Think Tank | 19th March 2025
A Report | By Ms. Shannon Patricia
The session began with an array of ideations.
Ms. Catherin and Ms. Zibiah were the first ones to present their ideation on a ‘Feature Writing Club’ in MCC. The aim of the club rests in highlighting the unsung stories of our college through articles. They proposed the idea of creating a website of their own which will serve as a platform for students to showcase their journaling skills.
The educational value of the forum is to train students in advancing their writing skills. The frequency of the sessions will be at least twice a week with a minimum of one workshop per month.
The committee members of the club include the staff advisor, Dr. Jojan Job with Ms. Catherin Sabu as the Chief co-ordinator and Ms. Zibiah Merin as the editor in chief. The editorial board includes Ms. Lindsay Rose Jordy and Ms. Alphy Benny. The possible challenges were also presented by the team which is to be tackled with a strategic approach.
The second team for the day consisted of Ms. Divya Rhenius, Ms. Rachel and Ms. Nikita. The team proposed their ideation on developing a web series to depict the life of MCCians with a touch on the daily challenges that they face. The proposed series will be a fictitious documentary which depicts different aspects of student life with the focus on different characters as the domain characters of their story.
The duration of the episode is set to be short with just one minute of screen time with the frequency being one episode per week on YouTube and Instagram. The advisory board of the club will include Dr. David Wesley and Professor Monsingh Daniel as the staff- advisors with Ms. Divya, Ms. Nikita and Ms. Rachel as the student convenors.
The team also put forth a list of the tools that they would need to bring this idea into fruition. While they are yet to propose a suitable budget for this forum the team presented their interest to collaborate with the Multimedia department.
These ideas were moulded by Dr.Belinda when she pitched in to chisel the ideations that were proposed by this team. Both the teams proposed the possibility of passing the baton to the forthcoming students who also share a similar interest for the respective clubs as themselves.
Thirdly it was Ms. Nikita who proposed her ideations on a ‘Peer-teaching Club’ in MCC. “Learning isn’t the same for everybody in the classroom” said she. She also added that the agenda is to make learning and reading fun filled and enjoyable.
Other objectives include cultivating a healthy relationship between the students which would also enhance the quality of teaching. This would in turn aid in fostering the idea of a community where both the parties are benefitted. The team intends to house three teachers per subject during each semester.
Regular modes of Assessments with a well-structured syllabus and Question papers should make the cut as it is designed by the peer-teachers themselves.
Ms. Ann Mariah pitched in with a suggestion on using this as a preparatory space for NET aspirants as well. Professor Sharon suggested that this club would prove to be efficient in contributing to the NAAC inspections provided if it is documented on a regular basis.
Finally, Ms. Shobana proposed her ideation on a ‘Conference Club’. She envisions this forum to be a space that will serve in fostering critical acumen in students. She added that creativity and critical thinking serve as the pillars of research.
“In the age of Technology, Critical Thinking is dwindling” she said.
Additionally this forum would also cultivate the habit of research in students. Once again, Dr. Belinda was swift to inspire us with an idea of writing a research paper on the ideations which have been presented in the forum.
The session then shifted to the most awaited part of the day which housed the staff-student study circle. Dr. Samuel Rufus inaugurated the session with the ideas that are to be dealt with during the same. He also highlighted the lack of an interface between the industry and the academia.
Dr. Belinda highlighted the societal value of internships. She also added that they need not be discipline-oriented but truly reflect the culture of the times.
Professor Adarsh presented the underlying issue which depends on the nature of the internship being included in the curriculum. He explained that it all boils down to the needs of the students.
Professor Jesnet sided with the former when he acknowledged the problem of needs. He insisted on the love for the curriculum to be significant with specific regard to the students whereas the inclusion of parents and the community might streamline the process towards a job-oriented perspective.
Furthermore he also added the significance of moral values that would further enrich the society for the better. He also advocated the need for a holistic curriculum in this context.
Dr. Amirthavalli advocated the need for students to be provided with the time to understand their own needs. She also suggested that under-graduates should be vigilant in making the best use of the precious time that they have at hand in exploring non-domain specific internships.
She advocated that students must explore different jobs and opportunities in order to identify their forte. Interestingly she also addressed the challenges which include, the limitations on infrastructure, capacity of the staffs and the restrictions which are to be taken into consideration.
Additionally she managed to discuss the limitations of time which should also be sorted. The inevitable necessity of possessing in depth knowledge in one’s major discipline was also stressed by her. She also presented the role of freedom that is provided for the students to experiment with their career and thereby gain hands on experience.
