Good day, Dr. K.S. Vishnu Prabhu. I'm Arjun. I've had a look through your background and your professional record. I'm interested in hearing more about your work and how you see yourself fitting in here with our faculty. Ready to start?

Yes.

Could you briefly share your professional journey in academia?

Yes.

I.

Yes, I completed my UH PhD in the year 2000, UH 17, UH July.

So before starting my PhD academic journey, I had four years of experience in working for FIKI, which stands for Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry where I had been part of a team which organized SEATED which stands for Citizens Empowerment through Information Technology, where my role was I worked as a project assistant in preparing the.

Policy document along with Government of Tamil Nadu especially with Alcott which stands for Electronic Corporation of Tamil Nadu in the year 2010 so post.

My experience working as a project assistant in Vicki wherein I successfully completed the project by inviting over 1500 delegates in the IT sector from various companies also with college students and we organize this program under the guidance of the then Ilcott Managing Director, Doctor Santosh Babu IAS.

Following which I joined Apple Gadgets Technologies Private Limited as assistant manager in branding and strategy, where we, uh, started, uh, functioning as.

Uh, in the public, uh, relations aspect and also building the brand. So we initially started with UH-1 retail, uh, store in Chennai, uh, in Nananagar, which quickly, uh, moved in expanding, uh, about 5 uh, branches. So my role was to expand and provide the scope of how we can leverage. Technology, especially mobile phones.

Uh, laptops. So we came up with this, uh, unique concept of how a person can just by over the call.

When the phone is not functioning properly and then we send out a person to go pick up the phone. When when the phone is picked up, we give an alternative phone for them to use and then we once the when we give a particular time frame for that particular phone repair service to be conducted within the time frame, we ensure that this particular. Work is done and then we give it back safely to them. So that one unique concept we began in 2000.

Can inform.

11 and then, uh, I'm, uh, proud to be part of that, uh, project, which is, uh, still successfully running. So after which, uh, I completed my PhD between 2014 and 17. Then, uh, from 17 to 23, I worked with Srini group of institutions where I worked as assistant.

Professor and also Project Manager managing various projects across board, both national and international foundations. I was also instrumental in bringing about 18,00,000 worth of projects from both.

National and international organizations also at the university level. So in my designation as assistant professor, I was teaching MSC students.

And also BST students in our any group of institutions and also paramedical students. So I thought effective English there and also basic grammar followed by which I was also.

Uh, working as assistant professor in Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham University in Chennai. So where I thought technical communication and also business communication for first Ptech students and also computer science students. So I was also in charge of international students coordination at the university in Chennai. So following Amrita Vishwavithapidam, I joined Bewilder hospitals in.

Has the corporate manager? So, in my role as a corporate manager, I ensure to work with various stakeholders at the corporate level in ensuring that we bring good strategy and conduct events and ensuring the corporate growth strategy for the hospital is given. So, we have 12 branches across Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry, whereas instrumental in handling the corporate strategy for the same following Bewell Hospital.

I'm I'm currently right now in Apollo Hospitals, Greens Rd. Chennai managing projects. Currently we're working on an AI simulated project along with Copilot.

For AI Wisdom project which is basically how the founders communication with the.

Uh, employees happen, so I was also instrumental in uh, starting a proverb called we engage where every Saturday a particular uh.

Employee who has worked here for long, his or her profile is completely put in a poster and sent to all to know about him or her. And then we also successfully instrumental in conducting safety Olympics for Apollo Hospitals across various instrumental in that also handling the clinical projects in the hospital.

Yeah, that is about my profession. I also have published papers, about 20 research papers out of which 11 are international and five are national. Four are national papers. I've also published 3 books, 1-2 book translations from Tamil to English and one book one book chapter on Sardar Vallabhai Patel. I have also completed 6 projects throughout my. Professional career.

Thank you for sharing such a comprehensive overview of your professional and academic journey, Professor. Let's proceed.

Sure.

Professor Vishnu Prabhu, I'll begin by evaluating your technical and soft skills relevant to the English Professor role. Let’s first focus on 'Digital Humanities.' Could you explain your understanding of Digital Humanities and its application in academia? Specifically, how would you incorporate it into your curriculum design or research agenda?

Digital humanities is fast becoming a very important, uh, aspect currently, uh, I would, uh, start by, uh, taking a lot of, uh, ancient, uh, literature and bring it to the modern era, especially a lot of, lot of ancient texts that needs revisiting and its relevance in current global order.

To begin with I would start with and then seek the relevance. Secondly, the how we can popularize the Vellore Fort since it's uprising in 18 nought 6 so those things.

Deserves a lot of digitizations because they should not be part of just an ancient manuscript, but they should be digitized and brought to the forefront and given to this.

Uh, uh, context and uh, surround around this aspects, uh, curriculum can be developed, uh, into two aspects. One, and the school level, basic knowledge of these two items can be drawn small principles of what are ancient scholars have taught us. So that can be digitized. So one university I could think of is the University of Mysore, which is, uh, digitized all these aspects. And 2nd is.

Physical Survey of Historical research which is an Egmore Chennai can also be approached to collect this ancient scripts and digitize them.

Understood, Professor. It seems that your focus on Digital Humanities revolves around digitizing and contextualizing ancient texts and monuments, and integrating them into both school and higher education curriculums. You also highlighted specific institutions like the University of Mysore and the Egmore Physical Survey in Chennai for this purpose. Moving on, how would you apply your expertise to teach Commonwealth Literature? Could you outline your approach to engaging students with such a diverse and multi-faceted field?

Yes, certainly, uh, first, uh, to begin with, uh, uh, a certain.

Focus should definitely be given to Australian and New Zealand literature and also Icelandic literature because not enough focus has been given on these.

