Best Practices

Best Practices 1: Fast Track Scheme

OBJECTIVE:

• • 1. 1.To encourage the student in the active participation of internships and product based learning
    2. 2.To provide opportunities to develop skills and spend more time in industry environment through conducting projects.

CONTEXT:

Students enrolled in the college are mostly first generation learners as well as completed their schooling in regional/vernacular language. Understanding the subjects in English and reproducing them in examinations is a major challenge for these students during their entry stage. Unfamiliar environment, peer pressure, pressure to perform are also other issues confronting the young undergraduate students. These issues slow down the performance of students, especially during first year of study and they find it very difficult to cope up, if proper attention is not provided to them. Students are entered in to the college with dreams on seeing, and hearing some of the advanced learning systems in the teaching community. In order to meet these ends and maintain a balance in the classroom and other useful activities. Fast track scheme provides opportunity for the students who perform well in the end semester examinations. The students who have CGPA more than 7.5 shall take up their final semester courses in advance and shall work in an industry to do project or internship during the entire eighth semester.

THE PRACTICE:

There has been a large disconnect between school and college education system. The students are joining the college after undergoing severe stress and pressure to score high marks during their +2 course. On the other hand, the students who complete their +2 in regional language have to take up their higher studies in English medium. This affects even brilliant students who have completed their schooling in regional language. This pressure is much higher for the students coming from rural areas. This fast track scheme allows the students to make their choices in the seventh and eighth semesters. To give equal opportunity to fast learners, the college provides several avenues for the students in the form of innovation cell, clubs etc. to improve their talent and skills. At the end of the study, the college ensure that all the students equally perform. To give more importance for acquiring industrial skills, the last semester is meant for taking up project work. In order to spent the entire semester in the industry, students who have CGPA 7.5, shall take up their eight semester theory courses in advance and make them available to work in an industry for a period of six months to complete their final semester project work and industry internships.

EVIDENCE OF SUCCESS:

• • 1. 1. Significant improvement in the overall CGPA.
    2. 2. Observable positive outcomes in interpersonal interactions, personality and academic performance of the students.
    3. 3. Builds a strong confidence among the rural students which make them to face challenges in their life.
    4. 4. Students who perform very badly in the entry of the programme have come out in flying colours at the exit of the programme.
    5. 5. Year wise increase in the number of students taking up fast track scheme.
    6. 6. Significant improvement in the number of students taking up industry projects.

PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED AND RESOURCES REQUIRED:

• • 1. 1. Specialist human resources to cover the cohort of students who need intensive care in various sources.
    2. 2. Generation gap – faculty find difficult to understand the issues of modern youth; takes more time to solve technological issues.
    3. 3. In some cases the issues have to be resolved within the semester to show better results – time duration may not be sufficient for the mentor/faculty

Best Practices 2: Institutional Research Stipendiary Scheme

OBJECTIVE:

• • 1. 1. To identify and encourage meritorious and economically backward rural students, particularly first generation learners, to take up research programmes in science and engineering in the research centres of the college by providing financial support.

Context:

In general, undergraduate and post graduate students are not much inspired to take up research as their career. Bharat Ratna Prof. C N R Rao observes that “Neither the quality nor quantity of publications coming out of India is adequate”. So it is the responsibility of every higher education institution in India to motivate its students to take up research as their career. In this context PSNCET has committed itself to promote research in its campus. The college is located in a rural area and most of the young aspiring students are first generation learners, it has become very essential for the institution to play a key role in motivating and encouraging the students to go for research. Bearing this in mind, the college has introduced various research schemes for the benefit of economically backward and meritorious students. Institution Research Stipendiary (IRS) scheme is one such thing which provides financial support for the research scholars to pursue their Ph.D. programme in the research centres of the college.

The Practice:

Students who have scored 80% and above consistently from Std. X to PG are eligible to apply for this scheme. Applications from eligible students are received through open advertisements in daily newspapers. A committee comprising experts (both internal and external members) is constituted to evaluate the applications and conduct an interview. Based on the performance of the students in the interview and academic records the committee selects the students for the scheme. The selected students will be provided a month stipend of Rs.8000/- (Science graduates) and Rs.10000/- (for Engineering graduates). The period of stipend is normally three years and may be extended depending the performance and research output of the student. Extension is given based on the evaluation report of the expert committee constituted by the Management for the same from time to time. The students joining in the scheme will be permitted to register as full time scholar in Anna University, Chennai only.

The students selected under IRS are expected to publish at least three research papers in the Journals indexed under Annexure I of Anna University. Even if a student has published less number of research papers than expected, as above, he/she may be permitted to submit the thesis, if recommended by the expert committee constituted by the Management.

If any of the IRS is selected as JRF in the projects sanctioned to our faculty by national funding agencies, then he/she will be relieved from IRS scheme to enable him/her to join as JRF in the funded project. The selected candidates shall avail hostel facilities available in the campus at free of cost.

During last five years eleven students are benefitted by this scheme. A total amount of Rs.24,96,000/- (Rupees twenty four lakhs ninety six thousand) has been utilized for providing stipend for the research scholars. The status of research of the research scholars are given below:

Evidence Of Success:

• • 1. Six research scholars have successfully completed their Ph.D. degree till date and five are in the pipeline.

• • 2. 26 research publications in SCI/Scopus journals of high impact (highest impact factor is 7.6).

• • 3. Established a research culture in the campus and collaborative research with leading national and international universities and research institutes.

Problems Encountered And Resources Required:

• • 1. Due to the geographical location of the institution, sometimes the applications received for IRS scheme are not to the expected level of academic merit.

• 2. Most of the research scholars working in this scheme come from rural background. Therefore their communicative skills in English is not commanding. It has become essential to provide them training in English language to write manuscripts and presenting their findings in seminars and conferences.