NCTE) :

Kothari commission Report (1964-66) criticized TeacherEducation Programme being conventional, rigid and away from reality. Therefore it expressed the need of establishing National council of Teacher Education in order to improve the standard of Teacher Education. In September 1972, Central Advisory Board in Education accepted the said proposal which was supported by fifth National plan. Thereafter by law, Indian Education Ministry established NCTE on 21st May 1973. NCTE has got independent constitutional status since 1993.

Objectives :

·         To work especially towards planned and coordinateddevelopment of teacher-education.

·         To improve the standard and functioning of teacher-educators.

Functions :

According to the Act 1993, NCTE performs the following functions :

·         Undertake survey and studies relating to various aspects ofteacher-education and publish the results.

·         Making recommendations to the center and Stat governmentUniversities, the U.G.C and other institutions in the preparationof plans and programmme‘s in the field of teacher education.

·         Coordinating and monitoring teacher education and itsdevelopment in the country.

·         Preparing a guideline with regard to minimum qualifications forthe candidates to be employed as teacher- educators at different levels.

·         Developing norms for any specified category of courses ortraining in teacher-education, including minimum eligibilitycriterion for admission.

·         Preparing a guideline and specified requirements for starting newcourses and programmes under teacher education.

·         Developing a guideline for general teacher-educationprogramme.

·         To advise central government on matters like teacher – education(in building pre-service / in-service training), evaluation of thecurricula for teacher -- education and periodical review withrespect to revision of curricula.

·         To advise state governments on any matter of their concern.

·         To review the progress of plan of teacher- education, submittedby central / state governments.

·         To advise the government on ensuring adequate standards inteacher - education.

·         To give approval to teacher - education institutions.

·         To lay down norms for maintaining standards of teachers education.

·         Promoting innovations and research studies and organize themperiodically or annually.

·         Supervising the teacher education programmes and providingfinancial assistance.

·         Enforcing accountability of teacher development programmes inthe country.

·         Preparing a programme for in-service teacher education fororienting teachers for latest development.

NCTE functions through the following standing committees :

·         Pre – Primary, primary teachers‘ education committee.

·         Secondary college - teacher education committee.

·         Special education - teacher education committee.

·         In-service - teacher - education committee.

Activities of NCTE are with respect to :

·         Research - Extension services.

·         Development programmes.

·         Training.

·         Evaluations.

·

NCERT - National Council of Educational Research and

Training :

Ministry of Education of Indian Government established NCERT in 1961. NCERT is an autonomous - organization, working as an academic wing of the Ministry of Education. It assists the said ministry in the formulation and implementation of its policies and programmes in the field of Education. It is expected to encourage student teachers and teacher educators to conduct educational research. In order to fulfill these main objectives, it has established

National Institute of Education (NIE) at Delhi and 4 regional colleges of education at Ajmer, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar and Mysore.It also works in collaboration with the departments in the states, the universities and institutes, following objectives of school education. It also maintains close-contact with similar national and international  institutions throughout the world. It communicates results of its researches to a common man by publishing books and journals.

Objectives :

·         To launch, organize and strengthen research works in variousaspects of education.

·         To arrange for pre-service and in-service training at the higherlevel.

·         To publish necessary textbooks, journals and other literature forachieving the objectives.

·         To organize extension centers in training institutes with thecooperation of state governments and extend facilities pertainingto new methods and technologies among them.

·         To establish a National Institute of Education and manage for thedevelopment of research and higher training for educationaladministrators and teachers.

·         To provide guidance and counselling services on a large scale.

Functions

·         NCERT organizes / conducts various programmes with respect toResearch, Development, Training, Extension-services, publishingstudy - material, and evaluation.

·         It aims at qualitative improvement of school - education.

·         It aims at qualitative improvement of school - education ratherthan quantitative expansion.

·         It wants to make our education relevant to national objectivesand social needs.

·         Besides researches conducted at NIE, NCERT offers financialaid to research projects of the teachers.

·         It also organizes summer Institutes to school teachers and teacher -educators for attaining their professional growth. Through thesemeasures NCERT wants to achieve qualitative improvement inEducation.

·

DIET

DIET or 'District Institute for Education and Training' are district level educational institutes which have been established in each district of India by the Indian government. This helps in cordinating and implementing government policies at district level.

