Dr. Bhavna Soni is a professor Head at SAL College of Engineering. She obtained her BE and ME (Chemical Engineering) from MS University, Baroda. and Ph.D. from Nirma University. Dr. Soni has more than 22 years of rich experience in Industry, research and teaching. She has been working with the SAL College of Engineering for the last 7 years. Before that, she was working with Nirma University in the chemical engineering department.

SAL Institute of Engineering

What are your roles and responsibilities towards the students?

“To maintain a high standard in all domains of education”

Being a part of an engineering institute, the primary role of faculty is to maintain a high standard of all-around education (i.e in academics, extracurricular and social sectors). This ensures fulfillment of the responsibility towards the students, Institute, and the Nation as a whole. It feels wonderful to connect with young innovative minds. The field of education itself is one of the noblest fields of service. My role is to inspire students to develop a creative and innovative way of thinking. This is applied to all the students admitted, irrespective of gender, economic background, and technical potential.

How do you tend to establish healthy relations with the students and fellow faculty? 

“Providing students and faculty with interactive doubt solving sessions”

The key to developing and maintaining healthy relations is by keeping the channel of communication open and objective. We ensure both personal and professional counseling of the students. The best way of accomplishing this task is by allocating individual faculty members as their Mentors. Regular discussions and open exchange of ideas, as well as problems among the faculty members, ensure the development of healthy relations amongst us.

How do you make the Course Curriculum industry-oriented?

“To bridge the gap between the practical and theoretical skills of students”

We regularly update our curriculum and pedagogy, ensuring that the latest requirements of the industry are met. Arrangement of Expert Lectures, Webinars, Conferences, and round the year collaboration of Industrial Experts with the Institute helps to ensure that the students get exposure to the latest developments in the Industry. Industrial Visits and Industrial Trainings/Internships are also regularly conducted to assure the same. The activities of SSIP and IIC Cell in the Institute provide a major contribution to the development of Industry oriented Engineers.

What are the best practices offered by the department to the students which help them gain necessary skills? 

“Focus on Learning by doing”

Best practice, we believe, is learning by doing. We enable students to integrate their classroom learning with practical exposure through internships, open-ended projects, preparation of prototypes, marketable projects, and patent filing that equip them with the skills necessary for progressing in their careers. Encouraging the students to participate in various technical and cultural events helps them to gain important skills like public speaking, teamwork, and self-analysis.

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How do you strategize and update the curriculum?

“We focus on latest research and innovations for updating the curriculum”

We strategize the curriculum through a collective effort of faculty and industry experts, updating it on a regular basis to include the latest writing, research, and innovation. Industry experts are the important people who can help us understand requirements of current and future skills which are necessary for a student to develop, accordingly we update our curriculum.

What are your views upon the placements and higher education about the students from your department?

“Encourage Students both for Placement and Higher Education based on their interest”

Our curriculum is designed in a manner that equips a student to be prepared for higher education. This includes training them in logical thought and articulation, research methods, formal academic writing, and several such areas that will enable the students to confidently pursue higher education. The laboratory work and projects help students to prepare themselves for work directly in the field. 

How do you help your student to cope up with the competition?

“We focus on enhancing Students’ confidence and competence level”

The most effective way of competing with the outside world is to increase one’s level of competence and confidence. We have organized many training sessions in the past for students to help them increase confidence and competence. In addition to teaching, we also mentor our students to hone their capabilities and build their confidence in themselves and their skill sets.

Do you have any extracurricular programs to enhance the skills of the students?

“Providing Students with skill-enhancing programs and expose them to the real-world challenges”

We have a whole range of largely student-driven activities and are under the mentorship of faculty. Under IIC and SSIP, and Cognian an innovation club, students learn startup activities, government benefits, organizational skills, event management skills, and financial skills that reflect the needs of the world outside. The Women’s Empowerment Forum is also one such student-driven initiative that trains students to understand gender-inclusive practices and sensitize them to the issues of the real world. 

What are the challenges you faced to uplift the quality of education of your department?

“COVID-19 is the biggest challenge in recent times”

There are no specific challenges I have faced in my practice so far. Students and faculty have been immensely forthcoming in adopting new methods of classroom teaching and learning. In recent times, due to the covid-19 situation, we have had to modify our pedagogy and make significant changes to our teaching methodology, and this has found support equally from all stakeholders. 

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What was your vision for college from starting and how are you trying to achieve the same?

“To focus on the latest innovative technologies and developments in the research field”

The vision of any academician is two-fold. One is to facilitate learning through the latest available methods and innovative pedagogy, and the second is to progress one’s research in the field of her specialization. SAL Institute of Engineering has ensured that both continue to happen simultaneously without compromising either.