Mr. Vinod B. Jadhav is currently serving as the Head of Department (Computer Engineering) at the Rajarambapu Institute of Technology Polytechnic. He has completed his B.E. in Information Technology from PDEA COE Hadapsar and M.E in Computer Engineering from JSPM ICOER Wagholi Pune. He has 12 years of academic experience and his area of specialization is Computer Engineering.

RITP Pune

What are your roles and responsibilities in the department?

The role is to manage all the department's daily activities. I regularly coordinate with the staff and delegate work to each staff member. I ensure that the department work is aligned with the curriculum.

How do you try to bring in a practical approach towards subjects and make it industry-oriented?

We try to bring a practical approach to teaching by using outcome-based education. We design the curriculum in such a way that students get practical knowledge that they can apply when they join the IT industry. There have been different language courses in the curriculum like C, C+, Python, and Java, which ensure the students know these skills before they join the industry.

Do you have any extracurricular activities/ programs to enhance the skills of the students?

We have Expert lectures, and industrial visits, and arrange debates and quiz competitions. Also, we have a large field on which students can play sports like cricket, hockey, and football. The cultural festival is the highlight of the college as students participate in it and enjoy college. We encourage students to participate in different activities throughout the year. Our college hockey team won first prize in the Zonal hockey competition.

How do you inculcate industry experience and projects to students?

Industry experts conduct seminars and webinars in college. Students gain industry experience as a result of these sessions. There are many industry visits for students to experience the industry. Industry-relevant capstone projects are being given to students so they can apply their knowledge and work on their projects.

When you join the college, what was your vision and how are you trying to achieve the same?

I joined this institute in July 2010. I had dedicated many years to the teaching field. My vision is to first clear the basics of the computer engineering domain and make students professional, which is today's industry requirement. Through our curriculum, we will ensure that students will learn new skills that they will require when they join the industry or a higher course.

What valuable advice would you like for the students for the future ahead?

My advice to the students is to study conceptually. They should spend more time gaining industry-relevant knowledge and learning skills. They should have a proper discussion to decide in which field they want to work, and they should work hard to achieve their dream. Students interested in engineering courses should be clear with the concepts to increase their chances of scoring marks as the major basic course is already covered in the diploma. And they can also work hard and join the big companies in the IT industry.

What do you see as the biggest challenges facing higher education today, and how do you think your institution is addressing those challenges? 

Higher education is not accessible to every individual in our country, and universities try their best to make every individual get a higher education. We should try to provide practical knowledge in the higher education curriculum so that the overall development of the student happens and the employability ratio increases.

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How did you train yourself/faculty to deliver this program to the students?

We conducted a training and development program in which they were taught how to teach the curriculum and new ways of imparting knowledge. Also, the faculty have gone through various online courses to learn the skills. We also work and teach differently by assessing the batch. We try to clarify their basic concepts and ensure the curriculum is delivered as preferred by the advisory board.

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

Yes, there are a lot of benefits to computer engineering in the future because all sectors have made great revolutions. The students who want to join engineering have already gone through the concepts of computer science. Also, the biggest benefit of diploma courses is that they get direct admission in their second year of engineering. The students studying these courses can join the IT industry. With proper courses and skills, they can be software developers, data analysts, etc. There are several options if they want to work in the IT industry.

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

The major challenge is the regular update of machines and software as per the latest generations. The platform independence of all software will vary from machine to machine, and we have to provide the latest platform to students so that they update themselves with industry-relevant knowledge. Also, the PC configuration should be compatible with the latest software. We have to work on the comparability of new software versions.