There was an 8 Day Bridge Course organized in our campus for the benefit of Lateral Entry Students, who joined the II B.E./B.Tech., after the completion of Diploma in Engineering or Degree in Science. The programme was inaugurated in the forenoon on 28^th June 2010. The Principal Dr. S. Kathirrvelu made the inaugural address, when he pointed out the 3 dimensional purpose of the Bridge Course – 1) to create a strong base in Mathematics, 2) to upgrade their knowledge of English, & 3) to explore avenues to improve their communication skills.

Next, he advised the students to follow 5 rules in their daily life – 1) to maintance attendance of classes 100% -- not less than 75% at any cost, 2) to listen attentively to the class lectures, & to cultivate the habit of note taking in each of the classes, 3) to be punctual to the class, 4) to appear for all internal tests, with thorough preparation, 5) to follow the dress code of the college scrupulously.

Basic aspects of Mathematics, which are relevant to Engineering Students, were explained to the students, by the staff from the Department of Mathematics, headed by Dr. David. Basic aspects of English were conveyed by the staff from the Department of English, headed by Dr. A. Shanmugakani. Soft Sills, including communication skills, and good manners, were handled by the staff from the Department of Training & Placements.

Following is the schedule of the Bridge Course, in respect of English & Comm. Skills:

Course Schedule for Bridge Course – English

Course Schedule for Bridge Course – Comm. Skills

There was an Orientation Programme for the Newly Appointed Staff conducted in the forenoon on 23^rd June 2010. The function began with the special address by our Principal Dr. S. Kathirrvelu, who emphasised that teaching is a noble profession, and that it calls for 7 skills – listening, speaking, reading, writing, arthmatics, research, & presentation, and 3 essential attributes, such as attitude, skill, & knowledge, which invariably the organizations look for. Teachers are, in his opinion, like diamonds, shaping the lives of students, who require 5 Cs, namely character, concentration, compassion, care and concern, and contribution. There are 3 Cs, which teachers have to avoid, namely, contradiction, controversy, & conflict. He stated that teachers have to qualify themselves, academically, by attaining Ph.Ds – which is the pinncale of academic achievement, and is the result of perseverance and hard work.

Sri R. Chandrasekaran talked about the growth and development of the college over the years. In his presentation, he pointed out the rules and regulations of the college, which teachers have to observe in their professional career. The HODs made introductions of their departments, and the infrastructure available in the departments.

Prof. V. Jeyapaul Sathiasaran spoke about some the essential characteristics of good teachers. In his presentation, he referred to some of the good teachers, mentioned in few classics, and the qualities, which reflected in their lives, and which made them immortal in literature.

Sri M. Ezhil Arasan highlighted the significance of ettiquette, which teachers have to imbibe in their lives in order to become great and memorable.

All the participants gave their feedback towards the end of the orientation programme.

Following is the list of participants:

S. No.	Name of New Staff	Deparment
1	D.R. Balasubramanian	Civil
2	T. Ganga	Civil
3	Saraswathy Rajasekaran	Civil
4	V. Kumarasamy	EEE
5	V. Harikrishnan	EEE
6	R. Kumar	ECE
7	S. Saranya	ECE
8	A. Saranya Devi	ECE
9	S. Shanmuga Priya	IT

Training Programmes

There are 4 kinds of Training Programmes, in which our staff got involved in the course of this academic year 2009-2010 – namely, 1) Training Programmes conducted for students by Outside Agencies under our supervision, 2) Training Programmes conducted for students by our Local Resources, 3) Training Programmes conducted for development of our staff by Outside Agencies, & 4) Training Programmes conducted for development of our staff by our Local Resources.

1. Training Programmes Conducted for Students by Outside Agencies:

a) Two Day Motivation Campaign for Entrepreneurship Development was held on 23^rd & 24^th September 2009. The purpose was to creative a desire for entrepreneurship in the minds of our students. All the Final Year Students of Civil Engg., Mechanical Engg., & EEE attended the programme. The Chief Guests were 1) Sri M. Kathiresan, Circle Head, & Deputy Manager of Indian Bank, & 2) Sri B.T. Bangera, Managing Director, Hi-Tech Arai Pvt Ltd. They spoke of the importance of entrepreneurship. Sri Ramesh, Asst. Director, MSME Development Institute, Chennai, & Sri R.N. Iyengar, Consultant, Ma Faoi Academy interacted with the participants. Aptitude Test was conducted, and 64 students were shortlisted. The shortlisted students were interviewed by the Bank Officials, and 11 students got selected as promising future entrepreneurs to undergo a six week training programme to be conducted by MSME Development Institute.

