Best Practices – I
TITLE :Certificate Courses as value-addition courses
OBJECTIVE (100 words)
- To provide additional professional training and added qualifications
- To gain an in-depth knowledge of their chosen field of interest beyond the curriculum for integrated development of the students.
- To provide an opportunity to students to develop inter-disciplinary skills and widen their career options
- To bridge the gap between different phases of academic study
- To nurture the talents and showcase their creativity and innovation
- To bridge the skill gaps and make students industry-ready.
- To boost the skill development and employability quotient of the students
THE CONTEXT (150 words)
It is increasingly being realised that as India grows into a knowledge economy, with 15 million youngsters entering the workforce each year and more than 75 percent not found to be job ready, there is a greater challenge of addressing the mismatch between skills/education and jobs/occupations. Hence in the context of addressing the skill gaps and to make education more impactful and employability-oriented, the college has been constantly innovating and renewing its academic framework .This quest for educational excellence has seen us adopt Autonomy, Choice-based credit system and Outcome- based Education. Certificate courses as mandatory Value-added course is a step in this direction.
THE PRACTICE (400 words)
To keep pace with emerging trends in academics and industry, the college sought Autonomy and leveraged the academic flexibility, to offer certificate courses as mandatory value-addition courses at Undergraduate Level.
To make it learner-centric and multi-disciplinary the student is given wide options to choose from any of the 40 certificate courses across disciplines, based on their inclination, interests and learning needs. The cafeteria model gives a diverse range to choose from technical courses and non technical courses, with optimal scope for capacity building, innovation and employability.
Technical Courses offered in last five years include:
- Smart Accountant Training Programme
- NIIT – ERP Tally
- E-Commerce
- Advanced Excel
- Tally
- Dynamic Website Development
- Print & Electronic Journalism
- Android Applications
- MS-Excel
- Advanced Excel
- Photoshop
- Mobile Technology
- Search Engine Optimization
- Bigdata & Hadoop
- Internet of things
- SPSS
- Digital Marketing
- Artificial Intelligence
- PCB Design
- Retail Sector
- Investment planning
- Retail management
- Financial Markets & Derivatives(pillars of Equity)
- GST
- Investor advisory Services
Non-Technical offered in last five years include:
- Hindi Bhashaaur Vyakaran
- French for Beginners
- Theater Arts
- Public Relations & Corporate Communications
- Numerical Ability
- Numerical Ability(CLICK)
- Personal Grooming & Social Grace
- Soft skills
- BEC(TASK)
- Fevicyrl
- Flower Arrangement
- Fashion Designing
- Dance
- Growing Bonsai Plants
- Photography
The stipulated norms for certificate courses:
- It is mandatory for every Undergraduate student to complete minimum two certificate courses by the end of the course for the award of degree.
- Minimum duration of 30 hrs with mandatory MoU with the training institute /industry
- Minimum 75% attendance is compulsory
- The student has to pass the qualifying exam to be granted a certificate
Integration of the certificate course into the academic timetable is based on the consideration to offer liberal time framework for the student to complete his or her 2 certificate courses any time over three years of their graduation study, thus making it easy to align it with mainstream academics.
A certificate course committee monitors the implementation of the certificate courses and faculty incharges for the chosen courses are appointed to oversee the- smooth conduct of the courses from registration to feedback and issue of certificate. Certificate courses are reviewed from time to time based on review and student feedback.
Evidence of Success (200 words)
Despite offering 40 certificate courses across the disciplines, all the graduates from the batches 2015-2019 have successfully completed two certificate courses each and have recorded positive feedback about certificate courses, boosting their employability and widening their career options. For instance, Mohammed Inzeamul Haque Taha of BBA IT after successfully completing two certificate courses “Search Engine Optimisation and Business English Certificate” could establish a successfully career in Digital Marketing. Mr. Dinesh from B.Com IT after successfully completion of certificate course in Photography has turned into eminent professional photographer.
The total beneficiaries of certificate courses over five years are 6513. The evidence of success is seen in students telling success stories as to how the certificate courses have given an added advantage in career development, honing their talents and skills.
Problems encountered and Resources Required (150 words)
- Accommodating certificate courses beyond the scheduled class hours poses a challenge for students.
- Scheduling classes for students from mixed disciplines poses a problem in fixing the common timings for the certificate course classes.
- Training the heterogeneous students is challenging as they are at different levels of learning and interest.
- Finding resource persons across disciplines with varied expertise
- Students find it difficult to balance value addition course with the mainstream courses.
- Getting qualified resource person with minimum student fee is challenging.
- Coordinating with the external resource persons poses a challenge for the faculty in addition to their regular workload
- Arranging the lab sessions simultaneously for different technical certificate courses is fraught with limitations of infrastructural availability.
