The Refresher course is of two weeks duration with a minimum of 12 working days and 72 contact hours (six hours per day).
UGC Human Resource Development Centre, University of Mumbai conducts Refresher courses in widely varying disciplines like Bio-Sciences, Physics, Chemistry, Nanosciences, Mathematics, Statistics, Electronics & Instrumentation, Biotechnology, Environmental Studies, Information Technology, Computer Science, Information and Communication Technology, Library Sciences, Economics, Commerce & Management, Business Studies, Accountancy, History, Rural Development, Social Sciences, Human Rights, Law, Gender Studies, Economics, English, Marathi, Indian Languages, Comparative Literature, Performing Arts and Fine Arts, Education & Psychology.
The main objectives of Refresher Courses are to
- a. Enable the teachers to keep abreast with the latest developments in their field of specialization and also equip them with necessary functional skills
- b. Motivate the teachers to accept the challenges of quality teaching and take up research projects in their disciplines
- c. Facilitate the application of new knowledge in their discipline for industrial and social development
- d. Provide exposure to emerging cross discipline advanced studies for taking up interdisciplinary research
Keeping these objectives in mind the theme of the Refresher course is identified in each discipline which are topical and occupy niche areas like Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and Internet of Things, Role of Fintech in the emerging financial markets in India e.t.c. Then the course curriculum of high quality is prepared in such a manner that the content has an optimal mix of core material in the subject, emerging areas, laboratory / practical work, field / industrial visits. Curriculum design and development, examination reforms including setting question papers are some of the topics that are also covered during the course. Since IT has become a crucial component of teaching in all subjects, one or two days are devoted to familiarize the teacher participants on the applications of IT to their discipline. They are also given an overview of the immense knowledge resources that are available, including electronic review journals and research journals in various disciplines. Further, in every Refresher Course field visits / industrial visits are arranged to give a better exposure to the teacher participants regarding the various applications in their field of specialization which in turn facilitates industry institute interaction.