Jaipuria Institute of Management has always prided itself on its faculty members and their contribution to the students’ learning process. Encouraging students to participate in every session and take home a lot more than understanding of management concepts seems to be the philosophy of the institute. This philosophy is ably translated into action by its faculty members, including Dr. Shikha Bhatia, Assistant Professor at Jaipuria Noida.

“One has to be a little creative to ensure interest and participation in class. I encourage students, especially those who are shy and less confident, to stay engaged in the classroom,” says Dr. Bhatia, who works in the Finance department of the institute. After eight years of teaching experience she understands that keeping student interest in a classroom can be a challenging task. “But it can’t be achieved by reprimanding them. You have to understand what they are looking for and are interested in to ensure their participation,” she says wisely.

Dr. Bhatia also believes in learning herself from every session and bettering her performance as a faculty member. At Jaipuria Noida, she has found the perfect platform to bolster her credentials as an educationist. “Jaipuria is a wonderful place and I’m truly enjoying teaching here. Our Director and my colleagues are very cooperative and the management is also very supportive of research and faculty development,” she says.

This works well for Dr. Bhatia, who has a passion for research too and already has a few papers to her credit. But there’s more to come, thanks to her association with Jaipuria Noida. “I am working on a research project sponsored by the institute and also plan to publish a couple of papers in the next year. My area of interest is capital markets and, specifically, the post-issue performance of IPOs in India,” she says, brimming with confidence.

Sharing her knowledge with students and bringing out the best in them is another thing that gets Dr. Bhatia quite excited. Although she teaches several subjects at the institute, Financial Management remains her favourite. “It’s a basic course in Finance and it’s a must-know subject for management students, irrespective of their backgrounds and future interests. It offers insight on how corporate companies take long-term decisions, which is imperative for students to know,” she says.

Dr. Bhatia is looking forward to involving herself with different clubs at Jaipuria Noida, as she believes they can lead to greater student engagement. She is, at present, involved in a Mentoring programme for two groups of first year students. It might seem like Dr. Bhatia has her hands full but she is keen on keeping up with the latest in the field of Finance and Economy even in her spare time. “Most times, you would find me browsing through the Economic Times online or reading some discussion about the latest in Finance on LinkedIn discussions,” she says.

It’s this earnest attitude that Dr. Bhatia hopes to imbue her students with as well. “If students work hard with all honesty, they can be miles ahead in the race of life. The joys of short-cuts are short lived and they can lead you down the wrong path,” is her sound advice for her students.