Assessment Report on
Institutional Accreditation of
Lady Doak College (Autonomous)
Madurai, Tamil Nadu
Lady Doak College, Madurai, is an autonomous, grant-in-aid women’s college established in 1948. The college is now affiliated to Madurai Kamaraj University. Autonomy was conferred on the college in 1978. The mission of the college is to impart quality higher education to women students of all creeds without any discrimination. The college has earned a reputation of its own in women’s education.
The college volunteered to
be assessed and accredited by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council
(NAAC). The self-study report necessary for this purpose was submitted to NAAC
in November 1999. The three-member Peer Team consisting of
Prof. V.N. Rajasekharan Pillai, Vice-Chancellor, Mahatma Gandhi
University, Kottayam, Prof. J. Ramanna, Former Director of Collegiate
Education, Government of Karnataka, Bangalore, and Prof. P. Pramada Devi,
Principal, Osmania University College for Women, Hyderabad visited the College
on 13,14 and 15 December 1999 for an on-site evaluation of the self-study
report and for interactions with all the academic and administrative components
of the institution. The pre-visit analysis of the self-study report, visits to
the various departments and facilities, interaction with the college community
in 10 sessions during 3 days and an in depth analysis of the performance
provided the following observation and insights which are pointers to the
quality of the institution. In addition to the detailed examination of the
documentary evidences related to administration, academic governance and
evaluation, the Peer Team also interacted with the Board of Directors and the
Executive Council, the Principal, students, teachers, non-teaching staff,
parents and alumnae. The reports related to the performance of the college
under autonomy were also perused. The summary of the findings are given below.
Section 2. Criterion-wise Analysis
Criterion I: Curricular Aspects
The College has been autonomous for the last 22 years. Consistent with the institutional goals and objectives, there have been successful attempts to design a diversified, meaningful curriculum which is relevant to the region and the time. The courses offered by the college are different from those offered in affiliated colleges.
The conduct of a total of 37 courses starting from the certificate courses to the M.Phil. programme under the regular as well as self-financing stream, is an indication of the extent of programme options available in to students in the institution.
The periodic revision of curriculum which is a requirement of the continuation of autonomy has been strictly carried out. Basic, applied and interdisciplinary aspects of the subject in question have been interwoven in the curriculum. The curriculum takes care of the need of advanced higher education requirements (vertical mobility) as well as relevance to other disciplines (horizontal mobility and interdisciplinary). Every five years the curriculum is widely revised. Minor, marginal revisions to incorporate new topics, keeping in view the developments in the field, are evident. This has provided the students a unique opportunity for learning in interdisciplinary areas like environmental science, astrophysics, biophysics, physics of sports, physics of music, practical banking, American studies and industrial microbiology.
Value education, women’s studies, computer expertise, research methodology and participation in seminars and field work are compulsory for all students. NSS, NCC and sports are also integral parts of the curriculum. Skill as well as knowledge are given the necessary emphasis in all the programmes. Courses outside the curriculum are offered to augment job-opportunities. Clinical diagnostics, secretarial practice and certificate/diploma courses in computer and information management subjects illustrate this point.
The college has evolved a characteristic administrative and academic structure to take care of the dynamic changes in the curricular aspects. The Curriculum Planning and Evaluation Cell, the Boards of Studies and the Academic Council function effectively making full use of the expertise from universities, research institutions and industrial concerns. There is a formal mechanism to seek views from students, faculty and other experts. All these efforts point to the development of a dynamic curriculum, which is the need of the hour. These efforts and positive steps can lead to complete fruition only when the choice-based credit system becomes operative. The stage is set for this innovation.
While considerable work is going on to update syllabi, offer interdisciplinary courses and to provide course options, the curricular impact or stakeholders may be evaluated by a wide feedback from different components to test the efficiency of curricular reform made so for.
The institution follows the reservation policy adopted by the Government of Tamil Nadu in making admissions. All UG admissions are based on the marks secured at the intermediate level while entrance tests are conducted both at the PG and the M.Phil levels. Conducting bridge and remedial courses to all the newly admitted students for seven to ten days is a good step taken by the College to give a general orientation to all. This helps students from rural areas and those who are weak in English.
