The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic brought the whole world to a halt. An unprecedented crisis closed the doors of business houses, small enterprises, entertainment corners and academic institutions alike. With uncertainty prevailing everywhere, thousands of students were stuck on the edge of what was next; attending classes, seeking for internships, working on projects, and placement of a decent job seemed to be a distant reality to many. However, one of the B-Schools sailed smoothly through these crises. The IFMR Graduate School of Business Krea University. The prompt thinking and a critical crisis analysis by the management aided the students to benefit from their academics without any hindrance. 

IFMR Graduate School of Business Krea University offers a two-year regular MBA programme. Answering the need during the crisis, IFMR GSB took the necessary measures and definite approach committing to academic and career advancement. The secret of trade that enabled this institute to offer seamless and sustainable learning to their students are: rapid action, robust ICT in place, right kind of networking, research and impact. 

Rapid action 

Responding to the situational crisis, IFMR GSB rolled up its sleeves to take a robust action, switching to online mode of teaching. The term six courses of the final year students were immediately shifted to virtual mode. These courses were recommenced only after assuring that the students who had set off from the campus in mid-March, had made it to their homes. 

With the assurance that the teaching-learning process is not hampered during the global calamity IFMR GSB took rapid measures for the same. Thoughts were put into action and the learning process was immediately adapted to the new normal in the education sector. Over twenty courses were delivered virtually, adding up to over 300 classroom hours. An additional feather to its cap Krea University announced a partnership with Coursera to enable students to benefit from additional global courses while learning at their own pace. 

Robust ICT in place

A robust Information and Communication Technology infrastructure is an integral part of IFMR GSB. The institute has always assured that the faculty and students alike are in-par with the changing tech-world. This approach served in their favour during the pandemic. 

The faculty and the students were well acquainted with online discussion forums, assessment and evaluation tools; since these pedagogical tools were regular during the in-campus classes. Responding to the need, the IT team of the institute were able to successfully live stream the online classes. This notable upgrade assured seamless student and faculty interaction 

Right Kind of Networking 

The switch from a regular classroom to a virtual class brought new experiences in the teaching-learning processes and peer-to-peer interaction. The e-classrooms of IFMR GSB were highly interactive and prompted thorough participation of the faculty and students alike. 

With the ideology of ‘learning sans borders’ IFMR GSB conducted over 50 industry talks, four international dialogues and over 60 social impact projects. All this was possible due to the strong and influential academic and professional network of Krea University. 

The influential industry tie-ups got the students of IFMR GSB a complete internship and many bagged pre-placements offers. Krea University also signed global partnerships with Berkeley Global, Nottingham Trent University and D’Amore McKim School of Business at Northeastern. 

Besides these, the students at IFMR GSB also availed 100% scholarships to complete an online course in FinTech NYU Stern School of Business. 

Research and Impact

IFMR GSB Krea University has actively engaged in research projects, associating with Initiative for What Works to Advance Women and Girls in the Economy (IWWAGE), Centre for Digital Financial Inclusion (CDFI), Evidence for Policy Design (EPoD) India, and the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) to insist prominent change and create an impact in the society. 

The MBA class of 2022 received a first-of-its-kind virtual orientation, Parambh 2020. During this orientation, several personnel from the industry and academics addressed the students. Taking the current pandemic situation into account, and understanding the dynamics of academics that follow, a more sustainable learning model was started with a lot of enthusiasm. 

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