Certificate Program

Faculty Development Program (FDP)

Key Information

  • PROGRAM OFFERING DATE:

  • DURATION AND MODE:  Virtual Lectures: 16 weeks
    Experiential Learning: 8 weeks (available in both virtual/in-person)

  • PROGRAM FEE: ₹12,000

  • TIME COMMITMENT: 1 hour per week lecture + self-paced Learning

Program Overview

Centre for Excellence in Research, Teaching, Leadership and Innovation (CeRTLI) is a dedicated centre to promote effective research practice, enhance the teaching-learning process, and develop transformative leadership skills while emphasizing innovations to enhance the learning experience. CeRTLI seeks to nurture a culture of reflecting and innovative teaching practices by supporting faculty in adopting evidence-based pedagogical approaches, leveraging emerging technologies meaningfully in the learning environment, and engaging in professional development to foster students’ performance and academic excellence.

Centre for Excellence in Research, Teaching, Leadership and Innovation (CeRTLI) is a dedicated centre to promote effective research practice, enhance the teaching-learning process, and develop transformative leadership skills while emphasizing innovations to enhance the learning experience. CeRTLI seeks to nurture a culture of reflecting and innovative teaching practices by supporting faculty in adopting evidence-based pedagogical approaches, leveraging emerging technologies meaningfully in the learning environment, and engaging in professional development to foster students’ performance and academic excellence.

CeRTLI offers the Faculty Development Program (FDP), which is a comprehensive initiative meticulously designed to enhance educators’ competencies, equipping them with the skills and knowledge necessary to excel in their academic and professional roles. This program focuses on a student-centric approach wherein faculty will learn teaching strategies that are aligned with the needs of students, fostering their participation and improving their learning outcomes. FDP has the potential to ensure that faculty will be well-prepared to meet the contemporary challenges of academia, research, and practice by Advancing, Strengthening, Supporting, and Empowering Teaching (ASSET). Core features of the program are summarised below:

  • FDP offers a multidisciplinary approach, blending theoretical foundations with practical applications. It emphasizes advancing and strengthening teaching effectiveness through diverse and innovative pedagogical approaches. This will enable faculty to integrate diverse theoretical frameworks, instructional methodologies, and evidence-based strategies to develop, facilitate, assess, and evaluate the teaching-learning process. They will learn to navigate instructional delivery, ensuring that the pedagogical praxis aligns with the highest disciplinary standards of integrity and accountability.
  • The program aims to advance faculty competence in conducting translational research and driving evidence-based, actionable strategies to address the community’s needs. Faculty will explore implementation science and competencies required to conduct impactful population health research in a real-world scenario, contributing to improved health outcomes in communities.
  • It underscores the cultivation of mentoring and transformative leadership skills to lead with resilience in a dynamic academic landscape. This domain offers the principles and skillset essential for successful curriculum innovation, resource allocation, and building a successful academic collaboration culture while building resilience.
  • Additionally, FDP offers the opportunity to explore the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) while providing comprehensive support to faculty for its integration and application. They will gain knowledge on the integration of AI in teaching pedagogies, strategies, leadership, and research while upholding the values of trust, transparency, integrity, and responsibility.

The core objective of the program is to foster expertise in teaching, research, leadership, and innovation-enabling learners to excel in academics while adapting to the evolving educational environment and drive advancements in institutional and community development.

Eligibility Criteria

  • Early to Mid-career Faculty
  • Academic Qualification: Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.), Master of Education (M.Ed.), Master of Science (M.Sc.), and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in health, education, informatics, nutrition, health care management, or social sciences
  • Must be a full-time/ contractual/visiting faculty in a university/college or any institute (Govt/Private).

Based on the principles of Bloom’s Taxonomy, learning outcomes of the program include:

  1. Identify key concepts and terminology related to andragogy, critical thinking, and metacognition, including types of pedagogies, assessments, and evaluation methods.
  2. Outline the models and principles of adult learning, which will include: active learning, experiential learning, Bloom’s taxonomy, etc.
  3. Explore the key concepts associated with translational research and its transformation for public health and clinical medicine.
  4. Establish familiarity with different types and styles of leadership to contribute to different roles in academia: strategic, administrative, and other transformative functions.
  5. Acquaint learners with implementation science and different strategies to adapt and use evidence-based interventions in diverse settings to achieve improvement in population health.
  6. Learn the ability to mentor the students to foster their personal and academic growth.
  7. Apply Artificial Intelligence (AI) enabled technologies and strategies to enhance teaching, student engagement, and assessments.
  8. Design a comprehensive research grant proposal, communicating the value and impact of research and initiatives.
  9. Promote the culture of ethics and responsible use of AI in teaching-learning, research, and publications.
  10. Enable the use of a reference manager to organize and cite research resources to maintain the integrity and quality of scientific writings.

The program is delivered virtually which spans 6 months. It includes 4 months of virtual training and 2 months of experiential learning. FDP combines foundational learning with flexibility through elective choices. The program includes one mandatory core module (Teaching), followed by a minimum of two elective modules which can be chosen from three available domains as follows:

  • Research
  • Leadership and Mentorship
  • Education 5.0: Innovations for Educators

Online training is followed by a two-month experiential learning phase. This provides an opportunity (virtual/in-person) for faculty to apply their learning in real-world settings. The entire program includes 4 domains with 4 modules each. Each topic is delivered weekly in the form of weekly lectures, case studies, hands-on exercises, and reading material. Assessments are conducted both during and after the modules. Learners can also participate in various community outreach activities.

