Assessment Report on
Institutional Accreditation of
Stella Maris College
Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Stella Maris College, a
Catholic Institution of higher education for women, is affiliated to the
University of Madras and is partly residential. This Minority Institution with
a Christian ethos provides higher education that is value based to deserving
students, especially those who belong to the Roman Catholic community. Those of other religious affiliations are
also admitted without distinction and their rights of conscience are
respected. Besides, the college commits
itself to serve the economically weak, socially backward and needy students.
The college is under the Management of the Institute of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary, a registered Society founded on January 6, 1877, at Ootacamund, India, by Mary of the Passion, a woman of vision, courage and conviction. Realizing the importance of improving the status of women, schools and training centres for young working girls were developed by the institute from the very beginning. Stella Maris College owes its birth and its raison d'etre to this vision.
The College founded on
August 15th 1947, is a milestone in the history of women's education
in India. It had its humble beginning
in a one storied building in Mylapore with 32 students in the Intermediate
Class. Within a decade, Stella Maris grew into an institution offering graduate
and post-graduate courses.
Stella Maris was granted permanent recognition in 1951. To the college belongs the unique credit of starting the Bachelor's degree in western music and in history of fine arts as well as the Master’s Degree in social work of the Madras University. In 1952 the Natural Science course was started with 72 students. The college also has to its credit the distinction of being the first to introduce the M.A. course in Indian Music and the first women's college in Madras to offer postgraduate programmes in English, economics and fine arts.
Stella Maris was once again the first women's college to have a Social Work Degree Course with the introduction of the postgraduate course in 1962. It was one of the few colleges chosen to start the pilot scheme of National Service projects in the year 1968. The college celebrated 30 years of the NSS unit in 1998 with pride and a sense of fulfilment. Today the college has to its credit 12 undergraduate departments, 2 PG diploma courses, 5 postgraduate departments, with research facilities in 4 of the PG Departments.
Conscious of the growing
need for academic freedom, with meticulous planning and preparation, the
college became autonomous in 1987, introducing new inter-disciplinary
courses. The Autonomy Review Commission
which visited the college at the end of three years had this to say of Stella
Maris: Here is an institution which has thought of autonomy, planned for it
carefully over a period of time, with full participation of the faculty and is
functioning smoothly and well, as an autonomous college.
The college introduced the
Credit Based System in 1997 with the objective of a broad-based education and
flexibility in the choice of courses. The Institution has grown by leaps and
bounds and with it the faculty, staff and students. The dynamism of the
institution is displayed in all its aspects particularly in the manner in which
Stella Maris has evolved in response to societal needs and aspirations.
To understand its strengths
and weaknesses the college volunteered to be assessed by NAAC and submitted the
Self-Study Report in December 1999. NAAC
constituted the Peer Team to visit the institution and validate the input given
by the college under the Chairmanship of Dr. R.P. Kaushik, Professor of
Jawarharlal Nehru University with Dr. Ranganath, Professor of Mysore University
and Dr.Sr.Christine Rebello as members and it visited the college on 24 and 25
January, 2000. The Team had extensive
interaction with the Management Committee, Principal, faculty, students,
parents and alumni, visited various facilities of the college and checked
relevant documents. Based on the above
exercise and following the seven criteria identified by NAAC the Team assessed
the quality of education offered by the institution. The criterion-wise
analysis along with the commendations and suggestions are given in the following
pages.
The college offers 12 undergraduate programmes
(B.A. in history, economics, sociology, English and fine arts; B. Com; BCA and
B.Sc. in mathematics, physics, chemistry, botany and zoology), five
postgraduate programmes (economics, English, fine arts, social work and
mathematics), two postgraduate diploma courses (computer science and medical
laboratory technology), M.Phil. in three subjects (economics, English and fine
arts) and Ph.D. in four subjects (economics, English, mathematics and fine
arts). The college offers five programmes under the self financing mode – BCA.,
B.Sc. mathematics, B. Com., PG Diploma in computer science and PG Diploma in
medical laboratory technology.
