“With an emphasis on building perspective and student-centric policies in curriculum design, Jaipuria excels at helping its students comprehend problems and develop strategies” says Dr. Rekha Attri, Marketing Faculty at Jaipuria Indore.

Dr. Rekha Attri is an academician, trainer and researcher with nearly 2 decades of experience in teaching marketing. Areas like Sales Marketing, Brand Management, and Consumer Behavior are her fortes and also key focus areas for Jaipuria Indore. “Sales management course is very important for students aspiring to enter the business world. At Jaipuria this course has been broken up into two courses – one dealing only with sales and business development and the second course is on distribution and channel management. Consumer behavior course involves project work and field report.”

The teaching is not only about theory though, she says. “Guests from industry also help in solving the queries of the students during their interactions. The Institute is also constantly in touch with business professionals who keep updating and guiding the faculty members about the changing business trends, which helps in keeping syllabus current. Once a year, faculty gets together formally with industry mentors and alumni for this. New courses emerge after such brainstorming sessions with the industry mentors and they are then developed and implemented.”

This is part of the student-centric approach of Jaipuria practiced across all campuses. One of the good examples of the approach is the ‘Uncampus’ philosophy, Dr Attri says. “Student exchange opportunities are provided to all the students who are part of Jaipuria. They can spend a trimester in any of the four campuses where their choice of course is available. This extends to the placement process as well.”

Innovative teaching pedagogies are also aimed at helping students maximize learning. “The Impartus software helps students relive lectures to refresh concepts. The students can also start discussion forums and the faculty member also gets a log of the number of views for a particular lecture. Usage of Moodle is also in full swing at all four campuses, which helps in sharing of reading material, conducting quizzes besides recording attendance. Case discussions, role plays and management games also enhance the learning and teaching experience. Further each faculty member is assigned 8-10 mentees so that their progress can be closely monitored and faculty mentor can solve their problems and queries.”

Having joined the Institute recently, she is in a position to critically evaluate the workings here. “Having completed 6 months at Jaipuria, Indore, my experience has been very enriching and good. There is a professional and transparent approach to working. The engagement of various stakeholders is solicited during policy designing and implementation and this brings in an element of ownership among the people. There is an active participation of all faculty members across all the campuses while designing the course curriculum and the board is open to new ideas and encourages out of the box thinking to enhance the learning environment at the Institute.

Personality development is also an integral part of grooming the future leaders at Jaipuria. “We endeavor to groom our students into skilled, capable, and knowledgeable individuals who are ready to face any challenge. The Institute provides many opportunities to develop the personality. Regular sessions on business etiquettes, dressing, time management, aptitude building, and management conclaves prepare the students for final placements. Events like Jaipurias Got Talent, Management Fests etc. help the students showcase their creative dimensions. Participation in Committees/Clubs like Marketing, Finance, Mess, E-Cell, Creativity and Innovation, etc. helps students learn team work and event/projects management, which helps in boosting their confidence to manage bigger challenges.
Dr Attri firmly believes that young minds are curious to learn new things and it is this curiosity that makes learning more effective and enjoyable. Her extensive published research helps develop a perspective that encourages this approach. “I believe in an engaged level of learning through questioning and discussion. Therefore having a research bent of mind where there is high motivation to learn is very important for management students. In a very fast changing business world, it is this openness to comprehend situations and develop strategies that makes the difference between success and failure.”