Dr. B. Ramamohana Reddy is the Head of the Department of Civil Engineering at Aditya Engineering College. He holds a Ph.D. degree from Vignan University, Guntur and has a total of eight years of experience in the teaching field. Dr. Ramamohana has published 16 papers in international journals and five papers in national journals.

Aditya Engineering College

Being a HOD of the CE Dept., what are your roles and responsibilities towards the students?

The prime role of the Head of the Department is to provide strong academic leadership. The Head of Department is required to lead, manage, and develop the department to ensure it achieves the highest possible standards of excellence in all its activities. I need to maintain the general discipline of the students and staff of the department, oversee the smooth functioning of the department and ensure consistent provision for academic ambience. I am also responsible for managing and motivating all departmental staff, enabling the students to receive skilled education in the subject in a positive, encouraging, and effective working environment. Furthermore, I work towards ensuring the development of the curriculum to keep it up to date with relevant changes and to encourage a wide range of activities to learn the subject with practical skill.

How do you tend to establish healthy relations with the students and fellow faculty? 

We provide a safe area where students can talk about personal and academic struggles with their proctors. We also set up anonymous feedback systems like suggestion boxes and online questionnaires, and we take constructive criticism seriously. Giving faculty the chance to further their careers by conducting research, going to conferences, and learning new skills. Giving incentives, prizes, acknowledgments, and celebrations to students and faculty members to show appreciation for their accomplishments and contributions.

How do you try to bring in a practical approach towards subjects and make it industry-oriented?

Review and update the curriculum frequently to keep it current with emerging technologies and business trends. We do so by inviting business experts to speak with students about cutting-edge technologies and practical issues, assisting with internships and keeping agreements with businesses. We also create innovation hubs or startup incubators inside the department and provide leadership, teamwork, and effective communication training or seminars. We also involve former students as mentors and guest speakers who have achieved success in the field.

What are the best practices offered by the department to the students that help them gain the necessary skills?

Our students are taught the latest technologies by participating in co-curricular activities such as paper and poster presentations, model expos, and other competitions. Expert talks are organised for the benefit of students by bringing distinguished individuals from reputable industries/research organizations/ institutions. Field trips are also planned regularly to improve awareness of the most recent achievements in the field of Civil Engineering.

How do you strategize the curriculum and how often it get updated to make it befitting for the students?

Assessment of industry needs, faculty input, student feedback, interdisciplinary integration, the curriculum development process, the curriculum committee, periodic reviews, course mapping, experiential learning, regular review cycles, industry feedback, technological integration, and flexible course design are all included in the curriculum development strategy. The curriculum contents are chosen with the program educational objectives in mind, with program outcomes serving as direct support. The curriculum of the program is guaranteed to meet program-specific requirements.

Check Aditya Engineering College Courses & Fees

What are your views on the placements and higher education of the students from your department How does your department prepare students for Higher education?

We establish strong relationships with industry partners and regularly engage with them to understand the needs and expectations of our graduates. These partnerships often result in internship opportunities, on-campus recruitment drives, and industry-relevant projects for our students. A strong emphasis is laid on motivating the students to take up campus placements. Right from the third semester, our students are given training in technical skills and soft skills. At the end of the sixth semester and before the beginning of the final year, students are given intensive training to face interviews and campus placements. I identify the students with various abilities to choose suitable careers. For example, students with research abilities are encouraged to take up research-oriented projects so that they can pursue higher education in India and abroad. Similarly, students with leadership traits are mentored to take up entrepreneurial activities/startup companies, etc. We maintain strong industry connections to facilitate placements. Our curriculum includes internships, projects, and skill-oriented courses, which give students hands-on experience and make them job-ready. We conduct placement drives and resume-building workshops to enhance their employability skills.

How do you help your student cope with the competition being so high in the outside world?

To motivate students to find solutions to actual problems, we host conferences, workshops, and technical contests in association with professional societies and industries. These activities foster originality and inventiveness. We match students with mentors who can advise on career options, personal growth, and skill development, as well as offer assistance and sharing of their experiences. Students who have mentors can develop clarity and confidence in their aims. In addition, the college offers career counseling services to assist students in discovering their interests, abilities, and long-term professional goals. They can use this to set reasonable goals and make well-informed decisions regarding their career path.

Do you have any extracurricular activities/ programs to enhance the skills of the students or expose them to real-world challenges?

Multiple departments within the college oversee different groups that provide extracurricular activities. It is required of all students to participate in these activities in order to ensure that none are missed. To highlight the socially relevant activities, students are encouraged to participate in extracurricular activities such as NSS, NCC, and different club activities. At the collegiate level, we have a number of extracurricular committees. These committees plan and schedule cultural events for the academic year, coordinate extracurricular activities, teach human values through the fine arts, and prepare students to give their best performances in cultural events.

What are the challenges you faced/ are facing to uplift the quality of education of your department?

These are a few typical difficulties faced by our department: recruitment and retention of faculty, the relevance of the curriculum, and adaptation to online learning. We also face issues regarding accreditation and evaluation, research-teaching balance, diversity and inclusion, technology infrastructure, and the mental health and general well-being of students are all important issues. We are actively working towards addressing these challenges for our students and betterment of the college.

When you came to college, what was your vision and how are you trying to achieve the same?

Through goal aspects, we hope to establish the department as a hub for Civil Engineering, combining technological prowess, professional dedication, and social responsibility. Our goals are to offer top-notch instruction, state-of-the-art labs, and industrial cooperation. We also encourage the use of cutting-edge technologies to build professional ethics and personality traits, as well as to meet the demands of industry and society through creative research.