Colleges struggle to bridge faculty gap

Colleges struggle to bridge faculty gap

TNN | Mar 12, 2024, 05.01 AM IST

Hyderabad: With the exponential surge in the number of seats for computer science and related courses, many colleges are grappling with a shortage of faculty in the department, particularly in emerging tech courses.

“Hardly any college has the necessary faculty to effectively teach computer science courses,” stated the head of the CSE department faculty at a private college in the city. The HoD highlighted the necessity of utilising faculty from other departments to address this shortfall.

According to regulations set by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), faculty members from core engineering disciplines can teach courses in emerging areas upon completing 10 credit online courses through platforms like SWAYAM/NPTEL. “There is a dearth of qualified faculty for emerging areas, prompting AICTE to permit core engineering faculty to teach these courses post online certification,” read a circular from AICTE.

However, this guideline isn't being implemented in Hyderabad and other parts of Telangana, as colleges are hesitant to recruit core engineering faculty, despite their completion of certificate courses. Faculty members argued that hiring core engineering faculty would be mutually beneficial, providing them with employment while offering students interdisciplinary expertise. “Despite the pressing need for faculty, managements are reluctant to hire from core engineering backgrounds,” said A Santosh Kumar, president of the Telangana Schools and Technical Colleges Employees Association, attributing this reluctance to a desire to cut costs on salaries.

Clear six addl courses, get honours in engg

Clear six addl courses, get honours in engg

Ragu.Raman@timesgroup.com

Chennai: 16.11.2021

Around one lakh students who joined engineering courses in Tamil Nadu in 2021-22 can earn BE, BTech degrees with honours in four years by clearing six extra courses or 18 credits.

They can also earn minor degrees in other branches by getting 18 credits in them. This was decided in a recent academic council meeting of Anna University. “If students get high grades till fourth semester in BE, BTech programmes, they will be allowed to select specialised courses in ME or MTech degree programmes. If they clear six specialised courses in a related field or get 18 extra credits, they will be awarded with honours degree,” Anna University vicechancellor R Velraj told TOI.

If a mechanical engineering student or civil engineering student completes six courses in artificial intelligence or machine learning, he or she will get a BE mechanical engineering degree with a minor in artificial intelligence or machine learning, he added.

Colleges welcome the move, say it will increase placements

The university is also thinking about implementing it for the second year students after making necessary changes in the regulations.

As per the 2021 regulations of Anna University, a student needs to secure a minimum 160 credits to get BE or BTech degree.

Colleges welcomed the move saying it would increase placement opportunities.

B Chidambararajan, principal of SRM Valliammai Engineering College, said, companies are expecting interdisciplinary skills among students with the emergence of newer technologies such as IoT. “In the present trend, a mechanical student should know about programming to improve his chances to get placement. So, interdisciplinary courses are the need of the hour and it is a welcome move by the university,” he said.

P Deiva Sundari, principal of KCG College of Technology, said, the move to introduce interdisciplinary degree (minor degree) will improve admissions in core engineering branches. “An honours degree will encourage students to specialise in any particular area in their relevant field. For example, a computer science degree student can specialise in full stag or data science,” she said.

No takers for 25% engg seats after final phase

No takers for 25% engg seats after final phase

Many Seats Have Been Left Vacant In New Tech Streams Too

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Hyderabad:14.11.2021

Despite the introduction of new tech engineering courses, close to 25% seats in Telangana have been left vacant after the final phase of seat allotment.

This year, over 1.21 lakh candidates have qualified in Eamcet. As per figures shared by Eamcet convenor Navin Mittal, of the 79,790 engineering available seats across Telangana, 19,797 seats have been left vacant. Last year, 17,101 seats were left vacant, which is lower than this year’s figures. This, even as the number of available seats were much the same -- 78,270.

Many of these are left vacant in not only core engineering courses such as civil engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical and electronics engineering, but also in new tech streams such as cybersecurity, Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI) and data sciences, among others.

