Higher Education Digest – July 2022 – India Edition – Must-Watch Design Institutes in India – 2022

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INDIA EDITION

MUST-WATCH DESIGN INSTITUTES IN INDIA

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Faculty of Architecture, Planning and Design, Integral University KLE Society’s S. Nijalingappa College,Department of Fashion and Apparel Design

Archana Surana, Founder & Director ARCH College of Design and Business, Executive Board Member, Cumulus Association (2022-2025)

P. A. Inamdar College of Visual Effects, Design & Arts (VEDA College, Pune) School of Creativity, Rishihood University Faculty of Fashion & Design, SGT University Strate School of Design Whistling Woods International World University of Design

ARCH COLLEGE

OF DESIGN AND BUSINESS JULY 2022

THE DESIGN LEADERS OF TOMORROW

EDUCATING

KALKA TO SHIMLA RAILWAY, INDIA

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Higher Education Digest

July 2022 istockphoto.com/shalender kumar

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mustvisitdestinations.com Higher Education Digest July 2022

July 2022

Vol - 4 Issue - 9

Must-Watch Design Institutes in India – 2022 (India Edition) Head of Advisory Board Dr. Manoj Varghese, Ph.D

Managing Editor Sarath Shyam

Consultant Editors

Dr. Johny Andrews Anjana K Suchita Gonsalves

Roshni Rajagopal Komal Banchhor Anuja Mulmule

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Ajay K Das Manjunath R Rohith Poojary

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MANAGING EDITOR’S NOTE

Why Do We Need to Redesign the Design Education?

H

ow-does-it-look has become an important selling point for any product now. This shift in focus on aesthetics has helped design to evolve from being a vocation dealing with form and function to a new approach to developing business models. Today has become a strategic element and an innovation-leading process.

Organisations across sectors from architectural design, landscape architecture, industrial design, automotive and retail design are creating inhouse design departments to make originally designed offerings. According to a report by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), the Indian design industry was worth Rs. 18,332 crores in 2020 and is further growing with the maximum concentration of designers in architecture and interior design.

Despite the pandemic struggles, there was a growth in the number of design companies in India, making design a sought-after profession. To create a workforce capable of pushing the boundaries of the design industry, the Indian education system

offers diverse program choices at all levels such as certificate, diploma, undergraduate and post graduate programs. However, design educators face significant challenges, as they are often asked to address new kinds of problems at scales quite different from those of the past. The need of the hour is to rethink design education for the 21st century. Our priority must be to provide an indepth, evidence-driven academic foundation for design decisions and help modern-day designers to become advocates for social and environmental responsibility.

In this issue, we have identified ‘10 Must-Watch Design Institutes in India’ that are creating design education for the 21st Century to equip designers with the skills and perspectives to design more inclusive, sustainable, equitable, and responsible future product systems, organisations, and societies. On the cover, we feature ARCH College of Design and Business, which challenges conventional undergraduate and postgraduate education by incorporating engaging and holistic learning experiences with life skills to equip students with more than just an excellent world-class education.

Enjoy Reading.

Sarath Shyam Higher Education Digest July 2022

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ADVISORY BOARD Mr. Amulya Sah, PGD PM & IR, PG Diploma in PM&IR (XISS Ranchi) Chief Human Resources Officer, Former Head HR group Samsung R&D Institute India,Transformative HR Leader, Change agent, Digitization facilitator, Engagement architect, Trainer and Diversity champion.

Dr. Varughese K.John, PhD, MBA, MPhil, MCom, LLB. Former Program Director, MS in Management Program, GSATM - AU

Mr. Dean E. Hoke, M.S, B.A Co-Founder of Edu Alliance, LTD, UAE and Managing Partner of Edu Alliance Group, USA

6 Dr. Ajay Shukla, Ph.D, MBA, BE. Co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer at Higher Education UAE

Mamta Thakur

Major General (Rtd.) Dr. Sunil Chandra, VSM (Vishishta Seva Medal), Ph.D, M. Phil, MA, M.Ed, PGBDA

Former CEO ( ASEAN), Arc Skills

Ex-M D Army Welfare Education Society, ExCOO GEMS Education - India, Ex- Addl Dir Gen - Army Education, Mentor - Adventure-Pulse

Dr. Venus M. Alboruto, PhD, Master Teacher, Researcher, Innovator, Trainer.

Higher Education Digest July 2022

Shanthi Rajan (MSHRM, FHEA, AMCILT) Director, Institution Development, University of Stirling, RAK Campus, UAE.

Dr. Kuldeep Nagi, Ph.D, MBA, BSc.

Dr. Hans A. Andrews Ed.D.

Distinguished Fellow in Community College Leadership, Olney Central College, Illinois,USA

Former Program Director of Ph.D, Recipient of Fulbright Fellowship Award & Dan Evans Award for Excellence and Writer columnist.

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Dr. Khyati Shetty

Ph.D (Marketing)., SFHEA (UK), MBA (Marketing), PGHRM, BA (Marketing & Economics)

Mr. Sreedhar Bevara, MBA, B.Com CEO at BMR Innovations, Ex Senior General Manager at Panasonic, LG, The Hindu, TATA, Author: Moment of Signal & The Roaring Lambs, Motivational Speaker & Leadership Consultant.

Dr. Manoj Varghese, Ph.D

Senior Director - Global Partnerships, Advisory & Consulting - Connecta®, Head of Advisory Board Higher Education Digest® & K12 Digest®, Adjunct Faculty - Assumption University, Former CIO - Athena Education, Former Global Director Technology GEMS Education

Higher Education Digest July 2022

CONTENTS CONTENTS

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COVER STORY

ARCH COLLEGE OF DESIGN AND BUSINESS EDUCATING THE DESIGN LEADERS OF TOMORROW

Higher Education Digest July 2022

DESIGN INSTITUTES IN INDIA

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Faculty of Architecture, Planning and Design, Integral University Producing the Next Generation of Architects, Planners, & Design Thinkers

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KLE Society’s S. Nijalingappa College, Department of Fashion and Apparel Design Building the Next Generation of Design Thinkers in Fashion Designing

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P. A. Inamdar College of Visual Effects, Design & Arts (VEDA College, Pune)

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Trailblazers in the Animation and VFX Space

School of Creativity, Rishihood University

Immersing Creativity into Education

Higher Education Digest July 2022

CONTENTS CONTENTS

DESIGN INSTITUTES IN INDIA

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Faculty of Fashion & Design, SGT University Providing Excellence in Design

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Strate School of Design

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Discerning the Need for Design

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Whistling Woods International Delivering Excellence in Design Education

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World University of Design

Providing a Sound Design Foundation to Students

Higher Education Digest July 2022

14 India’s Higher Education Turns Digital Pankaj Sharma, President, The Lexicon Group of Institutes and Chairman & MD, Pune Mirror and Mutifit

ACADEMIC VIEW

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MENTOR’S MANTRA

Higher Technical Education and Career Opportunities in Petroleum Engineering Dr. Rahul Joshi, Head of School of Petroleum Engineering, MIT – World Peace University

Higher Education Digest July 2022

CONTENTS CONTENTS

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Helping Students Raise their Ambition by Adding More Value and thus Becoming More Valuable

How NGOs Can Help Girls Get Better Education

Anjani B Kuumar, Head HR, MX Media

Ankit Arora, Founding Director, Saarthi Education

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Here’s Why You Should Thank UI And UX for Adding Wings to the Digital Education System Alex George, Co-Founder & Managing Director, ITLH

12 INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE

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Online Classes and the Uncertainties of Higher Education Future Mohammed Mohtashim, Founder and Managing Director, Tutorials Point Higher Education Digest July 2022

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Ed-Tech Platforms Are Empowering Students in Tier 2 And Tier 3 Cities Narasimha Jayakumar, Managing Director, India, Brainly

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How OTT Platforms Help in Education Aashay Mishra, Co-Founder and COO, PrepInsta

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Higher Higher Education Education Digest Digest July 2022 October 2020

MENTOR’S MANTRA

India’s Higher Education Turns Digital Pankaj Sharma, President, The Lexicon Group of Institutes and Chairman & MD, Pune Mirror and Mutifit

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H

igher education in India has seen a major shift with the introduction of various digital trends in the system.

Optimisation of learning platforms have altered learning with collaboration of technology as a new trend. Digital revolution in higher education has changed the structure and opened up various ways of digital technologies and business prototypes with the objective to progress

an organisation’s functioning performance. Higher education organizations can achieve proposals of greater value by adjusting to the latest preferences in technology rapidly. It has led the organisations to acquire and certify the learners with an improved knowledge gaining experience.

Digital technology has given opportunities that led to merging of e-learning and online trends in higher education by proposing numerous of

Today’s generation is looking forward for the new immersive skills for learning with seamless result.

Immersive learning is a flair that engrosses students’ wits

Higher Education Digest July 2022

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An eminent educationist, entrepreneur, institution-builder, and philanthropist, Mr. Pankaj Sharma started his journey early in his life with humble beginnings, and has seen an upward growth year after year with setting up 9 Pre-Schools, 3 High Schools affiliated to CBSE, a PostGraduate Management Institute approved by AICTE, Lexicon Rainbow- centre for children with special needs and abilities and a Hotel Management Institute in collaboration with Marriott Hotels India, Davidoff - NV Lifestyles and Sarovar Hotels & Resorts. His zealous and ardent outlook led him to establish as well as acquire various entrepreneurial ventures and companies in sectors like Media, FMCG, Ed-tech, Law Aggregator, Fitness, etc.

Higher Education Digest July 2022

means to connect, absorb, relate, conjoin, and work in partnership for the smooth functioning of the system.

The four effective trends that will help Higher Education Sector sustain and grow its learning experience: 1. The Internet of Things (IoT) One of the trends which shifted the paradigm of the digital learning is the trends of the Internet of Things (IoT). With the help of software and electronics the concept of IoT is slowly being adapted by the educational sector. Since IoT does not require any human assistance, they are expected at switching and amassing any mode of data, such as detecting the face of the students and monitoring the actions of the students.

IoT enables assisting safe and secure use of technology in campus for the higher education institutions. For instance, technologies like 3D locating to screen the existence of any student. The preference of emergency buttons are also given during the time of need. This tool also calculates the total time engaged by students for concluding a specific project.

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2. Data Analytic Tools Data Analytics Tools for analysing the data of students have been massively valuable for tracking not just during examination but also the routine assessments in the higher education. Such tools can be used to retain the accurate facts of students saving time. Defined response of their behaviour, exams and attendance can also be provided on timely basis with the help of the data analytic tool.

3. Audio-Visual Tools The introduction of Podcasts in the field of digital learning for higher education has also been a boon to the sector, although it is not a new concept to the growing generation. Students tend to miss out on information during live lectures. In such cases, Podcast has been an advantage to the students where they are able to learn the concept at least with the help of audio recordings which are available on the podcast. They visit and revisit the concepts at their own convenience.

4. Artificial Intelligence Tools Many institutions have also turned towards the Artificial Intelligence to safeguard the learners and monitor their activities with tools like AI-assisting computerised proctors, chat boxes, capturing photographs of learners during exams.

Higher Education Digest July 2022

Digital technology has given opportunities that led to merging of e-learning and online trends in higher education by proposing numerous of means to connect, absorb, relate, conjoin, and work in partnership for the smooth functioning of the system

Not just India, but many countries have witnessed this digital revolution in the Higher Education system in the last couple of years. Education was transformed completely with introduction of many EdTech platforms world-wide. Classrooms became more interactive with the use of augmented and virtual reality. Today’s generation is looking forward for the new immersive skills for learning with seamless result. Immersive learning is a flair that engrosses students’ wits.

In the year 2022 we have most likely observed a surge in the number of establishments that have made technology its holistic centre. It has enabled many organisations to stretch heights of hybrid patterns of education in an effort to charm a countless amount of learners. This has also helped institutions in keeping up with the development of budding digital tools.

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Amazing Opportunity for Teachers and School Leaders to enhance their knowledge through FREE Teachers Academy masterclasses from international education experts !!!

For more details and registration www.teachersacademy.com

Higher Education Digest July 2022

Higher Education Digest November 2021

COVER STORY

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Higher Education Digest July 2022

ARCH

COLLEGE OF DESIGN AND BUSINESS 19 EDUCATING THE DESIGN LEADERS OF TOMORROW

Higher Education Digest July July 2022

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T

he journey of ARCH College of Design and Business began in a two-room apartment space of its Founder & Director, Archana Surana’s residence. Back then, Archana had identified the need for a premium design institution which would honour the essence of design culture, promote entrepreneurship, build global partnerships, and unveil the creative skills in students. In 2000, ARCH College of Design and Business was incepted in the heart of Jaipur.

“Today, our institution is recognized as a center of excellence in teaching, learning & innovation, and over the last twenty years, has educated more than 7000 professionals and entrepreneurs from across the country,” shares Archana with great pride.

Design Inspired Campus The 5-storey building of ARCH College of Design and Business is spread across 80,000 sq feet with aesthetically designed spaces where the students can learn, experience, and enjoy the art of design and align their creative thoughts to the tactical aspects of the curriculum. Moreover, the

Higher Education Digest July 2022

Spread across 80,000 sq feet in the heart of the Pink City- Jaipur, ARCH is equipped with cutting-edge technology and online pedagogical infrastructure to offer students premium education and learning experiences!

design practices implemented at ARCH have turned it into a 100% energy-efficient campus with solar panelling, water harvesting, composting, and zero food wastage.

Likewise, the campus is decked with creatively designed pieces by ARCH’s students that highlight their talent and artistic skills. There are modern workspaces & well-equipped labs where the creative processes of design, research & fabrication of models, sample artefacts & prototypes are achieved. Besides these, all the other essential & required operations are efficiently accomplished with the latest hardware and software infrastructure.

Exclusive Array of Courses for Diverse Student Population ARCH offers undergraduate, postgraduate and certificate level courses in jewellery design, fashion design, interior design, product design, graphic design, and design communication and business. It is also the only design institution in India offering B. A+M.A degree in design education.

Moreover, students from diverse parts of India and around the world come to seek education from ARCH College of Design and Business. The institution also participates in student exchange programmes with major foreign universities.

Expert Faculty Members Taking Education to the Next Level At ARCH, there is a fine balance between experienced faculty and young innovative teachers who deliver an unparalleled learning experience to their students.

“Our faculty at ARCH has experience in teaching methodology and dealing with students with an excellent eye, thereby making it a point that every student gets personalized education in a 1: 1 teacher-student ratio,” adds Archana, the Founder & Director of ARCH. The faculty also assists students in providing great industry exposure, and hands-on knowledge of the subjects. In addition, many international faculties also visit ARCH as guest faculty or deliver virtual masterclasses which

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Higher Education Digest July July 2022

ABOUT

ARCHANA SURANA, FOUNDER & DIRECTOR ARCH COLLEGE OF DESIGN AND BUSINESS, EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBER, CUMULUS ASSOCIATION (2022-2025) Archana Surana is a Design Educator, Mentor and Social Entrepreneur with 28 years of experience innovating in Design Education. She successfully carries forward a legacy of 22 years as the Founder and Director of ARCH College of Design and Business. She established vital pathways in specialised streams of Design Education by imparting Undergraduate and Post Graduate Level programs with International and National Certifications.

