Making Education Accessible – One Step at a Time
“The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles, but to irrigate deserts.”
– Clive Staples Lewis
The modern education system has seen a plethora of changes in the past decade – from a gradual shift towards ICTs to a full blown transition from the physical to online mode. However, increasing the penetration and accessibility of new educational initiatives has been a challenging task due to various factors like differences in background, availability of resources et al. In efforts to make digital learning accessible, digital divide has often posed a problem to educators and students alike. It is not only a challenge to be tackled by educators, but also a learning setback to the students who have to depend on technology to make their educational needs met.
To make education and literacy accessible to all, educators have delved into the sphere of digital literacy that facilitates quality learning without excessive dependence on physical surroundings. Dr Vartika Nanda, a seasoned media professional, has undertaken a similar approach of teaching, wherein she not only makes education accessible to her own students – but also anyone interested in learning, irrespective of their age, background or qualification.
Dr Vartika Nanda is the head of the Journalism department at Lady Shri Ram College for Women (LSR). LSR is a prestigious college under the University of Delhi and ranks among one of the best colleges in the country. Dr Nanda has been a part of the institution for over 10 years and has been an integral part of the growth and development of the department. Along with being a media educator, Dr Nanda is an established prison reformer and the founder of ‘Tinka Tinka’ – a movement on jails to help in the reformation of inmates and improve prison life. To add to her list of achievements spanning over decades, she is the recipient of the Stree Shakti Puruskar for her contribution to women empowerment through media and literature. This is the highest civilian award for women empowerment in India. Her name has also been included in the Limca Book of Records twice for her unique work on prison reforms.
Media Literacy
Dr Vartika Nanda, through her blog, has expanded the scope of media literacy. Her blog has a dedicated column for notes and reference material that cater to the needs of students pursuing a degree in journalism and mass communication. The blog has enabled greater accessibility of reference material for students, learners as well as educators. The availability of academic resources has led to the greater good of the community through convenient distance learning. Students, in particular, have greatly benefited from the initiative by extracting knowledge from this rich resource bank.
The blog by Dr Nanda is a unique collection of notes and readings that are of great help to the students. It covers all the major media related papers from the course and has separate sections dealing with different papers. The introductory papers, namely – Introduction to Journalism (IOJ) and Reporting and Editing for Print (REP) – have detailed information about the basics of journalism. These notes are especially beneficial for students who have recently started their journey into the field of journalism. The topics covered under this particular section acquaint readers with the preliminary information that one must possess to understand journalism, and then gradually delve deeper into the core concepts and principles of journalism. For instance, the section provides a crisp and clear note highlighting the difference between an ‘article’ and a ‘feature’ – a differentiation that is of critical value for a journalist practicing in print. Other topics include – basics of social media marketing, neutrality and bias in media, inverted pyramid et al. Such notes help students in understanding the basics of journalism in a detailed manner.
Other papers, like – Introduction to Broadcast Media (IBM) and Advanced Broadcast Media (ABM) – have also been extensively covered. With broadcast media being an expertise of Dr Nanda, the blog covers several important aspects of the same in a detailed manner. Keeping in mind the role and contribution of radio in broadcast media , special attention has been given in covering All India Radio (AIR). The blog covers the trajectory of AIR and its functioning. It also talks about another important aspect of radio – community radio. The concept of community radio has been further explained in reference to the role of community radios during the fight against COVID-19.
Laws and Ethics
Being a veteran journalist, Dr Nanda realises that it would be futile to study journalism without understanding the laws and ethics that govern this profession. To help people understand this, the blog has a separate section dealing with media laws and ethics . The section has an in depth analysis of topics like freedom of expression and laws regarding television broadcasting in India. Such pieces serve as an excellent framework for understanding the laws and ethics an individual should abide by while practicing journalism.
The collection of articles and references related to journalism have also enormously helped students learn and retain new information in an efficient comprehensive manner. These notes have also been of exceptional help during semester examinations when students are always in a rush to gather reading material. Consolidation of notes at one place and digital accessibility to them has made learning easier for a large number of students who earlier had to solely rely on physical reading material which was often erratic to source.
Beyond Academics
In addition to the academic reading material, the blog by Dr Nanda also contains weekly class reports of her lectures as well as reports regarding workshops and events organised at Lady Shri Ram College for Women. These reports help in providing real time updates of the happenings in the premises of the college to the outside world. Furthermore, the blog also has a special place for the student body to share their work and experiences with a larger audience. They are encouraged to share their research work, articles and presentations that can be put up on the blog and reach other students who could learn from them. The introduction of the blog has truly led to a positive learning experience for the students and it continues to work towards improving the accessibility of quality education to all.
By Jhanvi Negi
Batch of 2023
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