Mr. K. Joseph Noel is the Head of the Mechanical Engineering Department at WISTM College. He obtained his post-graduation from GITAM University in Machine Design, Bachelor degree from Anna University, Chennai. He has a phenomenal teaching experience of seven years and Industry experience of five years and has been ratified as an Assistant Professor by Andhra University. His teaching interests include Engineering Mechanics, Strength of Material (MOS-1 & MOS-2), and Industrial Engineering. He is currently pursuing his Ph.D. from JNTU Anantapur in the area of Additive Manufacturing. He worked in various administrative roles which included, Training and Placements officer, Jnanabhumi SPOC, etc. His other areas of interest include Data Sciences, Programming, and Engineering Physics. He is an excellent speaker, an accomplished musician. He was awarded the “Best Teacher” award in 2019 by the Vice Chancellor of Andhra University Prof. PVGD Prasad Reddy.

Welfare Institute of Science Technology and Management

What are the factors that make this program the best for the students to opt for?

The reason why I would suggest anyone to consider mechanical engineering is because there's a significant influx into the computer science department. A large proportion of students prefer to join the computer science department, which could lead to a job shortage in other departments, particularly core departments such as electrical, mechanical, and civil engineering. Therefore, within three to four years, there could be a substantial shortage of qualified professionals in these departments.

What are the best practices in the program you are offering to the students?

In our college, the best practices are as follows: The first best practice is the implementation of a counseling system. Every 15 students are assigned a faculty member who monitors the progress of the student regularly. Books are given to them, and they have to update them. They also engage in regular communication with parents. That’s the first thing. And the second thing, apart from the curriculum, we encourage extracurricular activities, like no other college, because this is the only college that implements everyday sports. This means every student, including faculty, has to play sports every day. The third point that I would like to bring in is we have regular industrial and institutional conversations. Most of our students, right from the second year onwards, go on industrial visits. So every semester, there are at least two industrial visits that we’re doing right now. The industry connection is there, and we also invite a lot of industry people to give special lectures at our college. So, these are all the reasons that I would say.

How do you tend to build an industry connection with the program?

We have an active placement cell that is crucial because all industry connections must go through the placement office. The placement office is currently training all students in the college, from the first year to the final year, in placement language and industry skills. This training is not part of the curriculum; it is an additional initiative taken by the institute, especially in programming languages and software courses in EEE, mechanical, and civil engineering. These are all the things.

Additionally, we regularly invite industry professionals to the institute. In fact, we have a couple of industry CEOs in the governing body of the institute. Therefore, we are in constant touch with them, and the placement officer maintains regular communication. As part of the curriculum, students are required to do internships in the industry. This internship is mandatory, and all students must spend at least three months working with the industry.

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What were the challenges that you faced while inculcating this program in your curriculum?

The challenges that we are facing right now, concerning mechanical, I guess none or maybe, there is a little drop in the admissions in the first year. However, a lot of diploma students, come and join in the next year. So all our mechanical departments are at full strength. we have more than 140 students in every year. So I don’t think we are facing any challenges right now. And, one of our strengths is our laboratories in the college. So I don’t think we are facing any challenges right now with the mechanical department especially.

What are the types of projects that students are working on in this program?

Well, usually the projects we do, we ask the students for their interest in the first place. But we, encourage the students to do socially responsible projects. Especially because our college is actually partnered with UBA, a central government program where we’ve adopted five villages surrounding our college. So there are a lot of projects that we are doing, and few of the projects have moved to patents as well. And all the projects that we do, a mandatory publication of all the projects done by all the finder students. 

What are the benefits and career options after pursuing this course?

"Well, currently, the entire industry is moving towards Industry 4.0, automation, computer-aided designing, and the integration of data analytics and artificial intelligence into the mechanical engineering department. The career opportunities are vast. In our college, we emphasize that all students pursue higher education and encourage them to consider entrepreneurship as a primary option. Job placement takes a backseat, not because job opportunities are limited, but because the prospects with higher education and entrepreneurship are more extensive. This approach is where our focus lies for the majority of our students. I believe there is no lower importance for mechanical engineers compared to computer science, especially given the inclusion of Python, basics of C, and artificial intelligence in the mechanical department curriculum."

What do you think your roles and responsibilities?

The role of a teacher has changed drastically over the years. The teacher has now become a facilitator, more like a friend, helping the student to grow and shine. However, there is always a cap that we have to maintain. The facilitator role includes us in conducting mentor-mentee programs, where we have regular conversations with the students. On the whole, the role of a teacher has completely changed due to the choice-based best education system implemented by the university. Our role and responsibility are solely to facilitate the students. It's always a student-centric campus with a student-focused approach.