DESIGN CULTURE initiative is her mission to harness the power of Design among the aspirants of the creative and innovative domain, enabling them to become design

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leaders. She is Chairperson, Design Culture- Pink City Design Confluence 2022.

She is a Member of -the CII National Committee on Design India(2021-22) and has been a Scientific Committee member on International fashion research colloquiums. She is former Dean- Fashion Design Faculty, Academic Council Member of Rajasthan ILD Skills University (RISU), and CBSE Committee on Skill Development. She represents ARCH as a member of International forums- IFFTI, WDO, Cumulus and Industry & Academic bodies -FICCI-Flo, FDCI, IIID, IGBC, TPF, TIE Rajasthan.

Ms Archana is the US State Department and Rotary Foundation Alumnus, Vital Voices Lead Fellow, a Fortune and GAP Mentee, founded the Women Mentors Forum, WMF in 2014, impacting 1500+ women entrepreneurs and professionals. An austere social entrepreneur, her contributions in youth and women empowerment have gained her recognition at the hands of former Indian President, Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, as a YUVA ICON.

Higher Education Digest July 2022

Designed to engage and encourage self-paced learning and research; the library at ARCH offers a large collection of books, international journals, e-books, and films that are available for students and faculty

provides students with a global perspective. Hence, it isn’t surprising that ARCH’s team constructed the first All India Online Entrance Exam in Design.

Innovative Pedagogy to Promote Creative & Engaging Learning Throwing light on ARCH’s pedagogy, Archana states, “We aim to challenge conventional undergraduate & postgraduate education by incorporating engaging and holistic learning experiences with life skills to equip students with more than just an excellent world-class education.”

Right from conventional classroom lectures to group discussions; from peer learning to mentor emulation; from field research and developing industry linkages to successfully interning with industry experts, ARCH’s pedagogy is therefore multidirectional. As a result, ARCH aims to develop students' ability to challenge their preconceptions, create intellectual curiosity through critical understanding, and develop a mind open to new ideas. In addition, the curricular & co-curricular activities cultivate professional & personal qualities & capabilities amongst the students, further equipping them with the tools to carve a successful future.

Higher Education Digest July 2022

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Industry-Academia Partnerships Accelerating Innovation With regards to signing MOUs and forming partnerships, ARCH College of Design & Business has been an active participant. It has signed MOUs with numerous institutions focused on staff development, student exchange, research & development of a new curriculum, and developing progression routes towards higher education. The outcomes of these collaborations range from progression to student exchanges and 3-month industry internships abroad and semester exchanges of 3-months up to a year.

Some of ARCH’s international university design collaborators include Manchester Metropolitan University, Teesside University, Saxion University, NSCAD, Bahir Dar University, Sapienza University Rome, École Boulle, to name a few. Currently, ARCH is also a part of the ‘RISE’ project with European educational institutions in the Netherlands, Finland and Belgium. Moreover, ARCH, in strategic partnership with Pearson, is accredited to deliver six BTEC Level 5 HND qualifications in Art and Design.

ARCH is also a voting member and participant of extraordinary forums and international bodies that include

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Higher Education Digest July 2022

ARCH facilitates the necessary mentoring and networking connections required to help foster the development of scalable business models based on transformational designs and innovative thinking and achieve commercial success through ‘start-up’ enterprises.

25 the World Design Organization (WDO), the International Foundation of Fashion Technology Institutes (IFFTI), Interaction Design Association (IxDA), and CUMULUS. These memberships offer valuable opportunities to students to participate in international competitions, research papers, and project presentations and attend module courses in member institutions, among many other collaborative benefits.

Design Business Incubator Fostering Entrepreneurship By walking in line with its mission, ARCH’s CampusToCompany initiative and Design Business Incubator (hubIN) focuses on creative entrepreneurship and facilitates the necessary mentoring and networking connections required to help foster the development of scalable business models based on transformational designs and innovative thinking and achieve commercial success through 'start-up' enterprises.

The Jaipur-based ARCH institution also collaborates with various industries, government, and semigovernment bodies to conduct design intervention / knowledge dissemination, and training programs for artisans, designers, and women towards skill development

and encouraging entrepreneurship. Impressively, over 2,500 people have been trained under these programme initiatives.

A Striking Campus Placement Record In the previous academic session, around 85% of the students received placement offers while remaining 15% of students chose to pursue higher education after completing their degrees from ARCH. To name a few of the previous year’s recruiters: Manish Malhotra, Jack & Jones, Anita Dongre & Designs, Rocky S Fashions, Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla, Lifestyle International Pvt. Ltd, and many more.

Similarly, top brands in interior design, jewellery design, product design, design communication, and business studies have placed ARCH’s students owing to their thorough design knowledge, hands-on skills, and creative outlook till date.

Supporting & Inspiring Students through Scholarships ARCH’s Founder & Director, Archana considers scholarships as an opportunity provider for students to earn quality education and achieve career goals.

Higher Education Digest July 2022

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Students who apply for scholarship at ARCH go through a strict screening process and if selected, a portion of their academic expenses are handled by the institution, taking them a step closure to better future opportunities.

Trailblazing towards a Successful Future Operating in the post-pandemic world, Archana along with her team of ARCH have planned an Institute for Studies in Advanced Design, Research & Innovation – ISADRI. Designed as an online institution to help re-integrate India’s age-old wisdom of circular design and sustainable

Higher Education Digest July 2022

practices into the present day, it will aim to re-contribute their essence and balance to beneficially influence the future of the world.

“In addition, we are in the process of completing a proposal to apply for Erasmus Plus funding for developing an appropriate and helpful curriculum for a course in social and sustainable entrepreneurship. As a natural extension of this exercise, we propose to set up a Centre for Sustainable Practices and Entrepreneurship (CSPE), in India,” concludes ARCH’s Founder & Director, Archana Surana.

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Higher Education Digest October 2021

Higher Education Digest July 2022

INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE

Helping Students Raise their Ambition by Adding More Value and thus Becoming More Valuable

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Anjani B Kuumar, Head HR, MX Media

A post-graduate in Human Resources from XLRI Jamshedpur, Anjani B Kuumar has been an extremely successful global HR and business professional with a unique blend of corporate and entrepreneurial experience. Currently, as Head of HR at one of the leading OTT platforms, MX Player, Anjani has helped nurtured a very strong workforce with a diverse set of employees. Apart from being an HR Head, Mr. Kuumar is also a success coach, motivator, and entrepreneur who talks about leadership development and having a positive mindset. Since the start of his career, Mr. Kuumar has handled and lead various teams/functions. He has always delivered the best on assignments undertaken with different organizations.

Higher Education Digest July 2022

From a broader perspective, our goal with Project Ambition has been to create the first and one of the best free resources to help fresh graduates aim higher and realize those aims, resulting in an overall increase in their per-capita income

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W

hat is the difference between companies that have been winning for decades and companies that were winners once, but obsolete now? What is the one common thing that characterizes startups across industries?

Disruption and innovation.

If you were to be asked for examples of disruption, the expected answers would be solutions, products, or marketing strategies. There is one significant area of business that still lacks disruption to a great extentcreating social impact. At MX Media, our number one value proposition is to be disruptive- across verticals and goals. With the belief that social impact could be one of the core pillars of our growth strategy, we set out to create Project Ambition, a disruptive social initiative.

Every year, a huge number of bright students enter the corporate world in India. Apart from those from a select few premier colleges, most students from other institutes primarily aim for just getting a job. We believe

that in such cases, the gap is not just the brand but also the ambition. This is where Project Ambition steps in.

Through Project Ambition, our vision is to enhance the earning capabilities of fresh B-school graduates, by guiding them towards a focused aim and enabling them to plan for it.

This is designed as an intervention where, by helping a large section of the society to raise their per capita income, we are also supporting the economic growth of the country and thus creating a massive social impact.

The program is structured with 3 pillars - industry awareness, behavioral skills, and technological literacy, which work in tandem to increase the earning capability of students by making them understand what is valued in the corporate world and what will help them command a higher premium for their skills.

For Phase-I of Project Ambition, we partnered with 30 B-schools across the country and worked with their students. The program is spread across 3 stages: LEARN- We begin the program with an introductory training, where I teach them how raising the level of

Higher Education Digest July 2022

ambition is critical for them and how they can become more valuable by adding more value to the companies where they plan to look for jobs.

GROW- An extensive 90-day self-learning toolkit, divided into 3 modules, is shared with the students.

The toolkit covers everything from developing business acumen and building industry-readiness, to enhancing communication skills and preparing for placements and negotiations.

KNOW- Post completion of the toolkit, we host a knowledge session to address students’ doubts and set the roadmap for the future.

Phase-I of Project Ambition saw approximately 5000 eager students learning and developing themselves to pitch for a higher ambitious entry-level salary goal. Post successful completion of online assessments, top students from each campus will get a chance to have 1-on-1 interactions with industry experts. For the top performers of the program, we have a cash prize of Rs. 50,000 and an opportunity to work on a live project with MX Player.

From a broader perspective, our goal with Project Ambition has been to create the first and one of the best free resources to help fresh graduates aim higher and realize those aims, resulting in an overall increase in their per-capita income. With the results and feedback from Phase-I, we are all set to create an even more impactful Phase-II of this project, collaborating with more colleges to help shape the career dreams of many more students.

Although Project Ambition was designed as a social impact project to add value to the workforce soon entering the Indian economy, it has been an enriching experience for the team driving it as well. To take up something so unconventional, over and above our day jobs, and seeing the scale at which it has had an impact is surreal.

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Higher Education Digest July 2022

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Higher Education Digest July 2022

DESIGN INSTITUTES IN INDIA

D

esign education was one of the toughest to teach during the pandemic times, as it involved a lot of practical learning. However, the institutes have successfully remodelled their programs during the pandemic to suit

the ‘new norms’ of education. To help design aspirants make informed decisions about their study destinations, we have listed ‘10 Must-Watch Design Institutes in India’ that are at the forefront of providing cutting-edge design education.

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ARCH College of Design and Business

Faculty of Architecture, Planning and Design (FOAPD), Integral University

Website: https://www.archedu.org/

Website: https://iul.ac.in/AR/

Location: Jaipur, Rajasthan

Location: Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh

Keyperson: Archana Surana, Founder & Director

Keyperson: Prof. S. W. Akhtar, Chancellor

Admission:

Admission:

https://www.archedu.org/information.html

Higher Education Digest July 2022

https://iul.ac.in/AdmissionInfo/Index.aspx

ISDI School of Design & Innovation

KLE Society’s S. Nijalingappa College, Department of Fashion and Apparel Design

Website: https://www.isdi.in/

Website: https://www.klesnc.org/fashion-and-

Location: Mumbai, Maharashtra Keyperson:

apparel-design/

Location: Bengaluru, Karnataka

Radha Kapoor Khanna, Founder & Director

Keyperson: Dr. Arunkumar B. Sonappanavar, Principal

Admission:

Admission:

https://www.isdi.in/admissionprocess/

https://www.klesnc.org/academics/admissions/

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P A. Inamdar College of Visual Effects, Design & Arts

School of Creativity, Rishihood University

Website: https://www.veda-edu.com/

Website: https://rishihood.edu.in/creativity/

Location: Pune, Maharashtra

Location: Sonipat, Haryana

Keyperson: P.A. Inamdar, President

Keyperson: Prof. Manika Walia, Founding Dean

Admission:

https://www.veda-edu.com/admission-procedure/

Admission:

https://rishihood.edu.in/admissions/

Higher Education Digest July 2022

Strate Design School Website: https://strate.in/

Faculty of Fashion & Design, SGT University Website:

https://sgtuniversity.ac.in/faculty-of-fashion-design/

Location: Bengaluru, Karnataka

Location: Gurugram, Haryana

Keyperson: Thomas Dal, Dean and Director

Keyperson: Dr. M.K. Nair, Dean

Admission:

Admission:

https://strate.in/admissions/

https://sgtuniversity.ac.in/admission-procedure/

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Whistling Woods International

World University of Design

Website: https://www.whistlingwoods.net/

Website: https://worlduniversityofdesign.ac.in/

Location: Mumbai, Maharashtra

Location: Sonipat, Haryana

Keyperson: Milindo Taid, HOD

Keyperson: Prof (Dr.) Sanjay Gupta, Vice-Chancellor

Admission:

https://www.whistlingwoods.net/admissions/

Higher Education Digest July 2022

Admission:

https://worlduniversityofdesign.nopaperforms.com/

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Higher Education Digest July 2022

DESIGN INSTITUTES IN INDIA

FACULTY OF ARCHITECTURE, PLANNING AND DESIGN, INTEGRAL UNIVERSITY PRODUCING THE NEXT GENERATION OF ARCHITECTS, PLANNERS, & DESIGN THINKERS 36

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n 1999, the Faculty of Architecture, Planning and Design (FOAPD) was set up at Integral University’s campus. Initially known as the Faculty of Architecture, the institute offered a five-year Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture to provide quality architectural education to a broader number of students. It introduced a plethora of undergraduate programs, namely B.Arch, B.Plan, B.Design (Product and Interior design), and B.Des (Fashion Design), while the higher degree programs included M.Arch and M.Plan. In addition, from 2019, the institute also started offering PhD programs. Later, it was renamed the Faculty of Architecture, Planning and Design (FOAPD).

“Being the oldest cynosure imparting architectural education in any private university of the state; we realise our responsibility to deliver the best,” states Prof. S. W. Akhtar, Chancellor and Founder, Integral University, Lucknow. Owing to the institution’s excellent teaching standards and its resonating outcomes, Architecture Department ranked 35th all over the nation among top architectural colleges for the session 2020-21 by OUTLOOK’s all India Survey conducted by Times of India. Moreover, FOAPD ranked 27th in India and 2nd in Uttar Pradesh among private architectural colleges by the Indian Institutional Ranking Framework (IIRF) - 2022. India Today ranked the institute as 31st in India and 3rd in Uttar Pradesh. The institute’s faculty was rated 4th in the Northern Region of India by the Global Human Resource Development Centre (GHRDC) Ranking 2019.

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One of the oldest cynosures imparting architectural education in any private university of the state, the Faculty of Architecture, Planning and Design (FOAPD) nurtures students with individual care through Mentor-Mentee system.

Higher Education Digest July 2022

A Campus with Modern Facilities & WellEquipped Infrastructure Located in Lucknow, the campus of Integral University is spread over 121 acres, with FOAPD accommodating 3,000 sq mt of the built-up area. The campus of Integral University is home to a diverse academic community of more than 11,000 students, faculty, and staff from across the nation and the world. It has various state-of-the-art, wi-fi-enabled facilities in academic zones, supported by spaces like a central auditorium complex, a medical college with a hospital, ambulances, sports facilities, gymnasium, canteens, hostels, faculty residences etc.

Likewise, the FOAPD institute houses studios built to meet the Council of Architecture’s (CoA) standard criteria from where students obtain a fundamental understanding of architectural design and are introduced to essential concerns

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Prof. S. W. Akhtar, Chancellor and Founder, Integral University, Lucknow

Higher Education Digest July 2022

Faculty of Architecture, Planning and Design (FOAPD) students are exposed to rich variety of design & planning expertise through fulltime faculty and outstanding professionals

that drive the social and physical production of the built environment. Similarly, there are a fully-equipped material museum, climatology, surveying and construction yard, model making, and graphic hall laboratories for students’ experimental learning. “Our hands-on learning environment fosters a culture of inquiry, experimentation, and creative expression, thereby preparing our students for the future as architects,” asserts Prof. S. W. Akhtar.