  • COPHI (Community of Population Health Informatics): Fortnightly interaction on our discussion forum
  • Monthly research seminar series
  • Opportunity to participate in community outreach initiatives, implementing public health/digital interventions
  • Participation in our v-INSPIRE experiential learning program that aims to enhance academic and non-academic skills of students by providing an innovative and participatory learning experience
  • Participation in our Career and Mentorship Program (CAMP) that aims to provide students an opportunity to explore career pathways in the field of public health. 
  • Opportunity to engage in hackathon/ and other innovative initiatives
  • Opportunity to participate in the National and International conferences

This is a flexible, self-paced program (including both Asynchronous and synchronous learning), with interactive teaching, through a series of weekly lectures, assignments, case studies, reading material and discussions. In addition, the program will utilize problem-based learning approaches to assess learner’s skills, knowledge and competencies. Additionally, the program offers a platform for learners to voice their opinions on the Discussion Forum and periodic seminars along with hands-on research experience.

A. Teaching

The broad topics covered under this component will include understanding the concept of adult learning theories, which play a pivotal role in designing and implementing educational programs. The program will delve into defining teaching strategies and enable the learner to diversify pedagogies by exploring different approaches for teaching, learning activities, and assignments. Emphasizing the importance of assessment and evaluation in educational decision-making, the program will also introduce the types of assessments and functions, principles of evaluation. Furthermore, learners will be acquainted with emerging educational technologies, allowing them to communicate with students in real-time and learn in ways that transcend time and location, along with a strong emphasis on active engagement of students in effective learning methods.

Module Topics Teaching and Activity
1 Adult Learnings: Models and Principles Lecture, Reading and Class Discussion
2 Teaching Strategies and Pedagogies Lecture, Reading and Class Discussion
3 Assessment and Evaluation Methods Lecture, Reading and Class Discussion
4 Enhancing Education through Emerging Technologies Lecture, Reading and Class Discussion

B. Research

The present component will provide learners with foundational knowledge in translational research, grant writing, reference management, and research ethics. Emphasizing the continuum from designing research to community impact, the domain will cover the role of implementation science in bridging the gap between evidence-based findings and innovation in real-world settings. Learners will be guided to develop a competitive grant proposal based on a structured approach encompassing critical elements while highlighting the novelty and potential impact of integrated research. They will be acquainted with an understanding of ethics core principles, responsible conduct of research and protection of participants.

Module Topics Teaching and Activity
1 Translational Research: From Findings to Community Impact Lecture, Reading and Class Discussion
2 Grant Writing: A Practical Guide Lecture, Reading and Class Discussion
3 Navigating Reference Management: A Hands-on Compilation Lecture, Reading and Class Discussion
4 Understanding Ethics in Research Lecture, Reading and Class Discussion

C. Leadership and Mentorship

Under the current domain, learners will explore the significance, various styles, and principles of leadership essential for achieving excellence in academics and research. They will be introduced to mentoring and its types, which are emphasized to foster personal, academic, and professional growth of the mentee. Another component that plays a pivotal role in articulating vision, resolving conflicts, and providing feedback strategies is effective communication, which is a key focus of the domain. Additionally, the program will address the need for resilience building among faculty and its relevance in enhancing well-being, emotional strength, sustained motivation, and leadership potential within the academic realm.

Module Topics Teaching and Activity
1 Fundamentals of Academic Leadership Lecture, Reading and Class Discussion
2 Mentorship: Nature, Types and Evolution Lecture, Reading and Class Discussion
3 Effective Communication in Leadership and Mentoring Lecture, Reading and Class Discussion
4 Building Resilience for Faculty Well-Being: An Overview Lecture, Reading and Class Discussion

D. Education 5.0: Innovations for Educators (EIE)

The present domain is anchored in the context of the fifth industrial revolution in education (Education 5.0), wherein digital technologies and advancements play a critical role in enhancing the teaching-learning process. Beginning with an understanding of AI and generative AI is vital for effective teaching practices, content creation, and designing adaptive learning experiences. Learners will explore innovative AI-enabled pedagogical practices, emphasizing their role in promoting critical thinking and enhancing educator efficiency. This is followed by effective strategies, wherein participants will learn the application of AI in transforming traditional leadership paradigms and foster an adaptable, data-driven approach to lead the team in an academic institution. Additionally, the domain will underscore the ethical use of AI in research and publication that upholds elements: transparency, rigor, and accountability.

Module Topics Teaching and Activity
1 AI and Generative AI: Essentials for Educators Lecture, Reading and Class Discussion
2 Pedagogical Innovations based on AI-integrated Approach Lecture, Reading and Class Discussion
3 AI and Educational Leadership Lecture, Reading and Class Discussion
4 Research and Publication Ethics in Era of AI Lecture, Reading and Class Discussion

  • Grasp the insights of traditional and innovative AI-enabled pedagogies and strategies for effective teaching, learning activities, and assessments
  • Demonstrate the ability to lead to address the institutional challenges and opportunities within the academic context
  • Gain an understanding of translational research and bridge the gap between evidence-based findings and innovation in real-world settings
  • Acquire skills in crafting compelling grant proposals that effectively communicate project objectives and significance, enhancing their ability to secure funding.
  • Opportunity to participate in digital-based community initiatives designed to promote health
  • Opportunity to build their portfolio for furthering their career across multiple healthcare pathways
  • Guidance and Mentorship to publish their research work in peer-reviewed scientific journals
  • A certificate will be provided upon participation in the Experiential Learning, in addition to successful completion of the certificate program