Dr. C.N. Ravi is working as a Prof and Dean of Academics at CMR Engineering College(CMREC). He has completed a B.E., M.Tech, and Ph.D. in Computer Science and Engineering and has 23 years of Experience in Teaching. He has authored 2 Textbooks and has published 21 papers in International Journals and Presented about 10 Papers at National and International Conferences. He has 5 patents and his interested research areas are Machine Learning and Deep Learning.

CMR Engineering College

Which latest program are you offering in your institute to help students outperform and stand apart from the crowd?

We are offering advanced courses as per the current industry4.0 needs such as Computer Science Engineering, Information Technology. Recently, we added Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Cyber Security, Data Science, and Artificial Intelligence and Data Science courses to stand apart from the crowd like other conventional courses. We also train our students on emerging technologies including AWS, Salesforce, CISCO Networking, Dev.-ops, and Angular JS, which helps our students for better placements.

How do you balance the academic needs of students, and administration at the same time as a Dean of Academics?

Balancing the needs of faculty, students, and administration requires effective communication, clearly defined roles and expectations, and fostering a supportive work environment. To oversee the Academics and discipline of students, we have an effective monitoring system including a Batch Coordinator for year-wise monitoring and a Class Coordinator for section-wise monitoring.

Apart from this, we allocated individual mentors for all the students to take care of his/her overall performance monitoring including Academics, Attendance, Results, and Extracurricular activities. This coordinator will report to the HODs and Dean for their teaching needs to abide by the prescribed curriculum and as per the teaching/institutional methodology suggested by the University/AICTE/ Management.

As part of Administration, I conduct the regular meetings for staff, Deans, HoDs and Coordinators, and also prepare the Agenda for College Academic Council, and the Governing Body. Monitoring and Documenting the Records for the inspections of the institution conducted by the regulatory bodies such as AICTE, and Affiliating University, Which is apart from the ones conducted by the top management (Internal Academic Audit). To maintain the infrastructure of the institution with the assistance of the staff concerned and care for the life and property of all those connected with the institution. To sustain cordial relations with all the stakeholders i.e. the staff, students, and parents, and with all those connected to the institution both directly and indirectly.

What kind of steps do you take to ensure that the curriculum and academic pedagogy stay updated and current with the latest trends?

We designed a competency-based curriculumwith various stakeholders'feedback that allows students to master and demonstrate competency in various tasks and skills. The best part of this curriculum is that it is adaptable to their changing environment and is student-centered.

We all provide adequate training and resources available for the enhancement of knowledge among students and faculty to build competencies. Helping students with their overall competency development during their education tenure. Give free hand to select adequate equipment for their respective departments which helps students to develop their practical skills. Allow the heads in engaging projects and consulting activities in appropriate fields. We also used modern ICT Tools and Technologies in Teaching and Learning to deliver the curriculum and adapt to the rapid changes in the education System.

Check CMR Engineering College Courses & Fees

What are the key important factors and norms that you focus on while hiring a faculty?

The eligibility criteria as per UGC/AICTE/JUNTH norms are maintained. Practical experiences such as domain knowledge in advanced technologies with teaching skills and publications and research on their interested domains are required. Experiences in the Teaching field with Additional Skills for Document preparation ( NBA/NAAC/Autonomous – Affiliations. )are also considered.

Can you describe what is the challenging part of being in a dean of academics role, and how you successfully manage it?

Adjusting time between academics and Administration is a major challenge I am facing. I also devote my time to learning new things and getting support and advice from the Principal to maintain sound health with tasteful hobbies. That's how I ensure a balance between my academic pursuits and administrative responsibilities.

How do you leverage the use of technology for teaching methods to give effective learning experiences to the students?

Technology creates many opportunities for teachers to provide innovative learning experiences for students. We have our own LMS Software for students to access class resources, find out about assignments, and ask questions, we can provide the support that students need to be successful in their careers by providing the Advanced Online course having Academic MOU with NPTEL, Coursera and BEC Certifications.

What kind of initiatives have been implemented to encourage the students to be involved in extracurricular activities outside the classroom?

We design the timetable in such a way that all the extracurricular like sports/Club Activity periods are included in the timetable which helps all students to participate in any one of the extracurricular activities during college hours. We encourage and support the students financially by providing Registration fees, and TA/DA for attending all the events like Symposia, Seminar, Workshops, and Hackthons. We also support by bringing industry experts to give advice/Motivation/Ideas/Expert talks for various clubs to participate in outside competitions with confidence.

What is your vision for the coming years as a Dean of Academics for the CMREC?

  • My vision as the Dean of Academics for the CMREC is to come under NIRF/ARIIA Ranking (Top 50).
  • Getting NBA Accreditation for all the eligible Programs along with applying for Deemed University Status.
  • To bring more Centre of Excellence in all domains and bring New Programs/Courses and additional Intakes in existing courses.