ABSTRACT
The main theme of the chapter is to design the delivery of effective teaching and learning systems in the higher education system to meet the challenges of the 21st century. Three elements of the backdrop to the theme explained in the chapter include the context and complexity of the higher education ecosystem, the pathetic landscape of higher education in India, and the education policy robbing the autonomy of higher education institutions. It provides details of how our teaching systems do not match global standards, use outdated education technology, produce unemployable graduates, and fail to address diverse learning needs, and of how teachers are not oriented to the best learning categories and skills, with a lack of clear visibility of required maximus, etc. The chapter elaborates the broad principles of teaching using economics as an example but is applicable to all branches of teaching-learning like providing an overview of the course, drawing out the inherent creative powers of students, developing the analytical capacity of students, how to bring the course to a meaningful close, etc. It also elaborates effective methods of delivery using a variety of modes like changing from a teacher-centred mode to a student-centred mode, changing from a lecture mode to the discussion method, team teaching, joint intellectual efforts and group learning, providing the structure of questions well in advance of lectures for discussion in the class, conducting brainstorming sessions in the class, conduct of laboratory sessions etc. The chapter ends by alerting that if India wants to improve its higher education system it has to keep in view the spirit of the 21st century, “To survive we must think differently, and prepare to jettison old habits and mind sets”.