b) Two Day Crash Programme on Thermal Power Plant Familiarization was held on 30^th September, & 1^st October 09 for the benefit of Final Year & Pre-Final Year Students of Mechanical Engineering, & for the Final Year Students of EEE. The Guest Speakers who conducted the programme were Sri V.K. Sinha, Director, NPTI, & Sri M. Ravichandra Babu, Asst. Director, NPTI.

c) There was a One Day Placement Training conducted for Final Year Students on 21^st Jan 10 on Resume Writing, Group Discussion & Interview Skills by Prof. Jeyakumar Jayaraj, the Managing Director of Speechmasters India.

d) Besides, another programme, which was a Four Day Intensive Training On Quantitative Aptitude & Logical Reasoning was held for Final Year Students on 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th, & 5^th Feb 10. The expert trainer who conducted the sessions on these four days was Sri Rajaram, from Innovative Services, Chennai.

e) On 20^th, 22^nd, 23^rd, & 24^th Feb 10, there was a 2 Day Placement Training on Quantitative Aptitude for III B.E./B.Tech. Students, in two batches – the first batch consisting of students from Mech, EEE, CSE, & IT, & the second batch from Civil & ECE. The resource person was Sri P. Ganesan from Erode.

f) On 23^rd Jan 10, there was a One Day Seminar on Engineering Research by Dr. S. Selvam, Director, CUIC, Anna University, Chennai. He reiterated the fact that project work is also a mini-exercise of research activity. Research is the outcome of innovative thinking, logical reasoning, objective analysis of data, exploring alternatives towards problem-solving, and the ability to make inferences based on facts.

2. Training Programmes Conducted for Students by Our Local Resources:

a) There was a Three Day Programme on Soft Skills conducted for First Year Students on 10^th, 12^th, & 19^th September 2009.

b) Lecture cum Demo Session on First Aid & Fire Fighting was held on 28^th July, 25^th November 2009, & 8^th March 2010.

c) On 20^th Jan 10, there was Listening Comprehension Exercise for Final Year Students on a documentary film named 11^th Hour. Students were asked to give their presentations – a critique of the documentary. In the second half of the training programme, students were given exercises to work upon on Verbal Aptitude & Logical Reasoning.

d) In preparation for the campus recruitment to ZOHO Development Centre, model tests were administered on Quantitative Aptitude & Logical Reasoning on the following days: 25^th & 26^th Feb 10, 4^th & 5^th Mar 10, and 11^th & 12^th Mar 10. And answers to the questions were also discussed, after the evaluation of test papers.

3. Training Programmes Conducted for our Staff by Outside Agencies:

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 resource person was no less than the Director, Dr. S. Selvam, (Centre for University-Industry Collaboration), Anna University, Chennai. In his presentation, he touched upon a few essential traits for enhancing the quality of technical education, which are 1) the Attitude of the Teacher, which should be tuned to achieving social progress, 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. The responsibility of the teachers is to improve the employability of students.

4. Training Programmes Conducted for our Staff by Our Local Resources:

There were 3 Staff Orientation Programmes, which were conducted on the following days: 5^th June 09, 24^th June 09, & 18^th August 09. In these training programmes, the newly appointed staff were given orientation about our college, responsibilities of teaching job, & the need to rise to ISO standards of excellence in the profession.

Training Sessions are being organized for the benefit of Final Year Students, who have no standing arrears on the following days:

• 25th & 26th Feb 2010
• 4th & 5th March 2010
• 9th & 10th March 2010

Inauguration of the training sessions was held in the forenoon on 25th Feb 2010.  Our Principal Dr. S. Kathirrvelu addressed the Final Year Students.  He said that in a competitive world, students should strive hard in order to make an entry into engineering career.  He explained that there are 3 Cs which are important.  They are Competence, Capacity, Clarity, & Character.  He insisted that good habits take us to the heights of excellence in life.  As students, they have to have open minds to receive all novel and noble ideas, and to cultivate good habits.  Our Principal cited 8 Ms, of which the most significant is managing the mind -- through meditation -- through removing the negative thoughts.  Then he talked about 4 Ps -- Purpose, Preparation, Planning & Performing.  Students should bear in mind the purpose of their education.  They should prepare themselves for a good career waiting for them.  They should plan each day of their life and live with care and responsibility.  Plan should ultimately propel us towards rightful actions.  Good actions lead us to become achievers in life.  The Principal also emphasized the two inseparable dimensions of life -- which are pain and pleasure principle of life.  A student who undergoes the ordeal of studentship with all religious fervour and involvement will ultimately reap the harvest with great joy after his graduation.  Pain leads us to pleasure. 

