Amal Jyothi College of Engineering Kanjirapally, Kottayam Dist., Kerala 686518 Affiliated to Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, and Approved by All India Council for Technical Education, New Delhi SELF - STUDY REPORT Submitted to National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), Bangalore March 2015 CONTENTS Page No Table of Contents Preface 1 Executive Summary 3 Profile of the College 10 Criteria - wise Inputs 22 Curricular Aspects 23 Teaching - Learning and Evaluation 44 Research, Consultancy and Extension 86 Infrastructure and Learning Resources 133 Student Support and Progression 155 Governance, Leadership and Management 200 Innovations and Best Practices 227 Evaluative Reports of the Departments 245 Department of Automobile Engineering 246 Department of Civil Engineering 259 Department of Computer Science and Engineering 277 Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering 297 Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering 316 Department of Information Technology 332 Department of Mechanical Engineering 345 Department of Metallurgy 356 Department of Chemical Engineering 362 Department of Computer Applications 371 Department of Basic Sciences 383 Department of Humanities 391 Post-Accreditation Initiatives 399 Declaration by the Head of the Institution 400 PREFACE Amal Jyothi College of Engineering (AJCE), Kanjirapally, Kottayam Dst., Kerala, approved by the AICTE and affiliated to Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, was founded in 2001 and is managed by the Catholic Diocese of Kanjirapally. The institution is the realization of the vision of the Management to provide quality engineering education to aspiring students of Kerala, particularly from the eastern regions of the State with a good percentage of the population belonging to minority communities. The College is nestled in the green highlands of Kottayam district famous for rubber plantations. The calm and quite ambience of the College is ideal for academic pursuits. Banking on the divine direction of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the benefaction of Mother Mary, the College champions her commitment to molding full-fledged engineers to drive the country through the twenty-first century. The far sighted educational vision of the Management has given a sense of direction to the development of the College over the years. AJCE strives to realize its vision of becoming ‘a transformational leader in engineering education, facilitating and celebrating the holistic blossoming of life in abundance’. The institution’s growth is guided by the spirit of being a ‘learning organization’ which incorporates the praxis of Prayer, Reflection and Action in various processes. Amal Jyothi College has seven strands of distinction which interweave to make it a college extraordinaire. The Spiritual Ethos: Catholic spirituality animates the campus which has four centers of learning- the College Chapel, the Library, classrooms and the laboratories. The hostels are managed by dedicated priests and nuns meticulously helping the inculcation of a humane value system. The institution is free of party politics and has a history of being a zero-strike campus. It admits students irrespective of their caste, creed or locality, the prime criterion being academic merit. Syllabus Supplements & Skill Building: The syllabus prescribed by the University is complemented and supplemented by additional inputs by the College by way of add-on courses, trainings and skill development programs. Social Commitment and Community Involvement: Amal Jyothi, as an organizational citizen of India, inculcates social commitment in her students and simultaneously contributes to the local community through Campus-Community partnerships, outreach programmes, critical interventions in social issues, like Child Rights and Safety, Community College etc. Academic Quality and Facilities: AJCE ensures quality in student-centric teaching and learning, producing commendable results at the University level and promoting research culture among the faculty and students. The College has excellent facilities to enable this: Wi-Fi and technology- enabled classrooms, ergonomically designed classrooms and furniture, networked computer labs 1 with systems, and the central library with books and journals, Network Resource Centre, staff rooms with computers and reprographic facility, Audio – Visual conferencing facility, Discussion rooms, Guest House, Hostels for gents and ladies accommodating approximately 2300 students etc. Teacher-Student Relationship: Students are cared for at a personal level and this has paved the way for a warm relationship between students and teachers. Academic and personal support/ mentoring are given to the students on the campus. The majority of teachers of the College are between 30 and 40 years of age, which helps them to easily build a healthy rapport with the youngsters. Activity-filled Vibrant Campus: AJCE is a happening campus offering the learning community with a wide range of extra-curricular activities to choose from. There are Clubs (technical and cultural), student associations, NSS, sport fests, tournaments, festivals and celebrations, campaigns and many other common initiatives and schemes by the students, for the students. Climate: The College, cradled in the lap of nature’s luxury, is located on the eastern side of central Kerala, in a misty location where the temperature ranges from 200 C to 350 C. The sprawling rubber plantations in the region give an ideal green locale conducive for learning. Nature exquisitely complements the institutional climate of AJCE. The process of NAAC accreditation has significantly influenced the continuous quality enhancement of Amal Jyothi. Taking the clue from the revised NAAC Manual for Self – Study Report, AJCE has enhanced the quality improvement processes on the campus from a systems perspective. The various systems evolved by the IQAC are at different phases of implementation. Through these quality assurance systems which sustain and enhance quality, by getting new programs sanctioned by the Government/University, and by taking steps to attain Autonomous Status, AJCE is progressively improving her capability to achieve her vision, viz., to be a centre of excellence in technical higher education. The AJCE family - the Students, the Teaching and Administrative staff, other stakeholders and the Management of the College - is working together to live up to the motto ‘Information, Formation and Transformation’. With the decision to go for accreditation by the NAAC, Amal Jyothi is taking another significant stride on her path of excellence. The College, under the leadership of the Principal, has formed seven Criterion Committees and a Steering Committee to lead the process of accreditation. The accreditation process has been a reflective exercise throwing light on the strengths of the institution and also on the areas which need further improvement. This retrospection has helped Amal Jyothi to rededicate herself to build on her strengths, to explore new pastures for development, and to transform problems into prospects. 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1. Curricular Aspects The Vision of Amal Jyothi College of Engineering (AJCE) is to be a centre of excellence in technical higher education, research and support services, capable of making significant contribution to individual and societal empowerment. The vision, mission and the objectives of AJCE are widely presented through the college website, official blog and numerous college publications. The curriculum implementation process of the institution starts with an Annual Academic Planning and Calendar for the year, which are strictly followed. Several procedural and practical supports are provided by the institution in the course of curriculum planning and implementation. Preparation of Course Plan, Engagement of Course coordinators, Class teachers and Mentors, appointment of a Controller of Examination, Industry/agency internships, Networking and signing MoUs with international universities and national level non-government organizations, assignment of projects to senior students and engagement of a host of practitioners/experts as Senior Faculty are some of the strategies for effective curriculum implementation at the College. Timetables, course plans and portions covered daily are entered in the Academic Enterprise Solution (AES) software which is developed in-house. The AES monitors the student attendance and progress in teaching and is accessible to all the stakeholders. Several faculty members contribute in the curriculum designing at the University level by being members of different Boards of Study. The College offers nine Undergraduate (B. Tech.) programs, eight Post-Graduate (M. Tech.) programmes and MCA in three streams, all under self- funded streams. The lacunae in the University curriculum are identified through a need assessment process and are dealt with by offering add-on courses, training programmes and entrepreneurial and creative engagements. Periodic reviews at the department level ensure the achievement of curriculum objectives. 2. Teaching-Learning and Evaluation The admission process at AJCE is transparent and merit based. All seats are in the self-funded stream. 50% of B. Tech. seats (General Merit) are filled as per the State Government norms through CAP (Centralized Admission Process) and the rank list is published in the Government website. The other 50 % seats consist of Community and Management Quota which is filled as per the College policy of inclusion and merit based admission.