The college has an
impressive record of curricular options as well as reforms made from time to
time. Changes in the syllabi of the courses are attuned to the university
system but with sufficient scope for innovative restructuring.
The credit based system of
education has been in practice since 1997-98 wherein the students have the
option to choose from 54 general elective courses, in addition to core and
optional courses in major and allied subjects. This gives students the
opportunity to choose interdisciplinary courses.
The college offers four
vocational courses – Food Science and Quality Control for students of botany,
chemistry and zoology; Functional Hindi to students in lieu of Foundation Language Course; Functional English to the
students of the English department and Tourism to students of History and
Commerce. To some extent B.A. fine arts, B. Com., BCA, and the PG Diploma
courses are career oriented.
The existing curricula for a
subject is reviewed and updated once in three years. The curricular content of
new programmes is formulated through regular Boards of Studies, National
curricular sources and through feedback from students and Alumni 35 – 40% of
members of the Boards of Studies are drawn from outside. After a new programme
is conceptualized it takes one year to introduce it. During the last two years
two programmes have been introduced – BCA and
Vocational course in Tourism for B.A. history and B. Com.
The college strives to inculcate in the students a sound philosophy of life based on faith in God, respect for the individual and concern for the less privileged through value education classes which are designed to enable students to imbibe noble values and attitudes. The social awareness programmes, NSS and other extension programmes have been designed to provide students with the much needed exposure to the social realities training them to act responsibly in relation to themselves and to others. The college also organises several leadership training programmes, counselling and personality development sessions.
Under credit based system of
education several courses are interdisciplinary in nature. For the vocational
courses like Tourism and Food Science and Quality Control the college has
established linkage with other institutions. Subjects such as fine arts,
physics, chemistry and postgraduate programmes in economics, English, social
work and mathematics along with computer science and medical laboratory
technology add to the vitality of the institution.
Students are selected for admission into
various courses through special entrance tests, interviews, by their academic record and through a
combination of the above. Apart from classroom instruction, projects, internships,
field training and seminars are provided to the students. Each department organises seminars,
workshops and exhibitions, which motivate students and enables them to realise
their potential.
The autonomy grant has
helped to improve infrastructure facilities providing Audio-visual equipment,
computers, slide projectors, OHP for each department, video cassettes and
software for the English and language departments, laboratory equipment and
library facilities. The departments use
Audio-visual facilities / computer simulated experiments, simulation games, group discussion, case
study methods and role-play as part of the teaching process.
Wherever possible students
are encouraged and guided to undertake projects and field work which also form
part of their internal assessment. Third year students of botany, zoology and
chemistry are taken each year for study tours. Students of fine arts and
history undertake study tours to various places in India as part of their
academic programme. The first year students of botany are taken for a day to
collect specimens of algae. Students who have opted for vocational courses are
given `On the Job Training' during summer vacations. Students of the vocational
course - Food Science and Quality Control
are taken for study tours to several institutions such as FIPPET, CFTRI and
King Institute, the Dept of Health and Preventive Medicine, Govt. of Tamil
Nadu. Students of the vocational course - Tourism undertake a 10-day study tour to various places of archaeological and historical interest.
Students of mathematics spend time observing and studying the constellations.
They are also taken to the planetarium and to the observatory. In addition to
the above, students are also taken to various other institutions such as
I.I.T., Veterinary College, Water and Sewerage Plant, The Milk Processing
Plant, Institute of Indian Medicine, Hospitals and research centres to interact
with personnel and observe various instruments / procedures.
Each department invites
Experts in the field during the academic year to deliver lectures on special
Topics. The Department of Social Work, in addition to class room teaching has
Orientation visits for field work, concurrent field work, rural camps, skill
training programme and block placement. Students are also encouraged to take
part in co-curricular (Quiz, debate and oratorical competitions) and
intercollegiate cultural programmes wherein their innate talents are brought
out.
