1. CRITERION I: CURRICULAR ASPECTS

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1 1. CRITERION I: CURRICULAR ASPECTS 1.1. Curriculum Design and Development How are the institutional vision / mission reflected in the academic programmes of the College? The college tries to uphold the spirit of atmano mokshartham jagaddhitaya ca, one s own freedom and good of the world. To realize this mission, the college follows the age-old Gurukula System, and imparts life-building, man-making and character-building education through a balanced combination of secular and spiritual training. It is also by imparting lessons on India s spiritual heritage, cultural diversity and the teachings of Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda, the institution strives to shape its students into fully integrated human beings possessing a spirit of tolerance so essential for a country with a multiplicity of identities. This mission of the college is reflected in the following academic programmes : a. Indian Culture and Spiritual Heritage is a compulsory course of 150 marks at the UG level and 100 marks at the PG level (25 marks in each semester) for the students in all the semesters in which they are taught i) the fundamental values of Vidyarthi life, ii) basic tenets of all the important world religions, iii) Lives and teachings of Ramakrishna, Sri Sarada Devi and Swami Vivekananda. b. A day-long seminar is organized every year for the teaching and non-teaching staff members of the college which focusses on various aspects of Indian Culture and Spiritual tradition. The last seminar was held on 11 May c. The hostel life is so designed that the students are made to practice the fundamental values of Vidyarthi life under the 24 hour guidance & counseling of a monastic superintendent. These values include : i) regular meditation practice, ii) self-sufficient life style, iii) good 1

2 hygiene and clean environment, iv) simple & plain living, v) discipline and punctuality, v) fellow feeling Describe the mechanism used in the design and development of the curriculum? Give details on the process. (Need Assessment, Feedback, etc) The college gained autonomy in This opened the scope for designing curriculum on its own, something it could not do earlier in the affiliating system. As the curriculum design and development is a complex process involving several steps, the departments of the college has been periodically organizing the meetings at various levels to take into consideration the opinions of persons interested in education and industry. While introducing a new programme the college takes into consideration the following : a) Academic requirements of the student community, and their guardians, b) Its conformity with the vision and mission of the college, c) Employability at the local and the national levels. o As for example, in introducing the Post Graduate Degree course (MSc) in Applied Chemistry, the college was responding to the persistent demands made by students of Industrial Chemistry course and their guardians. o The college, then, sought the opinions of the academic community, representatives of the industry and the alumni of this department. They were overwhelmingly in support of introducing this programme. The process of designing / redesigning the course begins at the departmental level, where the faculty members discuss the various issues related to it. While doing so, they take the opinion of faculty members from other colleges and universities as well as other institutes of repute. The opinion of the alumni is also given due weightage. A draft syllabus is 2

3 prepared and placed before the Board of Studies of the department concerned. o The Board of Studies of each department is formed with experts nominated by i) One expert recommended by the VC of the parent university, ii) Two experts nominated by the Academic Council of the college, iii) representatives of the Alumni and the industry nominated by the department. As for example, in redesigning the syllabus for UG Chemistry Honours, the department was conscious of the requirements of the students for the competitive / entrance examinations. They changed the syllabus accordingly and brought forward some portions of the 6 th semester to the 5 th semester as they were required for IIT-IISc-JAM How does the College involve industry, research bodies, and civil society in the curriculum design and development process? How did the College benefit through the involvement of the stakeholders? The Boards of Studies of various departments responsible for finalizing the curriculum have a member from industry to represent their point of view in the matter of curriculum design. While nominating members for the Board of Studies of the various departments, the Academic Council tries to ensure that the research community finds adequate representation in it. For example, Profs. (Late) Somesh Bagchi and Amartya Dutta, Professors and renowned researchers in Pure Mathematics of the Stat-Math Unit of ISI, Kolkata, have been made special invitees on the Board of Studies of the Department of Mathematics. The civil society finds representation on the Board of Studies either as a representative of an alumni or as a special invitee. Sri Tarun Goswami, Senior Editor of The Statesman, has been nominated as a member of the Board of Studies of the Philosophy Department. In the Academic Council of the college, representatives of various sections 3

