Design Thinking – Chennaionline

SRM Institute of Science and Technology (SRMIST) marked a major milestone today, hosting the second convocation for faculty members who have successfully completed a comprehensive three-day Faculty Development Program conducted by School of Design Thinking (SoDT). This event is a cornerstone in SRMIST’s mission to embed a culture of Design Thinking across all its campuses, enabling faculty and students to grow as innovative thinkers for tomorrow’s world. The Faculty Development Program initiative was led by the School of Design Thinking. Since signing a Memorandum of Understanding in 2019, the School of Design Thinking has been a strategic partner and catalyst for this transformation at SRMIST, delivering structured workshops, hands-on problem-solving sessions, and practical tools to make design thinking a foundational practice in classrooms. SoDT’s vision aligns with SRMIST’s purpose of nurturing a new generation of leaders who are empathetic, creative, and solution-focused. The School of Design Thinking has conducted the Faculty Development Program for 14 batches of faculty members across its Kattankulathur, Trichy, NCR and Vadapalani campuses. SRMIST has been at the forefront in championing Design Thinking — not simply as a set of skills, but as an institutional culture. The University’s ongoing drive ensures that Design Thinking reaches all students, faculty members, and departments. From engineering and technology to entrepreneurship and innovation, SRMIST has set a benchmark for interdisciplinary creativity. This year, 110 faculty members from all major engineering departments received their certificates. They join a distinguished cohort of 165 faculty alumni from the first convocation event, making a total of 275 SRMIST faculty trained in Design Thinking since the inception of the program in 2019. Combined, they have undergone an intensive 42 person days of training and over 450 person hours of active learning, equipping them to transform education and foster innovative mindsets in over 20,000 students to date. The event also witnessed the renewal of the Memorandum of Understanding between SRMIST, School of Design Thinking and Intellect Design Arena for the next five years. Speaking during the occasion, Prof. C. Muthamizhchelvan, Vice Chancellor, SRMIST, expressed, "We, at SRMIST, are at the forefront of many strategic initiatives with the government, industry and other entities. Through and beyond academics, we work on trying to solve larger problems that beset our nation and society. I firmly believe that Design Thinking, as a human-centric approach to solving real-world problems, is a catalyst in aiding our approach to work on societal issues. I am glad that through the School of Design Thinking, we have been able to enhance the capabilities of our Faculty and make a lasting impact in the lives of the students.” Dr. Shantanu Patil, Director, DEI, SRMIST, shared his thoughts. "Design Thinking drives deep differentiation in one's approach to design new solutions or to solve societal problems across multiple domains. I am pleased that SRMIST and DEI have partnered with the School of Design Thinking to bring about change in the thinking of our students through the certified faculties. We are well on our way in a mission that is on par with global academic standards when it comes to scale in mindset transformation.” The Chief Guest for the event, Mr. Ramanan SV, CEO-India & South Asia, Intellect Design Arena Ltd., delivered the Keynote address and shared his insights, “The transformation at SRMIST demonstrates the powerful impact of focusing on mind space. Fostering the right mindset is essential for true innovation and growth. Through Design Thinking, institutions can move beyond traditional boundaries, connect, and find outside-the-box solutions that drive excellence. It is not just about processes or infrastructure, but about cultivating internal flexibility and openness to new ideas. I am delighted to see SRMIST lead this journey, setting a new benchmark for academic innovation.” Ms. Manju Jain, Director and Co-founder, School of Design Thinking (SoDT), in her Special Address commented, “Design Thinking has immense potential in creating a positive impact between teachers and students—especially in the arena of teaching and learning. At the School of Design Thinking, we have evolved a new approach to bring Design Thinking as pedagogy in order to bring about mindset change in faculties and students at the fundamental level. I am very happy that the senior faculties at SRMIST have adopted this strength of Design Thinking, beyond a mere course, to explore the innate potential of the students and to create engaging learning experiences.”