A Five Day Faculty Development Programme on “Leveraging Modern Data Tools and AI for Enhanced Research Practices and Ethical Considerations” jointly organised by FDP Cell & IQAC in collaboration with Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Centenary College Rahara

Name of the Activity: Leveraging Modern Data Tools and AI for Enhanced Research Practices and Ethical Considerations
Type of Activity: Faculty Development Programme
Date/ Duration of Activity: 1st to 5th December, 2025
Time: 10:00 a.m.
Venue: Society Hall & Computer Lab
Details of Resource persons:

• Day 1 & Day 2:
  ● Dr. Shirsendu Mukherjee: Associate Professor, St. Paul’s Cathedral Mission College, Kolkata & Member, UGBoS (Economics), University of Calcutta
• Day 3:
  ● Dr. Gobinda Roy: Associate Professor, IMI, Kolkata
  ● Dr. Arunava Bandyopadhyay: Assistant Professor, IMI, Kolkata
• Day 4:
  ● Dr. Indrani Paul: Associate Professor, IMI, Kolkata
• Day 5:
  ● Dr. Gobinda Roy: Associate Professor, IMI, Kolkata
  ● Dr. Sumanta Dutta: Assistant Professor, Post Graduate & Research Department of Commerce, St. Xavier’s College (Autonomous), Kolkata
  ● Prof. (Dr.) Ratan Khasnabis: Advisor, School of Business, Sister Nibedita University

No. of Participants: 22

Objectives of the event: The primary objective of the FDP was to equip faculty members with modern data tools and AI-driven methodologies to enhance their research practices. The programme aimed to:
● Build competence in data handling, transformation, and visualization using Power BI.
● Introduce AI and machine learning applications in identifying research gaps, conducting literature reviews, and performing bibliometric analyses.
● Strengthen ethical awareness in research and publication practices.
● Provide hands-on exposure to integrating technology with academic research for improved outcomes.

Brief description of the event:
The Bhawanipur Education Society College in collaboration with Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Centenary College, Rahara, Kolkata, organized a Five-Day Faculty Development Programme on “Leveraging Modern Data Tools and AI for Enhanced Research Practices and Ethical Considerations” from 1st to 5th December, 2025. The event attracted participants, including faculty members from the BESC and other colleges.

Day 1 (1st December 2025): The programme began with a welcome address by Dr. Subhabrata Ganguly, Teacher-in-Charge, Prof Dilip Shah, Rector & Dean of Students Affair, The BESC and Dr. Chayan Halder, Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science, Ramkrishna Mission Vivekananda Centenary College, Rahara, Kolkata, followed by the inaugural session with dignitaries watering the plant.
The technical sessions were conducted by Dr. Shirsendu Mukherjee, focusing on Data Handling and Transformation. Participants were introduced to the Power BI ecosystem, Power Query interface, and methods of importing and cleaning data from sources such as Excel, CSV, Web, and Folders. Advanced techniques like merge and append operations, conditional columns, grouping, summarizing, and creating relationships between tables were also covered, enabling participants to build a “department-level performance” dataset.

Day 2 (2nd December 2025): The second day, conducted by Dr. Shirsendu Mukherjee, emphasized Data Modelling and Visualization. In the morning session, participants were introduced to relational data models, star and snowflake schemas, calculated columns, measures, and DAX functions such as SUM, AVERAGE, COUNTROWS, CALCULATE, and FILTER. In the afternoon, participants learned dashboard design principles, including charts, slicers, filters, drill-through, conditional formatting, and publishing reports to Power BI Service. By the end of the day, participants successfully created and presented functional dashboards using real or simulated datasets.

Day 3 (3rd December 2025): The third day was focused on AI in research practices. In the morning, Dr. Gobinda Roy guided participants on identifying research gaps using Generative AI tools and prompt engineering. The afternoon session, led by Dr. Arunava Bandyopadhyay, provided an overview of AI and machine learning applications in research, particularly in literature review processes, helping participants understand how AI can streamline academic inquiry.

Day 4 (4th December 2025): Sessions on the fourth day were conducted by Dr. Indrani Paul, who introduced participants to AI-based tools for literature review, proofreading, and plagiarism detection. The afternoon session focused on systematic literature review (SLR) and bibliometric techniques, equipping participants with advanced methodologies for conducting comprehensive and ethical reviews of academic work.

Day 5 (5th December 2025): The final day began with Dr. Gobinda Roy’s session on the role of textual data in research. This was followed by a final assessment and feedback collection conducted by Dr. Ivy Das Gupta, Convener of the FDP and Dr. Chayan Halder Joint Convener, where participants undertook an MCQ test covering all topics. In the afternoon, Dr. Sumanta Dutta delivered a session on Research Ethics and Publication, emphasizing ethical writing practices and strategies for mapping the right journals for publication. The programme concluded with a valedictory session led by Prof. (Dr.) Ratan Khasnabis where he enlightened the participants with his expertise on AI Driven Tools and proper use of AI tools in research. The five-day FDP was ended with a vote of thanks by Prof. Sayan Roy, Coordinator, The Faculty Development Committee, The BESC.

Outcome of the event: The Faculty Development Programme successfully enhanced participants’ research capabilities by equipping them with practical skills in data handling, modelling, and visualization through Power BI, while also introducing them to AI-driven techniques for identifying research gaps, conducting literature reviews, and applying bibliometric methods. Beyond technical proficiency, the sessions emphasized ethical research practices, plagiarism checks, and appropriate journal selection, ensuring a balanced integration of technology and integrity in academic work. The collaborative environment fostered networking and interdisciplinary exchange, and the final assessment consolidated learning outcomes, making the programme a comprehensive initiative that strengthened both the analytical and ethical dimensions of research.