Dr. N. Selva Malar is serving as the HOD of Basic Sciences and Humanities at Aditya Engineering College. Her education qualifications include M.Sc., M. Phil., Ph.D., and her expertise is Fuzzy Optimization. She has 20 years of academic experience. She has published 6 National and International Journal Papers and delivered two invited talks to enlighten the audience with innovative concepts. Moreover, she has been acknowledged by the Tamil Nadu State Govt. for scoring in SSLC at the District Level; and has been awarded the Sri. P. Subramaniam Memorial Gold Medal for Proficiency in M.Sc.

Aditya Engineering College

Being a HOD of the HBS Department, what are your roles and responsibilities towards the students?

As an HOD, I mainly concentrate on maintaining the general discipline of the students, engaging and empowering every student to reach their potential. I also focus on creating and nurturing an inclusive learning environment enabling all students to thrive.

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

I set huge expectations by recognizing the potential of the students as well as the fellow faculty. I am also giving mutual respect, practicing fairness and equality, building honesty and trust, practicing healthy communication, and supporting each other while giving room for independence and individuality.

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

I try to accommodate the recent advances in the subjects and see that the students get the practical knowledge of these recent advances so that they become industry-ready.

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

One cannot apply a ‘one size fits all’ approach. We have to blend a range of different strategies practical enough for our practice. To offer the best classroom experience to students, we use various teaching pedagogies in our teaching practice which in turn build collegiality and delve deeper into content knowledge. 

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

Change is the only way one can adapt and improve the curriculum to new heights so that the students will be able to scale their careers. Hence the curriculum needs to be updated periodically. We take the inputs from the stakeholders from all levels and incorporate the changes required.

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

Placements give students an important direction to move forward in life. The placement phase in college allows them to choose whether they want to get into the working industry right away or focus on a further degree. Here in our department, the students are trained in Soft Skills and communication through proper training by platforms like Cambridge, T-Hub, etc., right from day one of their college life.

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

We always insist the students compete with themselves and turning their attention toward their progress can help them stay encouraged, even as their skills develop. I believe our students can face the outside world with their heads high.

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

We conduct activities that include sports competitions, music competitions, yoga, meditation, arts and crafts making, and indoor games like Chess, Carom, etc. These are not only helpful in personal development but also improve academic performance. 

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

The post-COVID lockdown scenario in the education industry is teeming with various challenges. One of the major issues is the pace of learning of the students. Using interactive devices and educational resources like MOOCs, and NPTEL, we resolve the student boredom issues. 

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

I have always been focused to inspire and ignite the minds of the students. By developing free thinking and individualistic mindsets among students, we can train them to be game-changers in their careers.