Dr Manoj Kamat, Principal of S.S. Dempo College of Commerce and Economics, in conversation with SYBIL RODRIGUES discusses the college’s pioneering initiative to introduce AI-based personal interviews for undergraduate admissions
What motivated the college to pioneer AI-based personal interviews for undergraduate admissions?
At Srinivassa Sinai Dempo College, our mission is to redefine business education by blending innovation with accessibility. Pioneering AI-based personal interviews for our AICTE-approved BBA program is a testament to that vision. The catalyst was a five-fold application against our sanctioned seats. Driven by our industry-acclaimed redesign of the BBA, the college now offers cutting-edge specializations in AI and Data Analytics, with deep dive electives like HR (People) Analytics, Marketing Analytics, and FinTech − unique in India’s undergraduate landscape.
Traditional interview methods for selection are reliant on human panels, were ill-equipped to handle this volume without risking inconsistency or bias, potentially undermining our commitment to meritocracy. By leveraging AI, we created a scalable, transparent, and fair selection process that evaluates candidates holistically, aligning with our goal to make Dempo’s BBA the most sought-after in India.
This bold initiative has been widely supported by the visionary patronage of our Chairman Shrinivas Dempo and Trustee Pallavi Dempo at the Dempo Charities Trust, which reflects the leadership’s focus on embracing technology to set global benchmarks, positioning us as the first undergraduate college in India to undertake this experiment.
Thanks to the systems designed by Techpreneur, former IIM Kolkota faculty and currently the ‘Professor in residence’ at Dempo College, Dr Vipul Mathur, helped us adopt AI-driven admissions while our in-house faculty Gilbert Mendes designed the personalised Selection Test. These initiatives pave our way for our new AICTE approved full-time and weekend (for working executives) PGDM programs, the college plans to launch from July with specialisation in ‘AI and Innovation’.
How does the AI system ensure objectivity and fairness compared to traditional human interviews?
Our AI-based interview system is a cornerstone of commitment of the Dempo family to equitable education. The AI based personalised interviews are designed in a way that it eliminates the pitfalls of traditional human interviews, such as subjective biases, stress, interviewer fatigue, or inconsistent questioning.
Unlike human-led processes, where personal impressions can inadvertently influence outcomes, our system uses advanced algorithms to evaluate every candidate against a standardized framework, ensuring uniformity across all interviews also allowing for deeper interactions over vast variety of topics like previous academic background, skill sets, aptitude for business education, life goals and views on business policy and entrepreneurship. It’s trained on diverse datasets, representing varied socio-economic and regional backgrounds, to minimize historical biases, and to maintain ethical integrity.
The best part is that students know about their evaluated scores for each batch of questions asked and also provides a comprehensive feedback about how the students have answered ensuing complete transparency.
Our AI interview system achieved 100% accuracy in dynamic user identification through backend-driven personalized data mapping, using secure roll number-based authentication and real-time data retrieval. The system reliably matched each candidate to their unique profile, enabling context-aware, individualized interview experiences at scale.
Real-time and post-interview audit protocols facilitated prompt detection of anomalies, if any, enabling accurate reassignment of session data and correction of associated scores.
Our system also anonymizes certain candidate data during evaluation to further enhance impartiality. This data-driven approach ensures that talent and potential drive admissions, not extraneous factors. My vision to integrate such technology, coupled with the able BBA Coordinator, Tania Shirodkar’s and M.Com Coordinator Namrata Wagle’s efforts to align the process with our BBA and M.Com futuristic curriculum with AI and Analytics layering, has made our BBA admissions a model of fairness, reinforcing Dempo’s leadership in innovative education. All these efforts will support our ensuing AI and Innovation-focused PGDM programs. We are excited about it.
What specific parameters or traits does the AI evaluate during the personal interview process?
The AI system is meticulously designed to assess a multifaceted set of traits that align with the rigorous demands of our AICTE-approved BBA program, which now for the first time will include the Capsim-Capstone simulation as a core component of learning, spread over last two terms – the first such integration in an undergraduate business program in India. It evaluates cognitive abilities like analytical thinking and problem-solving, essential for mastering AI, FinTech, and Analytics. Behavioral traits, such as adaptability and emotional intelligence, are gauged to identify candidates with leadership potential, critical for our management-focused curriculum. Communication clarity and confidence are assessed to ensure that students can articulate ideas effectively in professional settings. Grammar and typos are ignored to accommodate students from diverse social background. Additionally the system probes domain-specific curiosity, such as enthusiasm for AI-driven solutions or data analytics, to select candidates who resonate with our specialized offerings. For instance, scenario-based questions might ask candidates to propose AI applications in marketing, testing both creativity and technical aptitude. This comprehensive evaluation, shaped by our commitment to producing industry-ready graduates, ensures we build a cohort that thrives in our innovative ecosystem, preparing them for dynamic careers.
