Key Indicator - 2.3 Teaching - Learning Process

The teaching-learning process is one major objective and the strength of our college. Students are given a right blend of traditional and modern methods to make learning student-centric and a rewarding experience. Experiential learning, participative learning and problem solving methodologies are well adopted to ensure the holistic development of students and facilitate life-long learning and knowledge management.
Participative learning

1. Design/development of solutions: Students attempt to develop solutions for complex engineering problems and design system components/processes that meet the specified needs of real-time cases through group analysis, brainstorming etc.
2. Mind Maps for creativity: Teachers create a central node on a Mind Map and provide students the freedom to expand and develop novel ideas.
3. Flipped Classes, blended learning and model making methods are introduced for selected topics to enhance participative learning.
4. Students are encouraged and presently made mandatory to take (Massive Open Online Courses) MOOCs offered by premier institutions of the country. They include online lectures, demonstrations and interaction through skype sessions.
5. Project works involving latest technologies and use of advanced soft-wares like Aspen, CAD etc. are encouraged. On an average, 40 to 50 different problems are investigated to a reasonable level by final year students under the supervision of project guides, within the constraints of time and resources in each department.
6. Participation in professional societal activities of IIChE, IEEE, ISTE, ACM, CSI, IETE, etc. are currently mandatory.
7. Proficiency in soft and communication skills through lab sessions.

1. Industrial / field visits, Practical training / internship at Industry and/or renowned institutions like TCS, Infosys, ONGC, IISc etc. are mandatory at present.
2. Industry projects and collaborations are undertaken to enrich students with pre-employment training.
3. Periodical Guest lectures on topics relevant to employment skills by personnel from respective organizations / industry.

1. Practical courses (laboratory) including virtual labs (Ex: IITB spoken tutorials etc) are made compulsory in the curriculum.
2. Technical know - how regarding maintenance and repairing activities of various lab equipment.
3. Different learning methods viz. problem-based, case-based, project-based, inquiry based, computation-based, co-operative (work- or community-based) are implemented wherever feasible.
4. Students are encouraged to take up innovative projects and mini projects.
5. Organization of exhibitions and open houses projecting senior students' achievements on regular basis are a source of motivation for younger students of the college.
6. Conducting investigations for solving complex problems: Use research-based knowledge and research methods including design of experiments, analysis and interpretation of data, and synthesis of the information to provide valid conclusions.
7. Studio performances are practised to facilitate learners understand the deficiencies, leading to improvement in further endeavours. These sessions remove fear, tension, and deterring emotions.

1. Giving assignments and quizzes at the end of instruction of each unit.
2. Case Study Analysis and Discussion.
3. Product Design and development.

Effective content delivery by using ICT tools in the class room for better understanding and reinforcement of the concepts and problem-solving is adopted by all the faculty of the institution. ICT tools complement the traditional teaching-learning methods, and the institute is highly interested in providing innovative methods for enriching the learning experience. The institution has the needed resources which include wide availability of computers in engineering departments and library, high speed internet access and general ICT knowhow among the students and the faculty. The faculty are trained for the efficient use of tools through training sessions at the institute and/or faculty development programmes conducted by IITB, Mumbai. Teaching/Learning methodologies include the use of ICT tools for illustrations and special lectures, field study, case-studies, project-based-methods, experimental methods, flipped class room sessions etc.

The conventional lecture method facilitates the teacher to interpret, explain and revise the content of a topic, only for better understanding of the subject by the learners. At the end of instruction of each unit, the students are given specific assignment which enriches their learning. To enhance the effectiveness, lectures are presented as 'learning dialogues' including short intermissions facilitating the students to recapitulate the acquired knowledge by way of answering a few questions or a brief peer group discussion or a think-pair-share activity or any other relevant interactive session. Thus, the blended mode of learning which combines direct tutor-taught interaction with the online learning is largely implemented.

ICT components are embedded in the course contents of all relevant engineering disciplines which include free / commercial software used for computation / simulation such as the use of MATLAB for solving linear or differential equations and statistical analysis of experimental results in project works. ICT for course delivery includes power point presentation, video conferencing or educational websites. MOODLE on our college website is a mandatory ICT tool for learning process and resource management, and it also enables monitoring of students' learning process through online quizzes, submission of online assignments etc. It helps our students in blended learning, flipped classroom and other e-learning projects.

ICT enabled Teaching-Learning Process is supported with Regular Practical Sessions, access to Digital Library, Online Courses (MOOCS, NPTEL etc.), online journals, Online tests, Use of LCD projectors for seminars and workshops, productive use of educational videos, and accessibility of non-print material for students of different disciplines. Communication skills training facility is enriched with ICT tools to make the students acquire proficiency in listening, speaking, reading and writing skills.

The case study and the project-based learning methods, which are participatory, discussion/demonstration based ways of learning, enable students gain the skills in critical thinking, communication, and group dynamics and reflect appropriate integration of direct and online interaction of the participating members. As engineering courses are of quantitative nature, embedded with step by step solving of innumerable problems, hands-on sessions in the labs and internships at work places, faculty and students find ICT tools indispensable.

Number of Mentors: 212

Number of Students Assigned to each Mentor: 24.83

Formula = Mentor:Mentee = 212:5265 = 1:24.83

1. Academic calendar

The Institute Academic Committee (IAC) collects the plan of action from Department and Section heads and puts forth in the Academic Committee that prepares a well-planned Academic calendar. It is printed and displayed in the notice boards, and kept in the college website. The calendar, made available to the students before the commencement of classwork, includes:

• First and last day of instruction, schedules of internal and external exams, preparation holidays for final examinations, and vacation periods.
• Academic calendar is strictly adhered to. However, in case of any unforeseen situations which are beyond the control of the institution, necessary change is made by the authorities and the same is displayed in notice boards and websites.

2. Teaching Plan

Heads of the departments conduct meeting with their respective faculty well in-advance of commencement of the semester course work, and allocate subjects. A unit-wise teaching plan of the course content, spread over the allotted lecture hours, is prepared to ensure a uniform pace of teaching. Course-coverage is monitored by the concerned HOD once in a fortnight and deviations if any, are clarified with the concerned faculty and special class work is planned.

Faculty member (s) prepares a 'Lecture schedule' for every theory subject which is duly approved by the Head of the department. This schedule is placed in the course file at the beginning of the semester. The number of hours in the teaching plan is framed depending on the credits of the course and made available to the students. Effective implementation of the lesson and lecture schedules is monitored by the Head of the Department as well as academic auditors. Also, at the beginning of the academic year, every Programme coordinator prepares the calendar of academic events like Workshops, Conferences, Visiting faculty lectures, Industrial visits etc. and submits for academic audit.

The academic plan is structured in accordance with the needs of Outcome Based Education prescribed by National Board of Accreditation (NBA). The contents of the plan include:

• Course prerequisites
• Course objectives and outcomes
• Mapping of course outcomes with program outcomes
• Learning resources
• Delivery methodologies - LBD (Learning by Design).
• Assessment methods
• Detailed unit wise lecture plan
• Assignment and tutorial questions
• Model question paper
• Link to the video lectures
• Additional information over and above the curriculum

The copies of the same are maintained in the department and also in the Academic section. The web link for the teaching plan is available at http://rvrjc.ac.in. Adherence to the academic plan is followed by the faculty and details are recorded in the Attendance and Evaluation Records hosted on the academic activity portal of the institute. Academic Audit Cell will audit the Academic plans of each faculty and the audit reports are submitted to the Heads of the departments for necessary follow up action.