Remedial Teaching sessions
are regularly conducted for the students who require assistance to improve
their academic performance. Students are selected for remedial teaching after
the first continuous assessment test each semester. The college offers a one year preparatory English Bridge Course designed
primarily for students who have completed their school education in the
vernacular medium and who require
to improve their English language
skills before they join an Undergraduate
programme. The course offers intensive training in the English language and
communicative skills. They are also given coaching in a subject of their choice
in order to improve their academic performance.
The college also has a Writing Centre, which functions with
the objective of improving the writing skills of students in the areas of
grammar, organisation and style. The centre functions with the help of Staff
Advisors from the English Department and writing assistants from the final year
UG and PG classes. Students from
various departments who need help have access to the Centre, where they will
receive individual guidance.
Evaluation of students is
based on both continuous assessment and end semester examinations held at the
end of each semester. Components of Continuous Assessment (CA) are administered by the course
teachers. Students are expected to take all testing units that are administered
to them. It includes two tests and a third component of seminar / assignment /
project work / any other. The testing units carry equal importance. Seminar /
paper presentation is a requirement at the postgraduate level.
There is no provision for
additional tests on the grounds of absence or poor performance. However, those
who have not taken the tests because of participation in college sponsored
activities on test dates are permitted to complete the course requirement
before the commencement of the semester examination. A student is permitted to
take the End Semester Examination provided she has a minimum attendance of 75%
per paper and has completed CA requirements of tests / seminars / assignments /
project work, etc. The postgraduate
courses of social work, fine arts and economics have viva-voce for the
dissertation / project work.
Centralised double valuation
is followed for the End Semester examination. Since the College follows a
double valuation system there is no provision for re-valuation. A student can
apply for review and re-totalling within 10 days of the
publication of results. The schedule of
the Examination (both CA and ES) is printed in the College Handbook and the
exams are conducted as per the scheduled dates. The results are published within one month after completion of
the examinations.
Eighty Seven out of the 110
permanent faculty have at least a one-step higher qualification than the
mandatory minimal level. Faculty keep abreast of recent developments in their
subject area by attending refresher courses / orientation courses, seminars,
workshops, conferences, etc. The college also conducts seminars and workshops,
and also invites experts as resource persons. It also invites experts to deliver
guest lectures for faculty and students of the departments and invites eminent
persons to deliver endowment lectures (Department of history, mathematics and
economics)
The institution follows the self-appraisal method to evaluate teachers on teaching, research and work satisfaction. Feedback on performance appraisal is given to the individual faculty member by the Principal. It is also used for career advancement. Further, individual Teacher evaluation is made by students at the end of the semester and institutional evaluation by students on completion of the 3 year degree programme. The evaluation made by students is very confidential and is used by the Principal/ Head of Department only as a feedback mechanism for the improvement of faculty performance.
The Peer Team is impressed by the method of self appraisal of the teachers as well as evaluation made by students from time to time. Teachers adopt a variety of new teaching methods such as holding summer camps, rural camps, hands-on-experience, visiting planetarium and observatories and projects in collaboration with Tamil Nadu Government agencies such as the Department of Preventive Medicine. The extensive field study programmes are an encouragement to students of vocational courses.
Periodical and continuous assessment of
students and end semester examination is a noteworthy
feature. Students are also expected to put in 75% attendance to be eligible to
appear in the exam for promotion to the next class.
Professional performance appraisal of teachers
may be attempted with building profiles on each teacher-in training, student
assessment, research, institutional involvement and compatibility with
colleagues. Appraisal forms used in leading universities in the west may be
adopted to suit Indian condition.
Criterion III: Research, Consultancy and
Extension
Thirty per cent of the faculty are actively
involved in research and have published 40 papers at international and national
levels and 33 books have been authored by them during the last five years. 21
faculty members have acquired Ph.D. during the last 5 years. A few departments
have on-going research projects.
