As scheduled, the course inauguration was done by XLRI, with the students joining the same from their respective locations (HughesNet). Summary of the Inauguration course, some of the FAQ by students with their answers (The best I could comprehend), and some general do’s and dont’s.
Summary
People Present (XLRI):- Prof. Srimanarayana (Dean, XLRI Satellite Courses), Prof. Venugopal (Marketing Management), Mr. Partho (Hughes), Mr. Roy (AIS), TA’s, Studio Assistants, Students (Both CBM and HRM) (Attendance was close to 273 – Last I saw the count :-))
Prof. Srimanarayana introduced fellow people and welcomed one and all enrolled for the course. He spoke at length about the Composition, Schedule, XLRI policies, Summer Campus Visit, the professors who will be handling various courses, grades, minimum pass criteria, chat window usage. He also outlined the importance of joining the yahoo groups to receive regular updates on courses. Mr.Rohit is the TA for MAC, and has already sent out the course contents.
Prof. Venugopal was fairly brief on his introduction and welcome address.
Mr.Partho joined the session from Gurgaon and spoke about Hughes/XLRI partnership to bring this course to people across India in various cities/towns. He also highlighted that XLRI has been a pioneer in terms of the satellite courses. He also appraised the students about potential disruptions (rains etc) which may potentially cause issues in bringing the course live to us across cities.
Mr.Roy addressed the audience about the usage of AIS (http://xlri.ac.in/satellite), the various features of the web site. One of the key things highlighted was to complete the CV in AIS, before we can use all the features of the system. He opened the session for QnA from fellow students. A few people raised their questions and got them addressed (Though most of the Qs were repeated). And before he could complete the briefing, there was this audio problem which ended the session prematurely, though I felt that most of the items were covered.
Then we got the course material from the respective centres for MAC and MakMan (Marketing Management), signed the attendance, and Ms.Sandhya centre head Koramangala briefed us about certain policies and centre rules, before we drew curtains for yesterday.
(P:S – Koramangala Bangalore Centre – Hughes has been voted the best centre for quite some time now)
FAQ (based on questions asked in the chat medium/to Mr.Roy/Prof.Sriman/Ms Sandhya – Centre Coordinator Koramangala, Bangalore)
1.When is the campus visit planned?
Campus visits are planned when the regular XLRI courses (full time) have their summer placements. Hence it will be around May/June, next year . The exact dates will be communicated later.
P.S- These visits have separate fees and are not included in the course fees
2. Will the sessions be available online (Internet)?
Sessions are not available on the internet. In case of genuine absence from the class, you can request your centre coordinator for a session to view the archives. The max time period to view the archives will be 21 days, from the session.
3. Will the archives be available for review purposes or studying for exams?
NO.
4. Can we take break from the course?
Course Breaks are not entertained for the first term. However due to contingencies, if you have to take a break (post the first term), you can do so. However you will have to complete the course within 36 months of joining (Needs some clarification). Also there is a break fees charged when you re-join the course. Application for course breaks have to be submitted in advance.
4.Can I view the session from anywhere (HughesNet centres) in India?
Yes. However you need to inform your centre atleast a few days in advance so that they can intimate the target centre of your arrival.
5. Can I get my course centre changed, in case of a permanent transfer?
Yes. Again there is a process to do so. A fee of Rs 1,000/- will be charged.
6. How do I get my course material?
Course Material (Books) are despatched to the various centres and you need to contact the centre for the books.
7. What is the stucture of each course?
The course content is determined by the Professor for each course. There is not standard template. However in a generic basis, a course may have assignments, surprise quizes, classroom activity, project, exams.
8. How do I get notification about course details?
Please join the yahoo groups. The directions would have been sent out to the email registered with HughesNet.
9. How do I submit my homework/assignments?
Typically it depends on how the professors may want it. It may be via emails or uploading the assignment via AIS.
10. What is the pass criteria to get the certification?
You should clear all courses with no more than 3 “C” grades. However you could get a “D”, and beyond in any of the courses (need clarification). The corelation of grades and marks is provided in the course content manual.
11. Will there be a convocation for this course?
Yes.
12. Is attendance a criteria?
Yes. A Minimal of 75% attendance is expected for the student to clear a course.
13. Would viewing the archives fetch me attendance for the course?
No.
14. How is attendance marked for the course?
Typically this is a two way approach. You get a pop-up while logging into the session, through which you should submit your attendance (This will appear for 20 seconds at any point in time during the course, So do not sleep in the class :-)). Also the centre has a physical attendance (signing the attendance sheet) just for back up purposes.
15. Do I have Internet access in the centre?
No.
16. Do I have copier/printer in the centre?
No. Not for student use.
17. How do I participate in the class?
You can use the various options provided in the communication platform. This can be done raising your hand (using the app. button), or using the chat window. The chat window is monitored and hence pls avoid personal communication.
A request to fellow students….
The chat window provided is to best use it to participate in the class in terms of asking questions, addressing doubts of fellow students.
Please do not do the following using the chat window
1. Greet fellow students
2. Everyone wishing the professor, students (Good Evening, Thanks etc)
3. Introduce yourself as such and such
4. Have personal conversation
5. Post messages not relevant to the course (IPL scores etc)
Unofficial blog for XLRI - PGCBM 14 Batch 