Mr. V Nandakumar is a Professor and Head of the Civil Engineering Department at Coimbatore Institute of Engineering and Technology. He completed his under graduation in the year 1991 from Karunya Institute of Technology, affiliated to Bharathiar University, Coimbatore and Masters in M.E. (Environmental Engineering) in Government College of Technology, Coimbatore. He has 25 years of teaching experience. He has handled classes for polytechnic students for 12 years as an Associate Lecturer and was later promoted to a Senior Lecturer. In engineering colleges acted as an Assistant professor, and now he working as a Professor and Head of the civil engineering department. He has published nearly 10 papers in National and International Journals. He actively supports his students for their placement and higher studies by giving knowledge-based technical training.

Coimbatore Institute of Engineering and Technology Coimbatore

What are the key factors that keep you connected with the education sector?

“My passion for teaching kept me connected to the education sector”

My teaching career began 25 years ago. I began my teaching career in Tamil Nadu's polytechnic colleges. I've been a senior lecturer and department head here for the past 12 years, and after completing my post-graduate studies, I moved into engineering colleges. For three years, I worked as an assistant professor for various colleges before moving to the present Engineering college and being promoted to senior professor. I have genuinely taught civil engineering subjects to students, and most of my students are now working in India and abroad, and I have also been working here as the head of the civil engineering department for the past ten years. I have been pushing students to attend interviews in various departments and self-financing industries for the past few years, and I have been holding personal lessons and training classes for them to help them gain their skills in civil engineering. I also worked as a hostel warden, assisting students for their healthy and happy stay in the hostel.The majority of my pupils are pursuing higher education, and I am advising them on selecting a decent college and assisting them in preparing for the PG entrance examination.

What is your leadership philosophy?

“Leader is like a teacher who must have a thorough understanding of the subject”

My leadership perspective is that if someone is teaching, he or she must have a thorough understanding of the subject and be able to lead effectively. And, in my opinion, it was my parents who instilled in me a sense of leadership. My parents worked in the education field as teachers and professors at Tamil Nadu colleges, thus I owe it to them to thank them for this lovely quality.

How do you tend to establish a healthy relation and environment in your college?

“Providing students with a welcoming atmosphere for learning new skills”

We treat the students as if they were our actual own children. We show them affection and love, which is quite significant. We kind of have a welcoming atmosphere here, or so they thought. I mostly treat the students as if they were my children, guiding and helping them in kind of such a way that we can accelerate their development into almost the best selves.

What do you think should be the College’s top priority over the next 10 years?

“To provide students with the updated technical educations in the engineering institutions”

Now, in Tamil Nadu, several new technologies are being developed at engineering institutions to help students progress to higher levels of education. Students are trained in a variety of updated software, as new software is released regularly in the sector, and we also provide staad.pro design training to the students which is very for the design of buildings. Numerous benefits are provided, and we provide new technology to students regularly.

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

“Providing students with industry-oriented meets, webinars, and workshops”

In the civil engineering department, we are training students by conducting practical classes in the Strength of Materials Lab, Surveying Lab, Hydraulics Lab, Concrete and Highway lab, Soil lab and Water and Waste Water engineering lab. In the surveying, students are given training in the instrument total station to find the area for a given large plot. We use to update new equipment in the laboratories and train students in the same to gain knowledge.

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

“Strategize the curriculum by updating its syllabus at regular intervals”

They plan to update the syllabus every three years by holding meetings with various government and private sector officials. It is an autonomous college, and we are holding board meetings with Anna University officials as well as senior professors from various universities and colleges, and we are framing new syllabuses and curriculum design for all eight semesters.

How does your college prepare students for placements?

“Encourage students to participate in the placement drives of various companies”

We have been providing training placements in various subjects since the second year, as well as conducting objective questions and training the students by providing laboratory courses and conducting tests in the laboratories, as well as sending the students to the construction industries during their vacations to gain some knowledge in the industrial area, as well as introducing some new materials that are arriving on the market and teaching a variety of subjects.

What was your vision when you came to the college?

“My vision was to set up various laboratories for enhancing practical studies among the students”

I have ten years of teaching experience at this college. When I first got to this college, the civil engineering branch was only introduced at that time; the course was only introduced after I arrived. I set up all of the laboratories according to the Anna University syllabus, and I regularly updated the equipment and new technologies in the laboratories, as well as trained the students on various updated devices.

How does the college enhance the skills of the faculty and prepare them according to the industry standards?

“Faculty members are encouraged for publishing journals and attending Faculty Development Programs”

My faculty members are adapting their researches and publishing their journals in various channels, and there are new designs and new products in regards to what they are prepared paper, they are sending their papers in various journals and updating their knowledge at all times.

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Any valuable advice would you like to give the students for them to have a prosperous career ahead?

“Students should learn new ideas and technologies and must listen to their faculty members”

First and foremost, students must pay attention to the faculty members as well as the subjects; only by doing so will they be able to gain a thorough understanding of the subjects. Every student should attend classes; they must observe the faculty members' new ideas and technologies; they must use the laboratories to improve their technical knowledge; and they must also use the libraries, where there are many books in the civil engineering branch.