User:Crb43/sandbox

The Himalayan Institute of Alternatives:

TOPIC PARAGRAPH

I chose to research the Himalayan Institute of Alternatives because the curriculum blends the modern and the traditional, the educational and the entrepreneurial, meaning students become prepared for anything. The university breaks outside the rigid boxes of conventional education, using the heart and not just the head, meaning students are more well-rounded and giving than in traditional education. It acknowledges that the current educational system is flawed, and does not prepare students for the true challenges of their future: Ladakh is focused on expanding horizons further than the classroom.

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02607470701259481 This is a journal article about how India is beginning to incorporate environmental education into its curriculum, with hopes of promoting sustainable development. It will be a very useful article because it provides the history of sustainable and environmental education in India, as well as a background wider context on why these issues were important to the founder of The Himalayan Institute of Alternatives. However, it was written in 2007 which is now 14 years ago, so some of the information may not be up to date. It does provide good context for the growing environmental movement in education however, and it is written from the perspective of Indian schooling which is also very useful.

https://ecoversities.org/ecoversity/himalayan-institute-of-alternatives-ladakh-hial/ This is the website of The Himalayan Institute of Alternatives. It provides lots of information about the values and philosophies of the university, as well as more specific information about the types of activities the students get involved in, and why they are so important. It doesn’t include much information about how climate change affects their area or why traditional university experiences are not fulfilling, but that information can be found elsewhere. It is a reliable source because it has been created by the Institute itself, but it may include some biases towards itself because it is advertising itself and its program, in a similar way to the Ecoversties site.

https://ecoversities.org/ This is the umbrella site for ecoversities. It gives lots of information about what ‘ecoversities’ are in general and why they are important. It provides the context for the existence of The Himalayan Institute of Alternatives, and suggests why making university education more practical, hands-on and real-world based can be a benefit to us all. It is reliable because it is created by the charity itself, so all its information and values will be accurate. It may include some biases towards itself because it is advertising the concept of an ecoversity, in a similar way to the website of The Himalayan Institute of Alternatives. There is a fair amount of overlap between this site and the specific site of The Himalayan Institute of Alternatives, but this focuses more generally on the concept of an ecoversity and the other site is more specific about the actual university.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/himalaya-mountain-climate-change-report Although this doesn’t directly relate to education, it provides a great basis for understanding the reasons for the existence of The Himalayan Institute of Alternatives, highlighting the importance of an institute that focuses on sustainability, especially when it exists at the heart of the issue. One of the main reasons the university exists is to combat climate change and pave the way for sustainable development, therefore I feel it is essential to provide background context in my article about the reasons for which the ‘ecoversity’ is so desperately important. This article by the National Geographic talks about the importance of the glaciers in the Himalayas and how they are threatened by climate change. This relates to my topic because students at Himalayan Institute of Alternatives have used innovative thinking to create artificial glaciers. This article includes references and it is a reliable geographical organisation. It highlights clearly several elements of the way climate change is threatening the Himalayas, and gives figures so it is not subjective or biased. It is one of my strongest references because it is based in science and facts, so it is objective.

https://www.unitedworldschools.org/news/what-its-like-going-to-school-high-in-the-himalayas This article provides context on the regular state of education in the Himalayas, specifically in Nepal. Nepal has an ‘education crisis’. Although the article is just limited to Nepal, it represents the state of education across the Himalayan region. It is mentioned that over 100,000 Nepalese children are out of school (in 2017), with a retention rate of 75% at the end of primary school. Therefore, this article is proof that a new, accessible, modern attitude to education is completely necessary in a region where nature has made access to education very difficult. This source seems reliable because it has been put together by an NGO which specialises in global education, and works directly with families and schools in Nepal. Facts are backed up with specific case study stories. However, they do not mention the methodology used to get their data. Although most of the information given is about primary education, not university education, the two are very closely linked and it still proves that there is an education crisis in Nepal

DRAFT ARTICLE[edit]
(NOTES: citation is difficult on the 'talk' page so for the moment I will put the links in brackets and I will add citations when I use the 'user page')

Introduction: The Himalayan Institute of Alternatives, Ladakh ( https://www.hial.edu.in/ ) is an ‘alternative’ university for mountain development. It is located in the region of Ladakh, in India. It focuses on solving local problems of long-term sustainability, mountain tourism and climate change, using modern innovation. However, the ‘alternative’ format of this university can lead to difficulties in funding and accessibility.