Finally, she also managed to highlight the complexity in implementing and sustaining a programme.
Dr. Suhash advocated the significance of finding one’s niche. He also added that the idea of an internship would be ideal with specific focus on escalating one’s skill set. He added that it is ideal to streamline one’s choices after post-graduation.
Professor Samuel Moses introduced the idea of interdisciplinary internships where students can monitor how the disciplines engage with each other. He also stated the example of the feature writing forum to engage with students from different departments including that of the sciences in nurturing an interdisciplinary venture.
Additionally, he also advocated the idea of incorporating part-time jobs as internships which will eventually generate an outcome at some point. Dr.Suhash highlighted the possibilities of dealing effectively with the time crunch in internships as there are multiple opportunities that lie around the corner.
Dr. Samuel Rufus also advocated the idea of swapping CAs with internships which would foster a healthy environment for students to explore different career pathways. He also highlighted the significance of unpaid internships as they might be packed with surprises in the form of cumulative rewards.
Professor Sharon Christy underlined the distinct advantage of working with a stipulated time frame as it is less demanding than working with a flexible time frame.
The session on internship opportunities witnessed an array of perspectives from students who belong to various domains of study.
Ms. Lakshmi envisions the idea of internships to be a way in which students can enhance their career pathways. This can effectively be achieved through field-specific internships as well. She also proposed the idea of the Placement cell hosting an Internship fair for the students where the internship opportunities are displayed for the benefit of the students.
Mr. Al Thameez presented the practical challenges in the aforesaid idea as the records are essentially data-driven.
Ms. Ann Mariah suggested the need for experience in internships to be articulated which will further pave the way for a more fruitful career.
Ms. Nivedha explained the perennial problem when she highlighted the plight of students who are under privileged to opt for unpaid internships.
Mr. Sabarinathan advocated the need for potential mentors who can invariably guide the students in opting for an authentic opportunity which would suit them well.
Mr. Al Thameez also advocated the need for the departments in establishing a functional relationship with the industry as they can potentially solve the crisis.
Ms. Lakshmi also suggested a similar idea when she stressed the need for the departments to maintain their set of records on internship opportunities.
Ms. Nivetha, Mr. San Jo and Ms. Jaysudha managed to strike a balance when they agreed on the idea of swapping CAs with internship opportunities.
Mr. San Jo also highlighted the possibility of self-learning in internships which would avoid a situation where students are stifled by the teacher’s monitoring presence.
Mr. Alan presented his
notions on swapping CAs with internships which immediately depends on the staff
who is involved with that particular paper.
He also highlighted the lack of room for negotiation in certain circumstances which proves to be stifling in opting for a suitable opportunity.
Ms. Sethu Parvathy presented the stigma that revolves around internships that are sponsored by the government. She also highlighted the importance of being given periodical prominence about internships through a database.
This can in turn be achieved through a WhatsApp Community or an alternative database which will play a vital role in circulating information relating to internships.
Mr. Simon advocated for a facility where CAs are swapped with internships where the students are acknowledged on account of duration-based credibility.
He also suggested the idea of re-establishing common degrees which offer in depth knowledge on a handful of domains.
Finally, Ms. Ann Mariah highlighted the rigidity in the system to be the culprit in this regard. Thus, the session was packed with a plethora of perspectives on internships.
This dynamic discussion was then followed by Dr. Suhash Swaminathan’s presentation on his book titled Colossal Politics (2024). He emphasised the notion that any text is inevitably politicised. The book serves to be distinct in its originality to be the only work that fits within the limits of literature while simultaneously being political in nature. He asked the students to make use of the interdisciplinary value of literature in rendering one’s work to be relatable to people across all disciplines.
The session then witnessed a talk by Professor Sharon Alice Christy on her blogging experience. She offered quick insights on various aspects of writing ranging from choosing a suitable platform to adopting specific techniques of writing.
Additionally, she also encouraged the students to spend time with their own selves which would in turn prove to be instrumental in discovering their niche. She concluded with a spark when she asked the students to be “clear and compelling” in their writing.
Finally, the session concluded with a vote of thanks by Ms. Shannon Patricia. As we draw the curtain for this semester, we are truly honoured to have hosted such a rich bevy of scholars. Firstly, I would like to thank our Principal Dr. Paul Wilson for providing us with such a rewarding space.
Finally, I would also like to thank everybody for their presence and participation.
Shannon Patricia
19th March 2025
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