By DR. PARUL SHARDA: Panel Discussion on Long term impact of covid on B-School Curriculum, held on 9th July 2021, Friday, at 3 pm, hosted by College Dunia, an informative portal to help students find details on Colleges, Courses, Fee Structures, exams, cut-offs, admission process and more. The invited panellists include five renowned academicians representing their institutes and universities, from central India had shared their views on the theme. In panel discussion, The Head of Department-Indore Management Institute and Research Centre Dr. Parul Sharda strongly opined that Necessity is the Mother of Innovation and hence, hybrid education, online courses and embedded learning are going to be permanently included in B-School curriculum, thereby giving an opportunity to B-Schools to revise and update the curriculum and make it more relevant according to recent trends in long run. Dr.Punit K Diwedi-Group Director Modern Group of Institutes, Indore is of view that Entrepreneurship and skill development is the future of new India, whereas Dr Anant Kumar Soni Chairman, AKS University shared the pedagogy they are applying in their university to imbibe, new relevant subjects according to the current scenario in their curriculum. Dr.Anand Nighojkar-Principal MRSC, Indore emphasised that institutions and B-Schools must make extra efforts for students' engagement and learning and keeping mental health intact.

Dr.Parul Sharda added that some new subjects like transformational leadership, Contingency Management, Design Thinking, Frugal Innovation, Disruptive Innovation must be included in curriculum and make the internships compulsory for students. Practical learning pedagogies like Live Projects, Primary Survey Techniques, Sensitizing Projects, must be a part of B-Schools curriculum for logical development of students. Dr. Diwedi Supported the views of Dr.Sharda that yes creating job creators will be new normal for B-Schools than creating job seekers. Dr.Parul also added that NEP-2020 has opened up many avenues for choice based learning and holistic development of the country. She pointed out that National Education Policy emphasised more on concept-based learning thereby allowing to make the curriculum flexible according to students, so the institutions must think on this line and do the needful. This NEP-2020 will form a base for developing the curriculum of B-Schools for value added education to make the professionals ready as per Industry demands on one hand and develops the entrepreneurial mindset on the other hand, she added.

At the end the panellists were in consensus that hybrid learning will go for long to face any contingencies like covid, in future, so that learning can go smoothly. Also, Subjects like Mental wellbeing, Life Skill Management, Fundamentals of Psychology Medical Health and Safety must be included in B-Schools Curriculum for the overall development of students.

Dr Parul Sharda concluded the panel discussion with few techniques that can be adopted for peer learning like quescussion, flipped classrooms, brain writing which not only engage the students but make the learning enjoyable. She added that New Normal will of Course be not “Normal” but this phase of uncertainty caused by covid will soon shall pass. We all must always be hopeful and learn life lessons from the adverse experiences, Covid is one of them. 

Dr. Parul Sharda,  is the Associate Professor and HOD (Management), Indore Management Institute & Research Centre and also M.P State Secretary -RFI.

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