Objectives

DIETs have been established as centres of guidance for educational institutes and schools of a district. It also works as a platform for research and experimental work in educational domain. It also organizes programmes to train teachers for new innovations.

FUNCTIONS

·         As Teacher Education is a continuous process it cannot be classified as pre-service and in-service.If DIETs/CTEs are fully equipped with both human and material resources the quality of education at district level can be raised.

·         If appropriate facilities are available in the DIETs/CTEs to train adult eduction workers and elementary school teachers UEE can be achieved.

·         DIET will integrate both formal and informal agency of elementary education so as to ascertain and ensure equal level or standard,

·         DIET/CTE will also coordinate its functions with the functions of other district level departments who have active role for the cause of elementary education in terms of monitoring.

·         DIETs/CTEs also have to perform evaluation, liaison with the higher authorities, formulate plans and related primary education to secondary education.

·         Regular monitoring of the learning imparted in schools and evolving monitoring mechanism with local specific inputs.

·         Evaluating several schemes and programmes introduced/implemented by the department. This calls for different abilities. i.e., collection of the data (quantitative and qualitative) compilation of data, analysis-inference, reporting etc.

·         Coordination with the various agencies involved in the promotion of elementary education.

·         Interacting with various projects and implementing new-projects, building & developing the capacity of the community.

·         Practicing a participatory approach in all programmes and trainings conducted.

·         Conducting various exams called Departmental examination of KPSC,Commerceexams,Hindi and music exams.

·         It acts as a nodal agency of centralised admission of B.Ed., and D.Ed., courses.

SIET

The state Institute of Educational Technology, SIET was constituted by Government of India in all the State with an intention to promote the level of learning and also to educate the student’s with the help of Radio and Television. SIET Kerala is the latest in the array of 7 SIET’s in the Country. Department of Education, Ministry of Human Resources Development, Government of India. SIET Kerala was constituted under the Travancore Literary Scientific and Charitable Societies Act 1951 on 08.09.1999 as an autonomous society with register No. T. 1373/99. It works as an agency under the Department of Education, Government of kerala. It is responsible for the planning, research, production and evaluation of educational schemes to generate teaching technologies and learning process in the modern context. The institute has adopted itself to play a catalytic role in fostering as well as supporting and supplementing the educational movement in the state particularly in the arena of Primary education. Its area of operation covers the preparation of video / audio programmes for the children of 5 to 17 years of age (Class 1 to Class 12) and the teachers in the regional language in the form of supportive factor for the conventional class room teaching.

FUNCTION

·         Production of Educational/ Enrichment programmes for telecast / Broadcast through TV/Radio and communication through CD/DVD

·         Designing and production of teaching aid To administer the Educational Technology programmes and assignment of work to agencies in both Govt. and Non – Govt. Sector

·         Imparting training to production personnel and teachers

·         conduct research and evaluation of new media education materials

Professional Organisations - Participation in Seminars and workshops

v  Seminars are basically arranged to discuss current issues and problems or to share ideas. A seminar is a small group discussion in a formal setting with clear agenda. In a seminar a speaker present a theme or a set of papers and it is discussed by all those who participate.

The chairman/chairperson of the seminar guides, directs, coordinates and organizes the discussion in a systematic manner in order to optimize time, resources and get more benefits. In a seminar, teachers can discuss problems regarding admission, staff, development, evaluation, new idea of teaching or relevant innovations etc. In a seminar a teacher may contribute a paper or an idea, constructively criticise or review a conventional approach.

A seminar can also be organized by a group of teachers. The required resources of a seminar are finance, facilities to sit and discuss facilities to present. The agenda of seminar to be discussed earlier the general themes to be discussed, dates and time need to be communicated to participants giving adequate time for preparation including the date, time, and theme presentation.

All the papers received for presentation need to be classified and made available at die requisite time in the format required to facilitate clear presentation. A report of the proceedings of the seminar needs to be prepared and distributed to all the participants of different institutions for their observations and to further channelize the thoughts through certain experiments, activities or teaching.

Participating in Seminars – Step by Step Guide to Speaking

Step 1: Before you go to the seminar

• Make a decision to speak at least once during the group – even if it is only to agree

with what someone else has said.