Principles: The Himalayan Institute of Alternatives was set up in 2018 and aims to reflect a changing world through a modern, sustainable approach to education ( https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02607470701259481 ). It was founded on the principle that the contemporary higher education system in India cannot create employable, hands-on, innovative graduates. The Himalayan Institute of Alternatives believes that its graduates have a creative ability to solve society’s problems, through using the philosophy of ‘The 3 H’s: a bright Head, skilled Hands, and a kind Heart’. ( https://www.hial.edu.in/about-us-ladakh/hial/ ).

The University exists to tackle the ‘education crisis’ ( https://www.unitedworldschools.org/news/what-its-like-going-to-school-high-in-the-himalayas ) in the Himalayan region, by promoting a new, accessible form of education that is catered to the lives and interests of rural people. The University’s focus on sustainability is driven by the effects of climate change ( https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/himalaya-mountain-climate-change-report ) on the Himalayan region, as glaciers are retreating and permafrost is melting. These two elements combined inspired the creation of an institute that doesn’t adhere to the traditional structures and power relations of contemporary universities. Instead it focuses on the relationship between people and their land and real-world problem solving.

Courses: The Himalayan Institute of Alternatives offers various different-length courses to students. These courses are a combination of practical and classroom learning, with a focus on an immersive, real-world experience that students can take into their professional lives.

Funding: The Himalayan Institute of Alternatives is a non-profit organisation that relies on tuition fees and public donations to fund scholarships. In order to tackle the education crisis ( https://www.unitedworldschools.org/news/what-its-like-going-to-school-high-in-the-himalayas ) in the Himalayas, students from rural mountainous areas can study for free at the university on a scholarship. Students from other regions pay INR 2,50,000/£2500 for a one-year course ( https://hial.edu.in/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/HIAL-brochure.pdf ). This includes a full board at the university.

Problems: The university requires certain levels of mathematics to join, so it is still bound by the traditional priorities of schooling. The university is registered as a non-profit organisation, so its funding has the potential to be unreliable.

Peer Review (Received)

Positives

First of all, you did a great job of doing the task.

You make clear subtitles (Ecoversities:) to show what topic you are overviewing. You have imputed the relevant quotes which are great!

You have used simple and effective language to covey your topic which helps a reader who knows nothing about your topic to get a good understanding of it.

Clear structure and good grammar.

You added some critical thinking into your work which is very good.

Improvements to progress further

The things you need to improve on to progress further is when you add headings (Principles:) there is a feature on Wikipedia that allows you to make your subheadings bold and your words larger which will make it more clear for the reader to see and read.

Another point to develop and improve further on is to add quotation marks when you quote something and to remove apostrophe (') if you are just emphasising a word since it's not needed.

Another thing to improve on is adding your citation, I know you stated you will input them so that's good.

Add some more critical thinking about your topic and follow it up with evidence to back up each point. For every statement, there should be evidence.

Try to make it even more clear with your placement and structure of everything. You stated you wanted to add pictures. On Wikipedia, there is a feature that allows you to add pictures it is an icon that has two mountain-like hills. If you are still unable to do it ask a peer or the seminar tutor as it may be an error.

Add a bibliography - It will create one when you cite your quotes through Wikipedia.

Overall you are clear and concise. You did a great job! Keep it up! :)

Madsal (talk) 14:44, 25 November 2021 (UTC)

my peer reviews (given to other people): https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:MobileDiff/1056296153 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_talk:AO159#Draft_article — Preceding unsigned comment added by Crb43 (talk • contribs) 16:11, 6 December 2021 (UTC)

Response to my peer assessment/my plan to improve work:

-Add pictures to work

-expand on the disadvantages/problems of the institute

-put in more information to bring word count up to 1000

-think about what other information I could add in, maybe more about climate change as that would contextualise my information about sustainability. also info on what is an ecoversity?

