SRMIST faculty members undergo training in design thinking

CHENNAI: SRM Institute of Science and Technology (SRMIST) on Monday hosted the second convocation for faculty members who have successfully completed a three-day faculty development programme conducted by School of Design Thinking (SoDT).The faculty development programme initiative was led by the School of Design Thinking. Since signing a memorandum of understanding in 2019, the School of Design Thinking has been a strategic partner and catalyst for this transformation at SRMIST, delivering structured workshops, hands-on problem-solving sessions and practical tools to make design thinking a foundational practice in classrooms. The programme was done for 14 batches of faculty members on its Kattankulathur, Trichy, NCR and Vadapalani campuses.This year, 110 faculty members from all major engineering departments received their certificates. They join a distinguished cohort of 165 faculty alumni from the first convocation event, making a total of 275 SRMIST faculty trained in design thinking since the inception of the program in 2019.

Combined, they have undergone an intensive 42 person days of training and over 450 person hours of active learning, equipping them to transform education and foster innovative mindsets in over 20,000 students to date.

The event saw the renewal of the memorandum of understanding between SRMIST, School of Design Thinking and Intellect Design Arena for the next five years.C Muthamizhchelvan, vice-chancellor, SRMIST, said, "We, at SRMIST, are at the forefront of many strategic initiatives with the govt, industry and other entities.”Ramanan SV, CEO-India and South Asia, Intellect Design Arena Ltd, said, “Through design thinking, institutions can move beyond traditional boundaries, connect, and find outside-the-box solutions that drive excellence.”Manju Jain, director and co-founder, School of Design Thinking, said design thinking has immense potential in creating a positive impact between teachers and students -- especially in the arena of teaching and learning.