Institutional Best Practices

 

Communicative English Academy (CEA)

Objective of the Practice

  • To assess and improve students' English language skills in grammar, vocabulary, listening, and speaking using the British Council English Score App.
  • To create an immersive learning experience for language development using small group activities, diverse materials, and linguaphone sessions in the Language Lab and English for Life course for the freshers.
  • To cultivate an English-speaking environment in the college using a token system, Language Counseling, and to practice reading every morning before the assembly.

Context

Don Bosco College aims to uplift the rural and disadvantaged youth by offering them quality higher education and employability skills. The college caters to 99% of students from poor backgrounds who lack global exposure. The college attracts students from Northern Tamilnadu who aspire to follow the success stories of their alumni who benefited from this institution. The college emphasizes English language proficiency as a key soft skill for the global job market.  The college established Communicative English Academy (CEA) to help students improve their language skills with customized support.

Two Major Contexts of CEA:

  • Providing Global Competency: CEA prepares every student ready for the job market by boosting their confidence and communication skills as first-generation graduates.
  • Addressing Tamil Medium Students: CEA helps to overcome language barriers and improve language skills for Tamil medium students to succeed in academic and professional domains.

Practice

English for Life

  • First-year undergraduate English course.
  • 15-day bridge course plus weekly 3-hour sessions.
  • Focus on vocabulary, sentence structure, and pronunciation.

Communicative English Lab

  • Weekly interactive sessions.
  • Activities include speeches, discussions, and reading.
  • Aims to boost communication skills for academic and practical use.

Language Counseling

  • Token system to encourage English use on campus.
  • One-on-one counseling for language improvement.

English Proficiency Assessment Test

  • Biannual test over three years.
  • Uses British Council app for assessment.
  • Encourages continuous language skill development.

Language Card System

  • Monitors and corrects language use in departments.
  • Involves class teachers and students in reporting.
  • Fines for infractions to maintain language standards.

Evidence of Success

  1. Increased Enrollment: CEA has consistently witnessed 100% enrollment over the years in programs of study connected with the job market such as BCA, B.Sc(CS), B.Com(CA) and BBA.
  2. Improvement in Language Competency: Based on quantitative data analysis, students' academic performance and assessment results from the English Scores British Council App indicate a notable improvement in their language proficiency levels from A1/A2  in the first semester to B1/B2 in the final semester.
  3. Students' feedback and endorsements emphasize how the curriculum has improved their self-assurance, communication abilities, and overall success.

Problems Encountered

  1. Diversity in Language Proficiency: Challenges arise due to significant language proficiency differences, particularly when combining students from different academic years.
  2. Limited Exposure to English: Enforcing the system is challenging due to students' limited English exposure outside designated sessions.
  3. Linguistic Weakness Identification: Lack of clarity in the linguistic identification process poses challenges for students 

Resources Required

  • Faculty: Adequate staffing of qualified faculty members and support staff to facilitate curriculum development, assessments, and mentoring sessions.
  • Infrastructure: Well-equipped classrooms, language labs, and technological resources to facilitate effective teaching and learning.
  • Assessment Tools: Access to standardized assessment tools and platforms such as the English Score British Council App for conducting regular language Assessments.

 

Information Literacy

Objective of the Practice:

  • To promote students’ ability to independently locate, evaluate, and use information from a variety of sources.
  • To improve learners' ability in defining needs, selecting strategies, using databases, and managing information in academic or professional fields.
  • To differentiate and compare newspapers, magazines, and journals to develop students' skills in identifying scope, authority, and currency early in the course.

The Context

The best practice is initiated at three levels: Junior, Senior, and Expert, where students are divided into groups, fostering proficiency in navigating the vast landscape. 

Major contexts of Information Literacy

  • Junior Level: For the Students of first Semester, study fundamental topics of the concerned discipline, to get better in identifying and comprehending information. 
  • Senior Level: For Students in later semesters, study domains are predefined. Specific topics for each domain are decided at the beginning of the semester, which aligns with their academic and professional requirements.  
  • Experts: Industry experts, from Bosco Soft Technologies Pvt Ltd, provide tech-talks as part of Corporate Social Responsibility, enhancing practical relevance in information literacy by engaging with industry, notably alumni, bridging academic and industry needs.

The Practice

Technical Report

Student groups are assigned topics at the start of the academic year, utilizing net sources via Moodle. Following peer review and Coordinator assessment, groups present insights in the association.

Association Meeting 

By compiling the best technical reports, each group is permitted to participate in the seminar and make a substantial contribution, by preparing an abstract of the seminar. The students’ progress is ensured in seminars and tech shows.

Technical Presentation

Each group prepares a PowerPoint presentation considering a specific case for the project. The presentation, along with supporting documents is evaluated by an external review committee and updated on the Information Literacy Assessment Sheet.

Evidence of success

Departments organize association seminars to boost students' academic and professional competence. Each department conducts about 15 seminars yearly. Enhanced information literacy skills lead to impressive reports and presentations, evaluated rigorously by peers and external committees for skill improvement.

Problems Encountered

Access limitations and technical challenges, such as connectivity issues and digital tool unfamiliarity, hindered online research and platform usage. Collaboration suffered due to conflicting schedules and work styles among group members, impacting teamwork. Ensuring fair assessment standards across diverse projects posed challenges during peer reviews and external assessments.

Resources Required

For effective Information Literacy, key resources include user-friendly online platforms like Moodle for collaboration and assignment submission. Reliable technical support resolves issues, while training workshops boost proficiency. Industry expert involvement adds practical relevance through real-world insights.