Best Practice-2: Standard formats for all requirements

1. Objectives of the Practice

• To maintain uniform format and procedure

• To develop discipline in record maintenance

• To inculcate the habit of following a standard procedure

• To educate the way of creating a format for any requirement

• To indirectly educate the practice of writing in good English

2. The Context

Before the introduction of standard formats for all requirements four years ago, students and faculty members submit their request letter for their various requirements in the paper torn from their notebook. The English was very poor and some times mislead their request. Similarly, faculty members prepared result analysis in different format, which cannot be understood uniformly. Considering all these difficulties of the students and faculty members, the Principal prepared standard formats for all the requirements. Most of the formats are made available in the website for easy download and also made available in the College Stationery.

3. The Practice

The following formats were prepared for use of students and faculty members

1. Own Vehicle Permission letter

2. I Year Scholarship

3. Attendance Shortage intimation & Undertaking

4. Coaching Class undertaking

5. Joining Report (for staff members)

6. Job Placement Requisition

7. Industrial Visit permission letter

8. Company training Undertaking

9. Day Scholar Out Pass

10. College Bus Rules and application

11. College Hostel Rules and application

12. Hostel Out Pass

13. Progress Report-Students

14. No Dues Certificate (for staff members)

15. College Bus: Instruction to staff members

16. Security person: Instructions

17. Deputy Warden Instructions

18. House Keeping Monthly Report

19. Alumni Registration

20. T.C. Request Letter

21. Passport verification Letter

22. Education loan letter

23. Symposium/Seminar/Workshop OD letter

24. Survey Camp letter

25. Industrial Visit permission letter

26. First Generation Graduate letter

27. Fees Letter & mobile phone disaster reminder to parents

28. IQAC permission requisition

29. Result analysis format

30. Self-Appraisal Report

31. Students’ feedback

32. Teacher’s profile for recruitment

Writing an official letter is an art and that should claim what is required directly in a polite manner. Our students studied their schooling in Tamil medium and mostly first graduates coming from rural areas. Most of the letters written by students conveys information to the higher authority rather than request for permission and most of the time the content mislead their request. If it is allowed at this stage, then they may continue the same in their career which may go wrong. In order to curtail this and to educate the way of writing letter, formats are prepared and given to students to train them in writing letter in good English. This is our first attempt and got success in that. Secondly, the information required to consider a request for approval is lacking. Hence, formats are prepared for various requirements and the details requested are preprinted. Now by answering those demand, one can easily get approval for what the student wants. For example, if a student wants college bus pass, the student need to give certain details like boarding place, address, route number, fee prescribed, fee paid, parent’s acceptance etc. This is formatted in a simple application and some instructions to be followed while travelling in the college bus are given on the reverse side of the application. The second success is that our students are educated to prepare format.

4. Evidence of Success

The purpose of introducing various formats (nearly 32 formats) is to learn the art of writing letters to higher officials to achieve what they want and providing sufficient information for approval in a standard format. In order to achieve the said objectives, 32 formats are made available in the website for easy download and also made available in the College stationery.  Now the students write request letters in good English. Even though they are copying the letter contents from the given format, the practice of writing the formatted letter again and again will enable them to write other letters in the same manner without any mistakes which was done earlier. Secondly, the contents required to consider for approval a request is also educated through various formats.On the other hand, students who underwent CCA are trained well and could able to face society with clear mind. Now the students could fetch job in top companies like TCS, CTS, INFOSYS in the pooled off-campus drive conducted by Anna University. Evidence is that more number of our college students got placement in off-campus interview process conducted by other colleges in recent years.

The evidence of success is that, now our students are following a uniform format and procedure, developed the discipline of record maintenance, developed the habit of following a uniform standard procedure, learnt the way of creating a format for any requirements, and also practiced writing in good English. These evidences are clearly seen in the students while they organise symposium, workshops, various events like Independence day, Republic day, Annual day and other events.

5. Problems encountered and Resources required

If any new procedure is implemented in the College, it will be difficult to reach all the students and faculty members, even though circulars are sent. Though formats are available, there are few who still follow their own style neglecting the current procedure. Second thing is that formats should be always available in stationery to avoid deviation in our attempts. Particularly, teachers knowingly or unknowingly change the format which initiates deviation and finally reaches an entirely different format when compared to the original format. In such cases, pdf files are uploaded in the website instead of word file.

The resource required to create formats is the time for the Principal to create various formats. Second, system administrator is required to upload all the given formats in the suitable space in the website. Third is to ensure the availability of the formats in the stationery whenever required for the students and faculty members.

6. Notes (Optional)

The best practice that has to be implemented in our college is to involve in research, guiding quality students’ project for possible publication, make use of funding agencies like Institute of Engineers (IE-I), Tamil Nadu State Council for Science and Technology (TNSCST) for getting funds to do students projects. Faculty members should undergo courses from NPTEL and also encourage students to do so.