• Get to know other group members, if possible, so you feel more at ease.

• Turn up before the start time so you have time for a chat.

Step 2: During the seminar

• Sit next to someone you find reassuring.

• Whilst other people are speaking note down points that you want to make as they

come to mind.

• Think of an example, or evidence, or an illustration to support your point or someone

else’s point.

• If you are nervous, breathe out more slowly than usual.

• Take your time when speaking.

• Make eye contact with the other students (not just the tutor).

• Be brief. When you have made your point, stop. Avoid going back over what you

have already said.

• Be clear. If something sounds confused, say something like ‘I’ll make that clearer’, or

check that people have understood.

• Speak up so everyone can hear you. If people cannot hear what you are saying, you

may have to say it all over again.

• Act confident, even if you do not feel it.

• Make sure that your body language shows that you are an enthusiastic and involved

member of the group.

Step 3: After the seminar

• Congratulate yourself on any progress.

• Keep any mistakes or stumbling in proportion – it is not the end of the world.

• Decide what you will do next time.

v Workshops:

It is generally organized by an institution or association in order to develop certain instructional materials, book, resources material, supportive material, work book etc. Workshops can be organized to develop certain skills of teachers.

Teachers could be trained in certain new laboratory skills, develop a question bank, analyse question in set different examinations and suggest reforms. A workshop could mean hard and concentrated work on the part of experienced teachers to create certain educational materials. A workshop comprises a small, selected group of teachers or experts drawn from actual working situations or related experts who theories on the activities.

Benefits of attending, workshops and seminars:

·         Sharpen your skills: Learn new ideas and approaches to make you more effective and efficient at work.

·         Meet experts and influencers face-to-face: Conferences offer the opportunity to meet business leaders and to position yourself as an expert in your field.

·         Learn in a new space: Sitting in the same chair, in the same office or in the same environment, can keep you from fresh thinking and new ideas. Breaking out of the office, sitting in a new space, can help you uncover new approaches that will grow your business.

·         Network! Good conferences offer the opportunity for you to mix and mingle, form new relationships and strengthen existing ones.

·         Explore new ways of working: Get hands-on information that is specific to your business, directly from the experts. A well run conference will help you curate new ideas to help improve your approach. Even though there is lot information on the web, conferences will cut through the clutter to deliver the best content specific to your industry.

·         Break out of your comfort zone: Conferences force you to break out of your comfort zone. Breaking out of your comfort zone is just the type of action that is necessary to break out of old ways of thinking.

·         Get greater focus: The flip side of learning new things is relearning classic techniques. Conferences create opportunities for greater focus and reflection that could help you take your business to the next level.

·         Absorb the energy of like-minded individuals: There’s nothing like being in a room of like-minded people – other people who are willing to take time away from the office to learn something new. Other people who want to “better” themselves.

·         Get access to pre-conference workshops: Pre-conference workshops offer even more learning opportunities that connect attendees in an intimate learning environment. These workshops are specific to conference themes and a great build-up to the main conference.

·         Invest in yourself: A day out of the office to sharpen your skills, is investing in yourself. It is admitting that you are worth it, that you still have things to learn and that you can get better. It is an investment in yourself, your career and your company.

·         Grow: Conferences provide a unique convergence of networking, learning and fun into a single package. A good conference forces you to grow and challenge yourself.

Published Work - Peer networking – soft skill development 

Peer networking

Peer-to-peer networking is a serverless networking technology that allows several network devices to share resources and communicate directly with each other.

Advantages

1)  It is easy to install and so is the configuration of computers on this network,

2)  All the resources and contents are shared by all the peers, unlike server-client architecture where Server shares all the contents and resources.

3)  central dependency is eliminated. Failure of one peer doesn’t affect the functioning of other peers. In case of Client –Server network, if server goes down whole network gets affected.

4)  There is no need for full-time System Administrator. Every user is the administrator of his machine. User can control their shared resources.

5)  The over-all cost of building and maintaining this type of network is comparatively very less.

Disadvantages:

1) In this network, the whole system is decentralized thus it is difficult to administer. That is one person cannot determine the whole accessibility setting of whole network.

2) Security in this system is very less viruses, spywares,trojans, etc malwares can easily transmitted over this P-2-P architecture.