An Expert Team of Talented Teachers “Our faculty is our most valuable resource, with impeccable credentials, vast expertise and experience in their professions, and a strong commitment to their students’ well-being. And that is one of the main reasons why students choose Integral University for architecture,” states Prof. Zeba Nisar, Dean, FOAPD. All of these professors are licenced architects

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Higher Education Digest July 2022

athletic/cultural endeavours. Moreover, there are visiting experts from the academic and corporate worlds who give students wide exposure to a variety of architectural perspectives. FOAPD also works with different NGOs for social welfare like Srijan Welfare Society.

Nurturing Industry-Academia Collaborations According to Prof. Zeba Nisar, the institute encourages its students to participate in competitions, institutional consultancy, and summer & practical training to bridge the gap between academia and industry. The curriculum of FOAPD itself includes a mandatory summer and practical training in which the students prepare their portfolio and send it to renowned architectural firms all over the globe for internships. This helps the students receive the sort and range of practical experience that will prepare them for their future responsibilities as soon as they finish the degree courses.

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Prof. Zeba Nisar, Dean, FOAPD

themselves who are members of a variety of national and international professional organisations such as the Institute of Indian Interior Designers (IIID), Indian Green Building Council (IGBC), Indian Institute of Architects (IIA), Institute of Town Planners, India (ITPI), Lucknow Architects Association, ISHRAE etc. At present, the institute has 31 faculty members, comprising of full time and visiting faculty.

The faculty of FOAPD are also actively engaged in research with their project outcomes published in various peer-reviewed national and international journals indexed in SCOPUS, Web of Science, UGC Care, etc., with high-impact factors. In addition to their teaching responsibilities, the faculty members also mentor and advise students in their academic, research, and

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Dr Safiullah, Head of the Department, FOAPD

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Faculty of Architecture, Planning and Design (FOAPD) conducts national & international level seminars, workshops, exhibitions in partnership with collaborated universities & research organizations.

At regular intervals, joint studio projects are organised by FOAPD with the fellow institutes to enhance interaction among the students of different institutes and provide an interface for sharing knowledge and expertise. Similarly, seminars/conferences/ faculty induction programmes are organised in collaboration with different institutes and bodies such as the Institute of Town Planners, UP Chapter, India, NIASA, Council of Architecture, UPNEDA, GIZ under MoHUA, India etc. Renowned speakers are invited from the industry to deliver expert lectures and collaborate with the department as visiting faculty.

Besides these, FOAPD has signed MoUs with Uttar Pradesh New & Renewable Energy Development Agency (UPNEDA) and the Indian Society of Heating,

Higher Education Digest July 2022

Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ISHRAE) to make its students aware of subjects like energy conservation and environmental concerns. In addition, FOAPD’s students have participated in distinct design & architectural competitions and other co-curricular activities and excelled in them. Two students of FOAPD, Sameer Ashraf and Sharan Chaterji, won certificate of merit in the North Zone for National Award for Excellence in Architectural Thesis-2021 and JK AAYA Best Architecture student of the Year Award hosted by Council of Architecture.

Bridging the gap of academia to industry, Faculty of Architecture, Planning and Design (FOAPD) encourages its students to take part in competitions, institutional consultancy along with summer & practical trainings.

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Higher Education Digest July 2022

An Abode for Research & Innovation The teachers of FOAPD construct and structure a curriculum that allows students to explore their creativity in meaningful, engaging, and worthwhile ways. Students are also rewarded for their creativity and out-of-the-box ideas. For instance, the students’ work on Redevelopment of Qaiserbagh Complex was published in the form of Book, which is now available on amazon for sale.

Furthermore, an ‘Idea Development’ program is set up

by FOAPD to understand the creative process as viewed by the architectural community, how technologies can function, develop a model for the generation of ideas and

to promote, encourage, and incubate new enterprises, particularly technology-based start-ups, catering innovative products and services. This initiative was taken to support the “Atmanirbhar Bharat” mission of the Govt of India.

Under CIED, a unique entrepreneurship program called ‘Start-up Pathshala’ (New Enterprise Creation) and Cohort 2.0 Pre-Incubation Campus Drive were launched. The students of FOAPD have submitted their-start up proposals to the CIED cell, which will be assessed by the concerned authorities.

Students are also made industry-ready by engaging them in developing designs for on-campus live projects where they can understand the issue and suggest a solution accordingly.

establish a research initiative for the ideas of the future. The students are engaged in providing innovative solutions for the architectural problems assigned to them. This platform also empowers them to establish their own start-ups in the field and work towards improving society. The FOAPD institute also has a separate research team whose goal is to encourage and motivate students to take an interest in research projects.

Supporting Self-Reliant India Campaign In October 2019, the Centre for Incubation & Entrepreneurship Development (CIED) was established by Integral University

An Impressive Student Placement Record As part of their curriculum, FOAPD’s students must complete 6 months of required practical training with a recognised company in India or overseas. During the training period, students are offered employment by possible employers, or they decide to create their own businesses. Additionally, the institute’s Centre for Career Guidance and Development (CCGD) team identifies the students’ strengths through systematic interventions and prepares & exposes them to varied opportunities across the private and public sector, further education, international options, and entrepreneurship.

Some of the past companies that recruited FOAPD’s students include H S Contractor Consultancy Pvt Ltd,

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ARCOP, Sangath, ARCOHM, Morphogenesis, Charles Correa Foundation, A J Atlier, Studio Lotus, etc. Students from previous batches have also been accepted in prestigious national (IITs, NITs, NIDs, & Central Universities) and international (Politecnico di Milano, Italy, Germany, England, etc.) institutions for further studies.

Scholarships Making Education Easier to Access Integral University is an active member in fighting for the fundamental right to education for children. The University regards scholarships as a means to empower students’academic and career goals by removing the financial barrier and giving them more time to study, gain knowledge, secure better grades, and look for opportunities for skill development and knowledge enhancement.

As a result, Integral University provides numerous scholarships, namely merit-based scholarships, alumni scholarships, staff scholarships, Jammu & Kashmir scholarships, North-Eastern Region scholarships, and progression scholarships.

Overcoming the Pandemic Times In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, FOAPD shifted to online learning platforms. However, because architectural education differs from other streams and textbook cultures, it became difficult for faculty and students to adapt to these techniques. To resolve this challenge, Integral University introduced Integral Learning Management System (LMS) interface, which was used by the faculty and students for

Higher Education Digest July 2022

online classes, uploading learning materials, presentations, assignments, attendance and continuous assessment.

Moreover, students were also given access to Uttar Pradesh Higher Education Digital Library, an e-learning portal by Govt of Uttar Pradesh.

Likewise, FOADP organised online webinars, seminars, conferences etc., at national and international levels with other institutes and industries to brief students on the holistic approach to design thinking. The students of FOAPD also became well-versed with the architectural and presentation software, which became an effective medium for presenting their work online. This platform aided in the students’ soft skill development and is now seen as an advantage arising from the pandemic.

The Need for Urgent Reforms in Architectural Education Dr Safiullah, Head of the Department, FOAPD, feels that architectural projects must be viewed as societal challenges requiring a more profound and thorough response rather than just worries about concrete, steel, and glass, necessitating a multidisciplinary approach. He adds, “We should develop a system that encourages new, intriguing, and meaningful environments while also caring for our students’ and faculty’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being.”

In the coming days, FOAPD plans to develop new approaches in teaching methodology, improve curricula, and make advancements in the post-pandemic learning arenas and digital environments.

Powerful protection designed for PC gamers

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NORTONLIFELOCK.COM Higher Education Digest July 2022

DESIGN INSTITUTES IN INDIA

KLE SOCIETY’S S. NIJALINGAPPA COLLEGE, DEPARTMENT OF FASHION AND APPAREL DESIGN BUILDING THE NEXT GENERATION OF DESIGN THINKERS IN FASHION DESIGNING 46

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ashion designing has emerged as one of the most appealing, glamorous, and exciting career options in recent times. Therefore, students with creative, imaginative, and innovative talents are pursuing higher education degrees in fashion designing. KLE Society’s S. Nijalingappa College, Department of Fashion and Apparel Design (FAD) is one of the leading design institutes in India, offering fashion education coupled with the latest technologies related to textiles, garments, fashion & IT. KLE FAD is backed by a rich legacy of KLE Society which celebrated its centenary in 2016. Under its umbrella, KLE Society’s S. Nijalingappa College was established in 1963. Since then, the Bengaluru-based college has been committed to offering a quality learning experience in both UG & PG programs in Arts, Science, Commerce, Management Studies, Computer Applications, Hotel Management, Tourism & Travel Management, and Fashion & Apparel Designing and evolved into one of the top-ranking higher education institutions.

“Our esteemed institution assures the growth of the students and transformation of the younger generation into a knowledgeable, employable and refined human resource,” states Dr. Arunkumar B. Sonappanavar, Principal of KLE Society’s S. Nijalingappa College.

Sophisticated Campus Infrastructure KLE FAD promotes a sophisticated learning environment with best-in-class facilities on its campus. The department has state-of-

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KLE Society’s S. Nijalingappa College, Department of Fashion and Apparel Design (FAD) as a single centre is exceptional in the range of art, design, media & communication disciplines it encompasses.

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The institute is designed & updated with inputs from industry members and academicians with expertise in understanding the requirements of industry and knowledge of benchmarking in the related education field.

Higher Education Digest July 2022

the-art infrastructure including 8 fully furnished labs, namely fashion illustration, textile testing, junior pattern making, senior pattern making, advanced Juki pattern making, a textile wet processing lab, CAD/CAM, and fabric science & weaving lab with the digitizer. Regarding learning resources, KLE FAD is equipped with advanced Lectra Software imported from France for Pattern Making and Tuka Design from the USA. In addition, the FAD Department has access to some unique research archives and specialist resources.

KLE Society’s S. Nijalingappa College also has a wellstocked library comprising books, periodicals, exhibition catalogues, archival material, slides and videotapes and one of the largest arts and design collections in Bengaluru.

Extensive Courses & Practical-Oriented Curriculum The Fashion & Apparel Department of KLE College is a single centre that has an exceptional range of art, design, and media & communication disciplines. Students can select from UG programmes, diploma courses or short-term courses. The department also provides a special certificate course on embroidery & garment surface ornamentation for SC/ST candidates for employability, sponsored by the Government of Karnataka.

Moreover, a unique approach is applied to design education that believes in the power of change and the passion for innovation. Its curriculum is also administrated in a highly practical-oriented manner.

Dr Prabhakar B Kore, Chairman

An Expert Team of Faculty Members The faculty members of KLE FAD comprise professionally qualified individuals who bring a strong background of work experience in both industry and academics and a solid commitment to students. Some of the staff members are designers and researchers who curate, participate in, and hold their own exhibitions in Bengaluru and other states of India. Through their rich background in arts, design, fabric, media and creativity, students get to learn from their real-life experiences.

Moreover, KLE Society’s S. Nijalingappa College supports this commitment of the faculty by encouraging

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them to constantly upgrade their skills and knowledge by attending workshops and training sessions and contributing to research work i.e., in various national & international peer-reviewed, high impact factor journals. They have also presented their work in numerous seminars and conferences and earned recognition.

Industry Collaborations & Mentorship Since its inception, KLE FAD has taken a leading role in the cultural economy through partnerships with business, industry and the wider community. Students undergo a minimum industrial training of 30 days in reputed boutiques, design studios, and apparel /textile manufacturing units, which can be done in India or abroad. Furthermore, students have to prepare a detailed report on various departments in the industry, gain practical knowledge, hands-on practice

Higher Education Digest July 2022

At the institute, many staff members are designers as well as researchers and the rich student mix studying within art, design, fabric, media and creativity can thrive on their experience.

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with complete machinery & softwares’, and handle the clientele base. There is also a craft documentation initiative where students can revive ancient traditional crafts and imbibe them in their product developments.

Some of the reputed industry players whom KLE FAD is proudly associated with are Mango, Aldo, First Step Baby Wear Pvt Ltd, Stitch Yard Boutique, Weavers Centre, Penguin Apparels, Central Silk Board, Texport Syndicate, Trinity Clothing, Silver Park Apparel Ltd, Birdy Experts, and Sana Fashion Boutique.

In addition, Mr. Sanjay & Ms. Shammy, the Bollywood Designers from Chola Fashion House, act as mentors to KLE FAD’s students and offer internships/ apprenticeships to facilitate them in the fashion business. Students also take part in numerous fashion congregations under their guidance.

Entrepreneurship Support Students displayed their bridal collections to the public in the memorable Du Jour activity, which was conducted by the KLE FAD in the G.T. Mall Rajajinagar. This received much acclaim and attention.

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KLE FAD has placed its students not only in some of the best Textile and Apparel industries in India and abroad, but also assisted with setting up their own boutiques, studios, manufacturing unit etc.

Excellent Campus Placement Record The fashion and apparel department of KLE Society’s S. Nijalingappa College has maintained an excellent track record for placements. It has assisted all of its students in getting recruited in some of the best textile and apparel industries in India and abroad and supported them with setting up their own boutiques, studios, manufacturing units, etc.

Extra-Curricular Activities to Enhance Student Engagement An annual Cultural Club is held at KLE Society’s S. Nijalingappa College, where students from different academic years and departments participate with zeal and enthusiasm. Various events are conducted, and artists & performers are invited. Likewise, spectrum, the college annual fest, is coordinated by the cultural club. In this event, the fashion, dance, and music teams work in coordination with the club under the guidance of faculty. Similarly, the Literary Club organised debates, discussions, poetry recitations, and creative writing activities.

Moving Forward In the coming years, KLE FAD will continue to achieve its vision to help students discover and explore their individual styles and talents by transforming them into well-trained, qualified professionals and socially responsible citizens of the country.

Higher Education Digest July 2022

Want to find Investor for your Startup?

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Higher Education Digest July 2022

ACADEMIC VIEW

Higher Technical Education and Career Opportunities in Petroleum Engineering 54

Dr. Rahul Joshi, Head of School of Petroleum Engineering, MIT – World Peace University

Dr. Rahul Joshi is presently working as Assistant Professor and Head, School of Petroleum Engineering, Dr. Vishwanath Karad MIT World Peace University, Pune, Maharashtra, India.

He has a wide teaching experience of 21 years a 4 years of industry experience. His qualifications include Ph.D. Geology, M.Sc. (Geology) and B.Sc. (Geology). He is actively involved in civil and petroleum engineering courses. His areas of interests are Petroleum Exploration, Petroleum Geology, Reservoir Characterization, Engineering Geological Investigations and Rock Mass Characterization.

Higher Education Digest July 2022

In last 150 years, close to 5 million oil wells have been drilled across all the continents. Each oilproducing well generates a few terabytes of information in terms of all activities, which means, this is a data-intensive industry

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nergy plays an important role in our daily lives, from our smartphones to our automobiles to our homes, it helps us to improve our standard of living. Petroleum engineers power the globe by collaborating and thinking creatively.

Petroleum engineering is the amalgamation of many engineering disciplines, including mechanical, chemical and civil. Innovation, exploration, and expansion are roots of petroleum engineering.

