The students are taught what to expect in corporate life and how to handle their career, says Prof Chandra Kant at IBA

In an interview with Shiksha.com, Professor Chandra Kant of Indus Business Academy discusses the institute's intense focus on application-based learning to provide a high-quality learning experience. IBA also conducts a variety of cultural events that focus on group dynamics, interpersonal connections, and leadership under pressure to assist students become industry-ready.

Professor Chandra Kant is an alumnus of IIT Kanpur and IIM Calcutta. He has been with Indus Business Academy since its inception in 2001 and has taught all 21 batches.  He has over 25 years of corporate experience in Strategic IT implementation for the Banking and Financial Services Sector.

Read the complete interview below:

 Q: What are the salient features of the teaching methodology adopted by your college? How does this differ from others?

A: IBA focuses more on the application of concepts through case studies. These are done through class discussions, and individual as well as group assignments. The focus is for the students to articulate verbally, and in front of an audience, their understanding of the topic. Class participation is part of the evaluation system. The aim is for the student to do self-study, understand the application and be able to discuss and defend his position in the class.

The examinations (mid-term and end-term) determine the ability of the student to critically evaluate various theories to determine the applicability of the theory in a real-life situation and understand the constraints as well as the limitations of such theory. Occasionally the student is encouraged to devise creative solutions or combine various theories in a creative way.

Various cultural events focus on group dynamics, interpersonal relationships and leadership under pressure. End-of-project debriefing helps link theories of relationships and leadership to practice.

Students are also taught emotional intelligence, critical thinking, cognitive biases so that they understand how their beliefs lead to emotions and responses. This helps the students learn to manage their beliefs and their responses to events. Yoga and meditation are taught so that students know how to be physically and emotionally fit.

Feedback on each subject is sought mandatorily two times each trimester to check if the course is being taught as per course outline, as well as on the quality of the teaching based on various parameters. This feedback is immediately provided to the concerned faculty for remediation.

Q: How are you preparing your students to be Industry ready?

A: Most subjects have presentation-based assignments. These train the student in public speaking, body language, and articulation of subject matter in a cogent and coherent manner. 

There are short-term live projects which the students undergo with corporate entities. This provides real-life industry exposure as well as work experience.

The students are taught what to expect in corporate life and how to handle politics, bosses and their careers.

Each weekend, a lecture is organized with an industry stalwart to give a perspective of how a company is managing their strategy based on changes in the environment.

Through alumni interactions, both via webinars as well as physical interaction during alumni day, the students get feedback about various careers and industries. The students are encouraged to connect with the alumni on social media in order to follow their careers and understand career progression and the changes in the industry.

During advanced placement training, practitioners from various industries give feedback about the future of the industry and the career prospects and requirements.

Q: What are the qualities you are looking for in student applicants? What qualities do they need to do well in your course?

A: Background wise, we try to obtain a diverse mix of educational and demographic backgrounds to build a batch. This helps with better class interaction as well as hostel interaction to appreciate the diversity and varying perspectives.

We look for students who have an all-rounded personality so that they can contribute and participate in extra-curricular and co-curricular activities.

Much of the post-graduate education is based on self-study, with the instructor guiding the student down the academic path. Therefore, the student, in order to do well in courses, needs to have the ability to listen and read, understand and critically evaluate the data to reach conclusions to be discussed in class.

The ability to speak and present is an added advantage as it creates better participation in discussion during class. If not, the student learns to speak and present within the first trimester.

Q: How do you ensure that your course curriculum is up to date and meets industry requirements?

A: Each year, the Academic Council critically evaluates the courses offered to the student based on the feedback from the Alumni, Faculty involved with Industry bodies, Industry Practitioners and the Placement Cell.  Based on this feedback, the courses are modified and replaced by more industry relevant courses.

Faculty members (including visiting faculty are then allocated to teach these courses. Feedback is provided to faculty to modify/ enhance existing courses.

Q: Is your college receptive to innovation, technology, science & entrepreneurship? How? Could you cite some examples of these?

A: The use of Moodle as a learning management system allows to rapid evaluation and provision of up-to-date score of students. This allows students to figure out where they can focus. This helps in creating a hybrid model of learning both online and off line as well as using off-hours for knowledge assimilation.

Moodle also acts as a knowledge base for curricular and co-curricular activities. Attendance is taken using QR codes from moodle so that time taken for attendance is low and students know their attendance percentage.