3) Data recovery or backup is very difficult. Each computer should have its own back-up system

4) Lot of movies, music and other copyrighted files are transferred using this type of file transfer. P2P is the technology used in torrents.

soft skill development 

Soft skills, , are subjective skills that

are much harder to quantify. Also known as "people

skills" or "interpersonal skills," soft skills relate to the

way you relate to and interact with other people.

Examples of soft skills include:

i.                    Communicative skills.

ii..                  Thinking skills and Problem solving skills.

iii.                Team work force

iv..                Life-long learning and Information Management

v.                  Entrepreneur skill

vi..                Ethics, moral and professionalism

vii.              Leadership skills

Each of the above soft skills comprised of several sub-skills. These sub-skills are divided into two categories of implementation. The first category delineates the soft skills that every individual must have and the second category represents soft skills that are good to have. Despite the emphasis being put on the soft skills that must be present (must have), it is also encouraged to inculcate the soft skills that are good to have. All elements of soft skills must be acquired by each individual student and evaluated effectively and comprehensively..

The must have soft skills must be acquired by each and every individual in the institutions of higher learning without which, the student is regarded as incompetent in the above skill. The good to have soft skills can be regarded as the additional generic skills and a bonus to the student. If these skills are acquired by the students together with the must have soft skills.

(1) Communicative Skills

The communicative skills involve effective communication in both the national language and English language in different contexts and with different people. There are eight sub-skills under communicative skills of which three are the must have skills and five are the good to have skills. Communicative skills are an integral part of any education system either in higher education or lower education. As mentioned earlier, in many countries, basic education or primary education is mandatory and it focuses on reading, writing and ciphering. People learn to read books, write letters, figure accounts and develop skills necessary to fulfill their expected roles in their households and community. At this very level, emphasis has been given to develop the communicative skills of individual so that by the time they leave college, they are able to participate in public and community activities and decision making. What is found to be missing in the nation?s present human capital is the lack of communicative skills. The absence of good communicative skills somehow or rather has an influence on the poor presentation of their views and decisions made to gain others? confidence and respect. Communicative skills have also been greatly emphasized in the reorientation of basic education for ESD (Education for sustainable development) which is: the ability to communicate effectively (both orally and in writing). The communicative skill seemed to be one important component that lacks in the future human capital. The incompetence of the future graduates to master both languages will be a set-back to a lot of potential development and advancement of the country. Thus, this is a good time to reorientate the curriculum of higher institutions to embed communicative skills.

2. Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Skills

This skill includes the ability to think critically, creatively, innovatively and analytically. It also involves the ability to apply knowledge and understanding to new and different problems as well. For ESD to be successful, it must give people practical skills that will enable them to continue learning after they leave school, to have a sustainable livelihood and to live sustainable lives. The critical thinking skills, skills to organize and interpret data and information, skills to formulate questions and the ability to analyze issues that confront communities are greatly addressed in the reorientation of basic education in ESD. The following are some examples of skills that comply with ESD and some of these skills are similar to the ?soft skills? being emphasized in the curriculum of higher education. The ability to think about systems (both natural and social sciences).

(i)  The ability to think in time-to forecast, to think ahead, and to plan.

(ii)  The ability to think critically about value issues.

(iii) The ability to separate number, quantity, quality and values.

All the above skills are important and students will require them as adults.

3.The Skill of Team Work

The ability to work with people from different social cultural background to achieve a common goal. Students are encouraged to play their role in the group and to respect opinions and attitudes of others in the group. They are also expected to contribute to the group?s plan and coordinate the group?s effort besides being responsible to the group?s decision. This skill is also part of ESD as stated in the reorientation of basic education: the ability to work cooperatively with other people. If the future human capital can attain these skills, we can be rest assure that the future generation will collaborate ideas and cooperate a taskforce towards the well-being of the nation.

4)Life-Long Learning and Management of Information

This skill involves an effort to learn to be independent or self-regulated learning in acquiring skills and new knowledge. The ability to find and manage relevant information from various sources is also a criterion of this soft skill. Besides this, students are also expected to develop an inquiry mind and crave for knowledge. As mentioned earlier, these characteristics are equally important in ESD in order for an individual to be media literate and consumer knowledgeable. Life-long learning will enable individuals to accumulate as much knowledge and skills over the years.  The ability to manage information well will allow an individual to distinguish between good and bad, to adopt the best practices and to make sound decisions.

