{"id":825,"date":"2026-09-25T04:54:23","date_gmt":"2026-09-25T04:54:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stories.nptel.ac.in\/?p=825"},"modified":"2026-09-25T04:54:23","modified_gmt":"2026-09-25T04:54:23","slug":"teaching-by-learning-selvakumaris-lifelong-pursuit-of-knowledge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stories.nptel.ac.in\/index.php\/2026\/09\/25\/teaching-by-learning-selvakumaris-lifelong-pursuit-of-knowledge\/","title":{"rendered":"Teaching by Learning: Selvakumari\u2019s Lifelong Pursuit of Knowledge\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Dr R. Selvakumari<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Dr. R. Selvakumari, learning has never been a destination – it has always been a way of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armed with an MBA, M.Phil., and a Ph.D., she has spent years shaping young minds in higher education. After serving for over fourteen years in academia, she now leads the Department of Business Administration, at SRM Trichy Arts and Science College, as an Associate Professor and Head. Yet, despite her qualifications and experience, she believed there was always something new to learn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That belief led her to NPTEL in 2021. Encouraged by her institution, she enrolled in her first course, \u2018Stress Management\u2019. One course became two, then three, and before she realised it, learning had become something she looked forward to every semester.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her curiosity wasn’t limited to the subjects she taught. While teaching marketing, she explored human resources. Even with her experience in Management, she challenged herself with Psychology, Humanities, and other disciplines. For her, learning meant revisiting familiar concepts while continually discovering new ones from experts across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Managing multiple courses alongside teaching, departmental responsibilities, mentoring students, family commitments, and institutional work was never easy. Friends often wondered how she managed five or six NPTEL courses in a single semester. Her answer was simple – planning. She carefully scheduled her coursework and assignments, set clear goals, and made steady progress one week at a time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her commitment was tested more than once. Once, she accidentally selected an exam centre nearly 400 kilometres away. Instead of skipping the exam, she woke up at 3 a.m., travelled through multiple towns, reached the centre just in time, completed the exam, and returned home the same day. On another occasion, a family function ended only a few hours before her exam, yet she hired a private vehicle at her own expense to ensure she didn’t miss it. On yet another occasion, an exam coincided with her college’s graduation ceremony. As the Head of the Department, she first fulfilled her responsibility towards her students, skipped lunch, rushed nearly 40 kilometres to the exam centre, and still completed her afternoon examination. To her, learning was never about convenience – it was about commitment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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That dedication reflected in her achievements. Today, she has completed 38 NPTEL courses, earned 14 Star certificates, four mentorship certificates, multiple Top Performer recognitions, Discipline Stars in Management and Humanities, and an Evangelist Star. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

One of her proudest moments was scoring 99 marks in \u2018Business Fundamentals for Entrepreneurs\u2019, along with securing topper positions in several courses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet, the value of her NPTEL journey extends beyond the recognition she has received.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond certificates, NPTEL transformed the way she teaches. Every new concept she learns finds its way into her classroom, helping students connect theory with practical knowledge. She actively mentors learners, guides colleagues, recommends courses based on individual interests, and believes genuine learning comes from watching lectures, studying the material, and understanding concepts – not merely completing assignments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her involvement with NPTEL has also connected her with a nationwide community of passionate learners through the NPTEL Star community, where ideas, experiences, and encouragement are shared every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Looking ahead, she hopes not only to earn the remaining NPTEL Stars but one day contribute as an NPTEL course instructor herself.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Her advice to every learner is simple: choose courses that genuinely interest you, stay consistent, and never stop learning. For her, knowledge gained with curiosity never goes to waste – it continues to shape not just careers, but lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

~written by Pushpanjali<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dr R. Selvakumari For Dr. R. Selvakumari, learning has never been a destination – it has always been a way of life. Armed with an MBA, M.Phil., and a Ph.D., she has spent years shaping young minds in higher education. After serving for over fourteen years in academia, she now leads the Department of Business … <\/p>\n

Read more “Teaching by Learning: Selvakumari\u2019s Lifelong Pursuit of Knowledge\u00a0“<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":831,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-825","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nptel-star"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stories.nptel.ac.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/825","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stories.nptel.ac.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stories.nptel.ac.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stories.nptel.ac.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stories.nptel.ac.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=825"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/stories.nptel.ac.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/825\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":829,"href":"https:\/\/stories.nptel.ac.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/825\/revisions\/829"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stories.nptel.ac.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/831"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stories.nptel.ac.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=825"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stories.nptel.ac.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=825"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stories.nptel.ac.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=825"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}