Having work experience spanning more than a decade, Dr. Sonia Dhir, HOD at Jagan Institute of Management Studies, has a blend of corporate and academic exposure to her credit. Prior to serving academics, she worked in the capacity of Product Owner with a multi-national healthcare concern, handling business operations in the healthcare sector. She was also regularly involved in training programs on a wide array of issues for the field staff while she worked with the corporate sector.

Being in the field of academics for around a decade now, Dr. Sonia has contributed to the establishment of a rich academic environment in the institutions she has served by way of facilitating learning through numerous means. She has rich experience in administration, teaching and research and is passionate about facilitating the teaching-learning processes for achieving the program objectives. She is a keen researcher, with several research papers published in recognised national and international journals to her credit for more than a decade in the area of Economics, International Business and Econometrics. Dr. Dhir holds a PhD in Management, PGDBA – HRD and Marketing, and an M.A. in Economics.

Jagan Institute of Management Studies

What do you think should be the Institute’s top priority over the next 10 years?

Over the next decade, we will embrace and integrate emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, data analytics, and blockchain into the curriculum. We are also planning to foster a global mindset among students by providing them with international exposure and building collaborations with renowned international institutions.

What would you like people to know about your Institute they may not know?

JIMS Rohini provides a very strong industry-academia interface to its students; it focuses on experiential learning outcomes for its students and has a tie-up with a Russian University for fostering research. Additionally, the institute invests in digital learning platforms to enhance the overall learning experience of its students. The big four, apart from other renowned firms, come to the campus for the final placement of our students.

What do you see as JIMS Rohini's greatest strengths?

Our highly experienced in-house faculty and senior industry professionals who come to teach contemporary subjects are our strengths. Our students are also provided a platform for industry interface for industry internships and live projects with industry (as part of the curriculum). We have taken the time to design a rich curriculum aligned with the latest industry requirements, and last but not least, we have achieved good placements over the years.

What are some of the biggest challenges you see, both for higher education in general and for JIMS Rohini specifically?

For JIMS, we face challenges in adapting to emerging technologies in education, including online learning platforms, artificial intelligence, and virtual classrooms. We also need to work towards preparing students for the evolving job market. Addressing competition from other educational institutions while also enhancing the institute's brand is tough and takes a lot of time and resources. We are also trying to introduce online and blended learning.

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Any suggestions you would like to give to the current youth and the aspiring students?

Keep yourselves updated on current affairs and try to have an opinion of your own with reasoning on the current macroeconomic changes. Try to understand their impact on businesses and society in general. It is also essential to invest your time in developing professional skills and make the most of the personal development opportunities provided by the institute you have decided to enrol in for a postgraduate course.

What are some plans that you’re currently (or will be) designing for JIMS Rohini, international affairs, and/or students?

We have plans to make our institute known by its faculties. In order to do that, we will hire the best faculty members with the most experience and qualifications. I’m planning to invest my time in upskilling myself in the subject area of my interest and conducting research. This will enable me to come up with plans to provide the best for my students.

With the competition so high, how do you guide your students to survive in such a competitive scenario?

We teach our students to keep a constant tab on current affairs and know the latest industry trends. We make an effort at providing them with upskilling opportunities, by taking up MOOCs, not confining themselves to classroom learning only. There are also numerous opportunities for the students to polish their soft skills.

What are the challenges you faced/ are facing to uplift the quality of education in your department? 

Sometimes student engagement has become a challenge for us. This is particularly true when long hours of sitting are involved. It becomes essential for us to continuously work at engaging the students and getting their attention. We do that by introducing case studies and getting them to work on projects that will require them to interact with one another.

What are the interventions and approaches you bring in apart from the curriculum to train/teach the students?

We train students by conducting various skill development workshops, and subject-specific guest sessions. We also have panel discussions on current trends and symposiums. By encouraging student-faculty research we ensure that our teachers stay up to date on the latest teaching techniques and updates on the industry that they can bring to the classroom.