Dating Back to History The drilling of the first oil well took place way back in 1859 in Titusville, Pennsylvania, USA. Since then, a lot has changed in the exploration and production of crude oil.

Earlier, almost every single oilman working in the industry had to do the work by hand. Now, one can sit in a corner of the globe and still be able to drill and effectively produce oil and gas from another corner.

Of course, in the era of advanced computing, it is not unachievable.

The question at the moment is whether the oil and gas industry has an adequate supply of manpower who understand the upcoming challenges of the new era where the industry is moving from rig site to desktop?

Rise in Petroleum Engineering In last 150 years, close to 5 million oil wells have been drilled across all the continents. Each oil-producing well generates a few terabytes of information in terms of all activities, which means, this is a data-intensive industry.

Ability to identify, aggregate, store and analyze this vast data is giving competitive edge to oil companies.

As is the saying that “Data is the new Oil and Oil is the new Data”, we are noticing a great surge in industry demands for manpower that is well-versed in both core Exploration and Production (E&P) operations and Big Data Analytics tools.

With fluctuating oil prices and rapidly changing supply and demand scenario, oil industry is finding knowledge of data handling tools such as Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning (AIML) a strategic resource to reduce the potential risk of decision making.

Multiple facets in Petroleum Engineering B. Tech Petroleum Engineering program is offered in many public universities across India like IIT Kharagpur, ISM Dhanbad, IIT Bombay, IIT Madras. MIT World Peace University, Pune is also among the institutions that offer Petroleum Engineering to address these emerging manpower needs of oil industry. The curriculum of this

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programme is structured in a way that give inputs to the graduating students in core engineering sciences (such as Fluid Mechanics, Thermodynamics, Mathematical modelling), core exploration and production engineering domain along with grounding in Big Data and tools such as AIML. The B. Tech program is designed to give varied and challenging career opportunities in Big Data and Oil and Gas sector at national and global level. Most of these companies (oil & gas as well as software) are a part of the Fortune 500 list and students can secure entry in any one of these companies.

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In recent years, advances in other fields such as computer modelling, probability, and statistics have broadened the scope of petroleum engineering

Higher Education Digest July 2022

Career Avenues in Petroleum Engineering The primary focus of petroleum engineering is hydrocarbon production (crude oil, natural gas, etc.) The need for such hydrocarbons is growing exponentially with each passing day. As a result, oil corporations are constantly looking for innovative ways to meet this need.

They’ll require young and bright engineers in a variety of fields, including reservoir management, drilling, and production, among others.

The students are introduced to this unique discipline through internship. These are arranged with major Oil and Gas Companies as well as software firms working in Big Data Analytics. In senior years, the emphasis is placed upon meaningful integration of Petroleum Engineering with adequate laboratory backup provided for both E&P and Data Analytics courses.

After Successful completion of the program, graduates become eligible to get employed in core oil and gas sector as well as IT. Many IT giants such as Wipro, Infosys, TCS have verticals dedicated to oil and gas.

In recent years, advances in other fields such as computer modelling, probability, and statistics have broadened the scope of petroleum engineering. Few other emerging areas such as supply chain management, petroleum finance and economics and piping engineering are also offering very good career opportunities.

This provides petroleum engineers with numerous prospects in the business. Big multinational corporations like ONGC, OIL, and Indian Oil provide high packages to petroleum engineers.

The private sector also offers many lucrative opportunities to a budding engineer in India as well as abroad. This is the only area where multinational companies (MNCs) such as Schlumberger, Halliburton, Weatherford and Exxon Mobil directly recruit fresh graduates. In terms of investment from the students seeking a career in Petroleum Engineering, it becomes a win-win situation.

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Higher Education Digest July 2022

DESIGN INSTITUTES IN INDIA

P. A. INAMDAR COLLEGE OF VISUAL EFFECTS, DESIGN & ARTS (VEDA COLLEGE, PUNE) 58

TRAILBLAZERS IN THE ANIMATION AND VFX SPACE

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n the last five years, the Indian animation and VFX industry has displayed tremendous growth propelled by the myriad of outsourced projects from the film and television segments. Additionally, the expansion of the eCommerce space, growth of broadband, and rise of merchandising and licensing opportunities will lead to further market expansion. In essence, this market has demonstrated such potential for growth, with the VFX domain appearing to have become an indispensable component of filmmaking, and the advanced work executed by Indian studios today has put them on the global VFX map. To match this market boom and address the need generated by this market growth, skilled talent, industry understanding, and expertise are required, which are met by P. A. Inamdar College of Visual Effects, Design & Arts (VEDA College, Pune). The college is internationally acclaimed as one of the foremost multi-disciplinary colleges for Design, Animation, VFX, and Game Design.

Established in 2012, VEDA College was founded by the Maharashtra Cosmopolitan Education Society, Pune. Shikshan Maharshi, Former Member of Planning Commission of India for Higher Education, Member of Central Advisory Board of

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P A. Inamdar College of Visual Effects, Design & Arts (VEDA College, Pune) is internationally acclaimed as one of the foremost multi-disciplinary colleges for Design, Animation, VFX, Game Designing.

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The college has a Fine Art and VFX Studio along with Graphics Design, Animation, Film Editing, Bridge courses in Art, Art Teacher Diploma, GD Art and BFA Painting courses

Dr. P.A. Inamdar, President, M.C.E. Society Education (CABE) Govt. of India, and President of MCE Society Dr. P. A. Inamdar laid the foundation stone for this campus. The college consists of a 3D and VFX Studio along with Graphics Design, Animation, and Film Editing.

Extending Well-deserved Scholarships In conversation with Dr. Rishi Aacharya, Dean of P. A. Inamdar College of Visual Effects, Design & Arts, about the possibilities of untapped potential attaining accessibility to such cutting-edge education and facilities, he says, “At VEDA College, we are always on the lookout for creative talents wherever they are. We welcome students who are passionate about animation, gaming, VFX, and colors, and who seem to have fresh ideas and a keen sense of observation. In doing so, where money seems a hindrance, we have a solution for that!

VEDA College has various scholarship schemes.”

Listed below are the scholarships extended by VEDA College for deserving students: Scholarship for Fine Art Students - If the candidate possesses a degree or diploma in Fine-art or Applied Art or GD Art, they are most welcome to join the college.

Higher Education Digest July 2022

Mrs. Abeda Inamdar, Vice President Fine Art students can get up to 40 percent scholarships on selected courses.

The Lila Poonawalla Foundation offers Scholarships for Girls - Under this scheme LP Foundation offers scholarships to girl students who come under BPL. GyanJyoti - Under this scheme, a corpus fund of Rs.5,00,000 (Five Lakh) is established to help selected students.

PA Inamdar Talent Promotion Scholarship - Students who belong to lower-income groups and have the previous schooling from Azam Campus get up to 70 percent freeship in the graduation courses.

VEDA College boasts a lush green 24-acre campus in the city’s heart. The campus houses hostels for male and female students separately. The campus grounds are monitored with expertly positioned 250-night vision CCTV cameras. Additionally, the college has four hygienic canteens inside the campus. There are students hailing from Dubai, Bahrain, Nigeria, Uganda, Iran, and many nearby countries on the campus. The campus has a dedicated international student welcome center as well.

“The campus has a great diversity of students, and we are proud to say that we are truly a cosmopolitan campus by all means,” adds Dr. Aacharya.

Prof. Irfan Shaikh, Secretary

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Encouraging creative minds to become future-ready, Dr. Aacharya sits with industry mentors and reviews students’ work once a month. Each student submits a fiveminute short presentation of what they have produced in the last month. The college has also made internships mandatory from Second Year for the students, thus providing the proper industry knowledge and helping in the grooming process to be more job-ready. Apart from these activities, Veda College hosts various Industry webinars, workshops, and Industry visit programs, ensuring every student is ahead of the learning curve. The college has also started various national-level initiatives such as IT Olympiad, Pune Animation Film Festival, Akhil Bhartiya Kala Shikshak Gaurav Samman, and Golden Pixel Awards, bringing industry and academia close to each other. The college is also a life member of the Indian Society of Art & Animation, Society of Art in Delhi, The Federation for Educational Leaders and Administrators (FELA), ASIFA India, and The Animation Society of India(TASI). The college also strongly believes that Intra institution MoUs are very important for any academic institution, including themselves. The college is recognized as a Certiport’s Authorized testing center and Adobe Creative Technology Academy. “I am also on

Higher Education Digest July 2022

ABOUT

DR. RISHI AACHARYA DEAN, P A. INAMDAR COLLEGE OF VISUAL EFFECTS, DESIGN & ARTS

Dr. Rishi Aacharya has been the Dean of VEDA College since 2012. A postgraduate in Information Technology (M.Sc. Information Technology), Masters in Value Education (M.Sc.VES) and Masters of Business

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Administration (MBA) and a bachelor of media and animation, Dr. Aacharya is also a Certified Computer Professional by National Computer Science Academy, Texas, USA. He is a Google Certified Professional, Certified Professional from Autodesk, and Certified Associate in Adobe applications. Dr. Aacharya is also a leading guru of digital marketing in the country specially for SMEs. He is also serving as an Academic advisor on the board on academics at various prestigious animation and design universities in India.

Higher Education Digest July 2022

the board of studies of various universities, and this helps the college to keep our academics synced with the global changes,” reveals Dr. Rishi.

Stimulating the Mind and Fuelling the Brain The entire curriculum is strategically stitched together with out-of-the-box indoor and outdoor activities, aiming to facilitate enhanced learning.

Offering a broad spectrum of mind-fuelling activities year-round, the college offers annual programs, sports and cultural fests, and industry visits. The college also arranges social welfare drives such as tree plantation, blood donation, and visits to old age homes and orphanages to imbibe our students’ emotional connections with society. We have a vast 12 Acre sports pavilion with turf wickets, basketball court, GYM, and Medical facilities, including Unani Medical hospital inside the campus itself. The campus has a 2 GBPS internet line extending a seamless online content experience and round-the-clock WIFI facilities for the staff and students.

While on the subject of attaining complete perfection from its students, the college is also very selective when it comes to the faculties of the college.

Envisaging providing superior quality learning experiences to its students, faculties on various academic and non-academic criteria are evaluated.

Azam Campus, where VEDA is located, is just a stone’s throw away from the most fashionable shopping address in Pune, MG Road

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Equipping Teachers as well as Students of Today To pursue a teaching career at VEDA College and touch the lives of hundreds of students, all the faculties should fulfill the criteria of possessing a minimum of three years of industry experience in their relevant domain and a minimum PG Diploma or Degree in their subject. “We are proud to mention that our faculties are the best in their academic qualifications and possess various International Certificates from Microsoft, Adobe, and Autodesk. The college’s pedagogy is inclusive, and we practice experiential learning in our classrooms. Faculties take the students outside the college for study tours and give them the classroom experience beyond the boundaries,” informs Dr. Aacharya.

In conjunction with the facilities, the college takes a personal interest in grooming its students.

These first steps are the most crucial in an individual’s career, and as such, the college has set up a dedicated entrepreneurship cell and incubation center on the

Higher Education Digest July 2022

campus where students can work on their startups and freelance businesses. “We are proud to tell you that in the last 12 years, many of our students have started their graphics designing studios, freelancing businesses, and movie production houses,” says Dr. Aacharya.

Helping Students Attain their Career Goals Over the last decade, the average placement ratio has been a whopping 93 to 94 percent. Having enrolled 3000 students to date, most of them are working on various roles such as Lead Animator, Compositors, Set Designers, Graphics Designers, Game Artist, 3D Modeler, Web Designer, and 2D Animator. Most western studios like Walt Disney, Pixar, Marvel Studios, MPC, Dreamworks, and the likes outsource their work to Indian studios, an opportunity many students from VEDA College have bagged over the years. Last year’s batch got placed in studios like MPC, RedChillis, HMX, Technicolor, and Deluxe at various levels with a handsome CTC. “As Dean, I

Students’ well-being is a top priority for VEDA College.

Residential facilities of the institute are located mostly inside the campus to make life easy, and those outside are close by.

conduct Inner Engineering classes every weekend, which helps students understand the insights about corporate life, its challenges, and ways to deal with it. The students love these classes, and we have seen tremendous positive changes in their lives due to these sessions,” elucidates Dr. Aacharya.

The college strives to continually maintain market relevancy. Another quickly evolving scenario addressed

by VEDA College was the Animation and Visual Design sector witnessing a massive surge with the onset of Covid19. While this pandemic spelled doom for other industries, the Animation and Visual Design segment is experiencing exponential growth as it churns out an influx of new job opportunities. VEDA College is fully prepared to address this market demand. Post Covid-19, the management has introduced 12 new diplomas and certificate programs which can be opted under online and offline modes. The college has also started Google Classroom LMS, where all the important teachinglearning assets are available at your fingertips. “We have also created a massive video library on YouTube for the masses who could not afford the high fees of colleges after the economic recession,” announces Dr. Aacharya.

Going Forward The college has accomplished much within a little over a decade, and the dean thinks the journey has just begun! The college has already developed a roadmap for the next ten years where Virtual and Online Education will be on the topmost agenda. Dr. Aacharya concludes with his plans for the college, “We are looking for new entrepreneurs, education leaders to come and join us to take and spread our success in various parts of India.

At present, we have four extension centers in India.

We are inviting proposals to open our extension centers and incubation units with various colleges, schools, and private institutes in the country.”

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INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE

How NGOs Can Help Girls

Get Better Education 66

Ankit Arora, Founding Director, Saarthi Education

Ankit has worked in the non-prot education sector for almost a decade. Prior to Saarthi, Ankit was working with Central Square Foundation, a philanthropic investment organisation where he managed research and investments for the Education Technology vertical.

He worked with multiple early-stage entrepreneurs across the country and state governments to initiate EdTech projects during the stint with Central Square. Ankit has also completed the esteemed Teach For India Fellowship - a 2-year teaching-leading fellowship run in India along the lines of Teach For America and Teach First, UK. Ankit was placed in a government school in an urban village in Delhi during his fellowship where he was nominated for the transformational impact journey award.

Higher Education Digest July 2022

Free education for girls should not just be limited to basic education, it should also provide them future opportunities and career counseling and guidance and let them use their education in the field they excel

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ducation is a basic necessity that shapes the future of economies across the world. The intellectual wellbeing of people, especially girl child, marks the societal upliftment of the weaker sections of the society. Globally there are around 130 million girls who are not yet enrolled in schools. In most third world countries, girls are not allowed to get proper education; the reasons could be many, such as poverty, unawareness, child marriage, religious extremity that doesn’t permit girls’ education, etc.

Several NGOs and other humanitarian agencies are working towards this goal of providing better education to girls. NGOs work together with government, nongovernment and non-profit organizations There are many challenges faced when it comes to girls’ education.

In India alone, there are around 200 million illiterate women, which is the highest in the world, despite the constitution providing free and compulsory education to all. The urban female literacy rate is 64%, whereas the rural literacy rate is just half which is 31%. In societies where girls’ rights are not protected, it could be the most

difficult task to convince them to get educated. Some of the challenges are: Poverty: Poverty is the biggest hindrance to girls’ education. There are many additional costs that are associated which often demotivate the families of the girls. Textbooks, bus fair and such costs add up due to which poor families avoid teaching their girl child.

Also, poverty remains the number one cause of illiteracy according to World Bank. Along with the exempted fee, other facilities such as books, uniforms, and transport facilities are equally important to make education affordable to all.

