Methods of teaching in higher education
Methods range from teacher-centred (lecture, demonstration) to learner-centred (discussion, projects, case study), offered offline or online through SWAYAM, SWAYAM PRABHA and MOOCs.
Teacher-centred vs learner-centred
| Point | Teacher-centred | Learner-centred |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Covering content | Building understanding and skills |
| Teacher's role | Expert and presenter | Facilitator and guide |
| Learner's role | Listens, takes notes, memorises | Explores, discusses, does |
| Examples | Lecture, demonstration, team teaching | Discussion, seminar, project, case study, problem-solving, role play, flipped classroom |
| Best for | Large classes; new information quickly | Higher-order thinking, application, attitudes |
Methods and the names linked to them
| Method | Linked name | Key idea |
|---|---|---|
| Project method | W.H. Kilpatrick | A purposeful task in a real-life setting; learning by doing |
| Heuristic method | H.E. Armstrong | The learner finds out for oneself, like a discoverer |
| Programmed instruction | B.F. Skinner | Small steps, active response, immediate feedback, self-pacing |
| Dalton plan | Helen Parkhurst | Individual assignments done at the learner's own pace |
| Brainstorming | Alex Osborn | Many ideas fast; no criticism while ideas are generated |
Online learning in India
| Initiative | What it is | Run by |
|---|---|---|
| SWAYAM | National MOOC platform: free courses from school to postgraduate level, with credit transfer | Ministry of Education, with national coordinators |
| SWAYAM PRABHA | DTH channels telecasting educational programmes round the clock | Ministry of Education; uplinked from BISAG-N, Gandhinagar |
| NPTEL | Engineering and science courses | IITs and IISc |
| e-PG Pathshala | e-content for postgraduate subjects | UGC through INFLIBNET |
| MOOCs (global) | Open-entry, large-scale online courses | Coursera, edX and others |
SWAYAM points NET checks
- Four quadrants: e-tutorial (video), e-content (reading material), discussion forum, self-assessment (quizzes and tests).
- Learning is free; a fee applies only if you take the certification exam.
- National coordinators: NPTEL (engineering), UGC (non-technical postgraduate), CEC (undergraduate), IGNOU (out-of-school learners), NCERT and NIOS (school), IIM Bangalore (management), NITTTR (teacher training), AICTE (self-paced and international).
- Blended learning mixes online and face-to-face; a flipped classroom moves the lecture home and the practice into class.
NET asks you to classify methods as teacher- or learner-centred, match methods to their proponents, and expand or describe SWAYAM, SWAYAM PRABHA and MOOCs, often with the SWAYAM coordinators.
Typical MCQ: “Expand SWAYAM.” Study Webs of Active-Learning for Young Aspiring Minds: India's free national MOOC platform.
Typical MCQ: “Which of these is learner-centred: lecture, demonstration or project method?” The project method (Kilpatrick). Learners plan and carry out a purposeful task themselves.
SWAYAM is the web (MOOCs); PRABHA means light, so think of the TV screen (DTH channels). Web vs TV.