New Delhi: Recognising the growing impact of artificial intelligence on higher education, Management Education & Research Institute on Monday launched the week-long International Faculty Development Programme (FDP) 2026. The programme is designed to train educators in the use of AI-driven teaching technologies, digital learning systems, and educational analytics, enabling them to strengthen modern classroom practices.
The programme, themed “Engage, Innovate, Educate: AI-Enabled Teaching and Learning,” has brought together nearly 70 faculty members and academicians from institutions across the country. The initiative aims to foster technology-enabled, learner-centric teaching methodologies while enhancing educators’ understanding of emerging AI applications in academia.
Welcoming the participants, Prof. Lalit Aggarwal, Vice-President, MERI Group of Institutions, emphasised that artificial intelligence should be seen as a catalyst for innovation in teaching and research rather than a replacement for human intelligence. He underlined the importance of preserving critical thinking, ethics and human values as the foundation of education, even as AI becomes an integral part of academic ecosystems.
Inaugurating the programme, Prof. I. P. Aggarwal, Chairman, Triveni Educational & Social Welfare Society, said the FDP offers educators a unique opportunity to interact with leading academicians and industry experts, gain hands-on exposure to emerging AI technologies, and adopt innovative pedagogical practices that align with the evolving needs of higher education.
The inaugural session was graced by several distinguished guests, including Prof. (Dr.) Rakesh Khurana, Maj. Gen. Manjeet Singh Mokha (Retd.), Air Cmde Himanshu Gopal, VSM (Retd.), and Kush Aggarwal from MERI’s Department of Space Studies, who shared their perspectives on the growing role of technology and innovation in education.
The academic sessions commenced with an online technical workshop conducted by Muskan, who delivered a practical demonstration of Power BI, illustrating how learning analytics can be leveraged to enhance classroom engagement, monitor student performance and support evidence-based teaching practices. The second technical session, led by Dr. Bharati Kawade, focused on the role of educational analytics in strengthening academic planning, student assessment and institutional decision-making, while also supporting accreditation frameworks such as NAAC, NBA and NIRF.
The International Faculty Development Programme is being organised under the convenorship of Prof. (Dr.) Deepshikha Kalra, with Dr. Sarita Yadav and Dr. Simranjeet Kaur Bagga serving as co-conveners.