The college follows the
semester system. Besides regular classroom teaching, involving students in
seminars, project work, etc both at the UG & the PG levels is
commendable. The provision made
available for guest lectures gives a good exposure to students and also
motivates them for higher learning. Use
of audio visual aids and construction of models help in practical involvement.
Besides offering a wide
range of optional courses, the college has made participation in the NCC, NSS
and sports obligatory. The College has
six units of NSS and students are made
to participate either in NCC or NSS or sports.
Students who participate in co-curricular activities are helped to make
up the loss of regular classes through
extra classes and special examinations arranged for them.
Periodic assessment of
student progress is followed. Internal assessment tests, assignments and seminar
participation ensure the continuous assessment process. The college follows the
method of double valuation/collective valuation in both the undergraduate and
the postgraduate exams. The assessment and valuation are transparent. Students have a provision to approach the
teachers in case of any doubt.
The College has an adequate
number of qualified faculty to handle various courses. The Management permits
the Principal to recruit faculty as per the rules and regulations laid down by
the government and fill in any vacancies. Teachers are involved in
research. Participation in and conduct
of, seminars is encouraged by the Management. Members of faculties have freedom
to publish research articles. Ninety
percent of faculty have one step higher qualification than the mandatory level
and 25% of them are Ph.D. holders. The
care taken by the faculty to prepare the handouts for the special courses
offered is commendable. Preparation of teaching plans, adhering to
schedule and making themselves available for students after regular college
hours show the dedication and commitment of the teachers.
The institutional efforts
made for faculty development are significant. Special mention may be made of
the facilitating aspects of study abroad programmes, summer enrichment and
college sponsored workshop/seminars. During the last two years itself, the
college has organised 16 workshops for teachers. The college has also provision
for study leave and during the last 2 years 8 teachers have availed themselves
of the facility.
Self–appraisal is operative
in the evaluation of teaching. There is also a mechanism to elicit information
from students on evaluation of teachers, teaching and courses offered.
The institution has a good
linkage at national and international levels. Through student exchange and
faculty exchange programmes with institutions of higher education abroad like
the Oberlin University, the College has trained students and faculty in thrust
areas like Women's Studies and Service Learning.
The need to shift pedagogy
from teacher centeredness to learner-centeredness may be met more effectively
with scholar - self-reliance and academic independence which the college may
specifically promote.
Criterion III: Research, Consultancy and Extension
The College is essentially
an institution for undergraduate teaching. However there are instances of
individual teachers and departments engaging in research, which has to be
encouraged. The Faculty Research and Development Cell has been constituted to
promote research activities. The institution also extends financial support for
a few projects.
The department of zoology is
a recognised centre for research. More than 50% of the faculty is engaged in
research. About 15 teachers are on the
FIP program of UGC during IX plan.
Teachers are involved, one way or the other, in guiding student projects
or in the research activities of their own projects. A good number of faculty
are recognised research guides. The number of books published by teachers in
the department of Tamil and the research papers published by various
departments give a high profile of research culture prevalent in the
institution. The department of Chemistry and the Women’s Studies Centre have
the potential to offer consultancy and they may have to explore the
possibilities in this direction.
True to the spirit of the
objective, the College takes care of co-curricular activities like NCC, NSS and
sports. Six units of NSS and their participation in extension activities and
camps evidently show their social commitment. NCC is another wing which brings
laurels to the college by their participation in the Basic Leadership Camp and
the Republic Day Parades. Championship
in team events and athletics for the past 6 or 7 years is a commendable
achievement in the field of sports. Participation of the faculty in extension
activities is appreciable. With the encouragement given by the college
administration and faculty and with the immense potential in the youth, the
institution has further scope to improve the activities of the three wings
namely NCC, NSS and sports.
Research activity is thin
except perhaps in one department. Work
under autonomy could have augmented research and also helped to generate income
from consultancy.