Child Marriage: This is a major issue in many countries, according to UNICEF, around 700 million women in the whole world are married before the age of 18. 4 out of 10 girls in Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia are married early and are denied of education. Child marriage also leads to many other issues such as early pregnancy, domestic violence, and other complications.

Household Chores: According to a study, it is estimated that globally around 40 % of the time is spent by girls performing unpaid chores like cooking,

Higher Education Digest July 2022

cleaning, and others. Girls between the ages of 14 and 20 in developing countries have more burden of household chores as compared to boys. Investing more in household chores eventually leads to less time for education.

High Drop-Out Rates: According to the study, at the primary level higher number of boys drop out of school in the primary level (class 1-5), at the upper primary level (class 6-8), the girls’ drop-out rate is more than that of boys and at the upper primary level (class 9-10) boys drop-out rate is more. According to 2012-20 reports, around 15% of girls drop out of school at the national level.

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How Can NGOs Improve Girls’ Education?

There are many NGOs all around the world that work for girls’ education and they directly interact with those in need. There are several ways through which NGOs can help in improving the education of girls all over the world.

Raising Awareness: NGOs organize events that can help in promoting girls’ education and aware people of the importance of girls’ education and how it can improve their family situation and make them economically and socially stronger. Most of the vulnerable sections of society are not aware of the positive impacts that education can bring the society. Thus, providing education to girls with this unawareness can be difficult for them, so it is the job of NGOs and various other organizations to raise awareness for girls’ education and empowerment. It is important to organize these events in particular regions where there is a very low rate of literacy among girls and women.

Providing Free Education: NGOs receive donations from various organizations, which could be used for providing free education to the girls. Free education includes a lot of other aspects as well, such as opening new schools within the reach of children and providing books, food, and facilities such as clean water, electricity, and furniture in schools. They can also provide scholarships to meritorious students and reward them for their performance.

Providing Career Opportunities: Free education for girls should not just be limited to basic education, it should also provide them future opportunities and career counseling and guidance and let them use their education in the field they excel. Lack of employment opportunities could be frustrating and can send the message that education does not provide job safety, so to make their education useful, they must get career and employment opportunities. Interview training and job training should also be included in this

Higher Education Digest July 2022

and the goal should be to empower them and make them self-sufficient.

Skill Development Workshops: Along with basic education, several skill development workshops should be organized by NGOs. These workshops will develop their skills through various skill development classes and will make them financially independent. The skills should be such that they can provide them with career opportunities and let them establish their business and make them economically strong.

Education for Women of all Ages: Basic and quality education is the right of women irrespective of their ages.

Many women in the world never had the opportunity to go to school and receive a proper education. People of all ages should be encouraged to get proper education and should be taught various skills which can help in making them self-sufficient and economically strong.

Girl education and the lack of it is a major concern for us, however, it has been significantly reduced as compared to the previous 10-20 years. Still, there are a lot of regions in the world where girls do not get proper education and are devoid of such necessities. Everyone needs to get free education and if we want to empower our women, then we need to come up together for their education. This will break the traditional prejudices against the girls’ education and will improve the intellectual level of society as a whole. This famous quote by Brigham Young sums it all up, “You educate a man; you educate a man. You educate a woman; you educate a generation.”

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Higher Education Digest October 2021

Higher Education Digest July 2022

DESIGN INSTITUTES IN INDIA

SCHOOL OF CREATIVITY, RISHIHOOD UNIVERSITY IMMERSING CREATIVITY INTO EDUCATION 70

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ocated in the rising city of Sonipat, Haryana, Rishihood University has turned the higher education landscape in North India, being the first mission-driven university to reinvent Indian higher education. With its innovative courses in design, politics, visual arts, performing arts, leadership, education, business, and much more, the university gives students the opportunity to explore new ideas and skills to be lifelong learners and promotes entrepreneurship to help the nation grow, thus preparing them for innovation through creativity. School of Creativity has a new age tech-driven curriculum that believes in a seamless amalgamation of low tech with high tech.

The School of Creativity at Rishihood University is a unique concept for higher education, especially in India. In India, there are schools that offer design education, but at Rishihood, the School of Creativity offers Fine Arts/Applied Arts and Performing Arts. “When we as educationists believe in holistic and multidisciplinary development of our students, the School of Creativity actually executes and offers programs that help students identify themselves to become better human beings and lifelong learners. We offer an innovative approach to design education. We are the only school of creativity in India within a comprehensive university,” shares Prof. Manika Walia, Professor and Founding Dean of the School of Creativity, Rishihood University.

The vision for the School of Creativity is deeply rooted in the core value centred approach and the importance of mindset.

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School of Creativity graduate and postgraduate programs immerse students in focused training, interdisciplinary inquiry, and practice-based collaborative learning.

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ABOUT

MANIKA WALIA PROFESSOR AND FOUNDING DEAN, SCHOOL OF CREATIVITY, RISHIHOOD UNIVERSITY Manika walia is Professor and Founding Dean; School of Creativity, Rishihood University, Delhi NCR - mentoring young minds towards constructive, sustainable and meaningful design solutions in different domains. As an Academic Administrator and Professor of Design, she believes that the understanding of subject matter is important but it is also necessary that students can explore beyond the first layer of information, observe, critically analyse, work in teams,

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develop analytical skills and above all become good successful human beings.

She has worked extensively on a number of independent design projects towards sustainability, universal design and ergonomics, design intervention for various craft clusters and have contributed to various government and corporate agencies. She was honoured by Micol Fontana Couture, Florence, Italy. Her work towards Design Thinking was highly recognised in Vietnam.

She is also a distinguished member Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), working closely with the stakeholders for strategizing and implementing all the Design initiatives in the country.

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School of Creativity regularly conducts workshops that enable students to the fundamentals of design and orients students to thinking of design as a creative problemsolving process.

“When we design and create with values at the centre, we all have different outcomes. It becomes important for the agency of an individual network and also from the perspective of getting the right values to create a world that we all benefit from,” Prof. Manika.

At the School of Creativity, the vision is simple and straightforward. Prof. Manika explains, “Education should be student-driven and more student-centred.

Students should be clear about what they’re learning and why they’re learning. They should be empowered to ask what they want to do to bring a change?”

The School of Creativity aims to make students learn and acquire skills for the future. Students are equipped with core skills that allow them to find new ways of thinking and problem-solving. Creativity is a word that has become very popular in the past few decades and is recognised as the most essential future skill set required in every aspect of life. In the changing landscape, Rishihood understands that the soft skills which will matter the most are creative problem solving, creativity, communication, critical thinking and collaboration. Organisations have realised

Higher Education Digest July 2022

74 that if they have to be relevant, it is time to reinvent and adapt to the changing times. They are looking for employees who can solve the problems which were not there before, ask questions and give creative solutions, look at the situation analyse the situation. The future skills required in the world, which will be automated, will help students go way forward. The School of Creativity believes that all students should have an opportunity to incur and develop these creative skills.

The third important thing that Rishihood emphasises is network and employability and strives towards making graduates involved in the contemporary conversation into rooms where important decisions are made and stand out among the rest of their peers.

Rishihood University realised that the new future includes an Artificial Intelligence empowered society, which is already taking shape. “As always, a hierarchy is emerging in a three-tier format - creators or masters, robots and a potential subculture of those in the service of robots and masters,” says Ms Manika. The Pinnacle of the Triangle will be the Creatives and visionaries who value their innate and developed curiosity for all new things possible. They will be the Masters of a Robot.

Higher Education Digest July 2022

At School of Creativity, students will learn to analyse art objects and artefacts, art movements and culture from the perspectives of historians, theorists, writers and makers.

“Workforce, who will feed them new knowledge, new creations, adding to the big data that Robots need to progress. AI will ensure that knowledge comes thick and fast, that it is deep and powerful, well researched and that it serves the purpose of the people,” adds Prof. Manika.

The potential Sub Culture of those in the service of the Robots and the Masters has the potential power for good, the power to develop positive opportunities and share them with those having different needs.

The School of Creativity, practising a new concept of education delivery, is the hub of innovation, is interdisciplinary and brings every element of a creative ecosystem into one place. Standing strongly on this vision – imparting a high level of skills and knowledge to its students and thus turning them into successful individuals.

Standing out Learning philosophy and methods supported by sustainable infrastructure form the basis of pedagogy, curriculum, faculty recruitment and delivery material at the School of Creativity, Rishihood University. The

objective is simple yet sincere: to prepare learners to create a deep social impact and achieve ‘rishihood’.

“Our teaching-learning process strives to connect the dots between the vital components of life and the outside world,” shares Prof. Manika. School of Creativity leads social empowerment of women through skill-oriented courses, helping women to generate livelihood, financial independence, and technical literacy in an initiative (design clinic) started by Prof Manika Walia.

The School of Creativity offers a true state of the art teaching and learning environment. The building of the university is based on a sustainable design model. It is all about thinking ahead—designing with the future in mind.

The expansion of knowledge and expertise is at the heart of all we do, driving innovation and creativity to greater levels. The School of Creativity has industry specification machinery, purpose-built teaching areas and engineering workshops, in addition to design studios, computer and prototyping studios and areas for display and interaction.

Recently, the department developed the Virtual Reality Lab, where students develop simulators. Unlike any other school, Rishihood believes in making students exposed

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to their roots. Research plays a vital role and realised it, hence have a massive resource centre to support the research and innovation. The design clinic is another area where students are exposed to empathising and creating an impact on society. “Collaborative working is at the heart of our building’s design, creating an inspiring atmosphere for everyone who works there. Our big, bright, and airy studio spaces are ideal for a wide range of individual and group projects,” says Prof. Manika.

There is a gap between what is being taught in design schools and the needs of today’s market. Design courses tend to focus on technical disciplines, ignoring fundamental aspects of the social dynamics that need to be (re)inserted into the academic curriculum. Industry requirements have to be taken into consideration, and regular up-gradation of teaching methodologies and curriculum is required. Introducing a projectbased multidisciplinary approach to learning is one such solution. At the School of Creativity, programs are developed, delivered and innovated with industry partners, as well as across topic areas, to provide strategic possibilities for multidisciplinary teaching and project creation, enhancing and ensuring student mobility, autonomous learning, and interdisciplinary engagement.

Higher Education Digest July 2022

With a strong culture of creativity, experimentation, and discussion, the school interacts with design on numerous levels, from the highly intellectual to the intensely practical. Faculties and Mentors with a reputation for world-class research, teaching, and practice support the programs, both international and national faculty on a regular basis from eminent D-schools.

At Rishihood University, mentors master established art and design fields and advance emerging ones in an education that reflects students’ passions, challenges them academically, and prepares them to create a more just, more beautiful, and better-designed world. To foster education, research, and transfer of knowledge for a sustainable future, the School of Creativity has international academic collaborations with the university for the Creative Arts, UK, Kyungdong University, South Korea and Kaospilot, Denmark. These associations will allow students, teachers, and researchers to collaborate in teaching and research to solve some of the most challenging problems of contemporary times.

At the School of Creativity, students and faculty are on a mission to design for an unimagined future. “We firmly believe that design enables collective action to make the greatest impact in times of crisis. School of

77 Rishihood actively engages and nurtures an ecosystem for our academic areas as well as for the larger growth of the nation and society.

Creativity believes in an ‘ecosystem’ approach to learning rather than isolated training and research. Therefore, we actively engage and nurture an ecosystem for our academic areas and the larger growth of the nation and society,” Prof.

Manika shares. The innate nature of humans is to be creative. In the era of technology, machines will become the workforce. One domain that will always need human visioning and execution is creativity. The department helps students to realise their creative nature and utilise it for a professional and societal impact.

School of Creativity graduate and postgraduate programs immerse students in focused training, interdisciplinary inquiry, and practice-based collaborative learning.

Role of teachers and technology “The role of teachers becomes important as in addition to making their lessons more focussed and purposeful as class time is limited, they must also act as ‘mentors’. Teachers have to regularly engage and motivate students to help them navigate the unique challenges brought upon them in the situation of the pandemic,” Prof. Manika shares. By providing institutional support and developing desired strategies that can help faculties the behaviour change towards the use of mechanisms provided, the School of Creativity improves employee engagement on point. Parents and guardians have a role in ensuring that the

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student completes all assigned work. Technology has been a significant enabler, as streaming and webinar tools have all helped customise learning to suit different learning styles, leading to better learning outcomes.

The School of Creativity has adapted to the situations introduced by the COVID-19 pandemic with effortlessness and flexibility. “We have managed challenging issues, yet we have likewise tracked down better approaches for getting things done, and that is the change I need to see installed as we recuperate. We launched ourselves amidst the pandemic and proudly call ourselves a creatively daring school,” shares Prof. Manika.

Digital technology was leveraged to provide care and education in new or enhanced ways. Online knowledge hubs, video conference-based interactive sessions, virtual simulations, and technologyenhanced coaching were potential solutions to address identified issues. The entire objective of this

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After graduating with a degree from Rishihood University, students can become a Graphic Designer, Design Manager, Textile Designer, Professor/Teacher, Costume Designer, Fashion Stylist, Fashion Forecaster, Fashion Merchandiser and more.

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process was for the benefit of students, thereby making it student-centric. I would rather not see us returning to the normal, worn out - we know better now, and we will improve, therefore, as an instructive biological system, but as the general public.

When we look to the future On a global scale, Rishihood understands that collaboration is key. With COVID-19, the need for it was intensified, and as an institute of design education, the school of creativity has taken up the challenge. Creative education is all about creatively solving and addressing a problem.

Shifting design education to a virtual mode is a challenge, unlike other traditional programs, but with technology and the development of simulators, the university very effectively and efficiently shifted all programmes to a hybrid model.

For hybrid learning to be truly productive, the curriculum and evaluation parameters have to be specially

designed. At Rishihood, the hybrid model is significant in Design education, with a combination of lectures, studio practice and workshop practice. Design is, in large parts, learned by hand. Students need to learn to draw, sketch, paint, cut, sew, drape, embroider, do machining and carpentry, 3D scanning and printing, make models and prototypes, do construction and much more.”We divided the design curriculum in a manner that students can be taught both in traditional workshops and studios as well as virtually in the form of live classes. Teachers can also share e-resources such as recorded lectures, podcasts, PPT slides, articles, books, and assignments, either before or after classes so that students have access to digital study material anytime and anywhere,” shares Prof. Manika.

Simulations help students understand the nuances of a concept. Students find it more deeply engaging than other activities, as they experience the activity first-hand rather than hearing about it or seeing it. It is modelling a dynamic system in which the learner is involved. Through

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the Continuous Comprehensive Evaluation model (CCE) to record students’ performance, the institute uses this unique system to evaluate every assignment and activity.

“We could re-imagine architecture, design, art, fashion, and communication pedagogies for today and the future while allowing maximum flexibility to students facing Covid-19 challenges, such as travel restrictions,” Prof.

Manika says.

The School of Creativity is the first school to integrate creative education under the regulatory body of UGC in India. This integration helps to synergise all expressions of creativity and can be explored to its utmost core. “Today, we live in an exceptionally complex world that has encountered an explosion in information and knowledge, but not in growth and development towards thinking and understanding; a world wherein individuals have lost trust in their mentors and confidence in their establishments; a world has created

Higher Education Digest July 2022

astounding advances, yet has secluded people, leaving them with a sensation of existence without reason and additionally even the worth of human undertaking,” says Prof. Manika.

