Academic Programme in Gender and Science: A Needs Assessment Study

Abstract

This study was undertaken to analyse the needs assessment of the gender and science programme in Open and Distance Learning (ODL) mode. The programme was conceptualized within the School of Gender and Development Studies (SOGDS), Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) to comprehend the intersection of gender and science in disciplines of natural and social sciences, agriculture, health, environment and energy. Following purposive and random sampling methods, the survey data were collected from 359 respondents, which include two mutually exclusive experts and target groups covering North, South, East and West zones of India. The key research and survey questions were on: need of an academic ODL programme in gender and science, rationale, relevance and viability of the programme, job prospects and suggested course contents to meet the expectations of stakeholders. The results revealed that majority of
respondents felt the need for a one year ODL diploma programme on gender and science with associated rationale and job prospects. The findings also have reflected on the aspect of bringing the interface between sustainable technologies and gender in areas of agro-ecology, natural resource management, water, climate change and energy with a project work.