College autonomy,
environmental conservation, food quality control, jewellery designing, career
and personal counselling, public relations & communications, etc. are some
of the areas in which the college has offered consultancy to others. Since the inception of autonomy, Stella
Maris College has hosted faculty from several other colleges and Universities
from other States to study the functioning of autonomy in the college and to
interact with faculty and students.
The college organises Functional Literacy
Programmes in 4 villages of Chinglepet District in Tamil Nadu. The college
requests the faculty to volunteer to participate in the extension programme on
a rotation basis. Student volunteers are drawn from the undergraduate classes.
In keeping with its objectives especially in forming women of character,
sensitising them to a deeper awareness of the social reality of the country,
training them to act responsibly in relation to themselves and to others, the
college has given high priority to outreach programmes. The faculty are
encouraged to undertake extension programmes / consultancy that are geared
towards the progress and development of society and care of the environment.
Some of the projects /
Extension Programmes undertaken by the college are :-
·
Culture
& Drug Use / Abuse (1992-97) – funded by IFCU
·
University
& Community Development (1997 onwards) funded by IFCU & CARITAS India
·
Functional
Literacy Programme (1992 onwards) funded by Indian Bank
·
English
for Communication for bus conductors & drivers (1993-95)
·
National
Service Scheme (1968 onwards)
·
Leather
Industry & its impact on the Environment (1996-97)
·
Environment
Awareness Programme (EAP) (1994 onwards)
·
Impact
of Higher Education on the Empowerment of Women
The team members felt
satisfied with the level of research, consultancy and extension offered to the
extent offered by the institution which is predominantly undergraduate and has
select postgraduate programmes. The Department of Fine Arts deserves special
mention for its notable contribution at U.G. as well as P.G. levels. This is the only institution in the State of
Tamil Nadu to offer this course.
The College has a well-planned, futuristic
master plan and the infrastructurel facilities are excellent. The 20 acre plot is strewn with 18 academic
blocks housing the different programmes of study and built phase-wise over a
period 50 years. These facilities are
used optimally by conducting English classes for conductors of the public
transport system, lending of the buildings to several private and public sector
undertakings to conduct conferences/seminars/ workshops, entrance tests,
etc. One of the computer laboratories
is made available to conduct classes for economically weak students of the
neighbourhood, on Saturdays. The
college premises are offered for conducting
programmes for disadvantaged groups such as spastics and street
children. Maintenance work is done annually.
Housed in a 2 storied
building the library occupies the pride of place in the campus and works on 270 days in a year from 8 a.m. –
4.30 p.m. on week days. With a total of 69739 books, reprographic facilities,
audio & video cassettes, CD ROMs and internet. The library services are
partially computerized using CDs/ISIS software.
Two computer labs are available for BCA & M.Sc. maths students, one for the M.A. (Eco) and BA fine arts, B.Com. and B.Sc. maths students, one lab for faculty and separate facilities for the four administrative offices. A total of 124 computers and 2 servers and 22 printers are available in the college.
Sports facilities include 2 courts each for basket ball, volley ball, lawn tennis, tennikoit and one court for ball badminton, one court for kho-kho, a multipurpose 200 Mts standard track, a cricket pitch, hockey field, table tennis and the required equipment for these games and sports. Sports facilities are indeed impressive. Outstanding players are given college fee concession. The college has won trophies at the regional, state and national levels.
There is an Infirmary and First Aid facilities with a resident qualified nurse on the campus. Compulsory medical check up is organized for the first year students.
Welfare programmes of the college include Students Aid Fund given by the college, free hostel accommodation to economically weaker students, interest free loan for administrative and supportive staff and ready response to situations like natural calamities, unforeseen medical emergencies of staff and students.
There are 2 hostels with 210 UG & PG students with one warden for each hostel and an assistant warden common for both the hostels. The hostels are provided with TV and other recreational facilities.