Rishihood University is uniquely positioned to address inquiries and train learners to live in such a world, to search for improved answers for ordinary reallife issues. The university focuses on the revelation and transmission of information in a setting of social and humanistic legacy as a Nation. “We comprehend that to succeed, learners need admittance to the important help administrations, expertise advancement open doors that will assist them with doing their absolute best. Above all else, we as a cohesive team at Rishihood University work very closely and directly with learners, assisting them with their investigations through educating and learning, mentorship, individual help, personal support and oversight,” Prof. Manika shares.

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istockphoto.com/DanielBendjy July 2022

DESIGN INSTITUTES IN INDIA

FACULTY OF FASHION & DESIGN, SGT UNIVERSITY PROVIDING EXCELLENCE IN DESIGN

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ith a mission to create revolutionary educational environments for exceptional men and women, SGT University’s Faculty of Fashion and Design (FFAD) has become the country’s pioneering School of Fashion Education and has been at the forefront of supplying professional human resources to the textile and garment industries. Established in 2016, the Faculty of Fashion & Design has also worked as a knowledge supplier in design creation, Skill Upliftment and handicrafts throughout the years. The school provides opportunities for teachers and students to connect with education institutions, fashion houses, startup centres, and enterprises related to their programmes.

The School of Fashion and Design believes that creativity requires investigation, daring, risk-taking, and endurance.

Students should not be afraid of making errors or receiving criticism but rather see them as chances for progress. At SGT, students are constantly encouraged to take risks in their work by giving them time to explore their ideas on design intervention in textiles and clothing and find innovative solutions on a variety of projects they are working on so that they can show you what is possible when they apply themselves creatively.

State-of-the-Art Infrastructure The faculty of Fashion and Design has fully air-conditioned Hostel Facilities and smart classrooms and 12 Highly Equipped Labs ranging from Pattern Making to Garment Construction and quality

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Founded in 1999, Shree Guru Gobind Singh Tricentenary University, Gurugram over time has carved a reputation in the academic world by providing a steady stream of highly trained and industry-ready professionals.

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84 Prof. O. P. Kalra, Vice-Chancellor

testing. Resource Centre with over 900 titles of books and a colossal material collection including tie-dye swatches, Fashion Garments, Traditional Costumes & Textiles and accessories. The faculty of Fashion & Design also represents a rich diversity of students from various parts of the country.

SGT University is meant to give its students an intensive learning experience both inside and outside the classroom.

SGT University, a residential campus on the outskirts of India’s capital, features a peaceful setting suitable for study and self-discovery. The University is a microcosm of India, with students from 22 states and a warm and supportive community that represents the country’s variety in culture, talent, and opinions. “To support its ambitious objective of developing the next generation of leaders, FFAD develops a respected campus culture in which students are encouraged to participate in intellectual

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discussions, develop skills, question conventional thinking, and try out new ideas. The Department also offers all of the tools necessary for students to create and pursue various academic and recreational interests via clubs, groups, events, and entrepreneurial ventures,” shares Dr. M.K. Nair, the Dean of the Faculty of Fashion & Design at SGT University.

Collaboration is key Industries seek collaborations with universities to discover and train potential employees. Companies desire access to Faculties who create the cutting-edge information and technology as global economies evolve. The Faculty of Fashion & Design actively organises Webinars on the latest developments in Fashion & textile industry by Experienced industry professionals such as Ms. Zoya, Ms. Karishma & Ms. Deepa Sondhi and Mr. Kapil Kishor, to name a few.

The Faculty also has active linkages with Inditex Group, which retails Zara. “The faculty of Fashion & Design has faculty members having rich experience in the fashion & Textile industry and are available to share their experience and knowledge with the students,” says, Dr Nair.

Dr. M.K. Nair, Dean

Promoting Excellence The Faculty of Fashion and Design at SGT University provides scholarships in the form of Tuition Fee Concession, which is granted to deserving students at the time of enrollment and in future years.

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The Break-up of Scholarship is as follows: 1. If Marks Obtained are above 90 %: 100% Scholarship on tuition fees.

2. If Marks Obtained are between 75% to 90 %: 50% Scholarship on tuition fees.

3. If Marks Obtained are between 60% to 75%: 25% Scholarship on tuition fees.

“One of the most prevalent benefits of entrepreneurship is that it enables students to continue growing their interpersonal skills, sense of invention, creativity, etc. So

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that students may develop more new and fantastic ideas that will benefit both them and society,” Dr Nair says.

Hence, the department has taken an initial step towards entrepreneurship by launching Design for life, an in-house brand that represents creativity from young & bright minds from the department. Apart from entrepreneurship, FFAD also prioritises placements in top companies and institutes.

Most recently, 40% of final year students from the faculty got placed with Inditex Group and are actively assisting the group in its retail operations. Paramount Clothing has

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active linkages with the faculty regarding student training & internships in the Ready-Made Garment Sector.

FFAD courses follow project-based and practical ways to train the students. The Faculty has an in-house fashion brand – #Designforlife, where the students showcase their talents and creativity.

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Striving through the Tough Times The faculty of Fashion & Design has overcome all the challenges faced initially during the Covid-19 period through continuous persistence and its nature to quickly adapt to the changes in the textile industry. Faculties from the Faculty of Fashion and Design are now well versed in developing and delivering online courses;. However, initially proposed study abroad programs have suffered a bit.

Still, since stability has prevailed in the current pandemic era, the faculty of fashion and design is actively searching for such opportunities for students in this domain.

FFAD has commenced classes in a physical mode keeping all the mandatory Covid-19 precautions regarding social distancing and sanitisation as specified by UGC and the Ministry of Health & Family welfare. The institute has subscribed services from Ms-Teams hence at the same time, the infrastructure is ready in case there is any requirement for an online mode of education. “Initially suggested study abroad programmes encountered some setbacks, but now that the current epidemic period has brought stability, the department of fashion and design is actively seeking such possibilities for students in this subject,” Dr Nair shares.

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INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE

Here’s Why You Should Thank UI And UX for Adding Wings to the Digital Education System 90

Alex George, Co-Founder & Managing Director, ITLH

Alex M George is the Co-Founder & Managing Director of ITLH, an incubator for learners who want to attain proficiency in Digital Design & Coding skills and procure knowledge through experiential learning that ensures they are exposed to practical scenarios. Alex supervises the fluid functioning of all departments while having a vantage view of the holistic development of the organization. His expertise is in Strategic Business planning & forecast. Before the inception of ITLH, Alex M George had co-founded Centillion - A division of Amexs Business Solutions pvt ltd (parent company of ITLH), a Technology Consulting Company when he was 20 years old.

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UI and UX courses have recently seen immense growth across the globe, but especially in India.

One of the unique reasons for the great demand for these courses is that they are a career option for students with a creative mentality

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here are many reasons for ed-tech’s rise as a throbbing vein of commercialism.

The prime factors that fabricated the springboard for its soaring height can be attributed to the perpetually scattered placement and shortage of teachers. Add to that an infatuation and credence that ingenuity is equivalent to marks, complemented by the COVID-19 pandemic’s trials on the education system; we had a perfect mix for creating an ed-tech revolution. UI and UX became the two wings that helped digital education systems all over India create pedagogy that was uncomplicated and gratifying to the core for students. UI and UX have become pillars for professionals looking to make a mark in the IT industry as well.

The overarching opportunity UI and UX courses have recently seen immense growth across the globe, but especially in India. One of the unique reasons for the great demand for these courses is that they are a career option for students with a creative mentality. There was a period when students with a creative mentality were discouraged from studying arts

and design because of concerns such as career security.

On the other hand, engineering degrees are supported by the idea that the student will have a stable career since IT companies have set a global standard for job security.

This whole scenario has now been altered with the introduction of UI and UX courses, which motivate learners with creative thinking processes and an affinity for design and provide them with the possibility to enter the IT business with a sustainable employment guarantee. According to current statistics, the demand for these courses is so enormous that the supply cannot keep up. In today’s IT sector, the ability to think creatively is the most sought-after skill set, making it the most valued.

The booster dose for one’s career If one already has the past experience of being a graphic designer, software developer, product designer, product manager, or digital marketing manager, this becomes an asset to their UI and UX career advancement since they have the relevant expertise in creating for users; this may be a catalyst for adaptation to the IT industry’s contours.

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The field of UI and UX has grown by more than 100 percent, but if one were to evaluate worldwide recruiting data and trends utilizing platforms like Hired, LinkedIn, and Glassdoor, the results would be considerably higher.

Customers no longer use an application only for its intended function; in today’s competitive market, they want a design that fascinates them, incentivizes them, and gives them a sense of connection when they engage with it. Ultimately, they want to be furnished with a smooth user experience.

Cognition for design gets recognition India is progressing extremely quickly in terms of development, and with that comes a sense of needing something more than just a basic product. Over the past decade, with India’s growing economy, consumers have become increasingly selective about products and services, and they are willing to pay more if the overall experience is better. People who are proficient in amalgamating their creative cognitive abilities and are capacitated to develop a meaningful melange of technology and usability become a perfect fit in the day and age of commercial competition.

Fabricating the future: Implementation of design thinking in k12 With the world moving away from tedious theoretical pedagogy and limiting it to just what’s required within the curriculum, a more pragmatic approach is emerging. Design thinking, in its broadest sense, is a problem-solving strategy that emphasizes creativity and new ideas. The design thinking approach is used

by UX and UI designers to find issues and come up with innovative solutions by completely understanding

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the objectives, difficulties, and end-tasks of their customers. Design thinking is currently being steadily incorporated even in a few K-12 sectors, proving its worth and usefulness. The rationale for this is that it fosters a more creative viewpoint and way of thinking in students at a younger age.

Impact of UIUX within the Education Sector The whole digital environment in this nation has changed dramatically. Even schools and colleges have proved their reliance on the importance of an effective online interface. So that students enjoy a smooth digital experience, every efficient school and college has a robust UI and UX installed. The digital education system has become more accessible, flexible, and efficient. While more has to be done to ensure each student receives a personalized experiential engagement that is compatible with their needs, the efficient UI and UX are gradually approaching the point where they meet everyone’s needs.

Conclusion Distance education and professional education courses had a significant increase throughout the pandemic. One of the factors at work was the lack of access to campus.

With no physical campus, the only thing students could depend on or parents would consider a better ROI would be an education that can be accessed virtually and which can culminate in effective tutoring. The challenge was to develop a comprehensive environment for students where they felt the simulation of being in a classroom from their homes. This created a high demand for edtech applications with superior user interfaces and simple user experience.

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DESIGN INSTITUTES IN INDIA

STRATE SCHOOL OF DESIGN DISCERNING THE NEED FOR DESIGN 94

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designer is not just someone who creates but is essentially an architect of an idea, concept or understanding. In today’s world, where every industry has been increasingly competitive, there is a need for design thinking and visualisation for success. As humans evolved and developed, after believing that we had endless resources at our disposal, and then discovering the limits of our planet, man has been brought to their senses and forced into thinking differently, of living differently, of consuming differently. We realised that if we are to achieve this goal, we must act to ensure the sustainability of services, systems and objects in our everyday surroundings and enable individuals to execute their personal plans as responsible participants of a community. This is the mission of the designer trained at Strate Design School: “to help connect the requirements of utility, ease, simplicity, pleasure, and beauty to the service of humankind.”

Strate Design School is a preferred choice for international and national students owing to its French pedagogy of learning, world-class faculty and mentorship, recognition among the 60 best design schools (Businessweek), recognition among the top 50 design schools in Europe (Domus Magazine), Immersive training, quality live projects and multiple industry interactions, stateof-the-art design labs, 100% quality internships, masterclasses from renowned industry leaders and international faculty and Partnerships with reputed brands. Strate School of Design believes that diversity of students is a must for realising the school’s potential as a top school in the design arena. According

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Founded in 1993, Strate is now recognized as a leading French institute in the world of design. Over the years, Strate School of Design has built strong partnerships with major French and international schools and universities.

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Thomas Dal, Dean, Strate School of Design

to Strate’s headmaster, Saran DIAKITE SABA, “Talents are found in so many different backgrounds, and we look forward to welcoming them”. Strate welcomes students from around the globe every year.

Diverse Faculty for diverse Learning “Strate School’s faculty is a mix of international and Indian faculty. The faculty members are drawn from the best in the industry with long years of experience in Transportation design, Interaction design, Product Design, and brand identity and visual communication design,” shares Mr Thomas Dal, the Dean and Director of Strate School of Design, Bangalore.

Higher Education Digest July 2022

Thomas Dal is not the usual Dean of a Design school as he is not coming from academics. He is a trained designer who comes with 23 years of experience in automotive, furniture, and product design. He was the design lead of Treves, working with all the design studios of the European automotive OEM for almost 10 years, then he created from scratch a well known international school of Design in Pune, and then moved back to industry to be the director of design and Innovation of Decathlon SA., the well known international sport brand. In 2017, he decided to come back to education and to India to strate the indian Branch of Strate School of Design in Bangalore bringing with him all his experience and industry network.

Edmund Spitz leads the department of transportation design. With a Masters degree in Transportation Design Management, he has a long resume of distinguished companies that he has worked with, including being an automotive designer with over a decade in global automotive OEMs and has worked on multiple autonomous vehicle programs for Mercedes-Benz, USA, Germany, and SAIC Innovation Center USA, most notably the 2015 Freightliner Inspiration Autonomous Truck. He is experienced in managing creative teams with award-winning products and established the Bharat Benz Design Studio in India in 2012,

At Strate, professionals who are doyens in their respective fields, conduct courses to train the students in different techniques, be it sculpture, nude, sketch, watercolour, perspective, rough, colour etc.

growing it to be a key creative team in the Daimler Global Design Network and creating successful products suited for the Domestic market. He brings to academics a fresh and efficient design methodology honed from his time in the corporate design world. Focusing on equipping the next generation of designers with the ever-evolving design tools and practices.

The head of Academics, Mr Mandar Kale, is another name worth mentioning. He is an electrical engineer, an industrial designer and a design education. With a keen sense for observation, he sees design as a juggling act of creation, communication and implementation, along with the emotional element of the user at the core of all activities. Before Strate, Mandar was in a leadership role at ISD – Rubika India, heading an international team of designers to conceive and build conducive and inspiring learning environments. He has been appreciated for his impact on students and his approach to inclusive learning.

As a design coach and teacher for over a decade, he has taught design process, creativity, speculative design, design visualisation, and sketch thinking at the postgraduate and undergraduate levels. An alumnus of IDC School of Design (IIT BOMBAY), he has worked across various domains, including automotive, medical products, lifestyle products, retail environments, FMCG, and point of sale, creating products, services, and experiences.

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The school is always looking at getting the best experts from around the world to teach and mentor as full time or visiting faculty, giving a real international exposure to the design students.

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Being a Design Student at Strate The student’s life at Strate includes various activities and facilities that students will cherish for a lifetime.

The school provides a wide range of indoor games for recreation and refreshment during study breaks. The library, both physical and digital has an assortment of the best design books and manuals for study. The 2D digital lab, equipped with 30 high end stations and their 22inches display tablets provides wings to students’ imaginations, when the 3D computer lab is allowing them to get their idea even closer to reality as they are connected to semiprofessional 3D printers and CNC machine and routers in the really fully equipped Workshops.

