Meeting the Demands of Higher Education
#newspaperinlearning
Writerly Academics with Professional Readiness
Writing – the Basis of ‘Academic Capital’
Well, this blogpost intends to address a huge pressing demand in academia - expected of academics – students and professors in the field of higher education.
And the spur behind this post is a host of advertisements in today’s English-language dailies.
I was flipping through the pages of The Hindu and The Times of India this morning, when I stumbled upon a host of advertisements that had given a call for ‘Recruitment for the Post of Assistant / Associate Professors’ in various reputed College / Universities across India.
One advertisement from Velammal Engineering College, Chennai in today’s ToI, has a Call for Recruitment of Assistant Professors in English.
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And these are their expectations –
A “First Class” or equivalent at either the Bachelor’s or Master’s level with an “exemplary academic/achievement record throughout” one’s career.
Interestingly, the recruitment process places a high value on measurable research output - research and scholarly publications.
The first thing they look out for is the candidate’s publication count - a minimum of six to seven research publications in SCI journals, Scopus, or the UGC-CARE approved list of journals.
Secondly, the candidate’s research orientation, wherein prospective candidates are expected to have a strong research orientation and the ability to mentor students in academic writing and communication.
Beyond their degree certificates, the college expects certain Desired Skills and Attributes from the ideal candidate, as follows –
the candidate should have expertise in Professional Communication with proven ‘Certificates’ to back their credentials. Given the fact that it is an engineering college, there is an emphasis on Business Communication and Technical English.
This apart, the candidate should contribute to the institution through a passion for participating in Faculty Development Programs (FDPs), global conferences, and contributing to the ‘culture of innovation.’
Finally, strong technical knowledge and effective teaching abilities are assessed during the interview process, which include an assessment of the candidate’s soft skills.
PSG College of Arts and Science, Coimbatore has also given a Call for the Post of Assistant / Associate Professors in English and in other subjects.
They have foregrounded the following skills from the ideal candidate –
Surprisingly, a lot of emphasis has been accorded to the candidate’s research and analytical Skills. Since mid-to-senior level academic roles require research leadership, the College has emphasised on the following –
A strong track record of publishing in SCOPUS, Web of Science, or UGC-CARE listed journals.
The ability to design studies, conduct independent research, and analyse both qualitative and quantitative data effectively.
The skill to draft compelling grant proposals and secure funding for departmental research initiatives.
Familiarity with online learning platforms (Moodle, Blackboard, Canvas) and developing MOOCs or digital content.
Exceptional verbal and written communication skills to articulate complex ideas clearly to a diverse audience.
Adapting methods to suit heterogeneous classrooms containing students from both English and non-English medium backgrounds.
Patents are yet another requirement expected in PSG College.
SRM University, Nirma University, VIT University, have all asked for the same rubrics while posting their call for recruitments.
Well, this trend seems to foreground the one great expectation of a good academic in the realm of higher education: Writing!
Writing is indeed considered fundamental and paramount to higher education because it is considered the basis of academic capital.
Human thought is often non-linear and chaotic. Writing hence helps in organsing one’s thoughts into a coherent, logical and linear manner.
In this regard, publications are the quantifiable objective metrics used by academic institutions to measure a person’s impact.
Moreover, academic writing provides proof of ‘continuous learning’ - showing that the student or the educator is an active contributor to their field, by constantly upgrading and updating themselves.
For students, writing is the ‘laboratory’ where they cultivate the practice of becoming scholars.
One reason why, in their ‘Academic Writing’ Classes, we always exhort our students on the two essentials skills for a good academic writing – to argue and to analyse!
To argue is to prove with evidence! Academic writing teaches students that an opinion is not an argument. They must learn to find evidence, cite sources, and respond to counter-arguments - skills that are essential for any high-level career.
To analyse is to synthesise! One reason why a student’s academic writing is expected to take at least 15 to 20 different sources to defend their argument, and weave them all into a single, coherent narrative.
The ability to write clearly and convincingly is what separates a distinguished scholar from the mediocre learner!
One majorly reason why a writerly academic is in great demand in the higher echelons of academia!
Such writerly academics are - in one phrase - professionally-ready or professionally competent to meet the challenges and the demands of academia, feel the statutory academic bodies like UGC and AICTE!
In this regard, I am so happy to note that some of our students – past and present – have taken to writing and publishing consistently in the past few years. To them, writing is the basis of academic capital!
May your tribe increase!
PS: You may want to read our past post on Sharpening Oneself HERE.
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