5) Entrepreneurship skill

The ability to seek business opportunity and develop risk awareness. It also involves being creative and innovative in activities related to business and tasks. To design and plan business propositions and the ability to be self employed.  This skill can in some ways contribute to the society if the training and practice is done for a good purpose.

6) Ethics, Moral and Professional

The ability to practice a high moral standard in professional tasks and social interaction. This skill also includes the ability to analyze ethical problems and make problem solving decisions. Having a sense of responsibility towards society is another criterion of this soft skill.

7)Leadership skill

The ability to lead in various activities and tasks. This is an important criterion in ESD for planning and implementing ideas in a group. This skill is also important to lead in discussion and make decision.

Model for implementing soft skills in higher education

 A holistic approach is used to plan and implement the soft skills among students of higher education. This approach is based on the combination of several programs and main activities; formal teaching and learning activities (include all curricular and co-curricular elements); support programs (academic and non-academic focused) and the students? campus life (students? residences and the campus surroundings). Figure 1 shows the framework for implementing soft skills among students of higher institutions. In general, the development of soft skills among the students via the formal teaching and learning activities takes two models: (i) stand alone and (ii) embedded..

 (i)  Stand Alone Subject Model

This model uses the approach of training and providing opportunities to students to develop soft skills through specific courses that are carefully planned for this purpose. Usually, these subjects are offered as university courses (such as English language, entrepreneurship, etc) and elective courses (such as public speaking, critical thinking, etc). The courses in this category are often a part of the overall requirements that make up the program. The number of courses and credits in this category depends on the curriculum design and the requirements of the program. The stand alone subject model can also be initiated by encouraging students to sign-up several additional courses which can be accumulated to be a minor course which is different from the initial program signed-up. For example, a student who is pursuing an engineering program is encouraged to take minor courses in management or mass communication. However, such an approach will require an increase in the number of credits and time spent for the particular program.

(ii) Embedded Model

This model uses the approach of embedding the soft skills in the teaching and learning activities across the curriculum. It does not require the student to take special courses as in the stand alone subject model. Instead the students are trained to master the soft skills through various formal teaching and learning activities that are planned and carried out using specific strategies and methods. In this way, the content and learning outcomes to be achieved for the respective courses are maintained. The learning outcomes related to the soft skills will be integrated and be part of the learning outcomes of the respective courses. This is the suggested model to be implemented in all the courses for the different programs in institutions of higher learning. Each element of soft skills is spelled out in the learning outcomes and then translated into the instructional plan for the semester. This is followed by implementing several teaching and learning activities such as questioning, class discussion, brain storming, team work, presentation, role play and simulation, task/project, field work and site visits.

In general, the development of soft skills using the embedded model requires the expertise of the lecturers to use the various teaching strategies and methods that are entirely student-centered. It also involves active teaching and learning and students should participate actively in the activities. Some of the appropriate strategies and methods that are practical include (i) learning by questioning, (ii) cooperative learning, (iii) problem-based learning (PBL), (iv) e-learning.

(iii) Combination of Stand Alone Subject Model and Embedded Model

Each of the respective models described above has its weaknesses and strengths. From the framework, planning, implementing and assessment, the stand alone model is definitely at an advantage. This is because the course or subject is specially developed to assist students to acquire the soft skills. However, this model lacked the opportunity for students to develop and acquire soft skills as integrated with other knowledge and skills in the major discipline studied. The existing number of credits for the respective program is also a constraint for students to sign-up for additional courses on soft skills.

On the contrary, the framework, planning, implementing and assessment of the embedded model are more challenging than the stand alone model. This model requires the lecturers to master specific teaching and learning skills and then apply these skills in teaching the respective core courses for the specific program. However, when carefully planned and used the appropriate teaching and learning strategies, this model is more effective in developing and acquiring the soft skills as integration with the other knowledge and skills in the program. In addition, this model does not require any additional courses to the already existing courses of the respective program.

Based on the weaknesses and strengths discussed, the higher education institutes are encouraged to use the embedded model as compared to the stand alone model. This is because the embedded model focus on student centered learning such experiential learning, problem-based learning and gives students the practical experience as well.

