Centre for Educational Innovation

School of Educational Innovation

This school has the mandate to design and develop innovative educational programs ranging from formal UG, PG and Doctoral programs to E-learning courses for a variety of learners interested in Indian medical heritage. The content of the courses may range from good clinical practice to pharmacogonosy and from bio-statistics and conservation biology to Ayurvedic nutrition and Ayurvedic veterinary practice. The school is also expected to conceive and develop strategic outreach programs on a size and scale that can have social impact.

Centre for Educational Innovation

This centre is mandated to collaborate with all the other centers in IAIM and reputed universities, research institutions in India and abroad, to design, develop and implement innovative undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral programs as well as short term and distance learning courses on the multi-disciplinary dimensions of India’s medical heritage. It has thus far organized training programs for medical college teachers, doctors, folk-healers, therapists, school-children, and foresters.

In 2009, it has initiated a Phd program on trans-disciplinary research

Achievements

Institute of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine (I-AIM)

School of Education Innovation and Strategic Outreach

Center for Education Innovation (CEI)

Training center Report - March 2011

The first two years (phase 1 of Center for Educational Innovation) have been spent in curriculum development and pilot projects to test the ground for short-term courses in respect of Good Clinical Management (for doctors), therapist training for rural youth in panchakarma, training of College students in use of medicinal plants and Primary Health Care and training of village Botanists. We have also initiated pioneering doctoral programs on trans-disciplinary themes.

In next 3 years CEI will initiate pilots on E-learning. It may be appreciated that E-learning is a complex strategy and we expect to make mistakes but learn from the same and thus prepare ourselves for an E-learning era after 3 years of trial and error.

It is necessary for CEI as soon as possible to raise additional investments to strengthen the core staff strength of CEI by inducting senior levels of staff on the lines of a progressive university department of education because after 3 years in a fourth phase CEI will consider designing innovative UG & PG programs for which a lot of preparations need to be made at least 2 years in advance.

2010 - 2011
Sl No	Commitment Given	Achievement till end of March 2011	Remarks
1.	Training Centre/Finishing school The program in its full scale will train 100 doctors and 100 therapists. In the first 24 months pilot training programs will be executed on a small scale for both doctors and therapists. Full scale operations on specialized courses will start after completion of hospital infrastructure.	• Pilots for doctors and therapists completed as planned. • 70 therapists trained in 3 batches on Panchakarma therapy and basic Yoga	• Handbook prepared on the curriculum. It is probably one of the best curriculums for therapist training • The two batches were sponsored by North East Council, Meghalaya • No clear strategy developed as yet for up-scaling this program and making it self- financing.
	Innovative courses will be designed depending on user needs	• Curriculum developed for GCM and good quality resource persons enrolled as visiting faculty, for implementing the same • 20 doctors trained in GCM (Good Clinical Management Course) • A three month specialized course on “manuscriptology” completed (sharda, granthi & sanskrit scripts.) • 41 students trained in a Six month part time weekend course for college students on medicinal plants and PHC completed. • Curriculum for a PG Diploma course on Pashu-Ayurveda developed in collaboration with Tamil Nadu Agriculture and Animal Sciences University • Curriculum outline developed for Vaidya Scientists – an innovative two year Fellow program for Ayurveda college teachers. • Trans-disciplinary PhD program has been initiated • A training program was organized on quality standards for 60 no.s of small scale industry and grass root NGOs engaged in herbal enterprise	Specialized courses yet to commence as hospital infrastructure has only got completed end of 2010 and clinical operations are not yet on full scale Lessons learnt from pilots: • Need to improve future programs with better balance of clinical theory by clinicians with case studies and practical clinical exposure. • Problems of video recording of lectures for reuse in future training. • Problem of locating sufficient practice stations and incentivizing them to give quality time to the trainees for clinical exposure. • No clear strategy developed as yet for up-scaling this program and making it self- financing.
2.	An informatics facility for managing E-learning programs	• An editing studio and video cameras for recording lectures by visiting faculty under process of establishment. Will be functional by March 2011.
3.	An efficient placement and marketing cell, which will work out placements for trainees	• Not yet established
4.	A curricular development cell for a) designing specialized training modules – involving a small core staff and consultants b) developing E-learning programs for Ayurveda & Yoga clinicians	Curriculum development cell established. Thus far the cell has developed (i) Handbook for therapists. (ii) Curriculum for GCM for Ayurvedic doctors. (iii) Curriculum outline for an innovative two year fellowship program for Ayurvedic teachers in ISM colleges (iv) Curriculum developed for Pashu-Ayurveda diploma course (v) Handbook on manuscriptology published (vi) Curriculum on part time course on medicinal plants and PHC developed.
5.	A training hostel with distance learning IT aided classrooms, seminar halls, library, residential accommodation for stay and food to trainees and visiting faculty.	• Training hostel infrastructure completed
6.	A training hostel with distance learning IT aided classrooms, seminar halls, library, residential accommodation for stay and food to trainees and visiting faculty.	• Training hostel infrastructure completed

Current Activities

Current Activities 2011-2012
Sl No	Planned Deliverable 2011-12	Remarks
1.	Panchakarma therapy and basic Yoga training.	Planned to complete two batches, training at least 20 students in each batch.
2.	Course in Good Clinical Management (GCM)	To develop curriculum and materials for e-learning modules.
3.	Training program on Medicinal plants and primary health care for college students.	To train housewives, laypersons and college students. A programme for 40 college students has been initiated in a six month part time weekend course on medicinal plants and PHC.
4.	Pashu-Ayurveda diploma course	To initiate a pilot PG diploma course, in collaboration with Tamil Nadu Agriculture and Animal Science University.
5.	Trans-disciplinary PhD program	Ongoing.
6.	Basic facility for managing E-learning programs	Will be established.
7.	To launch an innovative Vaidya-Scientist program for Ayurveda teachers selected from all over India.	Initiated in March 2011