Sri Krishna College of Technology, HOD instrumentation and Control Engineering: Dr. P. Manju Interview

Dr. P. Manju is presently serving as Head of the Department of Instrumentation and Control Engineering at Sri Krishna College of Technology, Coimbatore. With a total of 20 years of experience in teaching and research, she has filed 3 patents and has been the guest editor and reviewer for reputed international journals as well. Her area of specialization are Power Systems, FACTS, and Intelligent Controllers. Also, she has been the recipient of the Best Faculty Award by Accenture, 2018, Vedant Educator Excellence Award, 2020, and Best Senior Faculty Award by Novel Research Academy, 2021. She is a Life Member of the Indian Society of Technical Education and a member of Professional bodies like ISA and IAENG.

How do you tend to establish healthy relations within your department?

“A more facilitating and nurturing environment for all”

As the Head and leader, I owe the responsibility in the upliftment of the entire team under me, inclusive of faculty members and students. We have developed an ecosystem for mutual upliftment and enrichment of student and faculty profiles on a regular basis. Frequent mentoring and motivational sessions are also hosted by both internal and external experts helping the student and faculty in their holistic development. A transparent system prevails within the department related to all academic and administrative activities.

How do you try to bring in a practical approach towards subjects?

“Practising know-how of the industrial processes”

Mandatory industrial training programs and internships form a part of the curriculum structure, helping the students gain knowledge on real-time industrial scenarios. Product Development Centres and Project-based Learning adds up to the practical knowledge gained by the students apart from their regular laboratory classes. Customized assessments practiced in the department map to student interests and learning patterns. Activity and research-based learning methodologies adopted have helped our students to engage in lifelong learning and become employable graduates. Student-centric activities and involvement of students in academic decision forums is another best practice followed in the department inculcating leadership skills effectively. 

How do you strategize the curriculum to make it befitting for the students?

“Yearly analysis for updates and loopholes”

Taking advantage of our autonomy, the department utilizes the opportunity to upgrade the syllabi and curriculum on a need basis to incorporate the latest technological developments. The feedback is obtained yearlong from industry experts and employers for imparting the right amount of skills and knowledge to make our graduates employable. Utmost care is taken to imbibe the students with knowledge, skill and the right attitude to make them employable youth and responsible citizens of our country. All stakeholders take part equally in giving their feedback during the curriculum and syllabi updations.

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What are your views upon the placements from your department?

“Varied opportunities and regular preparatory sessions”

Placements have always been the trademark of our college and department. Taking the advantage of the multidisciplinary nature of our program, our graduates find their jobs across the globe spread in core engineering, product and service sectors. Placement training programs and periodical assessments to enhance the technical and soft skills are imbibed in the routine teaching-learning process right from the first year. Students are also exposed to the varied specialized domains through periodic awareness programs available for pursuing their master’s degree in universities within India and Abroad.

What extracurricular activities do you offer to enhance the skills of the students?

“Indulging student interest in professional and social ways”

Exclusive and vibrant clubs exist in the department catering to the co-curricular and extracurricular activities of the student community. The clubs are initiated by the students and like-minded students join hands in keeping the activities vibrant round the year. An exclusive club to indulge students with entrepreneurial attitudes also function within the department, giving a spark to concepts like Start-Up India, Innovate India by the government. An exclusive club named PRERANA exists within the department, where students join hands together for social causes and societal benefits, an initiative on social awareness.

How do you prepare the faculty according to the industry standards?

“Profile enhancement activities on a mandatory basis”

Regular faculty development programs are organized by the department to enhance the faculty profile. Faculty members are also encouraged to undergo capacity development programs organized by external organizations, and engage in taking up and completing various MOOC courses every year. Our faculty also has the added advantage of getting trained by industries and involving in solving real-time problems faced by various industries. 

What do you see as the department’s greatest strengths?

“Industry alliance and alumni network”

A strong industry-institute interaction lies as a major strength of our department. The same industry linkage has helped the department to achieve good placement records and in making our graduates industry-ready. We look forward to enhancing the initiative by having small industrial units and centres of excellence by industries within our campus premises, which will still give better exposure to our students. An important strength of our department is the strong alumni network we have established. Alumni engagement for shaping their juniors also plays a major role in enhancing the employable skills of our students.

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What approaches do you bring in apart from curriculum to train the students?

“Major research practices and innovation centre in-house”

Apart from the curriculum, our students also find a variety of avenues within the department to equip themselves for being 100% industry-ready. Collaborative efforts of faculty and students in patent filing, consultancy activities and research publications have been a usual practice at our department. Our students are also encouraged to take up MOOC courses every semester and the same is accounted for additional credits. Frequent webinars from technical experts worldwide help our students to get updated on the current industrial trends. Exclusive product development centre which is housed in our department is the technical play area for our students, where they go beyond the curricular studies, and innovate and explore new ideas. Our students are also encouraged to participate in technical events hosted at national and international levels helping them network with the outside world.