Best Practices – II
Title : Joseph’s Centre for Social Transformation
Objectives of the practice
- To inculcate Social awareness, gender equity, universal values of love and brotherhood and environmentally responsible behaviour amongst students
- To nurture and sensitise students on their citizenship roles so as to involve them in social service and nation building
- To involve the students in awareness programmes for grooming them as agents of social transformation.
The Context
Although there is rapid progress in Science and technology, the Indian ground realities are fraught with problems of poverty, growing consumerism, erosion of values, social exclusion, inequality, injustice, illiteracy and environmental deterioration. In this context, higher education in India ceases to have any value, if community engagement is not made an integral part of educational process for a more just and sustainable world.
St. Joseph’s College, a Catholic Christian minority institution was established in 1997 with the motto of “Love, knowledge and service” for the holistic education of students. Driven by the goals of higher education in India, the college promotes ethical, national, social and environmental consciousness among students through involving them in civic engagement activities to pave way for integrated development of students, society, nation and world at large.
The Practice
Joseph’s Centre for Social Transformation is an integral part of the College vision “To create Distinctive environment of educational excellence with humane values and social commitment ”.
Extension activities and outreach programmes at St. Joseph’s are streamlined through centre called “The Centre for Social transformation”, which has a three pronged focus on Joseph’s Social Responsibility (JSR), Women Empowerment Cell(WEC) and Joseph’s Green Group (JGG) to foster Social responsibility, Gender parity and Environmental consciousness among the students, faculty and society at large. Each of these cells are well structured and headed by a convenor with faculty and students as committee members. The committee meets regularly to plan its annual activities in line with its vision and mission. Apart from the planned activities the committee responds promptly to any emerging social and environmental issues. They also celebrate special days like The Ozone Day, International Women’s Day, AIDS awareness Day, Tree Plantation Day etc..
The College has a special tradition of observing Joseph’s Social Responsibility (JSR) day every year in the month of February where all the students and faculty of the college are engaged in community service by visiting the needy in orphanages, old age homes, home for the mentally and physically challenged etc. The students plan variety of activities ranging from games to health camps, medical camps, awareness programmes in slums about Hygiene, sanitation, etc. Awareness Programmes and rallies like AIDs awareness and cyber safety campaigns are organised in collaboration with NGOs , Telangana Cyber Police etc. The joy of giving week is also celebrated as part of Christmas celebrations. LAND TO LAB programmes are also organised for knowledge dissemination to the underprivileged children.
The Women Empowerment Cell of the College, envisioned to empower women for a life of equality, empowerment, personal enhancement and professional success, conducts various awareness camps- health, legal, entrepreneurship, defence techniques, etc Committed to sensitise people towards gender discrimination and elimination of gender-based violence, the cell organises street plays, flash mobs, runs, etc in collaboration with She teams, Telangana Cyber police, etc
JGG creates awareness among the students and society about various environmental issues and eco-friendly practices for sustainable environment. The environment promotion programmes conducted in collaboration with GHMC, twin cities pollution board committee etc. include Haritha Haram, Guest Lecture on plastic free campus, competition in making Eco-Friendly Ganesha , Seminar on “ Climate Change – Science , impact and solutions”, Active farming, Free Pollution Check etc.
Evidence of Success
The evidence of success is seen in a perceptible internalisation of values and character building as result of their continuous participation in civic engagement activities. It is observed that 98% of students participate every year in outreach programmes.
Students as a part of JSR visited nearly 50 orphanages/old age homes/schools etc.. and contributed to a tune of 15 lakhs. Student interface with the needy on JSR day marks a life transforming experience as recorded by most students who are visibly moved to tears at the end of the day spent with inmates of old age homes, destitute, physically and mentally disabled. The lasting impact of this experience is seen, as most of them make it a practice to go back to them for celebrating their birthdays etc.
The evidence of success of 32 gender sensitization programmes on legal, medical awareness, entrepreneurship, Psychological well being, self defence, self esteem etc. have a decisive impact on the girls students, making them confident and competitive to emerge successful in facing the challenges in career and life.
The 30 environment promotion activities including awareness programmes have created a successful impact in adopting certain practices like avoiding plastic cups, disposable bottles, eco-friendly Ganeshas, giving sampling as memontoes, paper bags for prospectus etc.
Problems Encountered and Resources Required
- There are often limitations faced in generating the required resources to operate the various outreach programmes.
- Persuading the parents for the implementation of outreach prorgrammes outside the college schedule was difficult.
- To augment the alternate energy sources across the campus buildings requires large expenditures, which is difficult to raise, being self financed institution
- Implementation of absolute paperless office is challenging
- Continuous engagement with the marginalised is essential for a long time and sustainable impact of social service but due to tight academic schedules it is difficult.
- It is difficult to motivate the academically inclined students & faculty for non-academic assignments
- Coordination and timely permission with concerned authorities is difficult