1 St. Thomas College KOZHENCHERRY, KERALA STATE- 689 641 Phone: 0468-2214 566 Fax: 0468-2215 543 Website: www.stthomascollege.info E-mail: [email protected] (Affiliated to Mahatma Gandhi University) Re-accredited by NAAC with B++ (2007) SELF STUDY REPORT Submitted to National Assessment and Accreditation Council Bangalore -560 072, India NAAC-SSR St.Thomas College, Kozhencherry September 2014 5 PREFACE he Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church, a staunch ally of an epoch- T making social movement of the nineteenth century, was led forward by the lamp of Reformation popularly known as „Naveekarana Prasthanam‟. Mar Thoma Church, part of the great tradition of the Malankara Syrian Church which had been formulated by St. Thomas, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ, wielded education during the progressive period of Reformation in Kerala, as a mighty weapon for the liberation of the downtrodden masses from their stigmatized ignorance and backwardness. The establishment of St.Thomas College at Kozhencherry in 1953, as part of the altruistic missionary zeal of the church during Reformation, was the second educational venture under the auspices of Mar Thoma Church. The founding fathers, late Most Rev. Dr. Juhanon Mar Thoma Metropolitan and late Rev. K.T.Thomas Kurumthottickal, envisaged the college as an instrument for the realization of a bold vision that aimed at providing quality education to the people of the remote hilly regions of Eastern Kerala. The last six decades of the momentous historical span of the college has borne witness to the successful fulfilment of the vision of the founding fathers. The college has gone further into newer dimensions, innovations and endeavours which are impactful and relevant to the shaping of the lives of contemporary and future generations of youngsters. Ever since its inception, the institution holds aloft, at every step forth, the noble mission of imparting sound Christian liberal education, and producing intellectually well trained, morally upright, socially committed and spiritually inspired young men and women. Various courses of studies, augmenting the creative and proactive faculties of the younger generation, were introduced from time to time. Re-accredited by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council, an autonomous agency of the UGC, with B++ grade, the college was first affiliated to the Travancore University and later to the University of Kerala. Since 1983, it has been affiliated to the Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam. The erstwhile Travancore Royal Family honoured the institution with the „Rajamudra‟ (a prestigious memento with the official „conch‟ insignia) in 2013, an award of recognition unprecedented, for the valuable contributions of the college towards the enhancement of the holistic life-standards of varied communities inhabiting the far-flung eastern hilly regions of the State of Kerala. The National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions of the Government of India has declared the college as Minority Educational Institution, covered under Section 2g of the NCM EI Act 2004, in 2013. The college, set in a rustic serene locale, as part of its seminal strides onward, deems it important to embrace state-of-the-art academic facilities for researchers and students.. Prof. Capt. Dr. Roys P. David (Principal) NAAC-SSR St.Thomas College, Kozhencherry September 2014 8 CONTENTS Page A Executive Summary and SWOC Analysis 9 B Profile of the Institution 21 C Criteriawise Analytical Report I. Curricular Aspects 37 II. Teaching, Learning and Evaluation 51 III. Research, Consultancy and Extension 77 IV. Infrastructure and Learning Resources 139 V. Student Support and Progression 153 VI. Governance, Leadership and Management 187 VII. Innovations and Best Practices 215 D Post Accreditation Initiatives 221 E Evaluative Report of the Departments 225 F Declaration of the Head of the Institution G Undertaking by the Head of the Institution H Annexures (Attached Copies of the following) Documents Showing Minority Status Certificate of 2(f) and 12(b) of UGC Act Accreditation Certtificate Peer Team Reports NAAC-SSR St.Thomas College, Kozhencherry September 2014 9 A. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY he establishment of St. Thomas College, Kozhencherry in 1953 was the T realization of a vision that aimed at providing quality education to the people of the hilly regions of central Travancore. The founding fathers envisaged the college as an instrument for enlightening, ennobling, and enriching the community by fostering academic excellence, moral integrity and social commitment in young men and women. The last 60 years have borne witness to the fulfillment of this dream by transforming the agrarian community into bustling centres of activity with all modern amenities and sophistication of the global economy. Curriculum, teaching learning process, research consultancy and extension, infrastructure and learning resources, student support and progression, governance, leadership and management and innovative practices in the institution have all been focused on the achievement of this vision. Curricular Aspects The college addresses the need of the beneficiaries by introducing modernized courses, vocational programmes, value-added courses, value education and programmes aimed at academic excellence of the students. Three new courses (Two graduate and one post graduate) and two research centres have been introduced in the college in the post accreditation period. Four UGC aided add-on courses, five value addition short term courses and five enrichment courses were also introduced in the institution. The college follows the syllabi and curriculum formulated by the Mahatma Gandhi (MG) University. The institution has undertaken various programmes for curriculum development and implementation. There has been active involvement of the faculty in various seminars, workshops and discussions for curriculum development, organized by professional bodies and Board of Studies of different disciplines. Two HoDs and five members of the faculty were Chairpersons and Members on their respectiveUndergraduate Board of Studies, while five teachers of the different disciplines were members on the PG Board of Studies which restructured the PG curriculum. All the Departments of the college conducted training programmes on the functioning of the newly introduced Choice Based Credit and Semester System (CBCSS) for the teachers, students and parents. The college has opted Open Courses which are most sought after by students and which would enable them to face the challenges of the global scenario as part of CBCSS UG programme. Various enrichment programmes aimed at value education and awareness in social citizenship roles are provided to the students through different associations, clubs and forums. The institution offers ten value addition courses befitting their employability. Short term certificate courses designed by the institution are aimed at developing the NAAC-SSR St.Thomas College, Kozhencherry September 2014 10 diversified skills of students. Certificate courses in Communicative English and Basic Computer Awareness Programme are offered to all students. These enable the students to respond to regional and global job opportunities and research. Teaching Learning and Evaluation Admission procedure is made transparent to streamline procedures more systematically and to increase access to higher education for socially and economically deprived sections of students. Centralized Allotment Process is followed in colleges affiliated to Mahatma Gandhi University for the UG and PG courses from 2009-2010 onwards. Students are free to opt the course and college of their choice from the website of Mahatma Gandhi University to which the college is affiliated. Of the total capacity, 50% is reserved for merit. Out of the total merit seats available, 3% of the merit is reserved for physically challenged (blind, deaf and orthopaedically challenged), two seats in each programme are reserved for candidates with outstanding records in sports and games and one seat in each programme is reserved for candidates with outstanding records in cultural activities. 20% of the seats are reserved for SC/ST on the basis of merit.10% of the seats is reserved for community on the basis of merit. 20% is reserved as Management quota. Orientation classes are arranged by each department at the very beginning so as to enable the students to cope with the programme. The aims and objectives of the programme will be clearly explained to the students. Class teachers, mentors and tutors identify slow learners and provide them necessary remedial and bridge courses. IQAC discusses different aspects of teaching learning process periodically to ensure teachers to implement student centric methods of teaching learning giving emphasis on ICT and participatory teaching and learning process. Seminars, Poster display, Quizzing etc. are organized in the College. Modern learning aids like smart board, white board, LCD projectors, Internet access etc. facilitate student centric learning. Learning methods like group work, role plays, case study, debates, mind mapping, co-operative learning, Group investigation model, Case study model etc. supplement class room teaching. Teachers are given training for ICT enabled teaching technologies and workshopsare arranged to engage in modern learning techniques. Training on group discussions, methodologies of collaborative and participatory learning are provided to teachers. Conventional lecture method