FINAL ARTICLE: PLEASE READ ARTICLE USING THIS LINK AS YOU CAN VIEW THE PICTURES AND LINKS, AND THE LAYOUT IS CLEARER (the content is the same): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Crb43

User:Crb43 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to navigationJump to search

Contents 1 The Himalayan Institute of Alternatives, Ladakh 1.1 Introduction 1.2 'Ecoversities' 1.3 Principles 1.4 Courses 1.4.1 Eco-responsive building (3 month short-course)[7]: 1.4.2 Ice Stupas[8]: 1.4.3 Experimental Leadership Management[10]: 1.4.4 Responsible Tourism (3 month short-course)[11]: 1.5 Climate Change in the Himalayas 1.6 Funding 1.7 Problems 1.8 Bibliography The Himalayan Institute of Alternatives, Ladakh

Introduction

Ladakh, in red, located on map of India (picture). The Himalayan Institute of Alternatives, Ladakh[1] is an ‘alternative’ university for mountain development. It is located in the region of Ladakh, in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent. Mountain development focuses on solving local problems of long-term sustainability, mountain tourism and climate change, using modern innovation. It exists as an alternative to the traditional classroom environment, to provide students with ‘hands-on’ techniques to tackle large problems. However, the ‘alternative’ format of this university can lead to difficulties in funding and accessibility.

' Ecoversities'

The Himalayan Institute of Alternatives is registered under the ‘Ecoversity Alliance’[2]. ‘Ecoversities’ are a collection of institutions that are reclaiming knowledge systems in order to reimagine the traditional university experience. Often ‘Ecoversities’ aim to promote sustainability and connection with the environment. The ‘Ecoversity Alliance’ was created in 2015.

Principles

The students of HIAL(picture) The Himalayan Institute of Alternatives was set up in 2018 and aims to reflect a changing world through a modern, sustainable approach to education[3]. It was founded on the principle that the contemporary higher education system in India cannot create employable, hands-on, innovative graduates. The Himalayan Institute of Alternatives believes that its graduates have a creative ability to solve society’s problems, through using the philosophy of ‘The 3 H’s: a bright Head, skilled Hands, and a kind Heart’[4].

The institution's unique approach, 'Learning by Doing' aims to bridge the gap between mainstream and alternative approaches to learning.

The University exists to tackle the ‘education crisis’[5] in the Himalayan region, by promoting a new, accessible form of education that is catered to the lives and interests of rural people. The University’s focus on sustainability is driven by the effects of climate change on the Himalayan region[6], as glaciers are retreating and permafrost is melting. These two elements combined inspired the creation of an institute that doesn’t adhere to the traditional structures and power relations of contemporary universities. Instead, it focuses on the relationship between people and their land, and real-world problem solving.

Courses

The Himalayan Institute of Alternatives offers various different-length courses to students. These courses are a combination of practical and classroom learning, with a focus on an immersive, real-world experience that students can take into their professional lives. Here are some examples of the courses that are offered at HIAL:

An example of the 'Passive Solar Buildings' found on the HIAL campus(picture).

Eco-responsive building (3 month short-course)[7]:

Students learn about sustainable building and architecture, using locally-sourced materials. They go on to design and build the ‘passive solar buildings’ (buildings where sunlight is the only heat source) that are found on the Ladakh campus. This emphasises the ‘hands-on’ focus of the University, as students get real-life chances to contribute and realise their learning.

Ice Stupas[8]:

This project aims to tackle water shortages in the Himalayas[9]. The Himalayan Institute of Alternatives has created the ‘Ice Stupa’ artificial glacier project as a solution to save water. The Stupas conserve and freeze surplus water to be used by local farmers in the spring. These large ice structures have the potential to freeze millions of litres of water.

HIAL Students in front of their 'Ice Stupa' as part of the 'Ice Stupa Competition' in 2018/2019 (picture).

