Transitional Challenges in Technology Adoption among Academic Communities in Indian Higher Education Institutions

Due to the lockdown and remote working practices, academic universities around the world have been forced to adopt new technology. Online courses and exams enabled the use of new applications. During the pandemic, innovative technological adoption became faster, overriding the usual diffusion time lag. The transition was so fast that it presented a slew of new challenges to India\u27s academic communities. An open-ended online survey was used to gather data from faculty members, students, and non-teaching staff at higher educational institutions. Several concepts about transitional challenges emerged from the qualitative data analysis. The results revealed the significant commitment needed to implement modern online technologies, the lack of necessary resources, and the obstacles that participants\u27 home environments presented for teaching and learning. There were also questions about the effectiveness of online learning as well as anxiety and stress could cause. Participants\u27 suggestions unraveled the importance of flexibility and change needed for the appraisal and evaluation methods employed in higher education. The results expanded the notion of the rate of adoption under the diffusion of innovation theory. The study results shed light on how academic institutions could create successful technology adoption procedures for remote learning policies

Substance Abuse Prevention: Perspectives from India’s Addiction Treatment Professionals

This article is focused on substance abuse prevention from the perspective of India. Research participants were 112 substance addiction treatment professionals associated with government approved addiction treatment centres in India. They were called from 26 Indian states and 4 union territories in India. Data were collected through a survey instrument using a mixed-methods research design with a focus on concurrent strategies. Participants provided practical recommendations for creating public awareness systemically, concurrently and consistently through a prevention agenda focusing on important social sectors such as schools, employment settings, religious/spiritual settings, and at local, state and national domains of India. This study concludes that creating massive awareness campaigns simultaneously and consistently over long periods of time in all these sectors of the society will facilitate systemic change at the macro-level. Findings have practical implications for policymakers everywhere working towards preventing substance abuse

Substance Abuse and Addiction Treatment Programs in India: Exploring the Voices of Indian Treatment and Research Professionals

Due to enormous damage caused by substance abuse and addiction, nations are vigorously engaged in developing efficacious treatment strategies. The United States-based treatment programs are globally known for advanced and innovative techniques and the largest number of research publications. Treatment programs from postcolonial countries, including India, have been historically neglected in the Western addiction treatment research literature. To create space for treatment programs from the postcolonial world, this study looked at India\u27s contribution to addiction treatment. Through a specially developed questionnaire, based on a mixed-method descriptive survey research design, the treatment and research professionals associated with all the eleven regional resource training centers (RRTCs) in India were asked to respond to questions in three areas: their perception on current treatment practices in India; their perspectives on the most-important treatment practices; and their rationales for these opinions. The analysis and discussion is based on 112 survey responses. The findings report vital information on currently available treatment programs in India, and the gap between actual and ideal treatment settings there; innovative clinical practices being implemented and recommendations for further treatment enhancement; contribution to research literature on treatment programs from postcolonial settings; and information useful to global addiction treatment community and policy makers.