TOPIC: ‘EVOLUTION OF MANAGEMENT EDUCATION’
Date: 22nd February,2022.
Speaker: Ms. Monaz Vakil, an Asst. Manager at IIM-A
Highlights: Monaz Vakil, an Asst. Manager at IIM-A spoke on the Evolution of Management Education. In an introductory question to how did Management education start and how IIMs came into existence, Ms. Vakil replied that 1961 was the landmark year and Stalwarts like Shri Vikram Sarabhai was instrumental in bringing IIM to Ahmedabad which was originally slated to open of Bombay of yester years. Talking about education in management field becoming a trend and a necessity, she pointed out that earlier there were limited scope for the students and job-oriented education needed to be developed. While discussing about the very talked-about selection process at the B-Schools, she replied that the buzzword is diversity of gender, geography, experience, class etc. She further added that the information technology has brought a major disruption and has changed the entire education landscape. She quoted an example of Michael Sandal, a philosophy Professor at a foreign Institute, who was the pioneer in 2015 and his lectures were attended live across 25 different countries at large. Talking about the evolution in management education, right from critical thinking, developing communication skills, learning the working pattern in groups, innovative pedagogies ultimately lead to leadership qualities amongst students. Most Management Institutes are able to predict the change and thus are able to frame the curriculum keeping in mind the changes to follow. It is easy to build the infrastructure but actual quality of the Institute is reflected by its faculty and so it is of utmost importance for a management institute to invest in faculty growth and development and maintaining high-class infrastructural facilities. Basically, it’s all about nurturing the young minds which will automatically lead to growth. The current millennial generation must learn the art of questioning. Also, the recent trends of Simulation, Gamification, Automation, Mooks, Artificial Intelligence, Digital Certificates are gaining popularity and making easy for students to attend the sessions at their convenience. She also talked about the Subscription Model which is at a very nascent stage where a student can subscribe to a Math class or a Science class of the best teachers across the globe. She talked about a very innovative pedagogy of a classroom wherein a huge investment is made post pandemic in the leading universities of the world where in a hybrid mode of teaching – learning where a moving camera follows the teacher and a huge screen where all the students are visible with their names which gives a very unique experience for a teacher as well as a student in this world of digitalization. At the end by giving a special suggestion to the students, she urged them to be one’s own self and no matter how much this technology advances, human efforts are irreplaceable.