Vision for Faculty Development
CBC wishes to strengthen the capacity of civil service training institutes across the country. Central government oversees around 1100 training institutes including 25 Central Training Institutes (CTIs) and 33 State Administrative Training Institutes (ATIs). The faculty at these training institutes forms the anchor for success of training of public service officials.
Faculty Development Program – Ideation
Capacity Building Commission under its efforts for building state capacity wishes to strengthen all the faculty across civil service training institutes in facilitation skills for ensuring effective learning output and in turn effective performance. The faculty in these CSTIs have a rich field experience, which is highly relevant to train officers for ensuring high performance and better delivery of public service. These faculty lack the scientific acumen of teaching effectively. This hypothesis - is validated by roundtable discussion with faculties, as well as a pilot program and its evaluation facilitated by CBC.
To ensure the fulfilment of this crucial gap, CBC has planned a two-phase intervention to build capacity of faculties across CSTIs. 60 percent of the faculty in CSTIs should be civil service practitioners, who bring the richness of their experience to their training in the training institutes. The practitioner's experiences backed by academic theories and frameworks can form the foundation for enhancing the capacity of the learners.
By training the CSTIs' faculty, they will be encouraged to:
- Utilise their experiences in civil services in the shadow of academic theory to bring the attention of their learners towards impact, and achieving positive outcomes in their service towards the nation and its citizens.
- Approach training at their CSTIs with a facilitative approach, to motivate their learners for utilizing opportunities of upgrading their skills and adapt a citizen-centric service delivery mindset.
- Conduct training based on adult learning and learning design principles to place the context of their learning which is most relatable to their learners.
- Run training programs that rely on reflection, feedback on practice and peer-driven processes for enhancing learning and co-creating contextual learning content.
- Build a body of knowledge and best practices to highlight achievements of Indian public administration as well as promote these practices for global learning.
The Two-Phase Intervention
Through the planned two-phase intervention, CBC wishes to build an internal capacity within the government ecosystem for faculty development. The faculty trained through Advanced Faculty Development Program as mentioned below will create a diverse pool of faculty with specialised skills who will continue to strengthen the CSTI network and its faculty in faculty development skills.
Mandatory Online Self-Paced Training
Duration: 3–4 hours
This online training on iGOT platform covers the theoretical aspects to understand the process of learning and teaching in a scientific manner. This level-1 training program covers associated theories and principles that help design and deliver an effective training program, as well as help appreciate the process of change through a teaching intervention.
This training program is a mandatory undertaking for any faculty being posted to a CSTI, irrespective of the nature and duration of their tenure.
Advanced Faculty Development Programs
CBC is hosting advanced faculty development programs for selected faculty members from across the CSTIs. The CSTI heads nominating faculty for these programs makes sure that the participant is a senior faculty who will continue to stay in the training ecosystem for at least another year, and will create a corresponding impact in their own institute.
Learnings from Pilot Faculty Development Programs
The pilot programs provided an on-ground understanding which will be included in devising future programs as mentioned in the strategy above.
Peer Learning & Camaraderie
Providing a space for the participants - either from the same institute or different ones - to share their challenges as a faculty facilitated the openness for camaraderie, and connect with each other as peer learners. This also facilitated the process of learning, by learning from each other.
Hands-on Experience
A hands-on experience is useful for the participants to gain insights and perspective of their peers, and to reflect upon and utilise the learnings for their own teaching practices.
Contextual Content
Contextualising the content of the program in terms of case studies referred to, or examples used is a gap that needs to be filled in the further design of these programs.
Program Elements for Advanced Faculty Development Programs
The faculty development program - either online or in physical mode ensures the 3 factors to provide maximum learning output to its participants - relevance, relatability and applicability.
Key Requirements for Effective FDPs
Ensuring that the content is relevant for the faculty of CSTIs is extremely important, and has been a constant feedback from programs which engaged experts from management institutes. The knowledge partners who will conduct further FDP for CBC and associated CSTIs will have to ensure that the context of examples utilised in the teaching program are from the Central or State government and address the issues relevant to the public administration ecosystem. Similarly, the teaching techniques, methodology or principles taught through faculty development programs should be relatable to the participants keeping in mind their context as well as the context of their learners. The faculty participating in FDP should also be able to use their learnings back at their institutes immediately after the programs, ensuring an immediate and a sustained change.