Sikkim Manipal University: A Friend for 1.7 Lakh Students
SMU-DE guides students to a complete holistic education
Friendship day celebrated every year on the first Sunday of August is a tribute to perhaps the most primitive form of bonding amongst humans. Strings of love, fun, remorse and support describe the variant forms of friendship in the best possible way. A reflection of the most fundamental relation and the perfect one that goes on to describe humans as the most social animal on the planet. Taking cue from this iconic relationship, Sikkim Manipal University-Distance Education (SMU-DE) has modeled itself as an institution that follows all the flavors of friendship in a subtle way albeit making self learning more enjoyable. With a student roll of 1.7 lakh, SMU-DE values its bond with each and every student increasing interaction and collaboration with students as well as between students with the help of breakthrough technologies that will continue to shape the field of distance education for time to come. As part of this constant endeavor of developing strong interpersonal bonds and fostering team work, we have established 725 Learning Centers (LCs) across 310 towns in the country. The LCs act as nodal points between students and the university. Apart from regular classes and training, the LCs has EduNxt recognized counselors who provide guidance on career, course and all issues pertaining to the overall growth of the individual. The counselors interact one on one with every student thereby making the process fair and personal oriented which leads to better results on part of the student. To make the whole self-learning system enjoyable and not time bound, we have at every student’s disposal the award winning Internet based learning system, EduNxt. EduNxt allows students to access faculty mentors, industry experts, counseling, virtual classrooms, self-learning materials and over a million journals over the Internet. Mock tests, videos, presentations and case studies are updated real time on this platform helping students to stay in sync with the industry. All this can be done 24x7 helping students to plan their studies beforehand. Moreover students can collaborate with their classmates and lectures on projects and assignments. To guide students at their every step is our 6500 strong faculty, industry mentors and our 3 lakh strong alumni base. Interaction with professionals from the industry happens every week whereby students are given a complete insight on the vital aspects of working in their chosen field. Our ever helpful alumni regularly comes in to assist students with lectures, counseling, guidance and job opportunities and in the process share their success stories motivating the students and helping them plan their careers ahead. As the world recovers post recession much has changed with respect to industry ethics. Hiring trained and skilled personnel is the topmost priority on every employers list. Moreover work experience is given added importance like never before. At SMU-DE we understand these needs and prepare skilled workforce from every angle who are not just proficient in work life but also alert and proactive in every step of their life.
