The Day 1 of FDP 2024 hosted by School of Liberal Arts, School of Mass Communication and School of Hospitality Management commenced with a welcome address by Prof. Vinay Rana followed by the inaugural address by the honourable VC Dr. Anil Paila, and a prologue on Design Thinking by Dr. Madhu Prabakaran. The first session was handed over to Dr. Pavan Soni, an innovation evangelist and founder of Inflexion Point. The session started with an insightful introduction on the design of how we should think in a layered system-wise method. The later half of Day 1 was spent with handful of hands-on activities by the faculty members led by Dr. Soni. The activities included multi-dimensional methods of understanding any problem, categorically distributed across six groups comprised of faculty members, Deans and the honourable VC himself.
In congruence with the workshop that commenced on Day 1, Day 2 was also full of activities deliberated by the faculty with the esteemed leadership of the honourable guest Dr. Pavan Soni. Along with the creative exercises like mind mapping, adapting with the blue ocean strategy of problem solving, the session was carried forward with the valuable lecture on SPRC technique, Lateral thinking, and so on. The session was wrapped with oaths taken by all the participant faculty members to start and stop something untarnished in their daily routines. This session on Design Thinking was winded up by felicitating the key speaker Dr. Pavan Soni by the honourable Vice Chancellor Dr. Anil Paila and the respected Deans of the three host schools.
Day 3 was all about Mindfulness and Mental Health. The renowned corporate wellness consultant, Mindfulness practitioner Mr. Rohit Dhammy stewarded the first half of the day with a number of activities that enabled the faculty-staffs to diligently deal with work-life balance, stress at workplace, etc. He facilitated the Bare Attention technique to normalize the exercise of accepting various interruptions/noise we come across and how one can bring back the wandering attention again and again amidst any peripheral chaos. Mr. Dhammy also introduced the faculty members with his own invention of a meditating technique- The Bull's Eye method that can deliberate clarity of thought, accurate decision-making and dealing with the feelings of Pain in our lives.
The next half of the Day 3 was led by Dr. Ankita Priyadarshini, MBBS, MD, Psychiatry. Her insightful lecture centred on the theme of Increasing Mental Health Awareness among the Adolescents with an emphasis on anxiety disorder. Dr. Ankita's rudimentary dogma was MHFA (Mental Health First Aid) where she explained ALGEE Technique, CSS Action Plan and L3 Formula Action Plan with a Case Study method. This session was particularly helpful for the faculty members to become more aware and sensitized while dealing with the GenZ who are the major league of survivors going through various mental health challenges.
The Day 4 morning session was encompassed by a continuum of what Mr. Rohit Dhammy introduced to the faculty members. After the relaxing session using the bare attention technique, this morning was devoted to Body Scan method of meditation. It was thoroughly felt by the participant Faculties that this particular therapy had helped them in overcoming pain, accepting the overflooding thoughts, and dealing with the miseries of mind and body. The concluding lecture by Mr. Dhammy threw light on the significance of identifying depression, anxiety, and distress to remain productive amidst the most difficult challenges of life. With a note of mindfulness, the honourable VC felicitated Mr. Dhammy while the respected Deans had also contributed to the positive impact such exercise have on us.
The second half was a virtual session with the esteemed Vice Chancellor of Jain (Deemed to be) University, Dr. Jitendra Mishra on Outcome Based Education. The session had a torch-bearing impact on the faculty members as Dr. Jitendra Mishra put up several brainstorming questions like how is OBE related with the existing programs of our institution. He also highlighted the importance of alignment among the PEOs, Pos and the Curriculum with that of NEP 2020. He has recommended to give specific emphasis on the development and attainment of Vision and Mission of the institution in coagulation with those of Higher Education System of India. Thus, Faculties gained a direct hands-on training from Dr. Mishra's expertise on CO/PO mapping and other attributes of OBE.
The fourth day of the faculty development Program hosted by the three schools (SOLA, SOMC, and SOHM) was devoted to Generative Artificial Intelligence. The session was presided by the renowned Bangalore-based Business Consultant Mr. Lokesh Venkataswamy. Mr. Lokesh'lecture was started with a sporty spark where everyone participated in a warm-up exercise to foster a rejuvenating creative mind. The morning, we have commenced with a new dimension of thinking how the world has achieved a bunch of champion business ventures in the same decade when people were globally depressed with the recession. The take away of the plenary with Mr. Lokesh includes the deep learning on strategic thinking on innovation and creating fundamental alteration in customer experience. The second half of Day 4 was spent in the computer lab with hand-on exercise with ChatGPT and other techniques of using Generative AI.
The sixth day of FDP commenced with the inauguration of an IPR cell by Mr. Lokesh Venkataswamy, who introduced the "Invert Tool" for fostering innovation. Teams, led by faculty members, engaged in Napkin Pitches aimed at revolutionizing the student experience. Dr Abhishek Juneja provided a concise overview of the six-day event, highlighting its key achievements and insights. The guest was honoured by the Vice-Chancellor Dr Anil Subbarao Paila (Vice-Chancellor, IMS Unison University) and Deans from all schools, underscoring the event's significance. Dr Vinay Rana (dean, SOHM) and Dr Madhu Prabakaran (Dean, SOLA & SOMC) extended a gracious vote of thanks, acknowledging the contributions of all participants and supporters. The event not only established a framework for intellectual property rights but also catalysed collaborative efforts in advancing educational innovation and enhancing student engagement.