Institute of Logistic and Aviation Management, Assistant Professor: Rachna Panghal Interview

Rachna Panghal is presently working as Assistant Professor at the Institute of Logistics and Aviation Management, Dehradun. With a Master’s in Clinical Research and Experimental Medicine, she has extensive experience in teaching and student management. She is proficient in the areas of clinical research, clinical data management, clinical trial management and pharmacovigilance. Also, she has attended a number of conferences and seminars, FDPs and workshops during her career as a teacher. 

What are your roles and responsibilities towards the students?

“Keeping student interest and learning ahead”

Monitoring the academic progress of each and every student and their class and test assessments are my roles as a teacher. I monitor the students on a weekly and monthly basis, any matter connected with the student’s activities in the college premises as well as in the hostels is under my supervision. Developing an interest in their interests and maintaining strong classroom management are my responsibilities as well. Ensuring practical knowledge in learning different software on different stages and making skills out of reach for students, helping students learn something innovative and bringing out something new in them are my roles. 

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

“Application based learning with continued practice”

We promote a fully working practical environment through experiential learning, familiarizing students with different tools and equipment and many more in the row. Practicing the tasks on a daily basis helps students to get clarity and encourages self-learning as well. Greater the practice, the greater the expertise. As a proverb says, “Practice makes a man perfect”, practice leads to perfection. 

What best practices do you offer that help students gain necessary skills?

“Student-oriented learning and empowerment”

We help the students in enhancing the self-awareness of the courses they opt for, and outlining the summary or practice of their learning, explaining the reason for their learning, which helps in boosting up the confidence and enthusiasm to learn. Collaboration of fosters, making the students know on a priority basis, education is not a competition, making competition in learning with their peers rather than competing in scoring marks are key approaches to motivate students in a positive manner. Building a mechanism of trust between a student and a lecturer, which helps in walking in the path, i.e. been shown by the lecturers/ professors, and boosts their confidence and will be very inspiring and valuable for future aspects. A student can explore in both academic and personal life when comes out of comfort zone and struggles with the inner side to learn innovative things on a daily basis.

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

“With the technology updating, curriculum gets updated”

Choosing the best program or software which increases ease of learning and helps in better and near-future aspects is our priority while designing the curriculum. We avoid the same pre-packaged curriculum and schedule a planning time for each context like planning for feedback and assessments on a monthly basis or on a fortnight basis. According to the curriculum preparation and update, a student can easily crack the competitive examinations and placements. 

Check Institute of Logistic and Aviation Management Courses & Fees

How does your department prepare students for placements?

“Regular activities to enhance skills and confidence”

Amidst the curriculum, conducting the different programs and making students learn the new software packages, which leads to the better practice of learning and understanding the curriculum attached much better. Conducting mock placements builds up the confidence levels and helps in being determinant towards their goals and standing out the best in one-in-all. Making each student know their pros and cons where they’re lacking behind and also making them know where they’re fruitful in the contents and topics are delivered. 

How do you enhance the skills of and expose students to real world challenges?

“Setting different examples and challenges”

Giving tasks to the students by bringing different examples of real-world experiences and problems to the class and carrying out the experience by bringing into the classroom, a guest-speaker, engaging the students in case of studies expose students to real environments. We develop empathy in the life experience of exemplary speakers and ask their point of view for the same. We set specific goals but also ensure in making them what are their expectations with their consequences. Introducing collaboration with fosters, fetching the knowledge and learning, growing up with the technology are our key implementations to aid students enhance their skills and confidence for the real world. 

What challenges do you face to uplift the quality of education of your department?

“Matching each and every student’s expectations”

Engaging the same level students for a research department, carry out a different approach, as it takes much time to make the student ease into the course and also a big task to let them know in each point, what exactly it defines. Students preferably don't carry out the same intense depth understanding as other peers who have the initiative of learning innovative things, in that case tackling the students to get out of their comfort zone is preferably a challenge. Making students content with the questionnaire they raise in the midst of the class; as every student carries out different thoughts and opinions, so the lecturer should be at such a pace that students carry out their explanation with ease.

How does the department prepare the faculty according to the industry standards?

“Strict screening and knowledge updation”

Before appointing the faculty, to any subject or course, making sure the faculty has depth-in knowledge in the departmental phase is a protocol at LIET. A thorough understanding of the faculty in the course knowledge has a great impact on student learning. We ensure constant upgradation of information through FDPs, seminars and workshops being conducted in the institute. 

Click Institute of Logistic and Aviation Management Placements

What valuable advice would give the students to have a prosperous career?

“Leave your negative attributes immediately, they are of no use”

Without getting out of the comfort zone, a person can never set out the goals in high standards. Be an aspirant, but never forget your grounds; never forget the first step you kept forward when you reach the milestones. Never be an over-confident attitude, seek out positive and negative, aspects to ease out fruitful results. Carry an optimistic attitude, always be determinant towards the work and never leave the ease of learning.