HOD SPEAK

Celebrating Udaan—from the nest to the skies!

After a long wait for the First Year students to commence their

Engineering journey, the semester commenced in January with

many questions. What if suddenly college in the offline mode

starts? How are OHU students going to manage? Will students

cope with the new educational system? Will teachers adapt to

online teaching learning process? How can we cater to the

learning needs of the faster and ‘smart’er generation? How do

we keep them active? Can we satisfy parent’s expectations in

this new system?

Once the semester began, there was no looking back. Teachers

prepared three times more than usual for delivering their

lectures. They integrated a lot of technology and Web 2.0 tools into their teaching and tried to

enhance the learning of the students. Extra lectures, extra efforts were put in, online exams were

managed effectively, even as they overcame the many challenges of network and power outage

issues.

Students were also skeptic. How would our online classes be? They also went through a paradigm

shift of offline face to face learners to online ear to eyes learning. They were multitasking during

lectures. They enjoyed at certain times, participated in activities, craving to learn beyond the

syllabus. They learnt practical knowledge through virtual labs.

We offered MOOC on eDX and Coursera. Students enrolled themselves in the courses. They

learnt new computer languages, basic coding, programming, and also some non-technical

courses. They did online mini projects, made posters, gave presentations, gave speeches, panel

discussions, prepared animations, and created videos as a part of their co-curricular activities.

They planned their own extra-curricular activities under teachers’ guidance and gave beautiful

memories in the form of vHorizon, Inspire and Ignite - an interactive session, a coding webinar etc.

After looking at their progress, I ponder,

how they have grown within this short peri-

od of time. Earlier students who were con-

fused are now leading the classes, activi-

ties, helping teachers, and planning with

seniors. As their guardian at college, now I

feel confident to send them to their core

branches where their wings will be strength-

ened and they are ready to take udaan and

eventually reach great heights!!

Inside this Issue

Parents Teachers

Meeting

vHorizon

Azaadi—Essay Writing

Competition

SandBox Project

World Environment Day

Student Speak

vSpeak Workshop

Quotes of the Quarter

Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement

- Helen Keller

PAGE 2

VIBGYOR Department of First Year Engineering

01 April to 30

June 2021

VOLUME

XII

ISSUE 04

PAGE 3

PAGE 4

FE i

Prof. Sonaali Borkar

In-Charge

First Year Engineering

The Department of First Year Engineering had organized the first ever ‘Online’ Parents Teachers Meeting on MS Teams on 16 April, 2021 with an objective to inform parents about the various useful and innovative practices being implemented in this online tenure. It helped them to gain insights into a student’s strengths and

needs, learning styles, and his/her participation in extra-curricular activities as a part of holistic development. We received an overwhelming response from parents across all branches.

As per the feedback form analysis, parents mentioned that their ward’s technical knowledge has improved by completing various online courses on Coursera, EdX, and Udemy as provided ‘free of cost’ by the institute and

also because of their active participation in various coding competitions like Hackathon. Additionally, the innovative teaching methodology has taught them the use of various online resources namely, Virtual labs, Padlet, interactive quizzes to list a few.

PARENTS TEACHERS MEETING

Secrets of Success

A little PROGRESS each day adds up to BIG results.

- Anonymous

FE ii

VHORIZON

vHorizon was organized on 11 and 12 July on the theme of “Jab V Met Online” that provided a

virtual platform to showcase the talents of FEs and create a beautiful memory to be cherished in the future years. The ‘Finale Eve’ was a culmination of the efforts by the students, of the students and for the students. The finale was an ending act as a tribute to address how the pandemic shouldn’t stop us and how despite such times, we come together and do something productive. It showcased some commendable skills which were undertaken by the First-Year students. It served as a platform to laud their efforts and encouraged them to pursue such acts in the future. This was followed by a tribute to Covid warriors in general for the contribution during these challenging times and served as a way to express gratitude for their help and patience through a mono-act based on the theme “Nav

Ras” (9 forms of expression). This eve thus inspired students to look forward to a better future and also indulge in productive hobbies which will shape them in becoming responsible citizens. It celebrated the power of positivity to overcome crisis and

convert challenges into opportunities. As a result of their participation, an optimistic feeling among the students was generated that helped to rejuvenate their spirits positively. It also aimed at strengthening the sense of own-ership and belongingness towards the institute that gave them this opportunity. Students thus, learnt to design and micro-manage virtual events. The event ‘Meme-A-Thon’ was about meme making that engaged the creative side of the students and i nd uced a po s i t i ve

atmosphere by spreading laughter through clean humour. It

was held on the official VIT’s Instagram handle. Another event was ‘Sparks Fly!’ It aimed to get like-minded people to come together and see how well their interests match. Here, students got to know and interact-ed with their fellow classmates and learnt the skill of teamwork. The online platform ‘Gathertown’ was used for this event. vSports - Valorant was an e-sport event that was a test of reflexes, attentiveness and psycho-motor skills. This helped students to test their coordination while working under pressure. It was held on the online platform of Valorant. All these events were a huge success that acted as a stress-buster for everyone.

AZAADI—ESSAY WRITING COMPETITION As per the AICTE guidelines, with the subject as ‘Celebration of 75 years of India’s Independence

– “Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav," an Essay-Writing Competition for students was organized in the

virtual mode by Vidyalankar Institute of Technology, Mumbai on the topics related to India’s

freedom struggle. India’s freedom movement against the British was a witness to an overwhelming

participation of people throughout the country. From Kashmir to Kanyakumari, Assam to Gujarat,

thousands of men and women fought together against atrocities of the British Raj. While many

selflessly gave their lives to protect the dignity of their motherland, others got injured and

embraced imprisonment. We are now in the digital world where the number of internet users is on

rise constantly. Hence it is important for us to make the general public on internet know the

importance of martyrs who sacrificed their lives for us. Martyrs are the brave sons who chose to be

in high risk areas just to prevent the loss of

hundreds of innocent lives.