4 of the society belonging to different interest groups have been included. The present Academic Council has i) a representative from the legal profession - Sri Amit Bhattacharya, Senior Barrister of the Calcutta High Court ; ii) a representative from the field of education, Swami Tattwasarananda, Principal, Ramakrishna Mission Shikshanamandira, Belur Math ; iii) a representative of the industry D L Mudi, General manager, Hindusthan National Glass Ltd. o The college has greatly benefitted from the involvement of these stakeholders in the academic decision making process. Their expertise and experience have enriched the academic life of the college at all levels. As for example, the syllabus of Industrial Chemistry has become more industry-oriented with inputs from Pranab Sur, General Manager of Sur Enamel, Sukheswar Mandal, Haldia Petrochemicals, Suman Chakraborty of ACC, insisted on incorporating Industrial Safety as a part of the 5 th semester syllabus of Industrial Chemistry. This gives an added advantage to the students of the department How are the following aspects ensured through curriculum design and development? Employability : In designing and finalizing the curriculum the employability has always remained the abiding concern. Here the wisdom and the professional expertise of the respected members of the Board of Studies prove to be crucial. The presence of representatives from the industry on Board of Studies of all the departments ensure that the course content is in consonance with the requirements of the future employers. The Departments of Bengali & Sanskrit have aligned their syllabus & the evaluation method with the requirements of NET and SET. The Departments of Bengali & English have incorporated Editing, Proofing and Film Reviews in the syllabus to prepare the students for 4

5 jobs in the media. Passed out students have already started earning by working for various publishing houses and other institutions (e.g. Bangiya Sahitya Samsad, Progressive Publishers, etc.) Industrial training is a compulsory component of the Industrial Chemistry & Applied Chemistry courses. (e.g. ACC Limited, Intug Rubber Limited, Tata Refractories Limited have already offered employment to students of these departments who had gone on industrial training with these organisations) The college has arranged for coaching under UGC scheme for NET, SET and School Services. Innovation : For the students more or less habituated to the drudgery of the lecture method of teaching, the recent trend of the submission of projects, paper presentation, writing book review, film review, drama review etc. offer them an opportunity to give a creative expression of their self. This is how with the active cooperation of Academic Council and Board of Studies, most of the departments of the college are making the best use of autonomy in designing the syllabus. o English : a) Project submission, b) Editing, c) Proofing, d) Film review, e) Photography o Sanskrit : a) Pratispardha (Debate, Lecture, Sloka Writing in Sanskrit), b) Sanskrit Manuscriptology, o Bengali : a) Editing & Proof Reading, b) Project submission, c) Seminar Lecture, d) Book Review, e) Field Work, f) Interviewing literary personalities o Economics : a) Development of a general course in Mathematics meant specifically for the students of Economics, b) Project Submission o Mathematics : a) Introduction of Viva voce for preparing students for entrance interviews 5

6 o Physics : a) Project, o Chemistry : a) Seminar Talk by students o Industrial Chemistry : a) Industrial Training, b) Seminar presentation, c) Plant Visit o Computer Science : a) Project, b) Term Paper Research The students are initiated to the process of serious academic research by writing project report and seminar papers at the undergraduate & post graduate levels. This gives them the right exposure and inspires them to interact with scholars, visit libraries for collection of materials and also to access the websites. This serious academic pursuit ultimately leads the students to the field of research work. o Department of Mathematics offers a full paper in Project Work in the 4 th Semester, where the students undertake some research topics and work under the guidance of reputed Faculty members of ISI, Kolkata, IISER, Kolkata and other Universities. Arnab Mandal of MSc Mathematics batches undertook such a project under the guidance of Prof Alak Goswami of Stat-Math Unit of ISI, Kolkata and later he joined ISI, Kolkata and upgraded this project and has taken it as part of his PhD work. o Bengali Department offers a Project in each Semester where the students work under a departmental faculty member on a particular topic. Sri Debasis Sarkar of batch has joined Calcutta University for his PhD where he has chosen the topic of his research almost in the same area which he did in one of his post graduate projects. o Department of Applied Chemistry offers a Project Work of 250 marks in the final semester. The students of the first batch has started doing this project work in different institutes and 6

