IIM Calcutta’s 'Covidian' batch of MBA students kick off classes digitally

• Institutes in India are now embracing digital classrooms aggressively as they brace for the ‘new normal.’
  
• IIM Calcutta's 68 students from 20 industry sectors — including IT, ecommerce, automobile and financial services will now take classes online amid lockdown.
  
• “The professors are using ‘beyond-the-blackboard’ methods to ensure students do not miss out on active class participation,” the institute said.
  

The nationwide Coronavirus lockdown has led to suspension of classes and also deferred admission cycle for the current academic session. However, even premiere institutes are now embracing digital classrooms aggressively as they brace for the ‘new normal.’

The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Calcutta kicked off classes for its 14th batch of residential one-year MBA on April 20, amid lockdown.

“IIM Calcutta has demonstrated acute planning to ensure students’ learning is not compromised. The institute is switching to the digital delivery of the course content. The professors are using ‘beyond-the-blackboard’ methods to ensure students do not miss out on active class participation,” the institute said.

The 68 students coming from 20 industry sectors — including IT, ecommerce, automobile and financial services have an average corporate experience of over eight years.

“The first thing the corporate world teaches us is adherence to timelines. IIM Calcutta differentiated itself from other institutions by starting the course on-schedule by going online amidst the lockdown situation,” said Shambo B, a student at IIM-C.

The institute said that the course started as per the schedule because of the transition to an online platform. “This Covidian Batch will prove themselves to be world-class leaders,” IIM Calcutta said in a statement.

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