During the past 51 years of
its existence the college has gradually expanded its facilities in the form of
buildings, laboratories, library, hostel blocks and guest houses. The college
owns a campus spreading over 17.3 acres housing 14 departments, laboratories,
etc.
The maintenance of the
infrastructure of the college is monitored by the Bursar in consultation with
the Principal. The consulting engineer
of the college recommends the repair works to be carried out under the supervision
of a full time well-qualified Campus Manager. While the students of the aided
courses use the class rooms spread over the day as per time table, those of the
self-financing courses use some of the class rooms after 2 PM and thus ensuring
the optimal use the available class room-space. Special rooms, auditorium and the student activity hall are put
to maximum use by resorting to advance booking and use.
The different departments
offer library service to their students. There is a book bank facility for
needy students. The computerisation of the library is under process. This may be completed as early as possible.
The ratio of the number of books to the number of students is 35:1 which is
fairly good. The library has an open access system. The colour code for easy
identification of books is an interesting provision. The library has 4
computers and a printer. The library has got a CDS/ISIS software package from
the UNESCO.
The Central Computer
facility consists of 97 computers with 17 printers with one computer connected
to the multi-media projector. The
various departments are equipped with 13 computers and 4 printers. The College office has 14 computers and 12
printers. The Computer Centre is
managed by a systems analyst. Annual
Maintenance contracts have been made for the computers, printers and the UPS.
The software required, is obtained from the Centralised Computerised Centre.
The college has an effective
intercom network. All classrooms are connected to the public address system.
Linking the departments, the computer centre, the library and the
administrative officers by intranet is nearing completion.
The services of a College
Doctor are available on call. The
doctor does annual medical inspection for students. The services of a qualified nurse and a resident clinic assistant
are available. The health care centre
has 6 rooms and 17 beds and the requisite medical equipment and apparatus are
available.
The College has a Physical
Education Centre with facilities like basketball courts (2), volleyball courts
(2), ball badminton courts (2), Kho kho field (1), Kabaddi field (1), throw
ball court (1), stadium with gallery (1) with indoor facilities like Table
Tennis, Chess & Caroms. Students
have distinguished themselves by winning overall championships of Madurai
Kamaraj University for 6 successive terms and a trophy for sending maximum
number of students as members of university teams.
Accommodation is available
for 400 students in the six college hostels and guest house facilities are
available.
Perhaps a master-plan could
have projected the sufficiency of infrastructure for programmes to be offered
during the next ten years.
The success rate of students
in examination is very good. Financial aid is provided to the needy students.
During the year 1998-99, 37 students got merit scholarships, 80 students from
the State Government and 443 from the Central Government.
In the field of sports the
college has the credit of sending maximum number of University Blues. Career
Counselling is an integral part of the College activities. Academic Counselling
facility is provided to all the students. It is recommended that a placement
cell be established in the College to keep track of the placement of the
graduate and other students. The employment cell in the College encourages
students to be self-employed. The
self-employment is promoted through the Career Guidance Cell and
Skill-development Co-curricular programmes.
An Alumnae Association
exists and is very active. It conducts
the following activities.
(1)
Every
year the Alumnae Association organises a graduate reception and Annual Meetings
of the Association.
(2)
The
Alumnae Development Committee runs the type-writing institute and tailoring
institute. It also runs a crèche to provide child care facility to the faculty
members, non-teaching staff and other employed women in the neighborhood.
Student progression seems to
have been achieved to some degree by offering help and support in which
students may rely. The college may be concerned about promoting initiative and
self confidence among students who can thus progress into the competitive world
of careers and research , field training ,publishing, research studies may
constitute a totally different set of support strategies for this purpose.
The Lady Doak College is
governed by the Katie Wilcox Education Association constituted under section 25 of the Companies Act, 1956. Under
the Board of Directors and rules laid
down by the UGC for autonomous colleges, there is an Executive Committee &
Finance Committee which jointly look after the functions to
-
fix
the fees and other charges payable by the students
-
institute
scholarships, fellowships, studentships, medals and prizes
-
Approve
introduction of new programmes of studies
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Consider
budget estimates relating to the grants received/receivable from the UGC and
other Govt. sources and income from fees etc.
