Institutional Best Practice
Best Practice 1: Holistic Education For Students
Objectives of the Practice:
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Foster students' holistic growth: intellectual, emotional, physical, and creative.
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Equip students for life's challenges and academic success.
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Promote personal and collective responsibility.
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Make learning enjoyable and meaningful.
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Cultivate curiosity and enhance communication skills.
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Foster identity, meaning, and community connections.
The Context
A well-rounded education cultivates deep subject understanding, personalized learning, and creativity. Tailoring teaching to individual styles contrasts with mass education methods. Moreover, institutions can serve to impart spiritual insights, enhancing learning through intertwined values. Amid life's demands, integrating spiritual education that teaches qualities like love and compassion fosters balanced character. Emphasizing spiritual education highlights selfless love and societal respect, extending beyond material success.
The Practice
Our annual co-curricular holistic education program for new students features esteemed representatives, including those from Prajapita Brahmakumari Eshwari Viswavidyalaya and Dr. Satish Hombale of K. H. Patil Institute of Naturopathy and Yogic Sciences. In addition, Mr. S. T. Halakatti, our in-house Assistant Professor in Computer Science and Engineering, contributes. These sessions, organized by the coordinator post-admission, occur weekly or bi-weekly as per the academic calendar, prioritizing both resource persons' comfort and session efficiency.
Evidence of Success
Holistic education instills values, curiosity, emotional maturation, and enhanced communication and social skills in students. Students actively engage in diverse activities, such as fundraising for flood victims, organizing blood donation camps, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan initiatives at temples and within the college premises, distributing treats at Special Children Schools for the physically disabled, providing assistance at Jeevan Sandhya Old Age Home through "Ashraya-Badukige Ondu Daari" initiative, and visiting government schools to encourage attendance via "Maarali Baa Schoolige" campaign.
Problems Encountered and Resources Required
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Initially, motivating student attendance in these sessions proves challenging.
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Awareness of the necessity of spiritual education among young students is notably limited.
Required Resources:
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Financial backing.
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Accommodation for resource persons.
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Dedicated space conducive to holistic education.
Best Practice 2: Industry Internship for Faculty
Objectives of the Practice:
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To acquire hands-on experience in implementing contemporary engineering knowledge and technology for teaching and new scenarios.
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Integrate established engineering expertise with emerging industrial practices.
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Familiarize oneself with organizational work culture and settings.
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Attain skills and insights to address Industry-Academia disparities.
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Appreciate the real-world application of classroom learning within the industry context.
The Context
Educators must stay updated on technology and methodologies for effective teaching. University curricula's inflexibility hampers quick integration of changes, impacting student employability in a competitive job market. Faculty industry internships provide valuable learning experiences, benefiting both institutions and students. They offer fresh perspectives, reinforced fundamentals, and deeper insights into technology and courses.
Intangible benefits include
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Enhanced knowledge and confidence for faculty interns.
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Connecting technology with real-world applications.
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Enabling students to view subjects in a broader context and apply them practically.
The Practice
Following the 2018-2019 Research and Development resolution and faculty internship recommendation, the department selects staff based on industry needs and availability. Chosen faculty adjust schedules for internships lasting 2-3 weeks during breaks. Paid leave and expense coverage are provided. Post-internship, faculty submit reports and conduct training sessions for peers and students. This practice, overseen by the IQAC since 2019-20, benefits staff, students, and the institution.
Evidence of Success
The immersive experience offers new insights into improving classroom teaching and fostering engaging learning journeys. This has prompted the alignment of teaching with experiential learning, enabling innovative action plans. External funding, training, and sponsorships have become available due to successful staff internships, benefiting most departments. Enhanced industry engagement has increased student internships through MoUs, boosting placements. Feedback enriches value-added programs and informs university-level curriculum enhancements.
Problems Encountered and Resources Required
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Encouraging experienced faculty to attend two/three week industry internship was found difficult initially
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Adjustment of academics and other responsibilities was difficult
Resources Required
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Financial support
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Laptop with computing facility
Best Practice 3: Single Window System
Objectives of the Practice:
The institution introduced a streamlined single-window system at the administrative office. Its purpose is to expedite document issuance for students, reducing counter congestion, and wait times, and ensuring swift document delivery.
The designated counter manager for the single window system promptly addresses student needs and directs applications to relevant sections, including admissions, accounts, office, examination, scholarships, departments, and others.
Procedure
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The student submits an application at the single window counter, overseen by the designated Receptionist.
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The Receptionist verifies the application's details.
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After verification, the Receptionist informs the student of the document's preparation time.
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The application is forwarded to the relevant section for further verification and document preparation.
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The respective section readies the document and obtains the Principal's approval.
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The Principal reviews and approves the document. If questions arise, the application is returned for additional verification.
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The reception receives the approved document.
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The student receives an acknowledgment upon document issuance.
Best Practice 4: Cooperative Learning
Description
Practice Title: Collaborative Learning
Collaborative learning is an educational approach where students collaborate in groups to achieve specific goals aligned with their shared interests, motivations, and needs within a defined field.
The institution has established the following procedure for implementing collaborative learning:
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Assignment of mentors to student groups.
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Mentors identify students interested in collaborative learning on a common topic.
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Each group comprises 10 students.
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For instance, in the ECE department, students are grouped by subjects like image processing, embedded systems, IoT, artificial intelligence, DSP, VLSI, etc.
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Groups engage in discussions on assigned topics.
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Mentors provide feedback and suggestions based on these discussions.
Outcomes:
Collaborative learning fosters positive interdependence, group processing, skill utilization, and individual responsibility among students. It also encourages face-to-face interactions, contributing to improved placements and exam performance.