“Many students who could not get a seat in colleges of their choice have joined private universities wherein job guarantee schemes are being promoted. Students are giving a miss to local colleges and preferring private universities and autonomous colleges resulting in large vacant seats in Telangana,” said KVK Rao, general secretary of All India Federation of Self-Financing Technical Institutions.

Close to 90% seats in computer science and IT-related courses, 67% seats in civil, mechanical and allied courses and 60% in other engineering courses have been filled. There were fewer takers for courses into cybersecurity, IoT, AI, and others.

Weightage for internal marks in engineering up from 20% to 40%

Weightage for internal marks in engineering up from 20% to 40%

Ragu.Raman@timesgroup.com

Chennai:12.11.2021

For students of affiliated colleges of Anna University stuttering at 60% overall fail rate, here is some good news. The university’s new regulation for 2021 has doubled the internal assessment weightage for awarding marks from 20% to 40%. The cumulative grade point average (CGPA) for getting first class has also been brought down from 7 CGPA to 6.5 CGPA. Just 25% of engineering students cleared all the subjects in the first semester in January 2019, shows data.

The new regulation also allows students to take a study break for up to a year for job or entrepreneurship and has scrapped a 2017 rule that mandated students to compulsorily complete arrears in four attempts. Students can also do up to two online courses in a semester against one course under current rule.

“Earlier, study break was allowed only on medical grounds,” an official said.

Theory courses with lab to have 50:50 weightage

The new changes were part of the plan to impart uniformity in engineering education. While affiliated colleges follow an 80%:20% weightage system for end-semester exams and internal tests, at autonomous colleges and university departments it is 60%:40% and 50%: 50%.

As per the new regulation, theory courses with laboratory components will have 50%:50% weightage for end-semester exams and internal assessment. For laboratory courses, it will be 60% for internal assessment in end-semester exams.

The number of internal assessments has been cut from 3 to 2 per semester. “There will be two internal assessments in each semester, each for 100 marks. An individual assignment or case study or seminar or mini project will carry 40 marks while a written test will be for 60 marks. The candidate’s score for 200 marks will be converted to 40 marks.” End-semester exams will be for 100 marks and the score will be converted into 60 marks.

Anna University vicechancellor R Velraj said, “The new regulations will give more flexibility to students.”

As per the earlier regulation, students must complete arrears in four attempts or redo the course in fifth semester.

The university has also allowed students to appear for arrears in subsequent semesters.

P Deiva Sundari, principal, KCG College of Technology, said, “The increase in weightage for internal assessment including assignment and case studies, mini projects will help students get more active learning. It has given more space for outcome-based education.”

The university also introduced a new grade “C”. “Students who clear the exam with 50 marks will get C grade,” an official said. It has included science club, literary club and fine arts club apart from NCC and NSS to inculcate scientific temper among students.

Opening rank for many engg colleges dips

Opening rank for many engg colleges dips

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Hyderabad: 08.11.2021

The opening rank for many institutions has dipped this year in the Joint Seat Allocation Authority 2021 for engineering admissions.

As per the phase 1 figures, the computer science engineering course at the National Institute of Technology, Warangal opened at 703 and closed at 2,622. Last year, the institute opened at 541 and closed at 1,739.

“This year, the number of seats in many Indian Institute of Technologies (IIT) have increased following addition of seats in the economically weaker sections. Therefore, many top rankers might have chosen IITs over NITs,” said Ramana Rao, director, NIT, Warangal, adding that it is not the opening rank but the closing rank that determines the quality of students in these institutions.

He added that it is not the opening ranks but the closing ranks that defines the quality of students in these coveted institutions. “In many cases, if a student is not securing a CSE seat in an IIT than he/ she prefers other disciplines such as electrical engineering, civil engineering etc. The brand of IIT is what matters to most of the students,” said Rao. Similarly, computer science course at University of Hyderabad opened at 8,384 and closed at 16,597. Last year, it opened at 7,080 and closed at 13,991.