We Mentor Students, And Guide Them To Become Competent & Responsible Global Citizens, Says DLHS Associate Professor

In a conversation with Shiksha, Sunayan Bhattacharjee, Associate Professor at the Department of Liberal Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (DLHS), MAHE Bangalore, talks about teaching methodology at the DLHS. He shares that DLHS focuses on the holistic development of the students thus making them truly industry-ready.

Bhattacharjee has an experience of 13 years. He has worked as a journalist, a film critic, a content writer, a content analyst, a researcher, and most importantly a teacher. At present, he is an Associate Professor of Mass Communication at DLHS, MAHE. He has also worked with The Times of India, Reuters, Ramoji Film City, Pearl Academy and Adamas University.

Q1. What are the salient features of the teaching methodology adopted by your college? How does this differ from others?

A: Let me put it this way! Faculty members at the Department of Liberal Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (DLHS) under the Bengaluru Campus of Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) do not teach! Surprised? Well, let me explain! We firmly believe that the days of teaching are over. With Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT steadily gaining grounds, the traditional informational model of teaching has become redundant. Therefore, we mentor students, and we guide them in their pursuit to become competent and responsible global citizens. The salient features that mark our efforts include the following:

• Delivery of complex lessons using the storytelling method
• Completion of specific course sections collaboratively wherein each student is tasked to teach at least one section to her/ his peers
• Critical dissection of every course section by the students where they compulsorily question the basic premises of every concept and come up with alternative models of contention
• Participatory mode of course delivery wherein the teachers and the students share responsibilities to ensure the timely completion of the curriculum
• On-the-field training is given prominence to ensure comprehensive learning for the students
• Seminars and workshops are conducted by industry honchos to seal the students’ real-life understandings of critical conceptual areas

Q2. How are you preparing your students to be industry-ready?

A: Industry is a very tricky term. Often, people confuse being industry-ready with having vocational skills. However, the process is not as unidimensional as it sounds. At DLHS, we follow a more holistic process. To make students truly industry-ready, we follow these processes:

• Sensitize students about the grills of being a part of the industry
• Hone the communicative skills of the students as communication is of paramount importance in the current professional paradigm
• We do not just skill the students, we also make them adaptable so that they continue to reinvent themselves and their skills throughout their professional lives. Given the pace at which the industry is changing every day, only a flexible and open approach can save the day for our students
• Bring in industry experts so that they can take the students on a simulated tour of how the industry functions day in and day out
• Emphasise developing problem-solving skills among students so that they become assets for the respective organizations that they choose to work for
• Develop empathy and people skills among students, which are primordially important to be successful in Industry 4.0

Q3. What are the qualities you are looking for in student applicants? What qualities do they need to do well in your course?

A: Well, we are obviously not looking for Einsteins and Newtons although having an Einstein or a Newton would not hurt our cause! However, we are looking for passionate learners who can go the distance in trying to find answers to their queries. To put it in a nutshell, we are looking for the below-mentioned skills among our potential and future students:

• An open and inquisitive mind
• Passion for what she/ he wants to pursue
• An inclusive approach and empathy for fellow living beings
• A satisfactory level of general awareness
• Effective communication skills
• Good interpersonal skills

Q4. How do you ensure that your course curriculum is up to date and meets industry requirements?

A: I wish I could answer that question in black and white. However, I can’t and so can’t any other academic – at least the ones who claim to be so. All that I can say is that it is a continuous and evolving process to ensure that the taught curriculum is up to date and is in consonance with the industry requirements. As wide-ranging as the question might seem, here are some measures that we take to make our programmes relevant:

• By having academic and industry stalwarts from across the country and abroad ratify the syllabus documents that are drafted and re-drafted at regular intervals.
• By regularly conducting meetings with industry representatives so that we are abreast of the latest professional requirements
• By incorporating feedback received during students’ industry internships
• By soliciting feedback from alumni, who have made a mark for themselves
• Through industry-focused and applied research studies conducted by both the DLHS faculty members and senior students
• Through multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary discussions among the faculty members of DLHS

Q5. Is your college receptive to innovation, technology, science & entrepreneurship? How? Could you cite some examples of these?

A: I am sure no institution would ever say that they are not receptive to innovation, technology, science, and entrepreneurship. DLHS is not an exception, too. In fact, innovation and entrepreneurship were two of the silent pillars on which the foundation of DLHS stands. If you are talking about examples though, let me cite a few for easier comprehension:

• Innovation and entrepreneurship have been included as specific sections in all the programmes that DLHS runs
• True to its name, DLHS believes in furthering the scope of Liberal Studies. In that pursuit, the basic scientific premises have been incorporated as specific sections in all the programmes that we run
• We have been sending students for numerous field and industry visits so that they internalize the concepts of innovation and entrepreneurship
• In all the programmes that DLHS run, there are significant dosages of technological know-how
• DLHS promotes entrepreneurship for its passing-out students so that they end up being job givers instead of job seekers
• DLHS promotes digital behaviour among its students to keep up with contemporary standards