Can you elaborate on how the system provides real-time feedback and how this influences admission decisions?
Our AI-driven interview dashboard designed by Prof Vipul Mathur exclusively for Dempo College is a game-changer, delivering real-time feedback that transforms how we select candidates for our BBA program, now recognized as Goa’s most sought-after and a contender for India’s best.
As candidates respond to dynamic, scenario-based questions–ranging from business case analyses to AI application challenges–the system instantly scores them on parameters like logical reasoning, domain knowledge, communication clarity, and confidence. It also generates qualitative insights, such as strengths in creative problem-solving or areas needing refinement, which are displayed on a secure panel for our admissions team.
This real-time data, processed within seconds, enabled us to make informed, merit-based decisions, ensuring we select students who excel in our redesigned curriculum, featuring AI, Capsim, and industry-aligned pedagogies through our AIMA and India Case Research Centre collaboration.
Tania Shirodkar along with Vishwa Raikar, Prof Raveeendranath Nayak, Gilbert Mendes, Aniket Morajkar; our System Administrators Ashwin Sail, and Mithun Gawas have been pivotal in refining this process, ensuring that it aligns with our academic goals.
How did the College handle the technological and ethical challenges of implementing an AI-based assessment system?
Implementing an AI-based student assessment and selection system for our BBA admissions was a bold endeavor that required overcoming significant technological and ethical hurdles. Technologically, we were already invested in state-of-the-art IT infrastructure at our Cujira Campus, courtesy our management. It is only because of them, that I was able to put the well laid infrastructure to optimal use and this supported seamless interviews for diverse applicants, ensuring no technical glitches disrupted the candidate experience. We also developed a user-friendly interface to make the process accessible, even for students from rural areas with limited tech exposure. Ethically, we prioritized fairness by embedding bias-mitigation protocols, using diverse training datasets to prevent discrimination, and complying with data privacy regulations. Our strict reviews of the processes have ensured transparency.
Keeping in view the innovation we wanted to initiate, our College facilitated and sponsored advanced Faculty training for three faculty members, Asst Prof Tania Shirodkar, Asst Prof Vishwa Raikar and Asst Prof Gilbert Mendes, from IIMs. This coupled with able guidance and support by Rajesh Bhatikar, advisor to Dempo Charities Trust’s Educational Initiatives, bridged the gap between technology and human oversight.
The opportunity I got to lead initiatives under guidance of my Chairman Shrinivas Dempo, allowed me to leverage on our autonomous status to innovate responsibly, making Dempo College the first undergraduate college in India to adopt AI-driven admissions.
This success lays the foundation for our redesigned M.Com program to offer two distinct specialisations in Finance and Data Analytics, along with E-Commerce and Management along with proposed AICTE-approved PGDM programs in AI and Innovation, both full-time and for working executives, showcases our commitment to ethical technology adoption.
What has been the feedback from students and faculty regarding this shift to AI-based interviews?
The shift to AI-based interviews has elicited enthusiastic feedback, reflecting the transformative impact of our AICTE-approved BBA program’s redesign, now lauded by industry leaders for its forward-thinking approach. Students describe the process as fair, engaging, and reflective of the tech-savvy ethos of our curriculum, which includes the pioneering Capsim Capstone simulation, setting us apart nationally. They appreciate the interactive dashboard’s dynamic questions, which range from AI-driven business scenarios to ethical dilemmas, making interviews feel like a preview of the program’s innovative learning environment.
How do you see this AI-driven admission model influencing other academic institutions in India?
As the first undergraduate college in India to implement AI-based admissions, Dempo is charting a new course for higher education.
Our model, successfully applied to our AICTE-approved BBA, demonstrates how technology can ensure fairness, scalability, and efficiency, handling thousands of applications without compromising quality.
I envision other institutions, particularly those with high-demand programs, adopting similar systems to streamline admissions and enhance inclusivity.
