2 Day Faculty Development Programme Held on 2nd & 3rd Jan 2010

There was a 2 Day Faculty Development Programme conducted in our campus for the benefit of our teaching faculties on 2^nd & 3^rd January 2010. The function began with the welcome address by Prof. V. Jeyapaul Sathiasaran. Our Principal Prof. M. Palanikumar presided. Dr. S. Selvam, Director, CUIC(Centre for University-Industry Collaboration), Anna University, Chennai, was the resource person, who conducted the two day Faculty Development Programme. In his presentation, he emphasized upon the need to empower the teachers in order to improve the quality of technical education in Tamil Nadu. In fact, he appealed to teachers to bear in mind the great responsibility they have to shoulder in providing efficient services to student community. Parents invest a lot of their finacial resources in the education of their sons and daughters, hoping for better quality of technical education, and employment for their children at the end of the four year study of B.E./B.Tech. Quality in technical education and employbility of students are twin challenges that faculty members face today. These twin challenges have to be tackled effectively, and this is possible, with Faculty Development Programme to be conducted once in each semester in order to improve the efficiency of our faculty members.

Dr. S. Selvam touched upon a few essential concepts for enhancing the quality of technical education, by using a formula called ASK, which means 1) the Attitude of the Teacher, 2) Skills on the part of the Teacher, to make the classroom a lively place of learning activity, & 3) Knowledge of the subject, which is well-planned-out for effective delivery of the subject.

Attitude of the Teacher: In the present context of our society, teachers have to be all-rounders – not only well-informed in the subject, but also good in the lively presentation of the subject. In order to be an effective performer, teachers have to be proficient in all skills. Teaching is an art, and a science. It is a process in which articulation matters a lot in presentation of the subject. Dr. S. Selvam suggested a performance matrix for teachers, in which the vertical line stands for potential orientation, and the horizontal line signifies performance orientation. In the graph, he categorized teachers into four kinds – namely, 1) Teachers with Low Potential & Low Performance, who constitute nothing less than dead wood; they are of no use to society, 2) Teachers with Low Potential & High Performance, who pretend to be active, but not really active; such teachers seem to work hard, but they have no depth in their subjects, 3) Teachers, with High Potential & Low Performance, who are none but problem makers in the campus; and students are not much benefited by the academic achievement of such teachers, & 4) Teachers with High Potential & High Performance, who are invariably the star performers in the college campus, who serve as role models before their students, and whose services electrify students towards learning process. Dr. S. Selvam stated quite regretfully that 10 of the staff alone belong to the fourth category, as per the statistics provided by IITs. And this situation should change, and it is possible through revamping the efficiency of the teaching faculties once in a semester. Besides, Dr. S. Selvam explained concept of PSPD in the formation of right thinking on the part of teachers of today, in which P stands for Prediction, S for Sustainability, P for Profit, & D for De-risk. Teachers should develop the right sense of perception about people and situations which are to arise. This ability will guide them to evolve the right methodology in dealing with students and the problems connected with them in the process of learning. Secondly, teachers should go by principles and convictions. This attitude will make them more sustainable in their professional career. Thirdly, teachers should think in terms of profits – profits more terms of reaching the benefits to the society. Fourthly, teacher's attitude should be so well-balanced, so well-directed by principles and convictions, that they should seldom run into any kind of risk, affecting their career.

Skills of the Teachers: Dr. S. Selvam turned the second aspect of his formula ASK, which stresses upon certain essential skills that teachers have to care for and possess. The skills have been identified by another formula – GOSSAU, which signifies 6 important qualities or characteristics, which teachers have to cultivate. The six skills are 1) Gathering, 2) Organizing, 3) Storing, 4) Sharing, 5) Analysing, & 6) Utilizing. First of all, teachers have to realize the fact that they have to explore all avenues in gathering all kinds of information for the benefit of students. That is to say, teachers should not be locked up within the walls of their text books, but they have to collect all pieces of information relating to their engineering studies – from journals, newspapers, encyclopaedia, mass media, etc. The second skill that teachers should care for is the process of organizing the facts they have gathered. That is to say, they should know how to present the subject in a well-organized manner. There is no room for haphazardness in the nature of the job of teachers. They should be committed in the performance of their academic job. The third skill is storing, which is nothing but retaining the knowledge of the subject in their memory, with proper acknowledgement of the sources. Storing of knowledge should be updated and revived then and there. The details of the subject could be stored in powerpoint slides or in classroom notes. The fourth skill is Sharing, which is an act of professionalism. It signifies the dissemination of knowledge to the student community. This sharing of information should be done effectively, with proper imagination and creativity. Sharing should be delightful and enjoyable, and not mundane or pedantic. The fifth skill is Analysing – which is what the teachers have to do rationalistically in the classrooms. The facts have to be analyzed in the context of practical situations in the industry. Logical thinking and critical reasoning play a large part in making the subject relevant and easier. This is what the teachers should strive for in their students. The sixth skill that teachers of today should possess is utilizing the resources not only for their own professional development, but also for the development of students and the community at large.

Knowledge of the Teachers: Knowledge is endless. Hence learning is a process, and a good teacher is a constant learner. He should explore all avenues of learning. In this respect, Dr. S. Selvam suggested a formula, which is K=N/R, in which K stands for Knowledge, and N signifies the personalized customer who is invariably the student, and R stands for Resource which is global in nature. Knowledge which is shared with the student community should be tailed to the needs of the students, and its precincts should be global in nature – not to be confined to the limits of bazaar guides.

