A call of learning – Building a strong foundation for the 2020 batch

Masterclasses are extremely popular among students because it gives them an opportunity to completely immerse themselves in a new, exciting thing

For the #ResilientClassOf2020, it has been a testing summer. Dealing with the uncertainty and the pandemic can’t have been easy. However, in pursuit of the beginning of certainty, we began with Pre-Semester Learning, starting the academic journey of the #ResilientClassof2020 with a bang. Pre-Semester Learning seeks to update students with induction, knowledge of the subject, inspire students with talks from CEOs and industry leaders, and build a strong foundation for students to build on top of over the rest of their academic journey.

One of the key features of Pre-Semester Learning is our wide array of masterclasses with some of the country’s most celebrated industry professionals. Masterclasses are long-form sessions designed to give students a complete overview of a particular subject.  Masterclasses are extremely popular among students because it gives them an opportunity to completely immerse themselves in a new, exciting thing.

We have an exciting roster of successful professionals, speaking to students about their craft. The Masterclasses so far have been eye-opening and insightful. Here is a rundown of the masterclasses that have been recently conducted.

Mr. Kamal Bali: One of the first sessions for students was that of Mr. Kamal Bali, President, Volvo Motors India Group. As the Chief Guest for the opening ceremony, Mr. Bali stressed on the importance of adaptability in today’s times and the time to come. Impressing upon students the nature of the world today, he advised that students must be prepared for a VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous) world.

Mr. Hugo Pilate: Mr. Hugo Pilate, a professional based in LA, Delhi, and Paris, conducted his session on Speculative Design (Also called Design Fiction) for the students from the School of Design on the 4^th to 6^th of August. During the session, students were encouraged to let their imagination run away with them and conjure new worlds through design. In the session, students were challenged to reflect on the key transformations taking place in the world, and how that will impact the UPES campus. It was a refreshing opportunity for many to let their creative juices flow and create futuristic designs from a local context.

Mr. Dhimant Vyas: As a creative director of Zynga and a notable animator, Mr. Dhimant Vyas is widely considered an expert in the story-telling and animation industry, having led many new trends in the animation industry. Hoping to inspire students, he organized a ClayMation workshop with the new students of UPES. ClayMation is an up-and-coming artform that is quite popular these days. Through this workshop, students were encouraged to tell stories, imbibe themselves in a new universe, and express themselves while learning a marketable skill.

This is only the beginning. We have a lot more in store for the #ResilientClassOf2020. In the coming weeks, students will hear from professionals and leaders like Mr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Mr. Manoj Barthwal, and more. In the sessions, students unlock their imagination, opening new doors of opportunity for them. With the shining examples of leaders like Mr. Ahluwalia, Mr. Vyas, Mr. Pilate, and others, they have a much better idea of how to steer their education towards industry-applicability.

Pre-Semester learning started on August 3rd, 2020 for students of School of Design and School of Business, and will shortly begin for other schools too. Students of UPES can access pre-semester learning on our unique immersive student platform: MyUPES. The platform itself sets a new benchmark for online education and student engagement, giving students a wide glimpse of campus life, student clubs, letting them interact with their peers, and incentivizing students to build a strong foundation with 3900+ free online Coursera courses. To attend Pre-semester Learning, students only need to complete their registration process. To know more about the Pre-Semester Learning program, visit https://www.upes.ac.in/immersive-academic-learning. To know about admissions and other relevant details, visit https://www.upes.ac.in/aspiring-students