Innovation in different forms is not only essential, but also possible
As the inaugural session eased into the first panel discussion on of the day, the topic, ‘Innovation in Higher Education’ was brought out in different ways, from pedagogy to admission process, from the entire concept of education to field training and student experience to faculty training. Prof. R. S. S. Mani, VP, ITM Group of Institutions, talked of making the MBA programme more suitable for students so that they do not treat the institution merely as an employment exchange. He spoke of ‘iConnect’ an important innovation in the ITM B-school curriculum, where the student is off for a 20-week internship. He also listed the advantages of the method, in terms of pre-placement offers and other innovations in delivery.
Gandhian Dr. Mandi Prasad, faculty member at NITIE, spoke of development of the entrepreneurial spirit and student start-ups and the concept of ‘aaj ki taalim ka kharcha aaj ki taalim se kamana’, an everyday breakeven policy, where the students must recover the cost of today’s training from the income of today’s training. He demonstrated ways in which his students have been successful in doing it, and the skills they have developed in the course.
The aspect of deriving inspiration from the vision and mission of the institution was highlighted by Dr. Atish Chattopadhyay, Professor and Deputy Director, PGDM. SPJIMR. He emphasized on the innovative initiatives undertaken by SPJIMR to create global relevance as well as social sensitivity among the students. He talked of looking at leadership through the lens of contribution, and how to contextualise the programmes to the social and global environment. The audience was amazed at the story of Vigyan Ashram, a developmental institute set up in Pabal near Pune, which was shared by its mentor, Ashok Kalbag. “Good education has to be based on diverse experiences and for that, life is the best teacher,” he exclaimed, while he explained the pillars on which the institute was set up. He spoke of need-based cost-effective solutions developed by students at the institute and the transformations they have undergone in turn.
As Prof Samuel Barclay, ISDI Parsons, Mumbai took over the mike from Kalbag, the design professor also took a cue from Vigyan Ashram and talked of how, as a designer, ‘creating with hands’ was an extremely essential concept for him. He also illustrated why it was necessary to train students for learning, and not merely receptacles of information. He narrated the story of his student who everyone thought was not putting in her best effort in designing something and working on its plan and presentation, and the change that he witnessed once the materials where in her hand and how she created it.
At the end of the session, Viswaji Lapalkar, Jeevan Brati and Head, Vivekananda Kendra, Maharashtra and Goa talked about inculcating value education, and how it would go a long way. He narrated simple examples from everyday life and the value and spiritual learning that can be gleaned from them, terming spirituality as an attitude of the mind. “Education is nothing but training the mind in the right direction,” he concluded, talking of Swami Vivekanand’s way of education.