-
Consider
audited statement of Accounts for the above.
The Board of Directors helps
the Principal in the recruitment of teaching/non--teaching staff as per the
State Govt. rules and regulations as and when the vacancies arise. Performance
appraisal of all the members of the staff is undertaken every year. The Senates and the Academic Council are
Advisory bodies consisting of the Heads of the Departments and they advise the
Principal on all academic matters. The
Faculty Association helps in achieving the effective coordination of various
programmes of the college.
The Board of Directors meets
once in three months. There is decentralisation of administration through
delegation of responsibilities to appropriate academic bodies/committees. All the members of staff are encouraged to
participate in decision making through ideas & suggestions emerging from
different levels. Campus networking
through computers, intercom, fax, intranet and internet facility and office
automation are some of the examples of the use of modern technology for the
efficient functioning of the college.
The college has an effective
and up-to-date internal audit mechanism. The Management maintains a corpus fund
which is available for supporting faculty appointments and other development
programmes of the College.
Whereas opportunities are made available for participatory involvement in planning and decision making – an advantage in an autonomous college – by themselves they may not promote quality or even functionality. Hence an assessment of the effectiveness of these bodies in specific terms is crucial to make them effectively operative.
Criterion VII: Healthy Practices
In an ever growing and
demanding field of education the institutions have a vital role to play, to
meet the demand of job oriented, need based courses. The Peer Team is pleased to observe the college taking care of
this aspect in its own way. The courses
offered are modified & upgraded to meet need challenges.
The college has the
privilege of using the expertise visiting international scholars. Their stay is fully utilised by the
institution by means of extension/guest lectures.
The awards won by the
faculty in the departments of Tamil and economics are worth mentioning.
Introducing women’s studies
to improve the general personality and awareness of gender based problems is
highly appreciative. The ‘Advisory’ method adopted by the college to see to the
need and care of students in various aspects is laudable.
Goals and objectives of the
institution are well met by involving the faculty and students in leadership,
Management & interpersonal skills.
Good infrastructure,
adequate facilities, computer centre with network facility and internet help
modernize the functions of the college.
The college has effectively
utilized the advantage of autonomy in the improvement of courses, in moulding
examination and evaluation systems, programme option etc. It is a welcome aspect that it is soon going
to switch over to the credit system.
To sum up, the Lady Doak
College, Madurai has been pioneering in the field of women’s education in Tamil
Nadu for the last five decades. While sticking to the noble goals and
objectives of its founders, the institution has taken rapid strides in
educational innovation and development. Started as a second grade intermediate
college in 1948, raised to the status of a first grade degree college in 1957,
upgraded to a P.G. College in 1961, and conferred the autonomy in 1978, the
college has never hesitated to adopt new systems and practices of higher
education. As early as in 1970 the college has participated in the College
Science Improvement Program (COSIP) of the UGC. In 1976 it adopted the semester
pattern. In 1993 it welcomed the self-financing pattern to start certain
courses which could not be supported by the grant-in-aid programme of the government.
The college participated in the UGC vocational courses programme by starting
the Vocational botany (Industrial Microbiology) course. Research inputs and
inter-institutional collaboration and linkages at a National and International
levels are also encouraging.
While strengthening the
activities along the above lines, the college may also direct its efforts for
further growth in the following areas too;
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Computerisation
of library (which is already in progress) and starting of online information retrieval
facility.
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Pooling
of the personnel and infrastructure resources of the library, computer science
and information system courses for starting graduate and post-graduate courses
in library and information science.
-
Entering
into agreement with industrial concerns, corporate houses, Banks and NGOs for collaborative teaching and
training.
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Introduction
of course and credit pattern or the choice-based credit system.
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Integration
of the self-financing courses with the main stream of conventional courses.
With the excellent track
record of the college, its commitment and the ambient academic atmosphere
prevailing in the institution, the Peer Team feels that the college has all the
potentialities for achieving international standards. While congratulating the
entire college community, we also thank them on our personal behalf and on behalf of the NAAC, for the
cooperation and support they have extended during the assessment exercise.
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