IIM Calcutta has started its one-year full-time residential MBA programme for executives online because of the lockdown and the current batch (14th) has been nicknamed “Covidian batch”, an institute official said.

The programme is meant for executives with more than five years’ professional experience. The two-year full-time residential MBA programme is for students.

Classes started on April 20 and teachers have been holding classes from their homes using online platforms such as Zoom. They use the licensed version of Zoom, the official said. The “Covidian batch” has 68 students from 20 industry sectors with average work experience of 8.33 years.

“The admission to the programme had been completed several months ago before the onset of the pandemic. Since this is a one-year programme, the course had to be started in time…. Unlike the summer school, we did not want to put the programme on hold,” the official said.

IIM Calcutta had in late March “indefinitely” postponed the summer school programme because of the coronavirus outbreak. Classes for the Teaching Summer School/Pre-Summer School/Research Summer School were to start from the end of April. The institute has now started the process of refunding fees.

The institute had checked with its 68 candidates whether they were comfortable with attending classes online, another official said. “Once they gave their confirmation regarding adequate access to the Net, we decided to hold the classes online.”

At the moment, classes for term I are being held. Seven teachers will hold classes over six to eight weeks. “If the situation improves we can restore classes on the campus,” the official said.

Institute director Anju Seth flagged off the programme after an address by the chairperson of the programme, Manju Jaiswall, on the morning of April 20.

The institute has worked out a detailed plan to ensure students’ learning was not compromised, an official said. “Students get an alert about classes timings. Accordingly, a schedule is worked out. Teachers have been trained to hold classes online,” a professor said.

The Joka institute has resumed online interviews of candidates for admission to its two-year residential MBA programme.

The Telegraph had on March 28 reported that the B-school had cancelled online and in-person interviews that were to be held in Delhi, Mumbai and Calcutta.