Students are trained in a way that the first day of their job doesn’t feel unfamiliar, says Assistant Professor

In a conversation with Shiksha.com, Assistant Professor at Hindustan College of Arts and Science Krishna Priya talks in detail about the teaching pedagogy of the institute. She also elaborates on various facilities that have been offered to students such as access to online courses, digital labs, smart classrooms, involvement in application developments, digital marketing and webpage designing like activities to help them become industry-ready.

Krishna is a passionate learner and a compassionate learner and has over 13 years of rich academic experience.

Read the excerpts of the interview below:

Q: What are the salient features of the teaching methodology adopted by your college?

A: Ours is a very unique teaching approach. Not just the student-centric but we also follow a teacher-centric approach. The reason is that the teaching panel also has faculty members with industry experience who contribute to keep the curriculum updated. So the features of our teaching pedagogy that differentiates us from other institutes are:

• Learner centric and teacher-centric approach is followed
• Teacher involves students in the teaching-learning process, through seminars and self-study topics
• Online resources are an integral part of our curriculum and are shared for further understanding, which helps mediocre and low achievers. Remedial classes are conducted for them so that viable learning process growth is identified

Q: How are you preparing your students to be industry-ready?

A: Knowledge plays a key role in becoming industry-ready. The industry demands students with sound knowledge of their core domain and the latest trends and practices of the industry. We focus on imparting quality education so students are on par with  latest industry standards. But, we also focus on personality development of students so they can present themselves well and feel confident during the interviews. To make this happen:

• Our department offers add-on courses with the latest technologies
• We organsie frequent Workshops, Seminars, and Symposia facilitated by prominent leaders of the industries that act as an eye-opener for our students
• Our placements cell conducts mock interview sessions, aptitude and psychometric tests for final year students
• Students are trained in soft skill classes which comprises of communication skills, listening skills, reading, writing and speaking fluent English language
• Tutors establish a one-to-one connection with their class students. They give individual attention to every student for being successful in all aspects such as, life and managerial; they also provide psychological and moral support to students who are in need.

Q: What are the qualities you are looking for in student applicants? What qualities do they need to do well in your course?

A: A student must be:

• Passionate and interested in learning new concepts every day. We look for the zeal and spark in the students to grow
• Regular and attentive in class
• Adaptive to the learning environment and must put continuous efforts in learning to achieve great success
• Inculcate the habit of facing real-world challenges so that they don't get depressed or demotivated in any kind of situation

Q: How do you ensure that your course curriculum is up to date and meets industry requirements?

A: Our course curriculum meets all the basics which are essential for further knowledge enhancement. Also, the curriculum is revised regularly with the help of industry professionals so we can teach students on latest practices of the industry. The idea is to train students in a way that the first day of their job does not feel unfamiliar to them.

Q: Is your college receptive to innovation, technology, science & entrepreneurship? How? Could you cite some examples of these?

A: Yes, we feel all these four aspects are equally important for any institute to help its students write a bright future for themselves.

• Our Practical Lab Demo sessions are conducted using Over Head Projectors which are permanently installed in all the Computer Labs
• Smart Class Rooms are used to facilitate a better understanding
• College library has an Internet Lab, students can join online courses through NPTL, Swayam, etc. Students are motivated to use these facilities after college hours, too
• Students improve their skills through internships and mini projects which are mandatory
• They are involved in various activities such as app development, digital marketing, webpage designing, etc. These kinds of activities definitely inculcate the interest in enterprenureship