The Practice

At the end of semester VI, the orientation for group formation and problem identification is conducted by the project coordinator and head of the department. In the outhouse projects, students consult external guides along with internal guides. Domain areas of faculty members are listed and updated for the students. At the beginning of sem VII, students are instructed to present 3 ideas for project development in front of anexpert panel which comprises experienced faculties of the department. The Expert panel then evaluates the student’s ideas based on innovativeness, feasibility of the problem, and value addition. A project calendar is prepared exclusively for the students and guides. The timelines are followed for the successful completion of the project. The final topics of groups and their respective guides allotted as per the expertise of faculty are displayed on the notice board. In each semester, two reviews of the project work are conducted by the panel to evaluate the student’s progress as per the rubrics and marking scheme. Internal Evaluation is conducted at the end of each semester as part of Term work. External evaluation is conducted through viva where a group has to present and demonstrate their project to the external examiner. As a part of the competition for students’ projects, the department has made mandatory requirements for each group to publish papers in reputed journals, prepare posters, and participate in conferences/ project competitions/ hackathons/poster competitions.

Evidence of Success

Projects are often judged by respective employers as the measure by which students are considered and are also  closely examined. In some instances, final-year projects lead to publications in conferences and journals and also allow students to continue their academic study into research degrees. As a result, various student groups have participated and published research papers in various reputed journals.

Problems encountered and resources required

Developing a final-year project can cause a lot of stress. A group must have students with complementary attributes for sharing the responsibilities. Other common issues are – Deciding the Topic, Lack of Time management, and Understanding the required skills of each member to accomplish the whole project. Communication gaps between team members or project guides can be fatal. Due to a time gap between the proposal date and the final developed project often causes disruptions.

Best Practice 2: Teaching Learning Practices 

Objectives and Intended Outcomes

At NHITM, teaching learning practice has been designed as the combination of various elements.The objectives are to implement it as a cardinal factor for institutional status. The teaching and learning methods are student-centric to increase the grasping and learning levels of the students. Emphasis is to go beyond the conventional methods to maximize teaching effectiveness.

The Context

Outcome-based learning principles are implemented at the Institute. Learning outcomes are aligned with program objectives and industry standards to ensure relevance and effectiveness. This involves incorporating diverse instructional methods, such as lectures, discussions,

hands-on activities, and technology-enhanced learning tools, to cater to varied learning styles. The focus is not only on delivering content but also on fostering critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and meaningful connections to real-world applications.

The Practice

Teaching, Learning, and Evaluation schedules

An Academic Calendar is prepared before the start of the semester. The academic calendar includes the date of commencement of the academic session, duration of the semester, dates of continuous internal assessments, semester end end-semester examinations, also consists of the curricular, co-curricular, and extra-curricular activities to be carried out during the semester.

The notices are sent through mail regarding changes in schedules if any.

Teaching, Learning, and Evaluation Tools

NHITMs Educational practices adhere to OBE which starts with a clear statement on Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes that the Graduates will be able to demonstrate. These are stated as Programme Outcomes and Course Outcomes and are related to the Vision, and Mission statements. The faculty prepares the teaching plan, course file, and Educational practice tools consisting of lecture notes, course description, tutorial question bank, PPTs, concept video topics, and model question papers which are uploaded on Google Classrooms and are accessed by the students.

To monitor the quality of the teaching-learning process, the conventional way includes evaluation like conducting Internal Assessment (IA) during every semester and Oral/practical and End semester examinations. A Course exit survey and faculty feedback are given by the students at the end of the semester.

Evidence of Success

Faculty members have the opportunity to strategize as per the academic calendar of the semester, determining which teaching methods and tools align with the syllabus requirements. Students, upon receiving the schedules at the beginning of the semester, can organize their studies

accordingly. This approach not only showcases students’ enhanced grades but also contributes to improving their attendance throughout the semester.

Problems encountered and resources required

Challenges include students having low attendance or limited cognitive retention. Remedial lectures are conducted for the slow learners. During lockdown, the education sector suffered the most. There was a massive shift in the Teaching learning process with the sudden unprecedented outbreak of the pandemic. NHITM with certain proactive measures taken in the year 2019 rapidly acted on the situation. Proactive measures such as institute email IDs for students and faculty members, maintaining soft copies of students’ attendance, and sharing it with students to monitor their attendance.