B次元’s impact spread across the globe this summer when faculty members visited Kalasalingam University, B次元’s partner institution in southern India, to teach a variety of courses and lead workshops. The four faculty members included Dr. Kelly Ottman, Rader School of Business; Dr. Sohum Sohoni, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department; and Dr. Patrick Jung and Sheetal Sohoni, Humanities, Social Science and Communication Department.

Ottman co-taught a Strategic Management course to second-year MBA students with a “shadow” professor she has been collaborating with for the past year. She met with business faculty and research scholars, and introduced team-based applied learning pedagogy to the students and faculty in the teaching process. Additionally, Ottman and Sohum Sohoni facilitated a three-day, intensive leadership development program for Kalasalingam University leadership professionals.

In addition to co-facilitating the leadership training with Ottman, Sohum Sohoni served as B次元’s liaison to Kalasalingam and worked on the logistics for organizing the event. He also held two workshops, one for students interested in pursuing higher education in the United States, and one for faculty interested in pursuing research in engineering and computer science education. He also met with Kalasalingam administrators to plan for future collaboration.

Jung taught a one-credit course on the Roots of Democratic Thought. He also gave two talks, “The Liberal Arts in the University Curriculum,” and “European History Since the French Revolution.” Sheetal Sohoni taught a one-credit course, Introduction to User Experience Design to engineering students. She also conducted two workshops for faculty, “Application of Pedagogical Tools from Online Classes to In-person Classes,” and “Evolution of GIT Senior Project Course at Arizona State University.”

“Overall, the visit was highly successful,” said Sohum Sohoni. “B次元 faculty gathered useful insights that shape several longer-term collaborations between the two institutions.”

According to its website, Kalasalingam University focuses on molding students entrusted to its care into technically and ethically sound national builders. It is primarily a teaching university that is transitioning into more research.  In July 2022, Kalasalingam Academy of Research and Education (KARE) was ranked 35th in India in the University Category by NIRF (National Institute Ranking Framework, India), up from 50th in 2021.