At IMDR, we encourage students to take charge of their learning and development. It includes both curricular and co-curricular activities. Most of the activities in campus are student driven; whether it be Saturday group work, thatre events, inter-colliagte competitions and publication of the quarterly college magazine “Linkpin”. The purpose is to create an ooportunity for students to experience freedom of thought, expression and action so as to make them less dependent on faculty and the system for their learning.
Self Driven Learning System
The Deccan education society’s heritage of self-reliance and self-renewal underlies the Self Driven Learning System (SDLS) at the institute, where the student takes responsibilty for his won learning. At the same time, basic norms with respect to academic performance are maintained. Thus, SDLS focuses on developing performers who take charge of themselves and the situation and become copmetent performers, who contribute to self, system and society.
Process Work
The institute regularly holds every year a five-day Process Lab with the active collaboration of the professional members of the Indian Society for Individual and Social development (ISISD). Participation is voluntary, though recommended. Process Work refers to experiencing and becoming aware of behavioral, emotive and rational phenomena arising in us and facilitating others to do the same. It is founded on “an ongoing recognition of the self, its feelings and its ever unfolding identity” Educational Programmes usually focus on the rational and cognitive aspects of education and frequently neglect the inner dynamics experienced by the students. Process work enables both students and teachers to discover greater freedom for themselves, which helps them take charge and relate in an authentic way with others. Process work by its nature demands that participants take responsilbilty of ‘working with themselves’ without becoming dependent on a particluar technique.
Instructional System Design Methodology
The students at IMDR go through a curriculum process that has been designed according to Instructional System Design Methodology, which utilizes a step-by-step approach to instruction. In the first trimester are the foundation courses, where basic disciplines from which management is drawn, are dealt with. The second trimester deals with processes in organisations and functional subjects are taught in the thrid trimester. The knowledege for decision making and problem solving are derived from the Applied Functional and Integrative subjects, which are dealt with in the second year. The PGDM programme is primarily an entry-level qualification for a management career.
Gender Sensitisation
Every Year IMDR conducts workshop on “Gender Sensitisation” for the first year students in association with “Tathapi”, an NGO, which works with women issues and reproductive health. The main objectives of this workshop are to:
> Sensitise students to gender identities as a concept