University of Melbourne to launch blended Academy for Teaching and Learning in India

The University of Melbourne will launch the Blended Academy for Teaching and Learning in collaboration with the Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU), offering blended learning for students in India.

The blended learning model enables higher education institutions in India to deliver innovative curriculums designed by the University of Melbourne, which also monitors them via a quality control program. Graduating students also have the opportunity to then pursue potential further study at the University, particularly in science and related fields.

The Academy serve as a potential pathway for Indian students when applying to other leading universities across the globe, and is also well-suited to students looking to enter the workforce in science-related companies, with the Academy providing industry-specific workplace training.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor (International) Professor Michael Wesley said he was delighted to announce the new Academy, an extension of an existing blended learning program, during a University of Melbourne delegation to India.

“We have had a long-standing association with SPPU and are confident that, with the formalisation of the Blended Learning Program, we will welcome a whole new generation of students from India to our University community,” Professor Wesley said.

Vice-Chancellor of SPPU Professor Nitin Karmalkar said that the launch of the Academy on campus is a milestone for further strengthening the collaboration between the two institutions.

“Our university is always at the forefront of implementing novel programs and the BSc (Blended) program, initiated in collaboration with the University of Melbourne as a pilot program six years ago at the Modern College, Shivajinagar and on our campus four years ago, has been highly successful, as is evident in its expansion to other centers in India,” he said.

As part of the Academy’s formal launch, the University of Melbourne and SPPU also announced a new graduate diploma in early childhood education, developed by the University of Melbourne’s Graduate School of Education and delivered through SPPU.

This proposed qualification is aligned with India’s National Education Policy (NEP, 2 020) providing funding for capacity building in education to cater for students aged 3 to 18 years.

The partnership aims to develop a Diploma in Early Childhood (2021) and a Bachelor of Education (EC) for 2025, as part of the Government of Maharashtra and SPPU agreement to train the current workforce of 20,000+ in-service and pre-service teachers.