NEHU’s Department of Education recently staged a three-day national workshop aimed at building digital proficiency among teacher-educators across the North East. The program ran from March 18 to 20 and drew participants from several states in the region, along with seasoned educators and administrators committed to modernizing teacher preparation.

The gathering stressed the integration of digital tools in teacher education, covering topics such as the use of technology in line with contemporary education guidelines, blended learning, ICT applications, MOOCs, and the expanding role of artificial intelligence in teaching and research. Delegates also discussed hurdles including uneven infrastructure and connectivity in remote areas.

Day 1: Foundations for digital classroom practice

The opening sessions presented two technical discussions, focusing on the role of information and communication technologies in teacher preparation and how digital approaches support key access, equity, quality, affordability, and accountability objectives. A practical demonstration introduced Nearpod, an interactive platform for creating multimedia lessons and conducting live, student-centered activities. Attendees practiced deploying the tool for both real-time and self-paced learning scenarios.

Day 2: Hands-on tools and AI in scholarly work

Participants deepened their skills with Nearpod and explored learning management systems to manage online classrooms, assign tasks, evaluate outcomes, and monitor student progress. Training included Canvas LMS to illustrate online course management and assessment workflows. The day also featured an orientation to artificial intelligence in research, showcasing tools that streamline literature review, citation collection, and data gathering—such as Research Rabbit, Semantic Scholar, Zotero, Zoho Forms, and KoboToolbox.

Day 3: Blended learning, MOOCs, and human expertise

The final day emphasized blended learning models, experiential MOOCs, and the continued importance of educator expertise. A hands-on session guided participants in crafting effective prompts to harness AI for enhancing blended instruction, demonstrated with an example from an e-path learning module. The program concluded with reflections on practical impact and participant feedback highlighting increased confidence in using digital tools, a clearer grasp of blended and experiential approaches, and stronger capacity to design AI-enabled digital courses.