7 industries like IACS, Kolkata, JU, BESU, CHEMBIOTECH etc. o This emphasis on research through Projects has already started bearing fruit and students of various departments have found acceptance as promising researchers. Judhajit Bhattacharjee of Applied Chemistry (MSc) has published a paper in International Journal Ramakrishna Mandal of Bengali (MA) has published a paper in an edited book with ISBN Kaustuv Chatterjee has worked on a translation project in JU on a text of Banabibi Pala. Students of Applied Chemistry Dept (MSc) have attained first rank in Poster presentation in an International Science Conference. Students of Mathematics Department (MSc) have attained first rank in a poster presentation in the State Science Congress How does College ensure that the curriculum developed addresses the needs of the society and have relevance to the regional / national developmental needs? The introduction of the compulsory Spiritual Heritage Course in the curriculum to familiarize the students with India s rich cultural diversity and spiritual heritage seems to be a move in the right direction to uphold the spirit of unity in diversity that India is. The spirit of tolerance and harmony propagated by Ramakrishna Jato mat tato path - has proved to be a potent weapon to counter the threats of discord and disunity endangering the integrity of India. The curriculum has been so designed that a synthesis of the secular and the sacred, the scientific and the humanistic, the emotional and the 7

8 technical aspects are ensured. This is in keeping with the ideal of the institution of Man-making and Character Building Education. The college offers a compulsory 2-semester course on Environmental Studies which makes the students conscious of the latest environmental issues and their redressal. This course also includes a Project work. In the college curriculum NSS and NCC form a compulsory part in which every student participates, at least in the first year of his study. The NSS wing of the college has organized a) Blood Donation Awareness Programme along with a Camp, b) First Aid Training, c) Plantation, d) Relief to the distressed people of the neighbourhood, The NCC wing of the college trains the students in Disaster Management, Environmental Pollution, Health and Hygiene To what extent does the College use the guidelines of the regulatory bodies for developing or restructuring the curricula? Has the College been instrumental in leading any curricular reform which has created a national impact? The college as an autonomous institution has the freedom to frame its own curriculum. However, in doing so it tries to follow the guidelines of the regulatory bodies like a) West Bengal Higher Education Council, b) University Grants Commission, c) the parent University (Calcutta University) to ensure that the restructuring of curricula should never leave our students alienated from the mainstream. The college has been offering Value-oriented education for a long time. It is a matter of great privilege for us that UGC has accepted the importance of this education and suggested its introduction as a means to fight radicalization among the youth. 8

9 1.2. Academic Flexibility Give details on the following provisions with reference to academic flexibility a. Core / Elective options : The Following table shows the flexibility in choosing the elective options at the Undergraduate level Sl Core(Honours) Elective Subject Subject 1 English Two from the subjects below, choosing not 2 Bengali more than one from any group : 3 Sanskrit a) Gr A : History, Sanskrit 4 History b) Gr B : Pol Sc, Bengali 5 Philosophy c) Gr C : Economics, Philosophy 6 Political Sc 7 Economics Mathematics & Statistics 8 Physics Mathematics & Computer Sc / Chemistry 9 Chemistry Physics & Mathematics 10 Microbiology Chemistry & Physics 11 Computer Science Mathematics & Electronics 12 Industrial Chemistry Physics & Mathematics 13 Mathematics Computer Sc & Statistics / Physics The department of Mathematics offers special optional papers in B.Sc. Hons 6 th semester : a) Tensor, b) Differential Geometry The Department of Sanskrit offers special optional papers in MA 3 rd and 4 th semesters : a) Kavya, b) Vyakarana, c) Nyaya The Department of Mathematics offers special papers in MSc 4 th semester : a) Operations Research, b) Commutative Algebra, c) Advanced Topology, d) Number Theory. The Department of Bengali offers special papers in MA 4 th semester : a) Natyasahitya, b) Lokasanskriti, c) Kabyasahitya, d) Kathasahitya, e) Prak- 9

10 adhunik Bangla Sahitya. b. Enrichment courses : The college offers two enrichment courses : a) Communicative Sanskrit, b) Basic Computer Awareness Course c. Courses offered in modular form : All the courses have been designed in the modular form d. Credit transfer and accumulation facility : The college does not offer this facility as the parent University (Calcutta University) has not yet opted for credit transfer and accumulation facility. e. Lateral and vertical mobility within and across programmes and courses Departments (Bengali, Mathematics, Sanskrit) offering Post Graduate courses do offer scope for vertical mobility within the programme.departments of Industrial Chemistry and Chemistry Offer Post Graduate courses in Applied Chemistry and offers scope for vertical mobility across the programme The college has limited scope for lateral mobility as the students of Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics can opt for several B Tech programmes offered by the parent university Have any courses been developed specially targeting international students? If so, how successful have they been? If no, explain the impediments. The geographical location of the college acts as an impediment in targeting international students. The general trend of enrolment in West Bengal colleges is also not very encouraging. However, the college does intend to target international students in the near future. 10