In this post COVID-19 era, we have successfully

adapted to digital learning, digital transactions,

digital shopping. Thus, it is important that we

learn to digitally commemorate our valiant sons

and daughters of India. With this respect, this

competition was organized to commemorate the

important occasion which commenced 75 weeks

prior to Independence Day 2022 and would

extend up to Independence Day 2023. An online

form was circulated on which interested students

could upload their essays. The entries were

judged and the best entries were awarded with

Certificates of Excellence. All the participants

received Certificates of Participation. 12th March

is the anniversary of the inception of Dandi

March and 6th April is the culmination day.

The essay writing competition results were

declared by the Institute on 6th April 2021.

The following topics were assigned for this essay writing competition—

a) 75 glorious years of India’s Independence – “Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav”

b) Technological Solutions for commemorating India’s Martyrs in Virtual Mode.

The winners of this competition are as follows—

A] Satyam Mishra (First Year Information Technology), and Manali Mhaskar (First Year Biomedical

Engineering) for the topic 75 glorious years of India’s Independence – “Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav”

B] Sachin Yaduvandu (First Year Electronics Engineering), and Yashika Devadiga (Second Year

Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering) for the topic Technological Solutions for

commemorating India’s Martyrs in Virtual Mode

It is worth noting the participation of students who came forward to do their bit beyond just

applauding our heroes and praying for their families. This virtual competition was successful in

creating awareness of the historic milestones of India’s freedom struggle among our students.

Secrets of Success

People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing.

- Dale Carnegie

SANDBOX

PROJECT

SandBox project is successfully conceptualized by Prof. Sonaali Borkar where first year students launched mock start-ups on the SandBox website and developed webpages, apps, videos, 3D models. The students, faculty, alumni, and some industry guests were the mock investors who received 'Gems' a mock currency of SandBox. They invested in the best 3 companies that had great ideas. Companies: Femunity, Sensobeat and Fresco were the winners with maximum investments. The SandBox website is designed by second year Computer engineering students Nimish Samant, Heramba Limaye and Shraddha Shinde. Website link is— Sandbox (infinityfreeapp.com)

On the occasion of ‘World

Environment Day,’ First Year

Engineering had organized a

wellness program for the entire

FE staff. We discussed the

importance of restoration of

ecosystems. We listened to an

interesting podcast that was

shared by Prof. Rupesh Parthe.

It informed us about the marine

life and imaginatively transported

us underneath the waves.

FE iii

WELLNESS

PROGRAM AND

WORLD

ENVIRONMENT

DAY

CELEBRATION

STUDENT SPEAK

Edited by

Mitalee Gangal — Humanities, First Year Engineering

vSPEAK

WORKSHOP

Humanities faculty from First Year Engineering had organised a vSpeak workshop for students via the Language Lab to maximize language immersion. The diverse activities and exercises helped them in strengthening their LSRW skills which is an integral part of the much needed 21st century skills. It enabled students to self-assess their English competency through a self-assessment test. The ins t ruc tors c reated customized e-Lessons using audio/video/text and assigned them to students as per

individual student needs.

The students became well versed in the fundamental communication skills right at the o u t s e t a n d d e v e l o p e d confidence in their professional communication. The student were able to enrich their speaking skills by learning the correct accent and pronunciation in the Vspeak modules. In all 4 sessions were conducted. Some of the snapshots are as

follows—

FE iv

They say, ‘Time and tide wait for no man’. We had the same

feeling, when we started our academic year in February. All of us

expected it to be a daunting experience, but the teachers and fac-

ulty have managed to create an environment that made us comfort-

able that assures us, when the offline college reopens, I know the

transition will be very smooth. From patiently teaching the intrica-

cies of using Microsoft Teams to effortlessly and meticulously com-

pleting the portion, it's been a short yet memorable term. The term was completed effi-

ciently and in a way it wouldn't be wrong to say that we achieved the unexpected!

- Akshita Suresh , FE BIOM

I was very nervous in the First Semester as the lectures were to be

conducted online due to this pandemic. Despite the online mode, our

faculty are always approachable, if any of us wanted to discuss or

resolve any doubts. The lectures are interactive and engaging which

makes it feel like you are sitting in the classroom. We are not only

provided with excellent academics but also with many opportunities to

improve our attributes in the fields of our interest. Various workshops,

webinars and competitions are continuously organized. Our End

Semester exams went smoothly in a systematic way. I'm more

confident and excited for Semester II. Thanks to VIT for all the persistent efforts they

take. It makes me feel privileged to be a part of this institute.

- Sayan Panja, FE EXTC

It was hard for me to take admission in VIT as it is located far away

from my hometown. Now, I feel good about my decision to be here

because of the amazing events, thoughtful activities, counselling,

cooperative and skilled professors who always try to enhance our

abilities in all possible ways. All of these things are much more than

what I had imagined before taking admission in this institute. Even

the online mode gives me a feel of being nurtured. Not only me but

everyone else was tensed and had many doubts regarding the

curriculum. With this respect, our professors guided us very smoothly by giving us the

required clarity and updates on each topic and also gave some tips to score better in the

End Semester exam. I appreciate the understanding and patience of our professors. In

Semester II also, our FE Department is successfully covering that extra mile by

organizing memorable sessions. By adopting new methods, VIT has proved that this

online mode is no more a barrier. Thus, I feel it's the manifestation of many students'

dream! - Pallavi Borse, FE CMPN