This University equips faculty for the AI Era through transformative five-day FDP

Reaffirming its commitment to academic excellence, innovation, and continuous professional development, Apeejay Stya University (ASU), Gurugram, through the AIU–ASU Academic and Administrative Development Centre (AIU–ASU-AADC) in association with the Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC), successfully organised a Five-Day Interdisciplinary Faculty Development Programme (FDP) on “AI in Teaching Methodology in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs)”.

The programme brought together faculty members from various schools of the University to explore the transformative role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in teaching, learning, research, assessment, curriculum innovation, and academic administration. Designed with a unique blend of 60% hands-on practical learning and 40% conceptual sessions, the FDP provided participants with practical exposure to AI-powered educational tools while strengthening their pedagogical competencies.

The programme was organised under the patronage of Prof. (Dr.) Vijay Vir Singh, Hon’ble Vice Chancellor, and was convened by Prof. (Dr.) Vimala Veeraraghavan, Distinguished Professor, Dean Academics and Dean, School of Behavioural and Social Sciences (SOBS); Prof. (Dr.) Parikshit Vasisht, Director, IQAC, Controller of Examinations (CoE) and Associate Dean (Academics); and Dr. Shatakshi Srivastava, Nodal Officer, AIU–ASU Academic and Administrative Development Centre (AIU–ASU-AADC).

The programme commenced with a warm welcome by Dr. Shatakshi Srivastava, followed by the ceremonial lighting of the lamp. In her welcome address, she emphasised the importance of continuous faculty development in preparing educators for the rapidly evolving landscape of higher education and highlighted the University’s vision of creating an ecosystem where technology and pedagogy complement each other to deliver meaningful learning experiences.

Introducing the FDP, Prof. (Dr.) Vimala Veeraraghavan outlined its objectives and distinctive features. She explained that the programme had been carefully designed to develop practical competencies in AI-assisted lesson planning, prompt engineering, curriculum innovation, competency-based assessment, ethical AI usage, unconscious bias awareness, case-based pedagogy, and digital academic management through workshops, demonstrations, reflective exercises, and collaborative discussions.

Addressing the gathering, Dr. Pardeep Kumar, Registrar, encouraged faculty members to embrace AI as an enabling technology while preserving the core values of education—ethics, empathy, academic integrity, and meaningful teacher-student interaction. He stressed that AI should empower educators rather than replace them and urged participants to continuously upgrade their knowledge to prepare future-ready graduates.

The technical sessions began with Dr. Subhash Chander from the Centre for Interdisciplinary Education (CIE), University of Delhi, who introduced participants to AI-assisted lesson planning, curriculum design, and prompt engineering. Through live demonstrations, he showcased how generative AI tools can support educators in preparing lesson plans, presentations, assignments, assessments, classroom activities, and outcome-based learning resources.

The afternoon session on the first day was conducted by Dr. Chandra Kumar from the National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA), who explored adaptive learning systems, intelligent tutoring, differentiated instruction, and AI-supported personalised learning, enabling faculty members to design inclusive learning environments that cater to diverse educational needs.

Faculty members actively participated in practical demonstrations, collaborative discussions, and hands-on activities throughout the programme, exploring a wide range of AI applications relevant to teaching, research, curriculum development, and student engagement.

On the second day, Prof. R. C. Sharma from Amity University Haryana led an engaging workshop on AI-assisted curriculum innovation, research methodologies, and subject-specific simulations. Participants gained valuable insights into the use of AI for academic writing, literature reviews, content creation, classroom simulations, and research planning.

The post-lunch session was delivered by Dr. Ashok Kumar from IGNOU, who introduced participants to AI-supported assessment, plagiarism detection, learning analytics, automated feedback systems, and ethical AI practices. Through practical exercises, faculty members developed AI-resilient assessment strategies that promote authenticity, critical thinking, and academic integrity.

The fourth day focused on strengthening assessment practices and case-based pedagogy. Prof. (Dr.) Vimala Veeraraghavan conducted an intensive workshop on competency-based question paper setting, constructive alignment, transparent evaluation, and effective assessment practices, engaging participants in practical exercises involving question paper design and answer script evaluation using structured rubrics.

Later, Prof. Amit Kumar Sinha, Dean, School of Management Sciences, introduced participants to case-based teaching and subject-specific case writing. Through real-life examples and practical demonstrations, he highlighted innovative methods to foster analytical thinking, ethical reasoning, collaborative learning, creativity, and problem-solving among students.

The final day was dedicated to digital academic administration through ERP and Moodle integration. Prof. (Dr.) Parikshit Vasisht introduced participants to the University’s ERP ecosystem, highlighting its role in academic governance, quality assurance, and institutional efficiency. ERP experts demonstrated modules covering student registration, attendance, course enrolment, examinations, evaluation, and academic record management. Faculty members also received hands-on training on the Moodle Learning Management System (LMS), learning to create digital classrooms, upload learning resources, conduct assessments, facilitate discussions, and monitor student progress.

The programme concluded with an interactive Open House session where faculty members discussed implementation challenges, shared experiences, and exchanged best practices for integrating ERP and Moodle into everyday teaching-learning processes.

During the valedictory session, Dr. Pardeep Kumar congratulated the participants for their enthusiastic engagement and appreciated the organising committee and distinguished resource persons. He reiterated the University’s commitment to fostering innovation, academic excellence, and continuous professional development while encouraging faculty members to implement the knowledge and skills gained during the FDP in their classrooms and research initiatives.

The five-day interdisciplinary Faculty Development Programme concluded successfully, equipping participants with contemporary AI competencies, innovative pedagogical approaches, ethical perspectives, and digital academic management skills. Through its seamless integration of expert lectures, experiential workshops, interdisciplinary collaboration, and practical learning, the programme reaffirmed Apeejay Stya University’s commitment to preparing future-ready educators capable of leveraging emerging technologies to create engaging, inclusive, and learner-centred educational experiences in alignment with the vision of National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.