We hope this message finds you well. We’re excited to share the story of our recent Faculty Development Programme (FDP) with you. If you’ve heard about it before, you’ll enjoy this deeper look. And if you haven’t—don’t worry, here’s a quick summary to catch you up!
Overview
The Faculty Development Programme (FDP) on Creating Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), organized by the IIMBx Digital Learning Team, is designed to help faculty members build the skills needed to design, develop, and deliver high-quality MOOCs.
The FDP has two parts:
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A one-day on-campus workshop that took place on 26th April 2025 at IIM Bangalore, and
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A 45-day online training programme, which started on 28th April 2025.
The theme for this year’s FDP was “Empowering Educators for the Digital Future.” We’re thrilled that we could contribute towards empowering educators through a series of engaging sessions on different topics.
Inaugural Session
The day began on a high note with an inspiring inaugural address by Mr. Sitaraman Shankar, CEO of IIMBx, followed by a warm and thoughtful opening remark from Prof. Rishikesha Krishnan, Director of IIMB. Their words truly set the tone for the day!
Panel Discussions
Moderated by Prof. Rishikesha Krishnan, the panel on “Innovations in Teaching – Classroom, Blended, and Online” featured insightful contributions from Prof. Ananth Krishnamurthy, Prof. Soudeep Deb, and Prof. Vandana Singhvi Patel. The discussion covered course design, integrating digital tools with human elements to enhance student engagement, and the evolving role of AI in education. Thought-provoking questions from faculty participants added great value to the session.
SANGAM Launch
Following the panel discussion, we launched SANGAM, our digital learning community. The excitement among participants was palpable as they explored new opportunities for collaboration and peer learning across institutions.
Digital Pedagogues Session
The session titled “Digital Pedagogues: Architects of the New Learning Era,” moderated by Prof. Vasanthi Srinivasan, featured six panelists who shared their unique perspectives on teaching in today’s digital age. It was a refreshing and eye-opening conversation.
Key Talk and Reflection
Post-lunch, Prof. Sridhar Iyer delivered an insightful talk on “From Research to Practice: The Digital Transformation of Education.” In this session, he shared valuable perspectives on the learner-centric MOOC model — an interactive approach designed to keep learners engaged throughout the course. Prof. Iyer also highlighted the ongoing shift from traditional pedagogies to 21st-century teaching practices, urging educators to rethink and redesign their methods to meet the evolving needs of today’s learners.
To wrap up the learning sessions, Prof. Vasanthi Srinivasan led a heartfelt session on “Reflections on Teaching and Being a Teacher.” It was a poignant reminder of the passion and purpose behind the teaching profession.
Digital Playbook & Closing Ceremony
Before concluding the day, we introduced the Digital Learning Playbook, ensuring all participants felt confident about integrating it into their teaching practices.
The valedictory session and certificate distribution marked a wonderful end to the day. Seeing the room filled with happy, satisfied faces was truly a rewarding moment for Team IIMBx.
We are deeply grateful for the energy, passion, and enthusiasm that each participant brought to the FDP. Here’s to many more milestones in empowering educators for the digital future!