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Welcoming the guests and formally kick-starting the event, Chitkara University Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Madhu Chitkara, said, "Chitkara University is proud to host Global Week, Season 10. For our students, we are committed to supporting a diverse community of faculty scholars who make a difference in their fields, inspire in the classroom and add value through international exposure."
Turning mirrors into windows
Enda Soostar, Professor, Georgian College, Canada, was impressed with the enthusiasm and knowledge base of the students as she taught them a module on the 'current issues in HR' from the Canadian perspective. Soostar comments, "The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows. It's amazing to see the emphasis Chitkara University lays on inquiry-based learning and inculcating early researcher skills among its students. Thanks to the University's outlook towards internationalization (with events like Global Week), and quick transition from an inward gazing scientific culture to one increasingly characterized by external engagement, their excellence in education speaks for itself."
Calling Chitkara University an 'open-minded and progressive' educational establishment, Haider Al-Saich, Professor, Applied Computer Education Department, Red River College, Canada, comments, "Chitkara has been a pioneer in educating tomorrow's visionaries, imparting cutting-edge education and leading a broad range of initiatives that validate the transformative power of the student's career."
As for the Chitkara University students, they admit that they are attracted to the presence of foreign faculty, but also bear testimony to the quality of classroom experience. Students are constantly asked questions and encouraged to speak. The Global Week is a 'game-changer to the University experience', according to students. Talking about his teaching style, Andrew Quinn, Lecturer, School of Engineering Built Environment (SEBE), Glasgow Caledonian University, Scotland, said, "I gauge the level of interaction constantly by asking questions and seeking suggestions from the students, and interspersing my lectures with visual aids. I build on concepts from fundamentals with the help of inputs from the students themselves, assigning group-exercises and role-plays, or presentation of a case analysis."
"The advantages we bring to the table for students are cross-disciplinary studies, and they also have the option of an American experience during the Global Week," pitched in Associate Lecturer James B. McPhaul. "For students who can't go to America, we re-create the learning experiences here," adds the Director of Small Business Development Center at University of Wisconsin-Parkside, Kenosha, WI. In his opinion, Chitkara University students are very eager to learn and so very coachable. The 'Global Week effect', he describes, in the famous words of John Updike, American novelist and literary critic, "You cannot help but learn more as you take the world into your hands. Take it up reverently, for it is an old piece of clay, with millions of thumbprints on it."
From sage on the stage, to guide on the side
"The best minds in the education sector from across the world, all under one roof, at the same time! Imagine how amazing would the learning experience be for all of us, including students," exclaimed Dr. Henning Hummels, Lecturer, Frankfurt School of Finance and Management, Germany. "It's what you learn after you know it all that really counts! The highlight of this visit," he adds, "was the intellectual exchange between faculties from all over the world. Every man I meet is my master in some point, and in that, I learn from him."
Roro Retno Wulan, Professor, Mass Communication, Telkom University, Indonesia, feels, "Rigid curricula and the absence of adequate skill development due to lack of information on global industry needs, tends to hold us back sometimes. The Global Week infuses fresh viewpoints from different cultures and value system." She adds, "In an increasingly globalized world, and with the expansion of higher education provision in emerging economies, education institutions need to develop a strong brand to ensure they remain competitive in attracting students, and international partners."
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