Thapar Institute has been part of many successful practices. We explain in brief the 2 best practices of the institute.
Objective: The primary aim is to transform the educational experience at TIET through the principles of Outcome-Based Education (OBE). This initiative seeks to shift from traditional teaching methodologies to a learner-centered approach, creating a focused and result-oriented academic environment.
Context: The needs analysis indicated the requirement of new approach of teaching and learning at TIET, which is inherently student-centered, recognizes the diverse needs & prerequisites, abilities, and interests of individual learners. New teaching-learning methods should be adopted to promote outcome and result oriented academic practices. The idea is to endorse a new framework of teaching-learning that ensures a clearly defined outcomes and incorporates identifiable and measurable learning objectives in terms of knowledge, skills, and abilities.
The Practice: To support the idea of nurturing existing academic environment with modern academic practices, a Centre for Academic Practices and Student Learning (CAPSL) came into existence in 2016. The centre is established in collaboration with Trinity College Dublin under the contemporisation program. The basic objective of this new direction program is to motivate and train the faculty members of various Departments to excel in their teaching by shifting from Teacher centric learning to student centric learning. The program focuses on the professional development of the faculty by training them through various modules, showcase events, Community of Practices (COP), expert session etc.
Constraints: The prevalent teacher-centered approach, earlier imbedded in TIET and common in many Indian institutions today, has emphasized ease in teaching rather than fostering an efficient learning environment. Project-based and research-led teaching practices have been underemphasized. Despite the significant importance given to class-room teaching, the decision to instigate a significant paradigm shift to enhance the learning experience posed multiple implementation challenges. The shift toward Outcome-Based Education demands a departure from traditional practices and requires a comprehensive transformation in both mindset and methodologies. In navigating these constraints, the commitment to delivering an excellent learning experience to students remains paramount.
Evidence of Success: To fortify the foundation of the recently incorporated teaching-learning philosophy, CAPSL organizes a comprehensive array of workshops and training programs. These initiatives are designed to empower TIET faculty members with contemporary pedagogical skills, ensuring they are skillful at navigating the evolving landscape of education. In past, faculty members at TIET have successfully completed a series of five core workshops, encompassing student-centered learning, assessment strategies, curriculum development, and outcomes-based approaches. The commitment to faculty development goes beyond the core workshops, with faculty members encouraged to participate in a minimum of two optional workshops. These cover diverse topics, including cultivating creative thinking and supporting collaborative group work. In addition to workshops, TIET has instituted a dynamic Community of Practices. This community serves as a platform for promoting in-depth discussions, sharing valuable insights, and collectively advancing pedagogical expertise.
Challenges and Resource Requirements: Achieving transformative change requires a shift not only in individual professional development but also in institutional approaches to teaching and learning.
Conclusion: Thapar is actively promoting a learner-centered teaching and learning environment through extensive professional development opportunities.
Objective: To advance knowledge and innovate in an interdisciplinary area, facilitate cutting-edge research, foster collaboration among faculty and students, attract funding and resources, and promote excellence.
Context: To make sure that we become one of the leading research institutes in the field, we have involved international researchers of tall stature to run our centers of excellence. Through interaction with leading institutes of the world, social interaction, and faculty research profile we have realized that there exists a lot of potential in the fields of food security, data science, material science and advanced manufacturing. The functioning CoEs are as follows:
Center of Excellence in Advanced Manufacturing
To realize the potential in these areas we have hired professors from Virginia Tech (USA), Tel Aviv University (Israel), and are in the process of hiring one professor from University of Queensland (Australia).
Evidence of Success:
The Center of Excellence in Emerging Materials has made significant strides in material science research. With 42 published papers and 41 ongoing projects, it's a focal point for innovation. The center's success is evident in its growing external funding, which increased from 32.12 lakh in 2021-22 to 178.29 lakh in 2022-23, and then to 74.22 lakh in 2023-24. Supported by 112 research fellows, both senior and junior, the center is nurturing talent and driving groundbreaking research. The involvement of faculty has also seen a remarkable increase, with 30 in 2020, 47 in 2021, 63 in 2022, and 75 in 2023. This growth reflects the center's commitment to excellence and its pivotal role in advancing materials science.
The Center of Excellence for Food Security is pioneering agricultural advancements with remarkable achievements. With two patents and the establishment of a company, it's driving innovation in the field. The center's impact extends beyond research, with extension activities in 10 villages covering 12 acres of land, introducing drip irrigation systems for rice and wheat cultivation. Furthermore, it's working in the area of cleaning wastewater for reuse in drip irrigation, promoting sustainability. The center's cutting-edge approach includes the development of an IoT-based soil sensor, streamlining irrigation processes through automation. Additionally, their canal water system integrates IoT technology for automated irrigation, optimizing water usage and enhancing crop productivity. With its multifaceted initiatives, the Center of Excellence for Food Security is revolutionizing agriculture, ensuring food sustainability for the future.
Challenges and Resource Requirements: The center of excellence requires a substantial infusion of funds to remain at the forefront and conduct cutting-edge research. The centers are aiding researchers in attracting external funding.
Conclusion: Thapar institute has seen the idea of centers getting materialized with a few tangible results. With a few more in the pipeline, we look forward to turning our institute to a research leading institute.
