With professional experience in teaching and research for more than two decades, Dr S Sankara Gomathi is currently serving as HOD (Artificial Intelligence & Data Science) at ADHI COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY, Kanchipuram. She has on her credit some Indian and Australian Patent Publications. Some of her research work has also won the Best Paper Award at the National as well as International level in World Congress of Engineers (WCE), London. She is also a Life Fellow/Senior Member of Cyber Society of India, ISTE, IACSIT-USA, WCE, London, DISAI (Digital Security Association of India). She is also actively participating as one of the Executive Core Committee Members of the Cyber Society of India currently.

Adhi College of Engineering and Technology

What are your roles and responsibilities as the HOD?

“Managing the day to day operational activities”

I take the responsibility of coordinating and initiating all the activities for the students and faculty members in the department. My responsibilities include designing the curriculum and syllabi, framing strategies for the successful outcome of the initiatives and initiating the faculty development activities. I work towards the students’ overall growth in the ever-growing nature of the industry.

How do you tend to establish healthy relations within your department?

“Integrating faculty and interesting student concerns”

We sustain a student-friendly atmosphere in our campus be it the management or the department. We provide the space to approach us at any time for support. We often used to conduct class committee meetings, where a senior faculty from the department interacts with the students. Along with the subject handling faculty of that particular class to discuss, their level of satisfaction in the teaching-learning process and their requirements are taken up. I always consult with my colleagues before making decisions, as the way of approach varies from person to person. In my opinion, transparent and timely communication is the key factor in building a strong relationship between students and faculty. To establish a good relationship with fellow faculty, I simply treat everyone, from the most junior to most senior, with respect.

How do you try to bring in a practical approach towards subjects?

“Collaborative and interactive teaching methods”

The department takes all necessary steps to see that the notion of the industry is inculcated in the teaching-learning process. MoUs have been signed with reputed foreign universities by our college also with various industries many more to provide industry exposure to the students. Industry-oriented elective courses are also being offered to the students. The curriculum has been designed in such a way that the graduates acquire all skill sets necessary for Artificial Intelligence Developer and Data Scientist. Through interactive discussion among teachers and students, different innovative solutions can be found for simple and complex applications. Besides the lab work for that subject, students can work on Mini Projects inside and outside the college such as “Smart India Hackathon“ throughout the years. Based on these applications. Thus they gain additional skills like communication, teamwork, and leadership which will definitely help them in the future. 

What best practices do you offer that help students gain necessary skills?

“Project-based learning, Innovative Pedagogy and Career Guidance Seminars”

The department has an integrated curriculum nurturing industry-ready data science graduates and covers all technologies related to AI & DS. Students work on a project over an extensive period of time where they learn all the steps starting from innovative ideas to the creation of a product. Induction Programs, Class Room Teaching, Guest lectures, Assignments, presentations, GDs, tutorials, Industrial talk, & Industry visits are organized on a regular basis. Moreover, seminars on improving Employability Skills, and training on Aptitude and Soft Skills Development, and Technical events to raise awareness of technical talent, and foster a competitive and congenial culture for talented individuals.

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How do you strategize the curriculum to make it beneficial for the students?

“Planning and implementation with expert approvals”

The curriculum and syllabi are revised every four years for both undergraduate and postgraduate courses. However, additional courses as electives can be added to the under-graduate curriculum as and when required after getting approval from the Departmental Consultative Committee members, Board of Studies and Academic council to meet the current trends of Industry and Institution Interaction. Almost 30% of the courses will be delivered by experts like doctorates. The curriculum of the AI & DS department has the perfect understanding of how the corporate world works, which helps in organizing events and programs that will provide avenues for the students to get exposed to the real world of work.

How do you help your student to cope up with the high competition outside?

“Enriching personal and professional skills”

Today the main objective of teaching is not just the delivery of lectures but also developing innovative thinking, analysis, design, implementation, and testing skills among the students. Some technologies that they learn now may go obsolete as it keeps changing. Focusing a little more on soft skills, problem-solving skills, entrepreneurship and self-learning initiatives can prepare them to face any kind of challenges. We have incorporated such courses in our curriculum itself, so that our students can take up any challenge in the IT industry well. 

What measure do you take to uplift the quality of education in your department?

“Establishing an environment of entrepreneurship and innovation”

In this fast-changing world, engineers need to be trained to manage the varied complexities and uncertainties of the modern world, ensuring that they are given practical solutions to work on so that they meet the needs of the present. This can happen only when the evaluation system pushes more towards a higher level of capability. At our department, we empower students to develop intelligent systems and innovative products for societal problems and build a strong foundation in Data computation, Intelligent Systems that enable self-development entrepreneurship and Intellectual property among them. Also, we develop competent and skilled IT professionals by imparting global skills and technologies for serving society. 

What has been your vision for the department and students?

“Maintaining academic integrity and empower students”

My vision is to develop highly skilled and competent IT professionals for sustainable growth in the field of Artificial Intelligence and Data Science. We are offering a new engineering branch of Artificial Intelligence and Data science from this year onwards. In addition to being a strong supporter of the department, my responsibilities include but are not limited to: encouraging and supporting innovative teaching, research, & consultancy. I wish to inculcate my students with a strong foundation in math, statistics, and computer science, Coding skills and help them to pursue a career in the most high-demand industry of this century. 

What do you see as the AI & DS department’s greatest strengths?

“Strong support for student learning activities and training”

Strong Industry Collaborations, Technical Workshops, Events, Training through Industry experts, Center of Excellence in AI in collaboration with Industry and best in class infrastructure setup are our primary strengths. We have specialized labs in AI, ML and Data Science learning. Moreover, the department shows a strong placement record and well maintained teacher-guardian system for student mentoring and personalization communication. We have adopted an employability enhancement course all around, and offer exposure through project-based learning, support and encouragement for Industrial internships and other practices. 

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What opportunities are there for students after pursuing this course?

“Avenues for innovation, diverse jobs and higher education in research”

The engineering education system can mass-produce far more globally competitive, high-end engineers and make a mark for India in the global hi-tech marketplace. The plus point with today’s students is that they are digitally savvy, making it easier for them to adapt to contemporary engineering concepts. I assure that on successful completion of this course a student will be able to establish a remarkable career in any of the reputed software industries as a Business Intelligence Developer, Machine Learning Engineer, Robotic Scientist, and Big data scientist, Data Engineer or Data Scientist with the Lucrative pay Package. He/She can also go for any Post Graduate program related to Artificial Intelligence and Data Science and take up a career as Research Scientist.