Many B Schools are exploring the ways and means to provide experiential learning opportunities to their aspirants, says Dr Ramakrishnan Raman
Majority of aspirants who plan to pursue a Master of Business Administration (MBA) consider it as a programme that equips them with the necessary knowledge and skills, which can make them to build a lucrative career in business and management. Knowledge is imparted through lecture sessions, case based teaching, role play based learning, etc . Many Indian B Schools are exploring the ways and means to provide experiential learning opportunities to their aspirants. There are a few premier Indian B Schools which have made it mandatory to have experiential learning in every subject that is taught to the students.
Here are five popular ways by which Indian B Schools are offering experiential learning opportunities to their students.
Summer internship and live project opportunities
Summer internships and live projects provide students an opportunity to apply their learning to the real-world problems of organisations. Almost all B Schools have Summer Internships and live projects built in their curriculum. Summer Internship is an excellent platform provided to the students to 'learn by doing' which is 'experiential learning'. Given the rapidly changing business landscape, Summer internships are one of the most popular forms of experiential learning, which helps students to gain an insight into the demands of the workplace. Live project opportunities give the students an opportunity to apply and integrate theory with practice. They get to understand the how the decisions that they take and efforts that they put in, give results in real business scenarios.
Case competition by corporate
Several organisations launch their case competitions in select premier B Schools. These case competitions give a platform to the students to work in real world corporate challenges. This form of experiential learning is appreciated and sought after by the students. Case competitions not only helps them learn the nuances of business, but also gives them job opportunities with the same organisation which launches the competitions. Students who give the best solution to the case are offered jobs with lucrative compensation.
Capstone project
A capstone project is a multifaceted assignment that serves as a culminating academic and intellectual experience for students pursuing their management program. In this mode of experiential learning students pursue independent research on a question or problem of their choice, and engage in scholarly debates. They are guided by a faculty mentor who helps them to articulate and create a white paper or a journal article that reflects a deep understanding of the topic.
Students’ councils activities
There are few B Schools in India which are fully student-driven where the students pursuing their MBA are encouraged to participate in the decision-making process that helps them learn the experiential way and also shapes their personality. The Students’ council is the student body responsible and accountable for almost all activities conducted on the campus of a B School. The teams consist of students from the first and second year who are led by coordinators. These coordinators form an executive council to oversee all activities. The executive council is empowered to plan their budgets, set goals and they work independently on all business processes related to admissions, placements, corporate relations, managing online presence, etc.
International immersion programmes
A few premier Indian B Schools offer their MBA students an opportunity to travel abroad and attend a partner B School. The students enrol for a few subjects which can help them take some credits for the fulfilment of their degree. Students often benefit from gaining critical cross-cultural skills, broadening their perspective and enhancing their understanding of business in a global context. International Immersion Programmes have proved to be a wonderful approach to experiential learning.
The writer is Director, Symbiosis Institute of Business Management, Pune & Dean, Faculty of Management, Symbiosis International ( Deemed University)