11 Does the College offer dual degree and twinning programmes? If yes, give details. The college does not offer either dual degree or twinning programmes as the statutes of the parent university does not permit the same Does the College offer self-financing programmes? If yes, list them and indicate if policies regarding admission, fee structure, teacher qualification and salary are at par with the aided programmes? Technically, the college does not offer any self-financing programme. However, the Government of West Bengal does not offer any monitory support for running the Industrial Chemistry and Applied Chemistry courses Has the College adopted the Choice Based Credit System (CBCS)? If yes, how many programmes are covered under the system? The college has not yet adopted Choice Based Credit System. However, the college has decided to award corresponding Grades in the final marksheet along with the total marks What percentage of programmes offered by the College follows: Semester system : 100% What is the policy of the College to promote inter-disciplinary programmes? Name the programmes and what is the outcome? Keeping in mind recent trends in the academic world which emphasizes interdisciplinarity, the college encourages it to the extent possible. This process begins at the level of designing the curriculum in the meetings of Boards of Studies. o The Department of Physics has introduced Computer courses (both 11

12 theoretical and practical) in their syllabus. o Post Graduate course in Applied Chemistry (MSc) has introduced a full paper on Mathematics and Environmental Science in their curriculum. o The Department of English has incorporated many areas from Social Sciences in its teaching methodology. The department sees the study of literature as part of Culture Studies and there are elements from the discipline of History, Philosophy, Sociology, Political Science and Art History which are integral to the syllabus as well as pedagogy. This interdisciplinary approach has resulted in all round development of the courses. For example, the students of the Department of English have greatly benefitted from this as they have found exposure to wider areas of knowledge which they find holistic as well as attractive. This has also prepared them well for an extended job market Curriculum Enrichment (30) How often is the curriculum of the College reviewed for making it socially relevant and/or job oriented / knowledge intensive and meeting the emerging needs of students and other stakeholders? While there is no fixed time frame for the review of the curriculum, the college ensures that there is a timely response to the feedback received from all the stakeholders. The Boards of Studies of all the subjects meet at least once a year to discuss the feedback on the curriculum and take necessary steps to make it more knowledge intensive and job-oriented. The curriculum of almost all the subjects has undergone changes to meet the requirements based on the feedback received How many new programmes have been introduced UG and PG level during the last four years? Mention details. 12

13 Inter-disciplinary : a) M.Sc. in Applied Chemistry : Introduced in 2011 b) B.Sc. in Industrial Chemistry : Introduced in 2010 Programmes in emerging areas : a) B.Sc. Honours in Microbiology : Introduced in 2007 b) B.Sc. Honours in Computer Science : Introduced in 2009 c) B.Sc. General in Electronics : Introduced in 2010 Other Programmes a) B.Sc. General in Statistics : Introduced in 2007 b) M.A. in Bengali : Introduced in 2008 c) M.A. in Sanskrit : Introduced in 2006 d) M.Sc. Mathematics : Introduced in What are the strategies adopted for revision of the existing programmes? What percentage of courses underwent a major syllabus revision? In revising the existing programmes the college relies mostly on Feedback from the students during Open House Faculty Meetings Consultations with peer group Experts on the Board of Studies Future Employers The new syllabuses framed by the various departments were actually extensive revisions of the old University syllabus. However, these syllabuses have already undergone changes, both minor and major. As for example, the Department of Mathematics revised its syllabus extensively on the basis of fresh inputs from the external experts on the Board of studies What are the value-added courses offered by the College and how does the College ensure that all students have access to them? a) Compulsory Indian Culture and Spiritual Heritage course for all the 6 semesters at UG level and all the 4 semesters at PG levels. 13

14 b) Spoken Sanskrit course. c) Basic Computer Awareness Course The college notifies to all the students for enrolment to the courses of Spoken Sanskrit and Basic Computer Awareness. The college prospectus also contains information on these courses. No fee is charged for these courses Has the College introduced any higher order skill development programmes in consonance with the national requirements as outlined by the National Skills Development Corporation and other agencies? The college has not introduced any Skill Development Programme as such. However, various courses have introduced elements for different types of skill developments. For example, Bengali Department has introduced Manuscriptology, DTP and Proof Reading courses at PG level. The English Department has incorporated Photography Appreciation, Editing, Proof Reading and Writing Film Review at the UG level. The Sanskrit Department has incorporated Manuscriptology course at the UG level. Almost all the Departments try to ensure that the students are exposed to the latest ICT learning resources Feedback System (20) Does the College have a formal mechanism to obtain feedback from students regarding the curriculum and how is it made use of? The college has developed a Compulsory Online Feedback Mechanism where the students assess the teachers at the end of the 6 th semester / 3 rd year. In this connection, it may be mentioned that the software for this purpose was developed entirely by a Non-teaching staff Member (Sri Niladri Sekhar Chakraborty). 14

