NAAC Re-accreditation Self – Study Report Table of Contents S.No Contents Page No. 1. Preface 2. Executive Summary i 3. Profile of the University 01 4. Criterion – I : Curricular Aspects 12 5. Criterion – II : Teaching, Learning and Evaluation 28 6. Criterion – III : Research, Consultancy and Extension 60 7. Criterion – IV : Infrastructure and Learning Resources 105 8. Criterion – V : Student Support and Progression 124 9. Criterion – VI : Governance, Leadership and Management 138 10. Criterion – VII : Innovations and Best Practices 168 11. Action Taken Report 177 12. Declaration by the Head of the Institution 184 Executive Summary Coimbatore, the second largest industrial region in Tamil Nadu has a unique distinction of having the highest textile activity per square kilometer in the world and it is called Manchester of South India. The city today has evolved itself into diversified economy with Engineering, Auto Components, Pumps and Motors. In 1980‟s the city has meta- morphed into an Educational Hub with highest density of institutions i.e. 84 in 75 square kilometer which produce 50,000 graduates of various disciplines every year. The Bharathiar University, named after the great visionary and revolutionary national poet, Subramania Bharathi, was established in Coimbatore at the foothills of Maruthamalai in the Western Ghats by the Government of Tamil Nadu in February 1982, with jurisdiction over the districts of Coimbatore, Erode, Tirupur and Nilgiris. This University is the offspring of the world renowned University of Madras. Bharathiar University is Ranked Fifth Best State run Universities in India by The Sunday Indian (27.06.2011) Ranked as one of the top 50 Universities in India and placed at 32 and 33 in the surveys conducted by the popular English Magazines „India Today‟ and „The Week‟ in 2013 respectively In 2014, the University was ranked at 29th position by „India Today‟ (02.07.2014) Vision Our vision is to provide internationally comparable quality higher education to the youth. The aim is not only to focus on imparting subject knowledge and skills, but also to mould the students with better conduct and character committed to the societal needs and national development. Enshrined with the motto of poet Bharathi‟s words “Educate to Elevate”, the University strives to realize the vision of India and excel in promoting and protecting the rich heritage of our past and the secular ideals of the nation. Mission To be innovative, inclusive and international University; committed to excellence in teaching, research and knowledge transfer and to serve the social, cultural and economic needs of the nation. To innovate and offer educational programmes in various disciplines with synergistic interaction with the industry and society. To impart knowledge and skills to students, equipping them to be ready to face the emerging challenges of the knowledge era. To provide equal opportunity to women students and prepare them to be equal partners in meeting the scientific and technological demands of the nation. To contribute to the advancement of knowledge through applied research leading to newer products and processes. To prepare the students to work for societal transformation with commitment to justice and quality. Bharathiar University has been accredited with „A‟ grade in 2003 and reaccredited in the year 2010 with „A‟ grade by NAAC. Eight departments in the Faculty of Science are under the DST-FIST programme. Eight other departments are already operating UGC-SAP and all the departments in the faculty of sciences are assisted under DST-PURSE to the tune of nine Crores. One department has been identified by the Tamil Nadu State to create the high tech PG laboratory towards the Center for Excellence in Physics. The M.Sc. Medical Physics course has been conducted in the department of Medical Physics in collaboration with Kuppusamy Memorial Hospital and BARC, Mumbai. The University has also presented a proposal for UPE and awaiting results. The DRDO-BU-CLS was established as a joint venture by DRDO, Ministry of Defense, Government of India, Bharathiar University and the Government of Tamil Nadu at Bharathiar University campus as an autonomous research institute to pursue both basic and applied research. Under Phase-I, a budget of Rs.18.0 Crores and Under Phase-II, a budget of Rs. 24.0 Crores was allotted by DRDO. The centre has also added a transit cum hostel facility. Major thrust areas of research for the Phase-II programme are highly interdisciplinary and innovative. The Academic Staff College of Bharathiar University is ranked number one among the Academic Staff Colleges of Tamil Nadu and 12th among the Academic Staff Colleges in India by NAAC. The University offers 118 programmes to cater to the educational requirement of around 3,000 students on campus and 219 programmes under distance mode enrolling more than one lakh students and around two lakh students through affiliated colleges. On an average 450 Ph.D. degrees are produced annually. Bharathiar University is one of the pioneers to introduce Choice Based Credit System as early as in 2000-2001. Adhering the recommendation of TANSCHE, the credit structure has been modified to bring uniformity across all the affiliated and autonomous colleges. Each department offers minimum of four elective papers for the department students. A total of 94 supportive papers are offered by all the departments for the choice of students of other departments. The curriculum and the syllabi are updated with an emphasis in both fundamentals also well as application by having industrial experts from the national institutes and notable alumni in BoS as members. The feedback obtained from the students through the instrument prepared by IQAC is used appropriately in revamping the syllabi to make them more dynamic. Credit transfer is permitted between regular mode and distance mode. Teaching by industrial experts, training in industries through internships, summer placements, academy summer fellowships in which some of the research scholars visit abroad for three to six month fellowship to work for their Ph.D. programmes, major projects with real time application to cater to the local industrial needs and case studies are the experiential learning opportunities available on campus for students to become employment ready. All our academic efforts are complimented with finishing schools jointly organized with TCS, CTS, Infosys in sector specific, platform specific, tool specific and company specific areas of competence and with our MoU with National Skill Development Council. The University has 197 dedicated teachers on roll with vast experience in teaching and research, many of whom are internationally recognized and won awards and laurels. The state of the art facilities available for faculty members and scholars nurture a culture of research in cutting edge areas. A testimony to this is huge publication of faculty members with high impact factor and h-index. During the assessment period the member of faculty have completed – 109 major research projects by attracting funds worth of Rs. 1440 Lakhs. Currently 95 projects are on operation worth of Rs. 1550 Lakhs. The human, physical and IT infrastructure of the University has expanded manifold to meet the increasing demands of the academics and administrative demands. Buildings worth Rs. 5555 Lakhs are constructed during the assessment period. By being partner in MHRD supported National Knowledge Network, the University could access national and international resources and get the high speed network support of 1 Gbps. The library has a large collection of resources available through UGC – Infonet, and Inflibnet. To support students for higher learning and career goals, learning outside the class room, beyond the scope of the syllabus is emphasized. For the benefit of slow learners remedial coaching and bridge courses are offered. To cater to the advanced learners, learning additional non – credit, on line courses through open source of learning is made mandatory from 2015 onwards for the students on campus and in the affiliated colleges. The SMART classroom with plug and play facility, career guidance and effective monitoring system in the ratio of 1:20 (teacher students) aptitude coaching through web learning portals, active functioning of forums and clubs, encouragement of students to participate in extracurricular, sports and cultural activities promote participative and culture among students and teachers on campus . The on-campus hostels for both boys and girls with all the facilities like TV, News papers, Wi-Fi, Magazines, Reading Room, Play Ground, Music and participative management of hostel mess give students a home away from home experience. The University has two of three Constituent Colleges in hilly areas viz., Valparai & Gudalur, to cater to the educational needs of socially disadvantaged students and repatriates. Anna Civil Service Coaching Centre is training the aspirants for civil service & competitive exams. Two of our trainees have cleared main exams of IAS in 2015. Government of Tamil Nadu has sanctioned Rs. 27 Lakhs to establish a centre and conduct entrepreneur and skill development programmes for students. Bharathiar University is also identified as a nodal centre by the Entrepreneurship Development Institute by the State Government to develop entrepreneurial skills among the youth. The University campus is planned and constructed in an area of 977 acres, with all the teaching departments, administrative offices,