SELF STUDY REPORT (SSR) CYCLE III Submitted to NATIONAL ASSESSMENT AND ACCREDITATION COUNCIL BANGALORE Christ College, Irinjalakuda Thrissur, Kerala-680 125 (Accredited by NAAC with ‘A’ Grade) CHRIST COLLEGE IRINJALAKUDA (Accredited by NAAC with ‘A’ Grade) Thrissur – 680 125, Kerala, Tel: 0487‐2825258, Fax: 2831552, Website: www.christcollegeijk.edu.in E‐mail: [email protected]. FOREWORD The Christ College Irnjalakuda, founded in 1956 by the Devamatha Province of the Mary Immaculate (CMI) with an ideal Vision and Mission of higher education has been moulding an enlightened generation since its inception. It was accredited by NAAC in 2003 and later reaccredited in 2009 as an ‘A’ Grade College. Now, it is the time for the third cycle of accreditation. On the threshold of Diamond Jubilee year, the College is now submitting the Self Study Report, a landmark document prepared according to the NAAC’s guidelines and the recommendations of the two NAAC Peer teams. PRINCIPAL CONTENTS Page No. Covering Letter Executive Summary and SWOC Analysis 1 Profile of the Institution 14 Criterion-wise Analytical Report Curricular Aspects 25 Teaching-Learning and Evaluation 47 Research, Consultancy and Extension 96 Infrastructure and Learning Resources 151 Student Support and Progression 171 Governance, Leadership and Management 199 Innovations and Best Practices 223 Post Accreditation Initiatives 235 Evaluative Report of the Departments 240 Documents and Certificates Certificate of NAAC Accreditation (Cycle I) Certificate of NAAC Re-Accreditation (Cycle II) Minority Certificate Certificate of Inclusion Under Section 2(f) & 12(B) Certificate of Affiliation Declaration by the Head of the Institution List of IQAC Members Executive Summary and SWOC Analysis Christ College, Irinjalakuda EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Christ College was started in 1956 by the Devamatha Province of Carmelites of Mary Immaculate (CMI), an indigenous religious congregation founded by St. Kuriakose Elias Chavara. It has a history of more than a half century with excellent achievements. Its founder Principal, Rev. Fr. Gabriel, was awarded the Padmabhushan by the Government of India in 2007 for his contribution to the cause of higher education in Kerala. The College started functioning with three UG batches in Zoology, Chemistry and Commerce. PG programmes in Commerce and Zoology were started in 1961. The College, affiliated to the University of Calicut, is included under section 2(f) and 12(b) of UGC Act 1956. The Institution had its first accreditation by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council of the UGC in 2003. It was reaccredited in 2009 with ‘A’ Grade. During the last five years the College was passing through a transitional period of rapid development. The concerted efforts of the Management, the Staff and the Students, combined with the wholehearted support from the alumni, the parents and the local community helped the College to scale new heights. The Government of Kerala has recommended that the College be granted Autonomous status and the approval from the UGC is expected soon. At present the College has twenty Departments that offer 12 PG, 18 UG, 6 Add-on programmes and a PG diploma programme. Six Departments are Research Centres. Since its inception, till this date, the College has maintained a consistent track record in both academic and extracurricular achievements. The students of the College are in the forefront, not only in garnering academic honours, but also in cultural activities and in sports and games at the University, State as well as National levels. The achievements of the Institution are well exemplified by its renowned alumni who occupy coveted positions as scientists, academicians, administrators, chartered accountants, scientists, advocates, computer professionals, professors, doctors, engineers, etc. The suggestions of the two NAAC Peer teams were immensely helpful in drafting strategies and prospective plans for quality enhancement. It is now time for the third cycle of accreditation. A brief outline of the activities of the College, recorded criteria-wise in the Self Study Report, is given below. CURRICULAR ASPECTS Curriculum Planning and Implementation In curriculum planning and implementation Christ College goes an extra yard to incorporate its educational ideals into the curriculum designed by the affiliated University. The College has a clear Vision and Mission statements that amalgamate the Educational policy of the CMI congregation. The College provides a conducive environment for the youth to excel not only in academics, but also in cultural and sports fields. It meticulously nurtures its wards so that they may assimilate cultural, moral and ethical values in the course of their academic pursuit. The