A Faculty Development Program (FDP) is an effort towards developing the capabilities and the overall personality of faculty members in any institution. The IQAC team of School of Graduate Studies organized a Faculty Development Program to initiate inter-disciplinary learning through various sessions.
On 5 April 2016, the FDP was formally inaugurated in the presence of dignitaries and the session on ‘Mitigating Victimization through Document Analysis’ was conducted by the staff members of Forensic Science Department. Mr. Sujaya Raj, Assistant Professor, spoke on the topic of ‘Questioned Document Examination’, focusing on the types of documents, qualified experts in the area, role and responsibility and preliminary examination of documents.
Mrs. Sravya, Assistant Professor highlighted the differences between a ‘Graphologist and Qualified Document Examiner’. She also made the faculty members aware of the types of forgery and handwriting analysis in the investigation process. There was an elaborate explanation on the class and individual characteristics of handwriting identification to enable the document analysis.
Ms. Jaya Sethi, Assistant Professor gave a presentation on the ‘security features’, including the aspects of fibers, colors, stitching thread, patterns, texts, ink, printing and so on. Ms. Glorita, Assistant Professor spoke on ‘currency’ and its typical features in detail.
Mr. Peter, Assistant Professor gave a presentation on ‘types of credit card crimes’. He also made the faculty members aware of the way fraud is committed. He explained the terms skimmer, white plastic, shoulder surfing, lebanese loop, spoofing/site cloning, social engineering, phishing and key loggers in a very exhaustive manner.
The faculty members participated in the session gained a lot of preliminary knowledge in the areas mentioned and also received satisfactory answers for their queries after the activity on signature verification.
The day two session was on ‘Vaastu Shastra’ by an Architect Mr. Appanna Sirdeshpande. The speaker very eloquently spoke on the ancient science of Vaastu Shastra, existent and practiced in India. With an introduction on the term ‘Vaastu’, and its meaning, he went on to explain our environment, the five basic elements of Nature and the significance of shelter in human society.
He discussed the three human qualities of rajas, tamas and satva which influences and enhances space, facility and capability of human life. Any imbalance leads to negative effects, so precautions and scientific approach is required to deal with our daily needs of shelter and well-being.
Mr. Appanna elaborated on ‘tantra gnana’ and ‘mantra gnana’. He explained the role of ‘vinyasa’ to not only beautify our living spaces but also reap benefits in consideration with the elements of Nature. The details of ‘prakruthi’ and ‘purusha’, equinox, North Star, general variations in day to day environment, directions and corresponding factors were elaborately discussed.
The speaker highlighted the fact that ant hill is also a piece of architecture, the importance of OTS- Open to Sky concept; alingas- openings and so on were also discussed. The session wound up with few inquisitive questions and interaction.
The final day of the FDP was on the topic of ‘Digital Literacy and Personal Branding through Linked In’ by Mr. Sachin Tantry, Head, Department of Arts. He gave an introduction on generation x, y and z. The session gained momentum when he gave the significance of digital learning in today’s teaching profession. As students are digital learners the need for teachers to become digital educators becomes very vital. The undeniable fact of technology being the leveler was emphasized by the speaker. The faculty members moved on to the computer science lab adjacent to conference hall to practically learn and understand the professional social networking site of ‘Linked in’. During the practical session Mr. Tantry explained the role and significance of personal branding in today’s competitive professional scene. He also touched upon ‘Linked in Pulse’ to the participants while he came up with some case studies and success stories using this professional network.
The session wound up with feedback of few participants on all the sessions held in the FDP 2016. FDP was a grand success in imparting knowledge on divergent topics and ended with a sumptuous lunch for all the participants.
