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2.3.9. How does the College create a culture of instilling and nurturing creativity
and scientific temper among the learners?

The College views education as a transformative experience. The pedagogy that is
employed in the classroom is expected to stimulate their creative and critical thinking.
Sustained efforts are made to encourage critical and creative thinking among students.

 Students are encouraged to take up term papers and research projects under the
mentorship of faculty members and are trained in quantitative and qualitative research
methods. Students are exposed to a range of pedagogical practices through
interaction with teachers and during their internships with research institutes.
 Several assignments are creative in nature but at the same time follow known
scientific methods of research. Students are encouraged to read widely and engage not
just with the text but with the larger context.
 Classroom discussions allow for different kinds of subjects to be introduced,
examined and debated. Guest lectures and seminars often provide a window for
students and faculty to listen to research-based lectures.
 Encouraging students to organize and participate in several co-curricular and extra-
curricular activities helps them to be both rational and creative as they learn both
managerial skills and the process of analysing alternatives before making decisions.
 Papers on research methodology, the certificate course on research methods in
sciences, and dissertations are other methods to encourage scientific temper.
 The Biotechnology department organized a visit to TATA tea factory, Kodagu as
part of the industrial visit, and organized a one-day workshop on bio-chemical
techniques in 2015. It also set up innovative models for the visit by government
school students from rural sectors at Tackle Fest, and organized industrial visits to
Labland Mysore, to Defence Food Research Laboratory, to Drosophila Stock Lab,
Mysore University, and to GKVK.
 The Commerce Department held a seminar on emerging trends in marketing, as
well as EMPORIO, an intercollegiate business meet.
 The Sociology Department organized visits to villages around Bangalore, and a
visit to Yercaud to study the concerns of tribal communities.
 The English Department chooses readings on science and society and in the class
discussions, students are encouraged to think critically about the prevalence of
pernicious superstitions in the country, some of them clear violations of basic human
rights.

2.3.10. Does the College consider student projects a mandatory part of the
learning programme? If so, for how many programs is it made mandatory?

∗ Number of projects executed within the College
 Teaching undergraduate students the basic skills of research is viewed as necessary
in this age of rapid changes in science, technology and society. To meet this need, the
College introduced the Term Paper concept in 2008. This mandates that all
undergraduate students must choose a research supervisor who guides them in their
areas of academic interest. This term paper has four credits and is carried out in the
third year.
 The Environmental Sciences students have to undertake a project in their final year.

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