Other facilities include a separate block of 4-stories for administrative and academic services with 2 conference rooms, audiovisual room, inter-religious prayer room, DTP centre, a good canteen and a fruit juice centre.
The members of the team had a very extensive coverage of the institution’s infrastructure, its built up area, the quality of the building, class rooms, facilities available in class rooms as well as laboratories and student hostels, recreation centre and other buildings of the college premises. The members feel that the institution’s infrastructure is impressive. In terms of this general infrastructure, despite the fact that the college is situated in the heart of the city the institution has a very good ambience and its serene atmosphere is conducive to teaching and learning.
Criterion V: Students Support and Progression
The average pass percentage after minimum period of study is 80%. Many students pursue higher education and take up lucrative jobs. Students are offered courses in General Knowledge and current affairs to help perform better in competitive exams at the national level. Apart from govt. Scholarships, the college offers 166 scholarships. Thirty four other scholarships instituted by private donors and 9 awards are also available. 457 students have received merit and merit cum means scholarships and other financial aid during 1998-99.
The college arranges for campus recruitment and placement through the Deans office. It is advisable to have a regular placement cell with a placement officer.
A few members of the faculty are available for personal counselling to students. Peer group counselling is organized. Students are allotted to a particular faculty member for advice on academic matters.
The Alumnae Association of the college is very active and has raised Rs. 2 lakhs towards the building fund in 1996-97 through a cultural programme and has organized Career Guidance seminars. A directory of life-members (over 500) has been published in 1997-98. The alumnae news letter gives information about the activities and major developments in the college serving as a link between the past and the present. The alumnae have begun networking and Stella Maris Alumnae Chapters are being set up in some of the states in India and other countries.
The Students’ Union of Stella Maris organizes collegiate and inter-collegiate curricular and cultural activities. 14 student clubs provide opportunities for students to evolve into mature and responsible women, ready to face the challenges of life.
The Deans of Student Affairs offer counselling and facilitate the academic activities for students.
Criterion VI: Organization and
Management
Stella Maris College is a Catholic minority institution and has its own Management committee with well defined functions. The Management Committee meets at least once in 2 months. As an autonomous college it also has a statutory Governing Body constituted as per UGC norms for minority colleges.
With the introduction of autonomy and the credit system, administration has been made more participative and democratic. The college has 2 Vice-Principals, 3 Deans of Students Affairs, 2 Academic Deans and the Controller of Examination who are actively involved in the day to day administration. The College Council with the participation of students, plans for the academic year. The views and suggestions of the faculty are sought at general staff meetings.
Additional faculty positions have been created by the Management to ensure effective and efficient functioning of the college.
The institution provides for performance appraisal done for the purpose of career advancement of the faculty. Students also evaluate the course of study and the course teachers at the end of the study programme.
The financial resources of the college are sound. Fund raising drives and contributions from alumnae serve to augment the resources. The college has itself identified areas of weakness and proposes to enrich financial resources and create a data base of all relevant documentation.
The Government of Tamil Nadu
is not in a position to fund the institution sufficiently. The Management has stepped forward from time
to time in filling that vacuum. As
indicated earlier the Management ensures quality in the recruitment of teachers
by funding their salaries and creating posts.
An Appeals and Grievance Committee attends to the grievances of students regarding continuous assessment and end semester examinations. The Students Council which meets thrice a year also acts as a forum for students to voice their grievances. The Staff Welfare Committee acts as a liaison between the college office and the staff forum. The Management provides uniforms, ex-gratia payments to supportive staff.
The Peer Team members have observed that the
institution has many healthy practices which are laudable.
1.
On-the-job
training and work experience for students of
vocational courses - Food Science and Quality Control, Functional Hindi,
Functional English and Tourism.
2.
Offering
a programme of visiting scholars which is a collaborative endeavour. This
is more particularly visible in postgraduate research and
internationally funded projects.
3.
Participative
method of students, faculty and administration in the running of the
institution is a notable feature.