Pencil Philosophy: By quoting the example of a pencil, Dr. S. Selvam evolved a philosphy of 5 concepts, which are 1) intrinsic merit, 2) humility, 3) existential collatralism, 4) reward, & 5) enriching cessation. The first concept is the intrinsic worth of a teacher. What matters is not the external reality, but what remains internal. The pencil may have a colourful appearance, but what we care for is its instrinsic merit of writing on a piece of paper. A teacher is known by the supremacy of his intellect. The second concept is humility, which is highly rewarding in social relations. A teacher should be accessible, and have humbleness to serve the society effectively. The third concept is existential collatralism, which is the contrast of isolationism. A teacher should not keep himself aloof from the crowd, but mingle with the crowd and enlighten the people he gets into touch with. The fourth is reward for the services of the teacher, and the reward is both internal and external. The reward is professional satisfaction of serving the community, and the external reward is not only monetary, but also in terms of appreciation from others. The last concept is enriching cessation, which signifies the end of a teacher, through his mortal death. A good teacher is remembered by his students, and such a teacher serves the community even after his death, through the influences of his examplary life.

Personality Assessment Game: In the afternoon session on 2^nd Jan 10, there was a personality assessment game in which 14 of our staff participated. The game was about throwing a cricket ball into a basket from three of the five locations. The ball throws were recorded. And, after the game, the results of each of the 14 participants were analyzed. The character traits of those who chose locations either nearer to the basket or farther to the target were analysed according to the results recorded. The participants were categorized under different categories – risk takers, consistency in performance, diffidence, ignornace, ad hocism, evaders of risks, etc. The analysis of personality traits was quite amazingly realistic, paving the way for understanding our own traits of behaviour and the need to improve our selves.

Characteristics of a Value-Added Teacher: On the second day, which was 3^rd Jan 10, the focus was on value-added employee. Dr. S. Selvam stressed the point that teachers are torch bearers of the society. So, they should not think of remaining ordinary. They are leaders, who are looked up to by others in society. They are unique, by virtue of their higher qualifications and responsibilities. There are 4 pillars which upholds a value-added teacher – 1) eliminating, 2) minimizing, 3) maximizing, & 4) optimizing. The first pillar is eliminating the wastes. A value-added teacher cares to eliminate all the non-vitals in his profession, such as reading from the text, or dictating notes and killing the time in the classrooms, or talking irrelevant matters. These deviant trends have to be eschewed by value-added teachers. And this process is called the process of eliminating the wastes. Eliminating the wastes enhances technical efficiency. And the second pillar is the process of minimization, which involves two concepts, namely 1) parsimony, and 2) pervasiveness, which ultimately result in enhancing efficiency. A value-added teacher is one who plans his syllabus, and makes a careful use of the hours he spends in the classroom. He minimizes the wastes. He avoids verbosity or repetition. He uses minimum words to express the point. That is to say, he is economic in the use of words and expressions. He is to the point. He is precise in his expressions. However, there is a wide spectrum of information in his teaching, which establishes his pervasiveness of thought and approach. The third pillar which a value-added teacher holds on to is maximizing the value of his teaching. His professionalism should move on from dissatisfaction of the customers, to satisfaction of the taught, then from satisfaction to a situation of delight, and from delight to double delight. That is to say, a value-added teacher seldom teaches, he is only a catalyst in the process of learning. Maximization of his efficiency has no end, till it attains the status of excellence. And the fourth pillar for a value-added teacher is optimizing the returns. It is the stage of self-actualization. It enhances the reward for one's performance.

The value-added teacher has a unique role to play, in fulfilling four objectives – two verticals and two horizontals. The two verticals are 1) work(professionalism), & 2) technology. The two horizontals are 1) People, & 2) Business. A teacher is expected to be a role model, and hence, he has to set a good example before others. In his work, there is be proper direction, and performance efficiency. Teaching is a process tuned to enhancement of life in society. This social orientation should be deeply rooted in the mind of a teacher. Only then, he will have commitment in his work, and he will carry out his responsibilities efficiently. The second vertical that a teacher should be concerned about is professional expertise, which should be in tune with the latest technology in the society. That is to say, he has to explore the use of all technological gadgets to enhance his professional attainments. The first horizontal that should concern a teacher is his link or inter-connectedness with the people in society. He should be good in people-oriented skills. He should know how to tackle students and problem people. He should be a man of insight. He is a good human relations professional. The second horizonal value that should gain his attention is business-mindedness in his approach. A business man is calculative and cares for returns of his investment. Similarly, a good teacher should care to produce students who should in later life excel the teacher himself – not only in terms of knowledge, but also in terms of financial returns.

In the afternoon session on 3^rd Jan 2010, Dr. S. Selvam highlighted the virtues of a value-added teacher in guiding the students in the execution of projects. He explained how teachers have to be professional in their approach, and care for standards and values in projects. In report writing also, there should be actual involvement of the staff – particularly the role of English staff in correcting the English of students in their project reports.

Finally, the Faculty Development Programme, ended with a vote of thanks, proposed by Ms. Kamatchi Priya of Department of Computer Science & Engineering.

List of Participating Staff for the Faculty Development Programme