School for Life
The Higher Education landscape today is evolving continually to meet the needs of students, society at large and the future of work in a dynamic and emergent global scenario. To meet the challenges of this constant, novel and ever-changing environment there is a need to re-imagine learning and education that is a balance between what students want, and what is needed of them as future global citizens and leaders of tomorrow.
About School For Life
Learning today is no longer about the need to know, but more about the need to discover, experience, explore and challenge. It is about continued learning in keeping with the environment and ecosystems that a 21st Century individual inhabits, and the continuum of change at a pace that is hard to fathom.
The only skill that will be important in the 21st century is the skill of learning new skills. Everything else will be obsolete over time.
The need to re-imagine university education is not new. It is, however, important to do this without losing out on the essence of the institutional vision that is the foundation of its being. The core objective of universities is to help students progress into meaningful employment and to benefit from their acquired qualifications over time. Given the pace of change, it is now necessary to envision and pre-empt that change and equip learners to adapt and evolve using competencies to grow as they move forward. Thus, University education must be broad-based and all-encompassing. Students graduating from institutions of higher learning must be prepared to move into the mainstream of a changing environment with competencies to continue learning and evolving throughout their professional and adult lives.
The School for Life seeks to facilitate a broad-based learning experience for all students enrolled in the various programmes across the specialisms on offer by its seven Schools. Through its bespoke curricular structure, the School for Life aims to deliver a broad base of curricular, co-curricular and extra-curricular learning experiences that is the unique signature of a UPES graduate and contributes towards his/her development as a 21st Century learner with strong metacognitive abilities.
The objectives of the courses on offer at the School for Life are:
- To provide a learning pathway to students from diverse backgrounds through distinct levels of subject competencies with a choice of differentiated areas of in-depth learning in the liberal arts, humanities and life skill subject
- To nurture students’ skills using a problem-solving, inquiry-based ability to develop as autonomous learners, thinkers and practitioners.
- To motivate students to develop intellectual and critical thinking in their work through rigorous research enquiry, evaluation and application.
- To enable students to acquire sufficient diversity of experience and understanding through curricular, co-curricular and extracurricular subjects learning at institutional and external settings of varied projects.
- To make students ‘future-ready’ while focusing on strengthening their learning abilities and independent thinking.
- To equip students with the life skills necessary to lead successful personal and professional life.
- To enable students to become global learners while remaining connected to their roots.
- To empower integrative thought processes among students that instil lifelong learning habits.
The attributes of the 21st-century learner are to recognize, identify and foster the unique capabilities of individuals and; the flexibility to choose learning trajectories and programs according to one’s inclination and skill. Academic curriculum in the millennial society demands an international and multidisciplinary approach, leading to the amalgamation of various fields of knowledge and paving the path for life-long learning while focusing on conceptual understanding and active participation in teaching-learning pedagogy.
The courses at the School for Life address the following learning outcomes that are unique to the UPES learning engagement.
Knowledge and Understanding (Content and learning engagement of theory and theoretical context)
- Apply an in-depth understanding of attained life skills and broad-based subject competencies along with core subject qualifications to be better placed to take advantage of educational and employment opportunities.
- Co-relate resourceful and innovative curricular and co-curricular skills incorporated into the curriculum to efficiently enter and contribute to a competitive and global workforce.
- Synthesize acquired cognitive competencies with domain knowledge to exhibit adaptive and positive conduct and the ability for continued learning.
- Select and employ appropriate technology, resources and processes for study, research and practice, relevant to the subject or problem at hand.
- Critically analyze issues by implementing independent thinking, introspection and drawing apt conclusions.
- Identify and appreciate diverse cultures, ethnic and communities while managing emotions and sustaining mental health.
Skills and Attributes
- Display personal and professional attributes for adaptability and collaboration by understanding the strength and limitations of a given context.
- Demonstrate complex problem-solving competency by integrating a multi-disciplinary approach with domain-specific knowledge.
- Source data independently and synthesize information, apply subject research skills and exercise judgment in complex planning.
- Study, work and learn independently in all situations, plan and manage research activities, and reflect on and evaluate the outcomes.
- Communicate complex or contentious information clearly and effectively to specialists and non-specialists.
- Work cooperatively and collaboratively in a team and also practice work ethics and values associated with a professional in the industry.
The Undergraduate Programme at UPES offers teaching and learning in four clearly demarcated, yet academically integrated areas, covering Core Specialization courses, Exploratory (Interdisciplinary Electives), Signature and Life Skill courses, all of which are credited, and are the basis of the Degree award. The latter three selections of courses are on offer at the School for Life and are structured to be read alongside the students’ core academic curriculum.
Core Specialization subjects cover areas that are intrinsically linked to the study of the core specialism subjects offered in the main programme of study, directed at the understanding and application of subject knowledge and competencies, and cover advanced skills and practices related to the student’s specialization area.
Exploratory (Interdisciplinary Electives) courses encourage students to develop a broad-based approach to learning by selecting subjects of study from other Schools at the University to grow their width and depth of knowledge beyond their chosen specialism and expose them to the wider scope of university education.
Exploratory courses may contribute towards:
- Students have the freedom of choice in this segment to read a variety of different courses from different schools for an all-around learning experience.
- A Minor qualification (if all the selected courses are from the same School and add up to the credit requirements of such a qualification), or
- A second Minor as may be the case (where the first minor may be a mandatory requirement of a specific School/programme and built into the said curriculum).
Signature courses include areas that are not specifically linked to a vocation and focus on the 21st Century learner skills and attributes to meet the requirements of the graduate profile and empower students as global citizens of the future. These courses that are undertaken by all UPES undergraduate and select graduate students from specific disciplines.
Life Skill courses are those which allow students to upskill into University learning styles and pick additional skills with a focus on enhanced employability and communication, along with management and professional skills, including critical thinking, problem solving and creativity.
Apart from the above, students are also expected to be a part of a wide variety of individually- selected co-curricular and extra-curricular activities for the duration of their learning years at the University. Participation in these activities under the guidance of faculty from the School for Life is a mandatory non-credit-based requirement for the tall-around development of the learners. It is believed that participation in such activities builds character and gives a sense of individuality.
What is Srijan Social Internship?
Srijan Social Internships are full-time, 8-week-long internships with social sector organisations. These internships are offered as part of School for Life at UPES. These internships are for all first-year students at UPES. Through these internships, the students will get exposed to a variety of social sector challenges that our society is facing and find ways to overcome them. In the process, they will build empathy and learn valuable leadership skills which will be useful in both work and life.
