Muslim-Christian Dialogue from Pakistani Perspective: Evaluation of the Contribution of Christian Study Center

The twentieth century is considered as the most notable era for interfaith dialogue and other interreligious activities among the followers of different faiths across the globe. A number of interfaith activities were launched to bring closer, especially, the adherents of the Abrahamic faiths: Jews, Christians and Muslims. Many Christian institutes and organizations are actively involved in such activities. We cannot ignore the role of Christian Study Centers situated across the globe, which are rendering considerable services in the field of interfaith dialogue. One of them is the Christian Study Center Rawalpindi (CSC), Pakistan, which is the focal subject of this research paper. The CSC has a long journey in the course of interfaith dialogue and harmony, as it was its objective since its commencement. The CSC was established in 1967 as an extension of HMI (Henry Martyn Institute, Hyderabad India) to promote interfaith dialogue, harmony and good relationship among the followers of different faiths in Pakistan. It is conceded; the Christian Study Center Rawalpindi has provided great services and contributed a lot to interfaith dialogue, harmony and peace in Pakistan. In this study the efforts were made to evaluate the 50 years dialogical activities of the Christian Study Center (CSC), Rawalpindi.

A Design Based Research for Integration of Online Animation Videos for Teaching Cell Cycle in Biology

This study follows a design based research approach for the integration of biology online animation videos as instructional material with enhanced interactivity for class IX biology students. The traditionally used instructional material was re-designed into an interactive instructional material aimed to promote student centered instructional design for active engagement by using freely available web based technological affordance. The instructional design used in this study is informed by theories like cognitive theory of multimedia and technological pedagogical content knowledge. The design based research approach offered a theory grounded technology integration, in which online instructional material was designed, implemented, reflected and re-designed to refine iteratively towards enhancement of instructional design for use by other practitioners and researchers. The study employed a qualitative method, including interview from biology practitioner, focus group discussions from students, classroom observations, reflective journals by researcher and practitioner and students’ progress report available on website. Data was analyzed by using qualitative data analysis technique. Three key findings stood out; integration of online interactive animation videos as an innovative pedagogy, design based principles for using online animation videos with enhanced interactivity and collaborative reflective practices for enhancing pedagogy and instructional design. Furthermore, the pragmatic outcomes of this study signify the value of the educational design-research approach as a realistic and effective method for reflective researchers and practitioners. The study concludes by offering implications for online animation instructional designers, practitioners, and researchers and sharing recommendations for further research. Key words: Design-based research, innovative pedagogy, interactive animation videos