Students should not bother about failure and should believe in continuous improvement, says Professor Snehal

In a conversation with Shiksha.com, Professor Snehal Chincholkar at Vivekanand Business School talks at length about the School’s teaching methodology. She elaborates on the various aspects of practical learning and its importance for students’ holistic development. Despite the nationwide lockdown, the institute did not fail to impart practical exposure and a quality learning experience to students.

Professor Snehal has got the rich industry and academic experience of over 12 years.

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: We adopt multiple approaches for the holistic development of our students, which includes both theoretical and practical learning. Workshops, interactive classes, presentations, field visits, expert speeches, seminars, social projects, simulation activities and various events help our students in overall growth. Even during the ongoing pandemic, VBS adapted to the online teaching methodology quickly and continued imparting education in the last one and half years. During virtual teaching methodology, various tools such as Mentimeter, Kahoot, Padlet, etc. have been included in the course curriculum to make virtual classes more interactive. Continuous assessment and feedback process have made the learning process more impactful and we are trying to bridge the gap between physical and virtual classes.

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

A: VBS believes in matching with the current trends and to achieve this objective continuous feedback is obtained from industry and placement partners to fill the gap between what is expected and what is delivered. Guest lectures, workshops, alumni interaction, live projects, field visits and industrial projects are some of the tools VBS is using to make our students' industry-ready. In VBS students work on various industrial projects across the industry spectrum and get hands-on experience of working in corporates. In addition, feedback is also collated from the students to understand the upcoming sectors which are of interest to the students so the placement team can build bridges with such corporates, thereby facilitating them to come to the campus for placements.

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

A: Though VBS believes in identifying the strengths of an individual and nurture them, a positive attitude towards study, creativity, social consciousness, curiosity, collaboration & teamwork, and dedication & perseverance are some of the qualities we look for in student applicants. As management is not a traditional classroom course all the above-mentioned qualities help the student in studying and understanding the industrial environment, thus making them suitable for employment. Students should not bother about failure and should believe in continuous improvement by learning from his or her mistakes.

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

A: Changing with time is the key to sustainability and success, and VBS strongly believes in this. We regularly update our curriculum based on feedback given by all the stakeholders such as industry experts, alumni, existing students, and subject experts. Which is furthered analyzed and approved by the board of studies and academic committee before implementation. Based on the industry requirements we have also introduced various recognised certification programmes in addition to our regular course curriculum.

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

A: VBS believes that learning management is not just a classroom programme, it’s a platform to train our students so that they can evolve as complete professionals at the end of this course. Keeping students abreast of the latest technology through analytics lab, live projects, and exposure to incubation lab are some of the common practices adopted by our college. Myers–Briggs Type Indicator personality test, social projects, language training, certification programs and exhaustive induction programme are some the innovative methodologies adopted by us.