There was a 2 Day Placement Training in Quantitative Aptitude for III Year Students(who have no standing arrears), conducted in two batches on the following days: 20th & 22nd Feb 10 for the first batch, consisting of III Year Students from Mech, EEE, CSE, & IT, and on 23rd & 24th Feb 10 for the second batch consisting of III Year Students from Civil & ECE.   At the inaugural meeting of the Placement Training, Prof. V. Jeyapaul Sathiasaran welcomed the audience. 

Then our Principal Dr. S. Kathirrvelu addressed our students.  He advised the students to make SWOT analysis on a regular basis in order to achieve continual improvement in their career, which he identified by Japanese terminologies -- Kaizen & Kairyo.  And to enhance their employability, they need to develop 3 skills -- namely Technical Skills, Communication Skills, & Team Building Traits.  Then he insisted that Learning is a continuous phenomenon, which starts from the cradle and goes upto the grave.  All successful leaders are good readers.  Hence, students should cultivate the habit of reading books, in addition to their prescribed books.  Students should plan their career.  Without planning, they will be like ships without  rudder.   He cited an acronym -- ASK, which he said that all MNCs look for in students of today -- namely, right attitude & aptitude, standing for A, technical and professionally related skills, signifying S, & knowledge -- technical & otherwise, denoting K.  He advised students to take up the training programmes, with all seriousness and seek improvement in their life. 

Then the Aptitude Trainer Sri P. Ganesan discussed a few puzzles and problems with the students.  The training programme was monitored under the guidance of SrI R. Chandrasekaran, & M. Ezhil Arasan.

There was a 4 Day Placement Training for the Final Year Students(with no standing arrears) on Quantitative Aptitude & Logical Reasoning. 

It commenced on 2rd January 2010, and continued to 5th January 2010.  This was no doubt an effort to prepare students for the forthcoming recruitment drives for companies like Accenture, & Infosys Technologies, which are supposed to be held in one and a half month's time.   This training programme was conducted by an expert trainer -- by name, Sri Rajaram, from Innovative Services, Chennai. 

Students were given printed materials with problems to work upon.  These question papers were mostly on the pattern of the top-notch companies.  The problems connected with Quantitative Aptitude pertained to Numbers & Systems, Percentages & Cents, Averages & Totals, Ratios & Proportions, Partnerships, Profit & Loss, Simple Interest, Compound Interest, Ages & Eras, Mixtures & Alligations, Time & Distance, Time & Work, Puzzles, whereas the following items were in relation to Logical Reasoning:  Analogy, Classification, Series, Coding & Decoding, Blood Relations, Direction Sense Test, Six Steps, Six Swimmers, Matrimonial,Alphabets,  Book-keepers, Administrative Assistant, Subway Lines, Novels & Authors, Tennis Marker, Colours, Five Executives, Place Directions, Nine Individuals, Family, Captain & Mates, Microbial Symptoms, Cryptic, Three Men and Women, & Alloting Offices.  All problems connected with the above headings were discussed with students, being followed by a few exercises done by the students given in the printed sheets.

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

There is a Special Lecture Session being arranged in our college campus on 17^th Dec 09. The details are given below:

Guest Lecture: On Ethical Hacking(The Current IT Scenario in India & other Countries, Security on Internet, Importance of Network Security/Internet Security in Organizational Operations & Individual Internet Usage, Hackers Versus Crackers, Scope of Ethical Hackers in Corporate World, Ankit Fadia Certified Ethical Hacking Programme at Reliance Worlds)

Guest Speaker: Sri Ankit Fadia, Computer Security Expert

Date: 17-12-2009

Time: 9.30 a.m., to 1.00 p.m.

Venue: Conference Hall, Vickram College of Engineering

All the students and staff are advised to attend the lecture session, as per the directions from the respective department.

Mission 10X - a Faculty Empowerment Programme was conducted from 23^rd November 09 to 27^th November 09.  Mission 10X launched by Wipro in collaboration with Anna University, Chennai is aimed at empowering faculty members with innovative teaching techniques and tools, so as to make class room teaching more effective and result oriented to increase the employability of the students. This workshop was held in our campus to benefit the faculty members from Pannai Engineering College, St. Michael Engineering College and Vickram College of Engineering. 

In the valedictory function held on 27^th Nov 09, our Chairman Sri M.K.S. Sreenivasan addressed the staff and reiterated that teaching is not a job, but a vocation, and hence, it has to be done with whole-hearted involvement.  He commended the efforts of Wipro in empowering the faculty members in the 5-Day programme, with new strategies in the profession.  Our Principal Prof. M. Palanikumar remarked that faculty members need to change their outlook and rise up to the expectations of the industry.  He observed that such interaction between the academia and the industry should continue to prevail so as to improve the skills of our students in this region. Mrs. Prithima  Coordinated the workshop.