Motto of the College is Jeevitha Prabha which means ‘Light of Life’, as it considers education as a tool to mould an enlightened generation. The College offers 12 PG and 18 UG programmes. Besides, six of its Departments are approved Research Centres of the University of Calicut. Availing UGC funding, it offers a PG Diploma and six Add-on courses also. The Bridge courses and the soft skill development programmes are in addition to the above. The College follows the Choice Based Credit and Semester System implemented by the University for the UG and PG programmes. For the effective implementation of the curriculum, an academic calendar prepared by the IQAC at the beginning of each academic year, is followed and the working hours are distributed as per a general Timetable provided by the College. The Christ College, Irinjalakuda Page 1 individual Timetable for Departments are prepared by the respective Heads of the Departments. Individual academic plan is prepared by the faculty in tune with the general academic calendar. A collective monitoring system, involving the Principal and the Heads of the Departments, ensures the timely completion of the syllabus and the conduct of internal evaluative process before the University Examinations. Syllabus up gradation and modification take place at least once in five years. The faculty are given Duty Leave to participate in the workshops and seminars, organized to familiarize the revised curriculum. Students will be given copies of the syllabi so that they also may get familiarized with the curriculum. The internal examinations are conducted twice in a semester, to assess the academic progress of the ward, for which a detailed plan will be given by the IQAC in the month of June itself. Parent-teacher interface meetings are organized in each semester to discuss the performance of the student in the presence of his/her parent/guardian. Academic Flexibility Affiliation limits the freedom for academic flexibility, curriculum design, course structure, evaluation process, etc. Within the limited academic flexibility, it is proud to state that the faculty of the College have given significant contribution in the design, development and modification of the syllabi for various courses. The entire syllabi for the six Add-on courses and innovative programmes like PG diploma in Disaster Management and PG diploma in Sustainable and Green Energy Technologies are prepared by the faculty. The syllabus of M. Sc. Environmental Science, followed in the University of Calicut, is fully designed by the faculty of the College. It is also to be noted that this is the unique College in the affiliated University that offers M. Sc. Environmental Science programme. The faculty from various Departments, with their capacity as members of Board of Studies, has taken the initiative to include emerging topics in the syllabi during the revision process, which will increase the students’ chances for employability, and enable them to perform well in competitive examinations for higher studies. The College has utilized the option to choose some new generation topics for elective/complementary programmes and open courses rather than the conventional topics. The College has been recommended for autonomous status by the Government of Kerala. The Institution is aware that autonomy entails greater responsibility, in matters like restructuring the syllabus, designing of new courses, rescheduling of examinations and timely publication of results. However, it is confident that the freedom and flexibility that autonomy confers in academic matters, can be utilized effectively in designing the syllabus of various programmes and in starting new courses, thereby doing justice to the Institutional Vision and Mission. Curriculum Enrichment Since the College is an affiliated one, it is bound to follow the syllabus prescribed by the affiliated University. The academic programmes designed by the University are not completely in line with the objectives of the College. So the College supplements them with various activities that are required to improve the attitude and employability of students. Apart from imparting quality education as per the suggested syllabus, College takes care to arrange certain skill development programmes to enhance the employability of the students. Funding from all quarters is utilized for this purpose. Thus, the College has started six UGC sponsored Add-on courses and one PG diploma programme to enrich the curriculum. Most of the takers of the programmes are from socially and economically backward areas. Aiming at the empowerment and holistic development of the weaker sections, the College offers many enrichment programmes like life orientation classes, value education classes, computer literacy programmes (IT Vijnan),