As B Schools all over the world were being seen only as tickets to corporate careers, there has been an ongoing debate about what they need to do to revamp their teaching. With the pandemic last year, the cards that were dealt would go on to change the course of higher education globally. In many ways, the decision was made for B Schools as they had to rejig their pedagogies and content. To their credit, top management institutes in the country adapted quickly and seamlessly. And their faculty members were at the front and centre of it.
American Sociologist Joel Podolny advocated a focus on values-based leadership with a holistic approach to teaching at B Schools. While several management institutes were doing the groundwork for the dynamic changes, their efforts were accelerated during the pandemic. From Zoom classrooms to webinars, faculty members, who are seen as the foundation of any management institute, were now leading the way as well. They had to adapt quickly, and effectively, and they have done that in style.

• B School faculty members are no strangers to new challenges. But the new world brought its own unprecedented challenges that required flexibility on the part of faculty. From devising strategies to maximise student engagement to minimising frustrations on not seeing desired results, they displayed great adaptability.
• The virtual learning environment is driven by latest technologies and platforms. While new educational tools were being devised, B School faculty had to master them in double quick time. They have understood their capabilities and limitations today, incorporating them in teaching for a seamless transition.
• One of the greatest advantages that one has seen from remote learning is that the teaching-learning process has become more customised. The virtual-hybrid platform offered faculty members the space to pay close attention to each student’s needs and cater their teaching accordingly to facilitate personalised training.
• From distractions while learning online to the mental fatigue of long hours in a virtual environment, and the collective stress; students have faced many battles in the past year. Faculty members have been extremely considerate of the challenges and are setting realistic goals for themselves and students, which lead to fewer disappointments.
• The success of any learning environment lies in student engagement. Faculty members have done their best to ensure that student engagement was boosted in the novel virtual learning environment. They have focused on shorter sequence of lectures, breakout rooms, discussions to keep students engaged with the learning process.
• In the past year, academia has seen greater collaboration on multiple fronts. Webinars and online workshops have brought global faculty community closer. Faculty members are also building stronger bridges with students’ parents. It has improved the flow of information and knowledge sharing, which is crucial for students’ experience too.

Above all, the past year has encouraged B School faculty to be reflective – of the dynamic changes that are predicted to evolve further, and come up with innovative strategies that has enhanced the learning experience for students in the new world.