We bring students closer to CSR initiatives through our Dayitva programme, says KBS Associate Professor of Communication

In a conversation with Shiksha.com, Associate Professor of Communication and Soft Skills at Kohinoor Business School Dr Preeti Shirodkar talks about the aim of the School which is to impart quality education to students. She also discusses various value-added programmes such as IT trainings, Excel classes, mentorship and Dayitva programme which also inculcates the important skills of social responsibility in students. Dr Shirodkar has over 27 years of rich experience in teaching English Literature, Communication and Soft Skills. She has conducted numerous training programmes and delivered talks for the academia and industry, served at varied undergraduate and postgraduate departments in Mumbai.

Read the excerpts of the interview below:

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

A: Using technology as a tool, we have a rigorous training and teaching programme that attempts to integrate classroom teaching, library sessions, LMS, presentations by students, etc., to ensure the success of the teaching-learning process. In addition, we have supplementary programmes such as language lab training, Mock Stock and other innovative programmes with specific areas of focus. The faculty uses live examples, case studies, quizzes, games, continuous evaluation, hand-holding and a practical approach to eliminate mere textbook learning. While many institutes adopt one or more of these, KBS integrates these strategies; so, students at all levels are trained to perform to their optimum.

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

A: We adopt a four-pronged approach to make the students' industry-ready

• Academic rigour: By delivering the syllabus and yet going beyond it, by supplementing it with discussions, guest lectures and programmes, such as Mock Stock and the language lab, we ensure that the students’ skills and knowledge are optimized, in the years they spend with the institute.
• Training: We train our students in skills required by the industry, whether communication, soft skills or IT skills. This training that goes beyond the syllabus, prepares them and provides them with the confidence, as they are preparing themselves, to step into the industry. The students also get direct exposure to the industry not merely through summer and in some cases winter internships, but also through live projects that some of our students actively participate in.
• All-round development: As it is a well known saying ‘All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy’. At KBS, we are thus offering the student adequate scope for outdoor and indoor sports, yoga and participation, in cultural and co and extracurricular activities. The students too have proven their mettle, not only in intra-collegiate but intercollegiate activities too. We are thus grooming well-rounded individuals, who are sound in mind and body and capable of handling the challenges and the hectic pace of the corporate world. 
• Focus on social responsibility: First and foremost, all students are citizens of the nation. We are, therefore, sensitising them towards serving the community and making a difference to those around them. This will help them become better employees and aid the company in furthering their CSR agenda, in addition to making them more aware and responsible citizens, who contribute to a better tomorrow.

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

A: At KBS, we believe in quality education that is aimed at getting students to perform to the best of their potential. We, therefore, seek students, who are really keen on management, as an area of study and are willing to work shoulder to shoulder with the faculty members, in order to bring out the best in themselves. With academic rigour, we also ensure that our students get enough and more opportunities to participate in co and extracurricular activities and remain physically and mentally fit, to brace the challenges of the industry. Rather than merely focussing on students at the top of the game, we have students with varied talent potential and we make the efforts to get them to perform to their optimum level.

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

A: Not only are we regularly updating our syllabus, wherever flexibility is offered, we are also regularly procuring feedback, from the industry and alumni. This is helping our students stay up-to-date. We have ensured that we leave no stone unturned, in spending on our students and have a state of the art language lab and two dedicated faculty members for communication and soft skills training, given that these are two areas in which students fall short of industry expectations. These faculty members not only gather industry inputs but have also been training academicians and the industry in communication, for over two decades. The other skill set that we hone is IT skills, with a faculty in Excel, who has also been regularly offering training to the industry. In addition to this, we have a mentorship programme, through which we identify the shortcomings in students and train them. Moreover, given that empathy is a much-desired trait in employees and CSR is an important area of focus for most companies, we run the Dayitva programme, which inculcates these traits in our students. 

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

A: Despite the difficult times that we are facing currently, all the faculty members and students have adapted and innovated and are continuing in their journey towards excellence. Whether it is taking the curriculum forward through Zoom sessions or by sharing recordings of the lecture, training through webinars and through Zoom or even conducting extracurricular activities through online competitions, our faculty is doing it all. Moreover, the faculty members are regularly sharing information about various competitions and webinars, which are helping the students stay active and ahead in the competition. The e-cell of the college too is conducting its activities online. The reliance on technology and modernity of approach is however not a new thing at KBS, we are one of the few colleges to have a smart classroom, for which we have been complimented even by a member of the draft NEP 2020 committee.