Dr. Avvaru Latha is a distinguished academician and an able administrator with more than 20 years of experience. She has grown from the ranks right here in the institute, starting her teaching career as a Lecturer in the year 2003. She obtained her PhD from APJ Abdul Kalam University, Indore, and her Master's Degree from Al Ameer Engineering College, Visakhapatnam. She has published 18 research papers in various reputed National and International journals, besides a couple of patents to his credit. In her impressive teaching and administrative career, she has consistently promoted innovative teaching practices and imaginative thinking. She has endeared herself to her students and colleagues alike through her affable nature and empathetic leadership style. She has attended 20 Workshops.

Check St.Mary's Women's Engineering College

St.Mary's Women's Engineering College

Being the Head of Department, what are your roles and responsibilities towards the students?

My foremost responsibility is to ensure that the students maintain discipline. Interact with students (Section-wise) of every branch once every 15 days, identify the problems, and find solutions. Counsel the students who are absent from the assessment tests or are irregular in the class.

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

As the Head of the Department, I prefer to stay in touch with how students feel about their Course, understand their views, and try to solve their queries if any. Motivate those students who are slow learners if necessary, give them extra time, and show my concern towards them which encourages them to excel in their careers. Coming to the staff, I always guide the staff in understanding quality requirements through job guidance and development. Allow staff to feel pride in what they do. Encourage ongoing personal growth and development – find the money, and release staff from activities.

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

We usually have many hands-on experience sessions in which most of the industrial-related experts have vast experiences and these experiences are shared with the students during the sessions which try to bridge the gap between the industry and academics.

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

We help them in Continuous learning which helps them stay updated with the latest technologies. We motivate them to improve their leadership qualities and help them to improve in social skills Students are motivated to develop practical skills to meet industrial needs.

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

My only vision was to identify the students who are slow learners and see that they excel in their careers and also get placed in good companies. I have and am still in the process of motivating many of the above students who often are facing inferiority and complexity.

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

Yes, we do have many extracurricular activities in our college like Debate Competitions and community service activities, and students participate in NSS with enthusiasm. We also have different student clubs like the Academic Club, the Sports Club, the Music Club, Yoga, Meditation, arts and crafts, indoor games, language learning, etc. which help the students boost their self-confidence and help in overall personal development.

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

Some of the faculty had good knowledge in their concern subjects but they had to be motivated to be digitally skilled so we had to motivate them to use ICT methods and innovative learning platforms and sources, such as Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), get registered in ATAL so that through this platform they can enhance their skill in technical sessions, attending FDP’s, motivate them to have publications both national and international, etc. 

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

We conduct interactive sessions with the students at the end of the day so that they can feel free to share their technical-related queries based on which they are trained with different skill sets which will help them to coup up in this competitive global world. They are made to identify their strengths which make them enough confident to with the outside world. Workshops and seminars are often conducted to enhance their skill. The training and placement department plays a crucial role in building their career by conducting different CRT programs which helps the student to think out of the box.

What valuable advice would you like to the students for them to have a prosperous career ahead? 

I would like to share my Secret mantra: Always stay fit and healthy which is the step towards success. Students should never stop learning. Usually, once the student completes his/her graduation they do not even open books or try to update themselves unless and until they find it necessary. Always see that you are organized and maintain work–life balance. If you follow these mantras you will have a prosperous career ahead ever.