The Conduct of M’Power
Admission criteria and process
  • Open to only those holding a job or those who are self-employed

  • The full 100-lesson course leading to a PG diploma is open only to graduates

  • Diplomas and shorter certificate courses are open to non-graduates if recommended by the employer

  • All applicants, whether they are sponsored by their employers or not, have to submit the prescribed application form duly completed along with proof of employment and qualifications

  • Fees are to be paid upfront along with the application form

  • Admitted candidates are advised of the mandatory learning sequence: V —> A —> T – iterative if required

  • Admitted candidates are intimated right in the beginning of the definite time schedule and time table for receipt of kits, submission and return of evaluated assignments, feedback and tentative schedule for contact programmes and examinations

Delivery
  • The normal mode of delivery is by courier. Also electronically on corporate LANs

  • Courseware is delivered as kits of four lessons each in VAT

  • The normal rate of delivery is one kit, of four lessons per month

  • four lessons per month would entail a self study load of 4–5 hours per week or 20 hours per month

  • Assignments delivered every 2 months. To be completed and submitted in 4 weeks

  • Evaluated assignments are returned to the students within a month of receipt

  • Each student is supplied a set of standard text books

Learning tools and assignments
  • Objective: An assignment is essentially a learning tool. The fact that it appears to be a testing tool is incidental

  • Frequency: There is one assignment to be completed every alternate month. The assignment is delivered by courier along with the study kit or else it is delivered electronically on the Internet or on the Intranet

  • Structure: A typical assignment has two parts

    • PART-A comprises objective and semi-objective questions. The questions draw on current happenings in business and industry as reported by the business press, thus keeping the programme continually refreshed. The student has to either apply theory to the extracted caselets to suggest solutions or cull theory out of the caselets. Other questions test general awareness and the ability to distinguish signal in noise

    PART-B is qualitative in nature and calls for general reading in combination with the theory learned to debate the issues raised. Fosters the ability to combine clarity with brevity by ensuring that the answers are written in limited space

  • Time criticality: A student has to submit an assignment within about 4 weeks of receipt. The cut-off date is clearly indicated

  • Feedback tutorial: The evaluated assignment is returned to the student along with a tutorial suggesting the right approach, viz. every question

  • Performance tracking – motivation: Along with the evaluated assignment the student also receives a batch performance histogram, viz. every question. Knowing how he or she has performed vis-à-vis others in the batch serves as a motivator that goes to mpower learning

Doubt clarification
  • A prescribed format is to be used either online or offline

  • Identifies source of doubt to the manifestation in a particular media-form

  • Localizes doubt to a word or phrase or formula or algorithm or example

  • A question bank, of 70 short questions, which is an intrinsic part of the prescribed format, helps articulate doubts very clearly. The process assists the student in self-clarification and understanding

  • Doubts reaching B.School are clarified within 8–72 hours

  • Fosters the development of a questioning mindset

  • Fosters the ability to clearly articulate questions and doubts to mpower true understanding

Contact sessions, interventions – content, form and mindsets
  • 2 days, 7 hours per day, once every 4 months

  • Sessions held at five standard locations (metros) and other cluster sites

  • Contact sessions go far beyond doubt clarification. They are more of mind-expansion sessions than teaching sessions. Progressively they foster the development of five mindsets: Reflective, Collaborative, Analytical, Directional and Worldly

  • Built into the sessions are traps that help the student recognize weaknesses and unhealthy values

Interventions
  • Thought for the Month (TFTM) series of one page epistles/essays relate commonplace occurrences to management theory

  • TFTMs foster the ability to cross apply knowledge

  • TFTMs fosters lateral thinking

  • Synchronous and asynchronous chat forums are to be created

Testing and Assessment
  • Periodic testing through bimonthly assignments (offline and online)

  • Assignments carry a weight of 60% (the full 100-lesson programme accommodates 12 assignments)

  • Participation at contact programmes carry a weight of 10%

  • Final assessment through a final, invigilated, sit down examination – case analysis

  • Cases sent to students 2–3 weeks in advance of the examination. Questions asked at the time of the examination

  • Final examination covering case analysis carries a weight of 30%

  • Aggregate required to pass = 60%

* Currently we do not retail the product.