Experimental Leadership Management[10]:

This course is designed to empower people from 25-40 years old who are either from, or work in Ladakh. The programme’s main objective is to help these people to be capable social, political or entrepreneurial leaders in the region.

Responsible Tourism (3 month short-course)[11]:

This course focuses on environmentally sustainable tourism, with a focus on tourism practices around the Himalayan region. Students learn about how to bring sustainable tourism to areas that have not benefited from the travel economy yet. The course aims to understand the negative impacts of conventional tourism on the environment, and bring about changes through new and innovative solutions.

Climate Change in the Himalayas

The institution has a strong interest in sustainability and creating innovative ways of protecting and honouring its local environment. The Ladakh region is the highest plateau in India and is one of the highest regions in the world[12]. Air temperatures in this region have risen by nearly 2 degrees since the start of the 20th Century[13], causing glaciers to retreat, permafrost to melt and weather patterns to become more erratic. This has a large impact on the many farmers in the heart of Ladakh who grow apples or grains, meaning they may have to move their orchards uphill to chase the cool weather conditions needed[14].

Funding

The Himalayan Institute of Alternatives is a non-profit organisation that relies on tuition fees and public donations to fund scholarships. In order to tackle the education crisis[15] in the Himalayas, students from rural mountainous areas can study for free at the university on a scholarship. Students from other regions pay INR 2,50,000/£2500 for a one-year course[16]. This includes a full board at the university.

Problems

The university requires certain levels of mathematics ability to join, so it is still bound by the traditional priorities of schooling. The university is registered as a non-profit organisation, so its funding has the potential to be unreliable. The fees[17], although they include board, are significantly higher than the average of what is charged for studying at a regular Indian university. The application process is online, making accessibility difficult for those without internet access, who are often also those who would benefit the most from a course at The Himalayan Institute of Alternatives, as they come from rural areas.

Bibliography "HIAL – Himalayan Institute of Alternative – LEARNING VIA PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF KNOWLEDGE". Retrieved 2021-12-06. "Ecoversities - reclaiming knowledges, relationships and imaginations". Ecoversities. Retrieved 2021-12-06. Ravindranath, M. J. (2007-05-01). "Environmental education in teacher education in India: experiences and challenges in the United Nation's Decade of Education for Sustainable Development". Journal of Education for Teaching. 33 (2): 191–206. doi:10.1080/02607470701259481. ISSN 0260-7476. "OUR PHILOSOPHY – HIAL – Himalayan Institute of Alternative". Retrieved 2021-12-06. "What it's like going to school high in the Himalayas". United World Schools. Retrieved 2021-12-06. "Climate change is roasting the Himalaya region, threatening millions". Environment. 2019-02-04. Retrieved 2021-12-06. "Eco-Responsive Building (Passive Solar) Certificate Course – HIAL – Himalayan Institute of Alternative". Retrieved 2021-12-06. "Applied Ecology – HIAL – Himalayan Institute of Alternative". Retrieved 2021-12-06. "Water and food shortage imminent in the Himalayas". The Third Pole. 2019-11-13. Retrieved 2021-12-06. "HIAL Experiential Leadership Module (HELM) – HIAL – Himalayan Institute of Alternative". Retrieved 2021-12-06. "Responsible Tourism Certificate Course – HIAL – Himalayan Institute of Alternative". Retrieved 2021-12-06. "Ladakh | Climate, History, Height, & Description | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2022-01-09. "Climate change is roasting the Himalaya region, threatening millions". Environment. 2019-02-04. Retrieved 2022-01-09. "Climate change is roasting the Himalaya region, threatening millions". Environment. 2019-02-04. Retrieved 2022-01-09. "What it's like going to school high in the Himalayas". United World Schools. Retrieved 2021-12-06. "OUR PHILOSOPHY – HIAL – Himalayan Institute of Alternative". Retrieved 2021-12-06. "Himalayan Institute of Alternatives, Ladakh (Hial)". Ecoversities. Retrieved 2022-01-12.