Roda Mistry goes digital

Hyderabad: The need for trained social workers was always felt in order to provide professional service in the areas of welfare and development.

Even though voluntary work and voluntary service has been a part of society since ages in the form of giving alms and charity to help the needy, professionally trained social work has emerged as a much needed profession to bridge the gap between needs and resources in the society.

Keeping this in mind, Roda Mistry College of Social Work & Research Centre (ICSW-TS), established in 1966 by the Indian Council of Social Welfare – ICSW-AP offers bachelors, diploma and post graduation degree in social work.

To upgrade with the digital society the college is stepping into digital world by digitising their classrooms to follow new style of learning and teaching.

Almost 60 per cent of the classrooms have been digitalised based upon the need of the courses states the Director of the campus, Dr Vanila Bhaskaran.

“Students learn from the practical training through various settings which is replicated in the class rooms in the form of role plays, skits and others. However, as theory is essential for practice, classroom teaching is digitalized to the extent possible and required.

The classrooms have been equipped with Over head projectors since the introduction of the same and as the technology upgraded so has been the up gradation of classrooms.

Projectors and Computers have been installed in classes which are used to present PPT’s, Prezi’s, Video Lesson, Case Studies etc. The Computer Lab is equipped with software for Computer based teaching of English, Communication skills and Personality Development”, shares Vanila.

On asking further about the pros of making teaching Prof Suma Niveditha, who is also a research-scholar says “Digitising the classroom has inevitably made the job easy as the students of social work need to be trained in empathising the situation than sympathising,

which has been made easy by showcasing real life situations through documentaries, PPT’s, case studies etc and preparing them to face similar ones in their community and organisational placements.”

“Digitalised teaching is also a challenge the teachers to familiarise themselves with the latest methods of teaching and enhancing their technical skills along with oratory and traditional classroom methodologies” she adds.

Few of the institutions that the college has been associated with over the past 5 decades, as field work training settings were International non-governmental organisations (INGO’s) like UNICEF, CARE, PLAN India,

World Vision to name a few. Other NGO’s and Institutions associated were FPAI, Child Guidance Centres, Psychaitric Units in Government Hospitals, Prisons, Juvenile Homes, IRDS, Centre for Social Development, CARPED, HCHW, THPI,

Sweekar Upkaar, NIMH, G.O.D, Nirmaan, Dhrithi, and many others including Human Resource Management Settings in MNC’s, Industries and PSU’s.

Apart from its academic programs, the college is continuously involved in research and project consultations for the Central and State Governments, NGO’s and other institutions involved in research, development and service.

It is a community of scholars of social work and social welfare.