The coronavirus pandemic has truly been one of the most world-changing events in recent history. From the point that the first lockdown was imposed, to recent news of virtual onboardings and online MBAs, the world has drastically changed in a matter of months. While on one hand there has been a lot of negative news, it wouldn’t be fair to disregard the efforts of many organisations and institutions who have strived to maintain course, quickly adapting to the changing norms, all the while ensuring that health and safety protocols were being followed diligently.We got the opportunity to speak with the management team at ICFAI Business School (IBS) about their response to the COVID-19 crisis, and how they view the current situation. Read the full interview below!
What was your immediate reaction to the news of the pandemic? What steps did you take to ensure the safety of your staff, faculty, and students?
We shut down campus operations, based on the announcement made by the Govt. of India, from March 25, 2020. We began conducting weekly online meets with Faculty & Staff to ensure their safety and welfare, and to calm their apprehensions.
Did you anticipate the lockdown? What were the steps you undertook once the lockdown was imposed?
Lockdowns were happening in China, Italy, and some parts of Europe in the early stages. We did not anticipate an early lockdown in India. However, once the realization dawned, we all stayed together as a family reassuring each other that such situations are transient in nature. With unity, we will be able to pull through.An immediate plan was drawn up to formalize weekly online meetings with students who were interning on a Work From Home basis. Faculty Members got in touch with Company Guides, assuring them the continued support of our students and campus officials to complete the projects offered, either in their original forms (wherever possible) or adapting to the changed scenario.
How did you ensure that your students continued their classes? How did you adapt to the virtual medium of teaching?
We conducted capacity building programs during the lockdown. A 10 day eLearning capacity building program in three cohorts from April 10 - May 8 equipped 300+ IBS Faculty Members with the skills required to redesign, develop and deliver their online learning courses with the right blend of asynchronous learning (LMS-enabled teaching, learning, and assessment) and synchronous learning (virtual classrooms).
What were some of the challenges you faced because of the work from home situation/study from home situation? How did you cope with it?
Putting in place the required infrastructure was the biggest challenge, which we overcame with advanced planning. The existing servers of IBS Learning Management System (LMS) were upgraded to provide seamless access to 8000+ students. We purchased pro licenses for virtual meeting applications to enable the Faculty to conduct live interactive sessions. Lecture capturing software allowed the Faculty to self-record their lectures and share them with the students through Quicforce, an IBS LMS. We purchased a subscription to the Moodle official mobile app, enabling the students to learn both offline and online, as well as receive important notifications and alerts.
As time passed, it became clear that the lockdown would be here for a while. Given that this happened during placement season, a lot of students had to deal with deferred or cancelled internships. How did you help your students deal with this issue?
The following are some of the things our team did to help our students during these tough times:
Faculty at IBS had started scouting for the Summer Internship Program (SIP) from Sept (2019) itself. This provided them with adequate time to connect with companies, understand their requirements and predict the upcoming trends.
By 20th March 2020, all IBS students had completed at least 5-6 weeks (out of 14) of the SIP with various companies. Almost all companies continued to work till the end of March (8/14 weeks) - and then recognised and decided to tackle the situation arising due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In consultation with Faculty Guides, the Company Guides formulated plans for their interns to Work From Home - they were instructed to go back to their homes (hometowns), take all medical precautions and then connect digitally with their guides.
Some Company Guides converted/re-phrased/shifted focus of the projects where extensive use of published data was encouraged. Online surveys and questionnaires were designed to be administered - data sources explored virtually.
Interns working in companies in the Hospitality Sector were especially affected. A couple of companies had closed some branches, and interns were consequently shifted to another functioning branch. Some of the Company Guides also lost their jobs - their interns were absorbed by the other Company Guides (who had interns from the same campus, and hence were familiar with the system). A few companies had to close due to lockdown, but they paid the stipend to their interns for the next two months as promised despite the troubled times.
In the same sector, interns were encouraged by both Faculty and Industry Guides to find implementable solutions to the problems arising due to COVID. They were required to study and use past company data to understand the nature of the vagaries that might have set in in the past.
Detailed questions/queries pertaining to the relevant Sector, Industry, and Firm were shared at the onset of SIP - informing interns that the answers to the aforementioned questions would form the First Chapter of the SIP report.
Students were instructed to maintain a diary of the time spent under lockdown as an enabling tool for recall while writing the final report.
Students and Faculty Guides connected regularly on WA groups. Industry Guides too provided timely information which helped faculty immensely.
Many institutions resorted to online graduation ceremonies, as well as virtual onboarding for the coming batches. Did you have a similar system in place?
Graduation ceremonies are yet to be held for the batch which graduated In May 2020. Plans are afoot to have these ceremonies conducted online. IBS Hyderabad is planning on conducting a virtual convocation, scheduled on 10th September.As far as the current batch of students is concerned, they were on-boarded well before the pandemic situation arose, so they were able to experience the on-boarding process as it happens every year.
Many institutions have announced that their first semester will be online. Many others have revealed entire courses to be conducted online. What is your take on MBA going digital?
IBS rapidly transitioned to blended online learning and transformed its teaching, learning, and assessment by redesigning the courses with a thoughtful blend of synchronous-asynchronous learning modes.
Rapid Transitioning to Blended Online Learning: IBS, a pioneer in Technology-Enabled Learning (TEL) introduced Quicforce, its Learning Management System (LMS) in 2012. Since then, IBS has been providing flexible learning opportunities and enhanced learning experiences to students. This experience helped IBS to make a rapid and smooth transition to blended online learning.
Mid-Semester Examinations: IBS Successfully conducted its mid-semester examinations online in all 9 IBS campuses, covering close to 8000 students from both junior and senior batches in the third week of August 2020.
Any advice for students/professionals who are currently anxious about their careers?
The entire country is adapting to the new normal, and most of the organizations are rapidly embracing technology to overcome this situation. Also, with the advent of advanced technology, people can work from anywhere without loss in productivity, in almost all sectors of business, barring a few.You have to adapt to the new normal. You have to keep going, without letting these tough times pull you down. Make use of the technology available to you, upskill yourself, and keep at it. The world might have slowed down because of the pandemic, but it certainly did not stop.About IBS:Since 1995, IBS has been one of the leading B-Schools in the country, providing excellent academic delivery and infrastructure to its students. IBS offers innovative and globally accepted programs and a great opportunity for all-round development. Students at IBS have the advantage of developing a cross-functional knowledge base, with a good synthesis of Indian and International perspectives.IBS, Hyderabad is accredited by AACSB. For more details click here