There are multiple sports, and other events held regularly at Strate to break the monotony of routine study.

Masterclasses are periodically provided by international professionals from the global industry. The cafeteria is the hotspot of social exchange and student activities. It is where great ideas are discussed, friendships nurtured and brainstorming over class sessions and innovative ideas are generally done.

One of the most interesting part of Strate School of Design is the fact that the school remains open for students to work late at night, allowing them to use all facilities and workshops to work on their personal projects or finish their industry assignments.

Strate School of Design is proud to present a 100% tuition fee waiver scholarship for the bright young minds!

“We firmly believe that every deserving student should

Higher Education Digest July 2022

The new campus in Bangalore, built specifically for Strate, offers several spaces for a common project: living, teaching, and working to work by hand or on machines spaces for conviviality and reflection.

have an opportunity to learn and pursue their dream career globally,” shares Mr Thomas. The school offers iLEAD 100% Tuition Fee Waiver Scholarship, Merit Scholarship, In-State Scholarships and Girl Student Scholarship.

Knowing the Who’s who in the industry Strate School of Design has long understood that industry and academic collaborations are the most important for creating skilled design graduates. This helps students train on the practical applications of design study, and learn the best practices directly from working professionals. In turn, aids in fueling research in the school and keeping the school in sync with the recent methodologies, process, technologies and tools being applied in the design industry. Industry collaborations help in gaining quality live projects for the school and high end interaction with the industry’s leading experts.

The best gain for a school with industry and academic collaborations is quality placements and internships.

With about 48+ tie-ups and partnerships, Strate School of Design opens doors for students to explore and work with professionals, helping them to ensure that students get the best of internships and placements. These collaborations include reputed brands like Loreal, Renault, Decathlon, Carrefour, TATA Motors, Renault, and other top names.

For collaborations in research, design studies, and sharing

of technology and knowledge assets, Strate has academic partnerships with 16+ reputed schools, including Institut Francais Du Design, Universite Laval, Institut national Du Design packaging, Agence Pour La Promotion De La Creation Industrielle, Cap Digital, Paris School of Business, Le Cube Centre Creation Numerique, Le Lieu Du Design, and Grenoble Ecole De Management to name a few.

“Collaboration with these global colleges and universities has helped us know the best of their curriculum, learning methodologies, knowledge pool and technologies that are inducted into our school to make our graduates stand out in the crowd and lead the next innovation in the design sector,” Mr Thomas says.

Why Strate?

The Strate School of Design was founded in 1993 in PARIS –France, with a mission to provide a design education that reflects its focus on clarity, simplicity, sound impact, and an international perspective. Strate is recognised as a leading institute in design and decided to expand to India and Africa to achieve recognition and grow its professional network. Over the years, Strate School of Design has built strong partnerships with major French and international schools and universities. Strate, Bangalore offers a Master of Design program with specialisations in Product, Transportation, Brand Identity & Visual Communications, and Interaction. Strate, France offers programs for Designers (5-year training), Modelers (3-year training), Innovative Project Managers (1-year training), and 5 more courses in Creation and Innovation.

Turning a New Leaf Design disciplines require cohesion of space, ideas and learning as a part of knowledge building. Digitisation of the design environment started long ago. Still, with the pandemic, international design education saw a rapid change.

As the world turned toward digital. Everything became digital and the society became receptive to this new change the was accelerated with pandemic. The Strate Design schoolof Bangalore decided to completely revise its curriculum to adapt it to the new digital needs of the society to be sure that the “Stratos”, the graduate from Strate will get a design education allowing them to deal with ease with the digital era in front of us.

Meta verse, AR- VR, haptic and voice recognition, Ai based and parametric design are now included into the foundation of Strate design education which is now a very well balanced equilibrium between human centric design, sustainability, circular economy, and IT technologies making it one of the most advanced and modern syllabus around the globe.

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INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE

Online Classes and the

Uncertainties of Higher Education Future 100

Mohammed Mohtashim, Founder and Managing Director, Tutorials Point

Mohammed Mohtashim is an MCA from AMU(Aligarh) and a Project Management Professional. Successfully managed and delivered large projects at Convergys and Ooredoo (Muscat). Track record of doubling the productivity and reducing the churn rate. He has more than 24+ years of experience in Telecom and Datacom Industries covering complete SDLC. Around 17+ years of experience in Edtech. Having expertise in Digital Education, Organizational Development, People Management and Project Management.

He is managing in-house innovations, business planning, implementation, finance and overall business development of Tutorials Point.

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After the unprecedented arrival of the pandemic, traditional organizational drivers are taking a back seat to make space for more student-focused learning

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he education system was among the hardest hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, and within a couple of months, the future of higher education became uncertain. The pandemic took a substantial toll on education institutions across the globe, resulting in a rapid shift to online instruction. Even though the transition was forcible, it generated a novel feeling for students, parents, and teachers worldwide: a sense of cautious optimism.

This meant delivering the “traditional” classroom experience through online connectivity tools. But along with new learning experiences, certain shortcomings such as lack of exposure to necessary teaching tools, engaging learning strategies, and industry-relevant curriculum raised a much-awaited big question, by children and parents, on our education system.

The shortcomings necessitated the importance of deploying e-learning, as it provides improvements in access and success and the overall student experience.

With such technological disruptions, higher online education is emerging as the fastest-growing subsegment of the edtech sector and is poised to reach $5 billion by 2025, according to a report. The same report notified that the market growth of online higher

101 education in India is now comparable to the largest edtech segments. This implies that democratic access to courses can unquestionably boost the demand for online higher education and increase the completion rate.

On top of this growing demand, while providing a coherent and flexible learning experience, online education’s espousal also gives students a seamless journey, easy access to learning and content platforms from any device, and, whenever possible, personalized.

To deliver Simply, Easy Learning with clear, crisp, and to-the-point content on a wide range of subjects, the e-learning platform Tutorial Points offers a Digital Content Marketplace where video courses and eBooks are available at a very nominal cost. The element of personalization is another area where the e-learning platform has upped its ante. Their customized ways of offering online learning ensure that these materials are of high quality and that the cost doesn’t poke a hole in students’ pockets.

Higher Education in a Disruptive World After the unprecedented arrival of the pandemic, traditional organizational drivers are taking a back seat to make space for more student-focused learning. As

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As the development of new technologies marches forward, the education sector will continue to evolve faster, and higher education institutions must pull up their socks to meet the students’ demands

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per a survey by KPMG, on customer-centric strategy decisions, out of 10 higher education institutions, nearly eight make customer-centricity a top or high priority.

Resulting in a reasonable degree of acceptability and adoption of online education, similar to many other adoptions of “new normals”. A change has been observed in the learners-side; with easy access to copious amounts of data at a mere click, the learners are curating their learning experiences by becoming actively involved at their own pace and place of learning.

While delivering education on digital platforms, it is reasonable to expect to impart the same teaching in engaging and interactive ways. That’s why online education leaders invest in interactive content whose quality is on par with high-end entertainment. This change increases the percentage of learners reporting and shows a significant reduction in the student dropout rate. Another emphasis that online education also brings

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to higher education is an influx of continuous learning.

The rate of evolution is evolving at such a fast pace that an established professional has to keep up with new trends and learn new technological stacks or practices.

This pivot toward partnerships with online platforms is likely to be part of the broader change in the era of digitized education. As the development of new technologies marches forward, the education sector will continue to evolve faster, and higher education institutions must pull up their socks to meet the students’ demands.

High customisation in content delivery, assessment, and result analysis will be instrumental in the future outlook for online higher education players. In a sector that is already feeling stretched, these institutions can continue to influence and impact generations of learners and their communities by implementing an ambitious set of comprehensive transformations.

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DESIGN INSTITUTES IN INDIA

WHISTLING WOODS INTERNATIONAL DELIVERING EXCELLENCE IN DESIGN EDUCATION 104

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umbai-based Whistling Woods International (WWI) is a brainchild of multi-talented and critically acclaimed filmmaker, Mr. Subhash Ghai. WWI runs world-class undergraduate, postgraduate, and diploma programmes in Acting, Animation & Game Design, Cinematography, Direction, Editing, Producing, Production Design, Screenwriting, Sound Recording & Design, Visual Effects, Music Production & Composition, Media Management Studies, Fashion & Costume Design, Visual Communication Design, Event Management & Experiential Marketing and Sports & Esports Management. All the programmes are offered under an agreement with WWI’s university partner—Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development (RGNIYD), an Institute of National Importance.

“Our vision is to create a state-of-the-art academic institution that sets new standards of world-class education in film, communication, and creative arts”, shares Milindo Taid, HOD, WWI School of Design Cutting-Edge Programmes Aimed at Achieving Visual Design Excellence At WWI, the four-year BDes programme in Visual Communication Design offers electives in Motion Design, Interaction Design, and Spatial/Environmental Design with a cross-cultural perspective

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Founded by one of India’s leading filmmaker – Subhash Ghai, WWI has been successfully delivering world-class education in all creative & technical aspects of Film, Communication & Creative Arts to students since 2006.

Higher Education Digest July 2022

in addition to the core of Graphic Design/Visual Design.

The students of BDes receive additional instruction in universal design, deep ecology, and environmental perception.

Moreover, the programme strongly emphasizes on students receiving fundamental design foundational inputs from the first semester onward. This is followed by intense project-based semesters that lead to a professional design project completed in the eighth semester, under typical industry conditions. In the 2nd and 3rd years of the Visual Communication Design programme, electives of Spatial Design, Motion Design and Interaction Design are offered to the students, to account for the broad sweep of communication design needs that arise in contemporary societies, nationally and globally.

An Expert Team of Faculty WWI’s faculty members comprise leading industry professionals & instructors coming from a rich academic background, being alumni from top rung design institutes in India and abroad. To support the professional development of its faculty, the premier institute conducts regular workshops and training sessions in teaching methodology, improvement, and specific subject matters.

The faculty members are also given an opportunity to attend global seminars and conferences related to education and visual communication design.

Similarly, WWI encourages its staff to participate in various R&D projects on new & emerging media or educational teaching methodologies. The institute also provides financial assistance in the form of grants to its faculty to carry out their research projects along with infrastructural facilities available at the campus.

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Milindo Taid, Head of the Department, Design, WWI

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Nurturing Industry, Academia & Tech Collaborations WWI’s Affiliations team works actively to collaborate with leading institutes, universities, and organisations worldwide to provide possibilities for students seeking international exposure and degree credentials. The institute has partnered with international universities for short and customised courses, workshops, shared library resources, and student and faculty exchanges.

In 2017, WWI collaborated with ECV (a leading Design School headquartered in Paris) to launch the oneof-a-kind, comprehensive four-year Bachelor’s in Visual Communication and Design programme. Furthermore, WWI’s academic affiliations give its students access to world-class centres of excellence in Australia, Europe, and North America. In addition, the institute has formed some significant technology partnerships with leading brands such as Sony, Reliance Jio, Insta 360, HP, Dolby

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Digital, Adobe, Kodak, GoPro, Fujifilm, Canon, etc. to deliver the best technology experience to its students.

The primary campus of WWI is located inside Mumbai’s Filmcity Complex and offers programmes that vary from 1 to 4 years in duration catering to all the major specialisations of the Film, Communication and Creative Arts industry.

Inspiring Innovation & Encouraging Creativity Right from the Beginning Founded on an ethos of ‘Learning by Doing,’ students of WWI School of Design are given the freedom to think out of the box and engage proactively and productively with all individual and group learning activities. They also have unlimited access to all the R&D Labs WWI runs on campus as constituents, learners, and collaborators.

Several workshops and masterclasses by professional visual communication designers and visiting experts & faculty from India and abroad round-up their learning.

Moreover, the final semester degree/thesis project is executed by each student as a young and competent

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design professional, who works under standard industry conditions. This is how WWI grooms its students in making them industry-ready.

Projects Based Curriculum Prepares the Students for their Entrepreneurial Journey The School of Design at WWI has project-based semesters, wherein each semester incorporates a design project addressing real-world problems. The students have to frame the design challenge and pitch and defend the project in front of a jury comprising of leading industry experts. The live check/feedback from the industry keeps the projects industry-

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relevant. It hones the students’ abilities to take calculated entrepreneurial risks, addressing the larger mass market while keeping them poised to balance the commercial, aesthetic, and social impact goals of their designs.

Life in Campus Being Asia’s premier film, communication, and creative arts institute, WWI offers students a holistic learning environment, emphasizing on the theoretical and practical sides of learning, equally. Students also get to work on practical projects, be it cutting-edge graphic design or assisting the institute with various events.

Over the past decade, WWI has set up & run several Technology & Development Labs in association with some of these global tech giants to evangelise and further the inclusion of emerging media into the education of students, and by extension, into the industry.

Regarding extra-curricular activities, WWI annually hosts events such as Celebrate Cinema, Inbox, WWCL and Inspiration, which become an idea exchange and social interaction platform for the students. Besides these, students of WWI get to follow their passion in the city of dreams, Mumbai, and soak in and get inspired by its culture.

A High Placement Record The last two batches of the Visual Communication Design programme have witnessed a 100% placement post-graduation record. Some of the key recruiters were: Skechers, Pop Communications, Graphic Ink, Loud

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Mob Media, Blinctrip, Owled Media, Welspun Group, Cultivate Design Studio, and Evogue Media LLP. Dealing with the Pandemic Times Soon after the announcement of lockdowns, educational institutions all over India had to implement e-learning systems almost overnight. A premier institute such as WWI always had an edge with its state-of-the-art IT infrastructure for the delivery of learning content remotely.

Hence, it was only a matter of timely activation in response to fulfilling the educational needs of its students during such unprecedented times.

Always being a step ahead in its approach, WWI has already made appropriate curricular revisions to include broader systems thinking within the design to address any other complex and unpredictable challenges that may arise in the future.

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Roadmap Towards Building a Film, Communication & Creative Arts Oasis With its well-established Mumbai campus, WWI looks forward to expanding its programme verticals and campuses.

In light of this, the institute recently launched the School of Sports & Esports Management. Additionally, WWI is at various stages of establishing additional campuses both within India and outside, in partnership with governments & like-minded organisations, to establish more such schools that aren’t just a film institute but a communication & creative arts oasis. The institute’s ultimate dream is to have an institution that hones and promotes talent from the age group of 5 to 50.

“We want every creative person who wishes to make a career in this dynamic industry to go through topquality education and be successful in what they do”, expresses Milindo Taid.

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INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE

Ed-Tech Platforms Are

Empowering Students in Tier 2 And Tier 3 Cities

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Narasimha Jayakumar, Managing Director, India, Brainly

In his role as the Managing Director, India, Narasimha is responsible for driving the India business for Brainly and to build world-class EdTech products for the Indian market. He has a rich professional experience of 20+ years, working with both established and emerging companies in business management roles. Before Brainly, he was CEO of Aakash Edutech, the digital subsidiary of Aakash Education Services Limited, India’s # 1 test preparation company based out of Gurgaon. Narasimha holds a B. Tech (Computer Engineering) NIT, Surathkal, PGDM (IIM-Bangalore) and an MBA from the London Business School.