4.
Student
participation in academic projects, seminars, symposia and several other
academic activities is excellent in this institution.
5.
The
college maintains a good rapport with parent and alumnae.
6.
Functional
Literacy Project in collaboration with Sinclair Community College, Dayton,
Ohio, USA and University and Community Development Project with IFCU, Paris,
France – translating objectives into programmes are appreciable.
7.
Making
its infrastructure available to various service organizations especially to the
Spastic Society of India, Ecumenical Fellowship, Street Children Meetings,
Women’s Fellowship, etc is a service to society.
8.
National-level
cultural activities – SPIC Macay programmes and conducting other annual
cultural programmes of the college – a commitment to preserving tradition and
culture, are hosted by the institution.
9.
Earn
while you Learn Scheme provides
additional income for needy students.
10.
Excellent
faculty welfare and recreation facilities are made available.
Parents and alumnae have
unanimously expressed appreciation of the specific culture of academic freedom,
excellence, care and concern prevailing in the institution.
Following points of self
appraisal by the institution are good and accepted by the Peer Team:
·
record
of curricular options which is impressive
·
curricular
reforms made from time to time
·
offering
of several courses that are interdisciplinary in nature.
·
credit
based system of education in practice since 1997-98 which gives students the
opportunity to choose interdisciplinary courses
·
vocational
courses and programmes like B.A. fine arts, B. Com., BCA, and the PG diploma
courses which are career oriented
·
work
experience and on the job training provided to students of the vocational
courses
· courses are designed to inculcate in the students a sound philosophy of life
· Value education classes which are designed to enable students to imbibe noble values and attitudes.
· social awareness programmes, NSS and other extension programmes that have been designed to provide students with the much needed exposure to the social realities and training them to act responsibly
· leadership training programmes, counselling and personality development sessions organised by the institution
· awards won by the faculty like the Best Principal Award, the Best Teacher Award and other awards, selection for the United States information Agency (USIA) Visiting Scholars programmes
· remedial programmes arranged for academically weaker students
· transparent admission policy of the institution
· teaching methods that adapt various innovative strategies
· availability of audio-visual facilities and other learning resources to enrich teaching-learning
· well stocked library
· well maintained and effectively utilised computer facilities
· performance appraisal of teachers and course evaluation by students that are effectively used for further planning of the educational experiences of students
· the continuous evaluation system and its effective implementation
· the qualification and commitment of the faculty
· academic, personal and financial guidance and support given to the students
· faculty adviser system and the Deans of Students Affairs that works well as a counselling system
· involvement of the institution in the community oriented extension activities and
· participative Management style.
The following suggestions are offered for further progress of the institution:
·
The
college needs more exposure to outside expertise from the national
mainstream.
·
With
such infrastructure facilities and team work available, the college may strive
for greater number of academic programmes.
·
It
can conduct further special courses for weaker sections of society and make the
facilities available in this direction.
·
A
few more professional courses such as Information Technology and Hotel
Management could be tried for further induction.
·
The
research output in a few more
departments may be enhanced.
The parent-alumnae
association has suggested that the college may strive for more intensive
involvement towards community service and women’s orientation programmes to
face social and economic challenges of life.
The Peer Team suggests that
the Government of Tamil Nadu and the parent university that the college is
affiliated to (Madras University), may be requested to permit the institution
in introducing new courses without much delay. The administrative bottle necks
may be eased out to allow the institution to launch innovative schemes as well
as academic curriculum. The delay
causes loss of time, wastage of energy and resources by staying too long on
decision making.
The Peer Team places on
record its gratitude to the Management, the Principal, faculty, staff and
students for their tireless effort in facilitating the visit of the NAAC Team
for purpose of assessment and accreditation.
The Team commends the commitment of all concerned and appreciates their
collective venture towards the upliftment of the institution and wishes them
greater heights of progress and excellence in the years to come.
-o0o-