15 Another formal mechanism of getting feedback from students regarding the curriculum is the Open House where the students freely discuss their problems with the faculty members. The department keeps a note of it and, if necessary, places it before the Board of Studies for further discussion. A team consisting of Principal, Vice Principal, Controller of Examinations and the Hostel superintendent meet the students after every semester results are published and they receive the suggestion regarding curriculum from the students. The Principal, then, reports on these suggestions to the departmental faculty members. The feedback received by the Department are always placed in the Faculty meeting and are given due weightage while discussing the curriculum. As for example, Department of Sanskrit incorporated a new module, Contemporary Sanskrit Literature in its PG Sanskrit Kavya Special paper after receiving the suggestion from the students of 2010 passed-out batch Does the College elicit feedback on the curriculum from national and international faculty? If yes, specify a few methods adopted to do the same - (conducting webinar, workshop, online forum discussion etc.). Give details of the impact on such feedback. There is no formal mechanism of eliciting feedback from national and international faculty. However, there is always an informal Departments organize seminars where they invite experts from different institutes of the national repute. During their stay, the departments discuss with them regarding curriculum and use their feedback as necessary. o As for example, the Department of English discussed the curriculum with Prof M Sridhar of University of Hyderabad when he came to the college on the occasion of a national level UGC sponsored seminar of the Department Specify the mechanism through which alumni, employers, industry 15

16 experts and community give feedback on curriculum enrichment and the extent to which it is made use of. In different committees of the college, there is representation of different sectors of the society. a) One alumnus and one representative from the industry or allied area are the members of each Board of Study who significantly contribute in designing the curriculum. b) In the Academic Council of the College, there are members from the fields of Law, Education, Industry and Medicine. They, too, play an important role in giving feedback on different aspects of the curriculum. c) IQAC is also having external experts from the community who actively participate in the discussion of the curriculum enrichment of the college. The suggestions received from these diverse group of experts are given due weightage by the departments in designing and reshaping the curriculum. The college administration is also very alert regarding these feedbacks. While taking important decision regarding the entire curriculum in the parent bodies, such as the Governing Body of the College and the Managing Committee of the Hostel, these feedbacks play vital role What are the quality sustenance and quality enhancement measures undertaken by the institution in ensuring effective development of the curricula? The college has been maintaining some time-tested methods to sustain and enhance the development of the curricula. These are as follows: a) Informal discussion among the peer group members in the college Teachers Common Room regarding the curriculum is a unique phenomenon of this institution. Many a times it has been noticed that the points coming out of these discussions are formally taken up in the meetings of the different statutory bodies. The institution, therefore, always encourages this informal but important discussion and uses these to maintain the academic quality. 16

17 b) The Standing Committee of the Academic Council is a body which consists of the Heads of all the Departments and members of the Administration chaired by the Principal. The regular meetings of this Committee always discuss various issues regarding the sustenance of the quality of the curricula. c) The active IQAC is another body which has members from almost all the stake holders of the college. This body also keeps watch on curriculum development process and gives suggestions to the administration for any change or enhancement in the curricula as and when required. d) This college is run by the Ramakrishna Mission. The Headquarters of the Mission, i.e. the Central Administrative Body of this Monastic Order, is situated just by the side of this college campus. Hence, a strong and effective guidance of the experienced and seniors monastic members of this Mission acts as the Mentor of the college Any additional information regarding Curricular Aspects, which the institution would like to include. The unique feature of the curriculum of this institution is an attempt of harmonizing the sacred and secular, the scientific and artistic, the material and spiritual. This is central to the man-making process which Swami Vivekananda had visualized as the purpose of education. The life on the campus of Vidyamandira is so oragnised that students live the curriculum from morning till night. Each and every work they do, is guided by the basic principles which have gone into the making of this institution since its inception. 17