IIM Calcutta to not let the pandemic affect education, decides to start online classes from August 3

Shortly after the announcement from IIT Bombay, IIM Calcutta has also decided to begin online classes for second-year students from August 3. The institute also said that the same might be done for first-year students from August 10.

With no end of the pandemic in sight at the moment, the decision comes as an effort to have minimal impact on the education of students. According to the chairperson, MBA, IIM Calcutta, the institute has extensively been preparing an online space for the classes students to give them the classroom experience to the best extent possible in the current scenario. A schedule has been charted out in order to ensure the smooth running of the classes.

The students will be allotted one out of six sections, each with a strength of 80. The classes will be taken for each section separately, to maintain a good student-to-teacher ratio. The digital platform used will be iPearl.ai, offered by TalentSprint. 

The faculty at the institute will have four to five hours of live classes. In the case of students in remote/inaccessible areas, the institute has advised them to look for an alternative location with a better connection. If that solution isn’t feasible, the recordings of missed classes will be provided and instructors will be taking backup/interaction classes after that. Additional tutorials for all students will also be available.

Anju Seth, director, IIM Calcutta has said that the institute is eager to welcome the new batch. This batch will be the first one to experience what full-time online teaching can look like. The challenges will be new and the solutions to meet them must also be innovative. The pandemic has restricted us in many ways but it has also forced human resource training sectors like education to find able and creative ways to deal with these restrictions. 

Mr. Seth also said, “Overcoming the challenges posed by the pandemic, we have put a plan in place to ensure an excellent learning experience through online onboarding and instruction for the coming batch.

Other premier institutes across the country are also planning to use virtual spaces as a means to continue quality education for students:

• IIT Madras launched online Bachelor’s degree in Programming and Data Science
• IIM Sambalpur to conduct online exams for 1st year MBA students
• Online learning, the need of the hour
• IIM Trichy to go online with its executive MBA program