Department of Computer Science and Engineering held the inaugural function of the 2 day National Conference called Codeclave 8.1. Smt.Hema Gopal, Vice President, Banking, TCS was the chief guest. The Principal gave a rousing speech on the college and proudly informed the guest about TCS' role in recruiting 154 students this year.

Smt. Hema Gopal appreciated the enthusiasm of the college and promised more academic-industry interaction. The Proceedings of the conference were released by her. More importantly, TCS instituted the 'Best Project Award' for the final year students. Uthaya Kumar of the 2007 batch won the much coveted award. The citation read that in consonance with the policy of TCS to give back to the society what it has received, projects with vision and commitment to society would be assessed by reviewers and the short listed candidates interviewed and questioned extensively on their projects before deciding on the year's winner.
She then had an open house interaction with the audience.

Three questions were asked - one pertaining to how else codification is done by TCS other than codification of texts. The next question came from a student who wanted to know the R&D activities of TCS. The last one was from me. I wondered if TCS could've been TCS only because of a value system and asked her to explain the value system of the company. Hema answered that there is an ethical code of conduct signed by all employees and while the stress was on honesty, the most important value they cherished was one of loyalty. She attributed the negligible attrition rate in the company to this.

I wish all students were aware that along with their technical skills they would also have to train their hearts and go out to serve their employers with a strong value base. I consider the education of the heart to be as important as the education of the mind.

Teaching English as a language for engineers is not an easy task. Over the years, educators have evolved different methodologies, approaches and techniques.

A.J.Herbert considered an authority on 'Technical English' was once the guru for all teachers of technical English. It was then realised that in the purely technical context in which Herbert's exercises are based, young learners were finding it difficult to relate to the global demands for professionals strong in communication skills. Attention then moved on to 'Communicative English'.

Anna University, Chennai had a wonderful text from Oxford University Press which had a mix of all the four skills of communication - listening, speaking, reading and writing based on the context, the lessons and topics dealt with in the text. In the face of lack of adequate training to teachers of English who had to handle a fresh new challenge of teaching tasks that could not depend on examination oriented pattern of lessons or tasks, there has been dilution of standard in the handling of communicative tasks. Teachers began to depend on Dr.Sumant's exercise based worksheets in order to strengthen the students' grammar skills as they would help the student procure a pass, which seemed to be the only expectation of managements. If the syllabus was cleverly used to improve results, it seemed to be nobody's business. If the intention of the syllabus was to significantly improve the speaking or listening skills of students, that did not really happen.

Realising the need to improve the speaking skills of our engineering students, technology was then brought in. Language laboratories became the buzz word and language laboratories were established at immense costs in colleges. In the absence of adequate technical manpower and training from experts to teachers on how to scientifically and objectively use the technologies, there is no denying the fact that there have been searches for other methodologies.

Anna University, Coimbatore seems to have made a fresh attempt using the expertise of Cambridge University's proven record of ESOL training. Materials are specially developed for students of the Coimbatore zone of Anna University. For the past five days, training has been going on in Salem to orient the teachers to the teaching of the LSRW skills. The first session has focussed on the listening tasks. We have been taught how to use pre-listening and post-listening activities in order to move teaching towards a more student centric one. There is some clarity now in the minds of teachers as how the Cambridge materials ought to be completed in order to prepare students for a standardised ESOL examination to be conducted by Cambridge University.

Change is an indication of growth and language learning must constantly evolve and tailor itself to meet the global spurt in demand for technical manpower that is absolutely strong in communication skills.

College wears a deserted look since children have all gone away on Pongal holidays. The messes are closed and only the North-eastern students are there. Sometimes, I wonder why they are not invited over to their friends' homes. Could it be because they speak very heavily accented English? Could it be because of their food habits? Whatever, I really feel sorry that they are so far away from home and left to fend for themselves. However, they seem to be having good fun on their own.
There was a get together of the alumni of 1984 organised by Mrs. Vimala Rosaline of Civil Engineering at Hotel Star Holidays, Yercaud, last Saturday and Sunday. I believe there was a good turnout and everyone enjoyed the get together. Sometimes, it is nice to gather around a table or sit together and just chat about old times, I guess.
Sometime back, two or three weeks back, there was a Sanjay Kumarkayani of 1994 batch and I saw him proudly showing his friends who were with him, his name on the merit list of toppers displayed in the landing of the stircase from the main lounge in the admin block. Heard him tell the Principal that he was Vice President of Merryl and Lynch in US. Made one feel proud of the college.

Computer Science Department is organising the annual national conference and is very busy with preparations for it in the midst of TEQIP audit visits and meetings. A team of comperes came to the department seeking help in preparing themselves to be good MCs for the inaugural ceremony.
They need training in modulation, clarity and practised scripts. We do have some very good students, good at communication and at expressing themselves quite fluently. However, they let loose some awful mistakes when they say something spontaneously...we've heard them say, 'And now we invite our princiapl to give away the speech', or something like that and then the English teachers squirm a bit.
I always believe that when acting as master of ceremony, something that I love doing, there must be no mistakes. I still have scripts before me which I follow to the T... sometimes, I do adlib, but that comes with the confidence of maybe many many MC jobs...I would love to have my children have that technique with them when they take up an MCs job at formal functions. Of course, I love listening to them in informal contexts, such as GECOFEST or other fun days, when they comeout with some youthful and enthusiastic comments.
I love it that whenever there is an important department function, children descend in hordes and start cleaning up the space before the department and even come up with some instant plants and green cover. :))

When it rains, it pours! It looks like a cascade of proposals are being submitted by the college. Today, it was a proposal for new P.G.courses. I realise that introduction of new courses definitely means that GCE Salem is going to offer more students the benefit of technical education, but the preparatory paper work can be killing. On the other hand, it does look like proposals are my piece of cake. :))
The first years are under a lot of stress due to the exams that are going on...I hope that they stand the pressure well.
The ECE third years seem relaxed, cool and unperturbed by the placement activties. I told them that if they expected starting salaries that would effectively be the sum total of the earnings of their great grandparent, grandparent and parents put together, they would have to work for it. I believe that I have put the fear of God in their hearts....but, I do think that they will be preparing for it all secretely and quietly.
The rumour-mill has it that three more government colleges are to be started at Villupuram, Dindivanam and Panruti in the coming academic year.
Salem is ready with another engineering college called 'Narasus Sarathi Engineering College' near Omalur.
All this bodes well for the state of Tamil Nadu and if the quality of engineers coming out is ensured, then I think Tamil Nadu can offer to the world the best engineers possible.

Happy New Year to all our children. Funnily enough, one of the questions asked at my viva was whether the words 'children' and 'students' are interchangeable. I had replied that all adults retain a bit of the child and that students as adults retain that child in them and therefore it was not wrong to equate one with the other. The professor replied with a smile that it was a generalisation, a rather sweeping statement, too broad in its perspective. But, you know, for a teacher a student is always a child. Therefore, once again, Happy New Year to all.

A rather quiet beginning to the new year. Classes for the higher semesters are beginning tomorrow. We have Communications Skills Lab, a practical paper for 100 marks. I look forward to it.

Today, we had to send the internal marks and attendance details to Anna University, Coimbatore. This university does everything over the net. It is amazing how technology has revolutionised the way teaching and learning are carried out. Time was when the teacher would struggle over the percentages and marks and averages. Today, it is so easy, well maybe not too easy, since the entry of data is rather tedious and cumbersome. However, the fact remains that book-keeping is simple.

Proposals for increased intake are being prepared by the departments. This proposal if accepted should give more students the opportunity to study in government engineering colleges.