Vocational Day, Udaipur

The team spent the day visiting businesses and institutions which were relevant to their respective vocations in the U.K.

Morning meeting before the team left for their vocational visits

Team Member: Ben Sanders
Institutions Visited: Sury Daya and Associates, Pacific University, Janardan Rai Nagar Rajasthan Vidyapeeth University

My day began with a visit to Sury Daya Associates, where I met 6 employees of the company and delivered a presentation on motivation, productivity and effective teamwork in organisations.  It was a pleasure to meet such diligent and attentive individuals who were clearly dedicated to their jobs.  A lively discussion ensued about current business practices and I offered some advice on the importance of creating an enjoyable working environment through ensuring every employee feels they are a valued member of the team.  The process of planning, execution, evaluation and setting realistic and achievable goals were also put forward and the employees appeared to find these suggestions both thought provoking and inspiring.

Ben at Sury Daya and Associates

My next stop was a visit to the Pacific University, Udaipur.  I had the pleasure of meeting with the Vice-Chancellor followed by Prof. Krishna Kant Dave, Director of Pacific Institute of Management & Technology.  Prof. Dave kindly gave me a tour of the campus together with a demonstration of the Universities teaching facilities and computing facilities.  I was privileged to sit in and observe two undergraduate classes one teaching computational mathematics, the other teaching business studies.  My observations concluded that teaching methods in Indian and UK institutions vary considerably, each bringing with them a number of advantages and disadvantages.  The two lectures were delivered in a fashion similar to that found in UK secondary schools using a blackboard and chalk with the lecturer writing every conceptual detail on the board for students to copy verbatim.  The only concern with this approach is that different learning styles are not accommodated (i.e. Visual, Aural, Read/write, Kinaesthetic).  I explained the use of various learning technologies (podcasts, lecture support materials to name but two) at Plymouth University and the benefits this brought to the student learning experience. 

The hours of teaching significantly differ between the two countries.  Students are taught from 9am-5pm, Monday to Saturday (6 day week) with a pre-defined lunch hour.  Furthermore, students are provided with uniforms (shirts, ties and trousers), analogous to a school uniform in the UK.  When asked, Prof. Dave explained that the regulation of uniforms encourages students to be dedicated to their studies and view their time at University as a job.  To this end, from my observations and discussions with students it was clear that these young people were extremely dedicated to their studies and thirsty for knowledge.  Moreover, there is a great deal of respect for teachers in India with students in a class room standing when an academic enters the room, followed by a unanimous “Good morning Sir/Madam” – a very different perspective to University education!

I enjoyed a delicious lunch with the Deanery, Vice-Chancellor and other dignitaries and discussed some of my wonderful experiences in India.  Having established many similarities in undergraduate and postgraduate courses offered, I put forward a proposal of a long term collaboration between Pacific University and Plymouth University and the benefits to our respective students.  The proposal was welcomed and we hope an exchange collaboration can be forged in the near future.

Ben at a meeting with the Vice-Chancellor and Director at Pacific University

Following the fantastic experience and success of my visit to the Pacific University, impromptu arrangements were made for a visit to Janardan Rai Nagar Rajasthan Vidyapeeth University and meet Vice-Chancellor Prof. Divya Prabha Nagar.  It was a fantastic opportunity to meet Prof. Nagar and learn about the various courses, teaching methods and facilities at Janardan Rai Nagar Rajasthan Vidyapeeth University.  I took the opportunity to put forward an offer of collaboration between our respective Universities which was welcomed by the Vice-Chancellor.

Ben with Vice-Chancellor Prof. Nagar

The aforementioned vocational visits proved to be invaluable experiences.  Many interesting and informative discussions took place and new friendships forged.  In addition, there is now a possibility that  many more students could reap the same cultural and academic benefits as I have during my time in India.