Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani, is an all-India Institute for higher education and currently declared as one of the Indian Institutes of Eminence (IoE) by the Government of India. It has campuses in India (Pilani, Goa, Hyderabad) and abroad (Dubai). Its vision is the commitment to transparency and equal opportunity for all. The mission of BITS Pilani is to advance knowledge and educate students in science and technology and other areas of scholarship that best serves the nation.
The Department of Management at BITS, Pilani, was established in the year 1971. Based on the industrial demands, the Master of Management Studies (MMS) course was restructured as Master of Business Administration (MBA) in 2006. The department’s vision is to advance management knowledge and develop impactful leaders. Its mission is to be the destination of the first choice for key stakeholders, viz. students, faculty, organizations, and community, by designing and delivering cutting-edge management programs in a learning environment that develops leaders who are socially responsible, innovative & result-oriented. With an eye on emerging technologies, and changing business environments, BITS Pilani has introduced a programme on MBA in Business Analytics from the Academic Year 2021-22.
The Department of Management adopts a multipronged approach for the holistic development of its students. In addition to imparting academic knowledge, it focuses on imparting personality development tools, leadership and team skills and, essential communication and futuristic skills that empower the students not only to be successful in their professional careers but also craft a meaningful purpose for their life.
MBF is a charitable trust based out of Palo Alto, USA that works with higher education institutions in India to provide access to world-class equipment, resources and knowledge towards designing and supporting programs that integrate new methods of teaching and learning into the existing undergraduate engineering curriculum. Its Center for Essential Skills will enable students to acquire essential cognitive, soft skills preparing them for a seamless transition from classrooms to careers and setting them up for success in work and in life.
There is widespread global agreement that above-average success in life depends on development of skills other than domain expertise.Center for Essential Skills ©Maker Bhavan Foundation in collaboration with Department of Management, BITS Pilani will offer certification courses to the Undergraduate students of the Institute. These courses will enable students to acquire essential cognitive and soft skills to prepare them for a seamless transition from classrooms to careers and setting them up for success in work and in life.
Our globally and digitally interconnected world is driven by two constants, - reliance on continuously evolving technologies and a constantly evolving world of work. To be successful in the 21st century workforce, students need foundational skill sets, especially transferrable soft skill in the following focus areas that can be applied in a variety of settings:
1. Communication Skills, (skills necessary to process and communicate information effectively and persuasively)
2. Interpersonal & Life Skills (effective skills for working with people and decision making)
3. Other overarching Learning Skills such as Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and Applied Financial skills
World Class content: Our goal is to make CES courses the “best of breed”, standing well in comparison with its international peers. Our course content is developed by Active Learning Sciences whose founder Dr. Stephen M Kosslyn is widely regarded as the world’s top disruptors in “learn-by-using” pedagogy making learning as fun and engaging as a computer game.
Active Learning: Traditional textbook oriented teaching is eschewed in favour of “learn-by-using” pedagogy. Active learning occurs when a person uses the information to achieve a learning outcome. Our weekly lessons are coupled with lab sessions (for practice) and they focus on activities that engage the students with the study material and help them realise their learning outcomes. In short scientific research on learning and memory form the foundation of the classroom sessions with group learning and frequent group interactions among students.
Course Rigor and Trained Instructors: Instructors at BITS Pilani who will be teaching the courses will all be trained in this new pedagogy and will refine the course material to suit local needs. Given the critical importance of the subject matter involved, CES courses are equivalent to full-semester courses on credit and each course will involve more than 28 hours of classroom and 14 hours of lab sessions spread over 2 lessons and 1 lab session per week.