Development of soft skills through support program

This involves programs and activities that are created, developed and used to support soft skills either directly or indirectly. In general, the program and activity can be divided into two: (i) academic support program and (ii) non-academic support program.

The academic support program is to help students acquire the soft skills that are associated with academic matters. Some of these programs include Learning Skills and English Language Support Program (ELSP).

As for the non-academic support program, it assists students to acquire the soft skills that are not related to academic matters but more of personality and professional development of the students. Most of the programs and activities are in the form of co-curriculum and extra co-curriculum.

The development of soft skills through Campus Life Activities.

Most of the university students spend half of their students life living in residences in the university campus. As such, institutions of higher learning should use this golden opportunity to develop their soft skills. This can be done through carefully crafted programs and carrying them out in the conducive campus grounds.

How can you develop soft skills

1) Develop communication skills. Your goal should be to communicate clearly through written, oral, and nonverbal communication. Start simply by being aware of how others feel when they are around you or are talking with you.

·         Make eye contact. Acknowledge someone else's presence by looking them in the eye, especially if they just walked into the room or you pass them in a hallway. Look at them when they are talking to you. Do not let your eyes wander around the room.

·         Monitor your body language. Show interest by sitting up and leaning forward. Resist the urge to tap your fingers or foot. Mimic the posture of the person with whom you are talking to create a comfortable environment.

2) Practice speaking. This includes both public speaking and conversational speaking. Be conscious of your pace and volume when speaking. If you are uneasy in personal relationships, practice with a close friend or family member. If you are nervous about speaking in public, volunteer to give presentations within a smaller group and work your way up to a larger one.

·         Develop your writing skills. Proofread your emails, letters, and notes. Learn correct spelling and word usage. Vary your sentence structures. Be concise instead of elaborate.

·         Practice active listening skills. Listening requires focus and self-discipline. We listen for many different reasons: to understand instructions, to empathize with another individual, or to judge whether a plan is good or not. Regardless of the reason you are listening, there are several things to keep in mind.

·         Paraphrase and ask questions to learn more about what someone is telling you. This demonstrates interest and focus. It also helps you understand the situation.

·         Take notes when appropriate. This shows that the subject matter is important to you. Practice taking notes in team meetings or staff training sessions.

·         Do not interrupt other people. Respect them by letting them finish saying what they are saying.

·         Pay attention to the other person's body language. Observe their posture, tone of voice, eye contact (or lack thereof), gestures, and facial expressions.

3)      Build relationships. Interpersonal skills are important in the workplace, especially since so many organizations are designed around teams and departments. Seek to build friendships with peers, supervisors, clients, and business partners.

·         Befriend colleagues. Greet them when they get to work. Invite them to lunch or coffee. Talk for a few minutes in the break room as you are getting a drink. Participate in work events like softball clubs, staff lunches, and training days. Stay away from gossip. It only destroys relationships.

·         Learn to manage conflict in a healthy way. Address issues with the individual(s) involved in a private manner. Approach the discussion in a nonjudgmental, but assertive manner. Ask questions and try to understand their side of the story. Work together to find a solution.

·         Network with people inside and outside your organization. Ask people about their jobs. Share a bit about what you do. Note connections and ways you could potentially help each other. Exchange contact information and be sure to follow up with them.

4)      Practice leading. Leadership is simply influencing other people. As such, leadership skills can be used by any employee at any level in the organization.

·         Observe your own supervisor and note how that individual leads your team. Find positive things that person does and emulate them in your own work.

·         Practice leading in small group discussions by asking your teammates questions and bringing quieter members into the conversation.

·         Set the example for others by displaying a positive attitude in difficult situations. Remain calm in moments of crisis. Talk about concerns one-on-one with your supervisor instead of in front of the entire team

5) Take initiative. Demonstrate responsibility and enthusiasm for your job by striving to go the extra mile. This starts by finishing work without constant reminders from your supervisor.

·         Do tasks without being asked by someone else. Look around, see what needs to be done, and do it. If a coworker has a large project and you have some time on your hands, volunteer to help.

·         Seek more challenging work. Strive to develop your technical skills. Learn more about your organization. Ask a coworker about their department. Take a class, read a blog, or subscribe to a magazine in your field of work.