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For students from smaller towns and rural areas who may not have access to transportation, online coaching provides time and space flexibility

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echnology has the potential to unlock the actual potential of students in tier 2 and 3 cities as well as metropolitan cities. As a result of the growth of innovative and successful ed-tech platforms, students can gain access to quality education and fuel their learning goals.

Indian ed-tech apps stepped up during the COVID-19 pandemic when the government shut down educational institutes. While students in metros adapted quickly to online ed-tech platforms, rural students and students from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities could not access basic education. Thankfully ed-tech came to the rescue.

Today, educational technology is used in K-12, higher education, and vocational training. Online learning platforms are also persuading teachers and parents to include ed-tech products and services in the total learning system of students. These platforms are filling the void in smaller Indian towns and cities, which need creative solutions to the challenges of contemporary education.

Parents in smaller cities want quality education for their children and see the clear benefits of online education. Online learning platforms can ensure that

113 quality of learning and delivery standards are on par with or are better than in the major cities.

For students from smaller towns and rural areas who may not have access to transportation, online coaching provides time and space flexibility. Technological advancements have enabled these students to attend lectures, clear their doubts, and learn from the comfort of their own homes.

One thing that technology is naturally adept at is in lowering prices and assuring affordability. While people in big cities have the resources to analyze and purchase more expensive options, people in tier 2 and 3 cities have been waiting for affordable quality content/services offered via cheap internet.

In a country like ours, with all the benefits of a large and young population eager to learn and become productive, as well as all the drawbacks of low overall school quality – almost nonexistent child development facilities, sports, vocational, and continuing education delivery mechanisms – rapidly expanding the ed-tech footprint is the only feasible way to develop as quickly as possible.

These are some reasons why parents in tier 2, 3 areas and beyond are choosing online learning to

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Through innovation and scalable technology, online learning platforms in India are producing effective solutions and functioning as vehicles for socioeconomic development and transformation

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realize the dream of quality education which is also personalized for individual needs, including being available in their preferred language.

The finest learning occurs when communication is smooth. Language is an important component of efficient communication. As a result, learning occurs efficiently when the user can learn in their preferred language. Language and learning are inextricably intertwined, and students must get an opportunity to study in the language they know best.

Brainly provides the world’s most extensive Knowledge Base for all school grades and subjects.

In India it is available in Hindi, Marathi, Telugu, Tamil, Gujarati, Kannada, Bengali, and Sanskrit.

The company understands the importance of the local language and is expanding Brainly’s Knowledge Base in more Indian languages, to make education accessible to more students across India.

Through innovation and scalable technology, online learning platforms in India are producing effective solutions and functioning as vehicles for socioeconomic development and transformation.

Digitalization, or the use of technology in education, has facilitated the spread of high-quality education across the country, notably in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities.

Ed-tech platforms have been developing solutions that are both user-friendly and costeffective, with the potential to raise educational standards in tier 2 and 3 cities. These solutions are well-suited to India’s linguistic diversity and offer excellent value to the end-user.

The adoption of technology in the education sector was somewhat forced by the Covid-19 pandemic. However, for the education sector in the smaller towns and rural areas, it came as a blessing in disguise. What came as a forced change triggered the transformation of the entire education sector in these cities. The dependence on big cities for good quality education is rapidly declining. Due to the initiatives by the government, advancements in AI, machine learning and other technologies, and efforts from the industry, very soon, we can expect uniformity in the quality of education across the nation.

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DESIGN INSTITUTES IN INDIA

WORLD UNIVERSITY OF DESIGN PROVIDING A SOUND DESIGN FOUNDATION TO STUDENTS 116

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he tight-jacketed Indian education system has undergone massive changes in recent years. Today, students confidently turn towards new disciples such as design and consider career options over traditional streams like engineering, medicine, and generic management.

World Design University (WUD) is India’s first university dedicated to education in the creative domain. It aims at educating talented Indian youth to not just represent India on the global design map but also help India emerge as a strong manufacturer in the world of quality products and designs. “I believe it is high time the Indian Education System ensured alignment of the curriculum at professional universities to emerging industrial needs, and through WUD, we are striving to achieve this very goal,” says Prof (Dr.) Sanjay Gupta, Vice-Chancellor, WUD. A Myriad of Programmes Under its umbrella, WUD provides multiple undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral programs across disciplines like Architecture, Design, Fashion, Communication, Visual arts, Performing Arts & Business.

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WUD is promoted by Shri Om Parkash Bansal Educational & Social Welfare Trust of Mandi Gobindgarh, Punjab having over 2 decades of rich experience in establishing & running premier educational institutions.

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Dr. Sanjay Gupta (Vice Chancellor, World University of Design)

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WUD is working with a consortium of international partner universities including Brunel University, UK; Politecnico di Milano, Italy; University of Aegean, Greece and IIITD Delhi.

Furthermore, new courses have been introduced to keep up with the techno age. These include Computer Science & Design, UX & Interaction Design, Animation & Gaming, Fashion Communication, Product Design, Interior Design, Transportation Design, AI and Design Thinking, Service Design, Applied Arts, Digital Drawing & Illustration.

Educators Illuminating the Path of Students’ Success WUD has appointed an exceptional in-house staff who have years of teaching experience, subject expertise, and unique teaching methodology. These faculty members are alumni of prestigious national and international institutions like University of Arts London, FIT NewYork, Demontfort University, Academy of Art San Francisco, NABA Italy, IIT Delhi, IIT Mumbai, NID, NIFT, College of Art Delhi, SPA Delhi, TVB Delhi, Shantiniketan, and MSU Baroda.

“We also have an Advisory Board whose members include an impressive array of professionals from all domains always illuminating the paths of students of WUD with their varied experience and mentoring,” adds Dr. Gupta.

Joining Hands with Global Universities & Institutions WUD understands the need for collaborations with international universities & institutions. Students, in turn, get the opportunity to interact and form bonds

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with their counterparts, gain industry insights from the leaders, and open the door to numerous career paths. WUD’s collaborators include the University of Reading, Winchester, Huddersfield, Berkeley, ENSAIT, Academie Charpentier, Vancouver Film School, Emily Carr, Utrecht, UDEM, UPEAP, Oxford Brookes University. WUD is also a member of various industry organizations such as FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry), ADI (Association of Designers of India); CUMULUS (International Association of Universities & Colleges of Art, Design & Media), giving it access to alliances

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With learning by doing as the main method of teaching, WUD provides its students with industry relevant updated resources and facilities.

program with these universities. Dr. Sanjay says, “We are fortunate that some extremely impressive brand names have opened their doors to our graduates to pursue their careers and learn from.”

Seminars, expert talks, hands-on workshops, and conferences are arranged at regular intervals with collaborators and partner institutions. These events allow students to extend their knowledge base, gain real-life industry insights, understand entrepreneurial mindset, and more.

Unlocking the Creative Potential of Students Creativity is inherently the central dogma of WUD’s foundation as a design-focused university. Students are motivated to develop outside-the-box innovations and ideas, be it product design, service design, or absolutely anything. Similarly, hands-on learning and skill development of students are given extreme importance. “We conduct specialized workshops in performing arts, visual arts, architecture, etc., to advance their approach towards design as a fulfilling career that they would have. The laboratories at WUD are open at all times for students to ideate and strategize any new ideas that are sprouting in their minds,” shares Dr. Gupta. He further credits WUD’s faculty members who share a similar ethos for creativity and innovation as their students and are always ready to assist them.

Students of WUD are also encouraged to participate in numerous competitions such as Toycathon, conducted by the Government of India in association with various ministries, design contests organized by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), the D’source Corona Design Challenge organized by IIT Bombay, etc. to name a few which they have won too! Impressive and noteworthy!

with over 250-member institutions across 54 countries; VRARA (The global VR/AR Association); The CollegeBoard - India Global Alliance, organizer of SAT & PSAT exams, etc.

Additionally, WUD’s academic staff stays in touch with industry peers and institutional leaders, enabling students to leverage opportunities to showcase their acquired skills. Likewise, multiple MoUs have been signed with leading educational institutions across the globe to facilitate a constant exchange of students, scholars, and research topics on every subject. In the last three years, fifteen students went on a semester exchange

Scholarships & Job Opportunities WUD offers generous on-admission scholarships to economically weaker yet bright students. These scholarships are based on merit, but special-purpose scholarships include Wards of Defence Personnel, Wards of Serving Teachers, Daughter’s Privilege, Sports (National Representation), Performing Arts (National Representation), and Single Parent-Child.

In the ongoing academic year, nearly 7 crores worth of scholarships were granted.

Dr. Gupta reveals about campus selections and placement initiatives, “Our students find immediate placements in MNCs and admissions in global

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universities for their masters.” The placements till 2021 were 92%, with the remaining opting for higher education and incubation. For 2022, pre-placement offers are already streaming in, with the top package so far being 24 LPA. Some of the MNCs visiting WUD’s campus include Amazon, Whirlpool, KPMG, Capgemini, Benetton, Human Factors International, Pepperfry, AJIO, Max Fashion (Landmark Group), Milton, Kangaroo, Cognizant, TATA Class edge, Studio Lotus, JLL, EX2 India and over 100 other companies.

Campus Diaries WUD provides spacious, air-conditioned, wi-fi, semifurnished hostel rooms with attached baths for its students.

A specially designed kitchen, hygienic conscious dining area, and healthy meal plans are maintained by the appointed caterers. Besides these, laundry services, daily needs, and health clinics are set up on the campus. WUD campus is also a center of intellectual activities such as art shows, seminars on famous architects, designers, performers, etc.

Over and above, Dr. Gupta and his team at WUD believe in the holistic development of students. As a result, the institute strongly encourages its students to actively participate in various clubs viz Film Club, Reading Club,

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Sports Club, Performing Arts Club, etc. Moreover, WUD organizes literary, cultural, and social events such as sports meets, annual fest, etc., to forge stronger bonds, encourage healthy competition, and bring out their latent talent in these activities. During CULT, WUD’s annual fest, students from all over India come to participate, showcase their talent, and aim to win the event. At all levels, be it the healthy campus environment, a multitude of activities, basic necessities, or mentors, WUD has covered all grounds for its students’ well-being and overall development.

Awards & Recognitions Although a young University, WUD has been recognized

by ASSOCHAM India as the Most Emerging University; has been ranked 2nd among the ‘Top 10 Private Universities’ in Professional Education; has won the CSR Times Awards for ‘Best Startup in Education Category’; bagged the Most Emerging Higher Education Institute title at IDA Design Education Awards and has consistently been awarded Excellence in Design Education Award at the World Education Summit since 2019. These awards and recognitions depict WUD’s upward growth trajectory and emergence as one of the Must-Watch Design Institutes in India in a short span of years.

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INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE

How OTT Platforms

Help in Education 124

Aashay Mishra, Co-Founder and COO, PrepInsta

Aashay Mishra is the Co-founder and COO of PrepInsta, one the fastest growing placement enhancement skill company in India.

His responsibility is to take care of the operations, content management, as well as the production of the company. Aashay Mishra is an EEE graduate from VIT Vellore, which is constantly ranked among the best Universities in India.

Aashay started his career working as an Adobe experience manager with Publicis Sapient, which is a digital consulting company based out of Bengaluru. In this company, he helped in building products for McDonald’s and Renault. For McDonald’s he helped in building an online food ordering system for US-based users and for Renault he worked in Geo-location tracking for Europe based users.

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Many Education OTT platforms are engaging in the concept of gamification of education which is basically the usage of key gaming principles and applicationoriented learning, which enhances the learner’s engagement levels

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he education system of India is dynamic, which caters to the academic requirements of 260 million students enrolled in more than 1.5 million schools; 27.5 million undergraduate and 4 million postgraduate students studying in 42000 plus colleges. As India’s population is growing at an alarming rate, it is exerting tremendous pressure on the resources which are not adequate to deliver the quality education a student deserves. Also on the global education index, India’s current rank of 112 out of 188 countries is a cause of worry.

However lately a lot of Ed-Tech platforms are gearing up to tackle the education crisis and deliver what is needed with the help of advanced technology. With new tools and methods, educational OTTs have empowered both teachers as well as students. It has redefined the overall education sector enabling it to step out of the traditional model of four-wall classroom.

The serious outbreak of Covid-19 which enforced the closure of all the schools, institutes, and colleges across

India, only served as a catalyst for further adoption of E-learning approaches. During the pandemic, online learning was seen as a solution but it’s fascinating to see how virtual classroom is being accepted as a norm now and not an alternative to the emergency lockdowns.

As OTT platforms are enabled by Internet technology, India’s ever-expanding internet users provide a perfect ground for Ed-tech platforms to operate. In the next five years, the number of active Internet users in India is expected to increase by 45% and reach 900 million by 2025. The market for online education is indicated to be USD 18 billion by 2022. Here are some of the ways how OTT platforms are helping and shaping the education sector of India.

Accessibility and Affordability: In India, more than 70 percent of the population who lives in rural areas have to face many barriers which directly impact the country’s literacy rate. As OTT education doesn’t depend on the physicality of classroom, one of its most important advantages is that users can get

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access to quality-driven education from anywhere at any time. Learning through an OTT platform, a student can visit past material, pause the lecture, and make easy notes simultaneously. Education OTTs also help build memory retention and interactivity as students explore and retain information more practically.

Many Education OTTs offer courses at affordable rates in comparison to what is charged by many private schools. Their vision is not only to impart education but also, to make it affordable and empower the students from lower and middle-class backgrounds. Nearly 85 percent population in India earns below 8 lakhs per year and the mission of many OTT platforms is to make education inclusive and not a matter of privilege.

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Online Aids and Quick evaluation The rise of digital resources is making education more convenient and interactive with the help of improved versions of tools. Online teaching tools offer significant benefits such as recording the classes, giving presentations, sharing voice and text messages, providing online attendance and assignments, providing feedback to students, and so on. Students thrive with these graphic organizers and visual mind mapping tools.

With the help of these educational tools, students don’t only learn new concepts but it also allows teachers to take quick assessment tests which otherwise would take days in a normal classroom setting. These tools are easy to use and also lessen the mundane administrative burden. Meaningful use of tools provides substantial benefits to students, parents, and teachers at the same time by improving communication, greater accountability, better student compliance, and greater objective in the evaluation Gamification of Education Innovative technology is shaping not just the future of education but also the concept of education in itself.

Many Education OTT platforms are engaging in the concept of gamification of education which is basically the usage of key gaming principles and applicationoriented learning, which enhances the learner’s engagement levels. Here the main target students are elementary and primary kids, to train the process of learning by applying games, mechanics of fun, competition, collaboration, and rewards. Research has proven that the gamification of education makes the process of learning more interesting and also addresses the issue of high dropouts in online learning.

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Placement The end goal of education is not just to impart skills and prepare students for the real world but it should also be to enable students to avail jobs after the completion of the course. As COVID-19 spread, many companies had put a hold on their placement process, leaving any students in limbo. Many Ed-Tech platforms operating in the country understand the unemployed situation and offer the aspirants Pay after Placement. To widen the scope of job opportunities, these OTT platforms offer upskilling courses like Data Science, technology, Management and Law, Computing, Cyber Security, Digital Marketing, Project Management, Full Stack Web Development, Placement Preparation Course, and many others.

Education OTTs are changing the face of education by improving the standard of learning and preparing students better for a knowledge-driven society. Online Learning is definitely here to stay as millions of students are turning to Education OTT for valid reasons.

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