Areas although the prime importance is on British literature, which is English literature, but I think with.

Commonwealth literature, especially lot of, uh, fiction and uh.

Uh, areas like, uh.

Poetry can also be given, uh, importance. And, uh, secondly, in the last, uh, five years, uh, I believe there is a tremendous, uh, increase in the change of, uh, global order, where soft power is given to literature. And definitely Commonwealth literature plays a very huge, uh, role. With a lot of areas where it has not been covered earlier with specific focus on.

These nations, So my focus would also be on the Australian and New Zealand literature.

Thank you, Professor. Your emphasis on integrating underexplored areas of Commonwealth Literature, such as Australian and New Zealand contributions, along with poetry and fiction, is noted. You also link this focus with shifts in global dynamics and the role of soft power. Shifting now to 'English Language Teaching,' how do you balance traditional teaching methods with modern approaches like technology integration in language learning? Could you outline your methodology?

Certainly. First I would, uh, begin with, uh, involving students by mind mapping, uh, technique to give a quick, uh, illustration. Uh, what I would, uh, tell them is to just close their eyes, uh, not in, not just in a classroom situation, but also in an outside.

Atmosphere where the students will be given a scenario to mind map it. I would give them a scenario not from their age perspective of whatever their respective.

Visual ages, I would, uh, ask them, invite them to think and focus as a six year old child lost in a car park space or an open ground of how a six year old would think, imagine.

Do that is I'm transferring their thinking capacity from adult to an younger child where only words will come to mind. So my focus on them is to only focus on the words. They will come up with words like I am lost. Although they might not use the word I am. They'll say just phrases like lost here, lost here. I don't know what I am doing. So this is basically transferring them from their current state of mind to a whole new experience of thinking where they not only.

In this way what I would try to.

Support themselves, but also carry forward their.

Thinking that is one way of mind mapping.

That takes place during this exercises. So that is one example that I would focus on and ensure that their thinking capacity increases. So through this one aspect is their language skills developed from different scenarios and different context beyond classroom teaching methodology as well. And 2nd is the flip side model where I would put them into groups of.

And then talk to each other and introduce the other person rather than introducing themselves. So the focus here is on pronouns and how they introduce their colleagues in classrooms or their friends and then ensure that each other through this exercise each other is also understood because they carry themselves for the next 3-4 years. So they need to know about each other. So in this group exercises or pair of exercises through this.

This is 1 experiment that uh, can be, uh, also utilized to enhance their uh, uh, English, uh, language. So through English language teaching these two exercises, I can.

Incorporate to enhance their, uh, communication skills.

Thank you for elaborating, Professor. Your method of incorporating creative mind-mapping exercises for experiential learning and flip-side modeling for group interaction certainly showcases innovative approaches to enhance students' language skills, communication, and peer understanding. Next, how do you ensure you effectively balance the instruction of theoretical principles with laboratory or practical sessions, particularly when teaching English courses?

Laboratory place, uh, very important role because, uh, out of the four skills that are very essential for English language teaching, which LSRW for listening, speaking, reading and writing, uh, the average life, the average, uh, uh, concentration or listening span of an average team today is between 7:00 and 15 seconds based on.

Boston University's teachings and also their experimental survey.

So what, uh, here we have to focus is through laboratory, uh, teaching or through audiovisual aid. Uh, our focus or my focus would be, uh, ensuring that students play an effective role in this laboratory sessions because, uh, through picturizations, through videography. So the enhanced learning, it widens their scope. Uh, also it brings them.

It offers them different perspectives.

On, uh, different principles, for example, if I want to talk about, uh, prepositions of how, uh, words can be uh, prepositioned, uh, with respect to grammar. So through using videos and also photography aid, uh, certain words can be easily thought to them. Uh, case in point, let's assume there is a track.

Or a moving train and using this task, I would ask them to identify where the train is, whether it is on the track or in the track, whether a person who is waiting outside the track or just away from the track. So through this videography and a photographic aid, through a laboratory setting, it is much, much essential for students through picturization and videography to understand how prepositions play a very important role in.

A railway track, so I would place an object through a video or a picture. A running train.

English.

A language.

Your emphasis on integrating audiovisual aids, like video and photography, to teach concepts such as prepositions demonstrates a practical and engaging approach to bridging theoretical and applied language instruction. Utilizing laboratory settings to enhance understanding through visualization and interactive methodologies aligns well with contemporary pedagogical strategies. How do you approach the evaluation of students' performance in exams or assignments to ensure both fairness and comprehensive skill assessment?

I would, uh, read them on, uh, three to four, uh, uh, aspects on one is whether they're able to, uh, construct, uh, sentences. Whether there is.

Uh, absolute, uh, verb, uh, agreement. Second, uh, ensuring the sentence is, uh, completed, uh, third, whether they follow the instructions right from the question itself, because the idea of understanding and putting things in perspective with, with respect to.

Certain principles of grammar, uh, what happens is we give exercises like fill in the blanks or we give exercises to write instructions for a manual. So what happens is, uh, the students tend to give uh, paragraphic, uh, answers to A1 line answer or vice versa. So in this, what happens is giving them a particular space. Assuming the question carries A50 word length answer.

So ideas to give them a limitation of whether they can fit into 50 words answers. So I would focus on.

Whether the students are able to confine their written statements to 50 word limit that is 1 aspect we should I would focus on. And secondly, their ability to complete uh, uh, answer uh, question paper to which fullest length of 100 covering 100% whether any question or answer is left out or not answered. So this is very essential as per there time management skill are concerned because language teaching.

Uh, the aspect of consuming what we are teaching them results directly to how they're able to apply in there within the time frame, assuming it's a, a common test of 1 and half hours, if there are 10 questions, are they able to attend to all and then try to give a definitive word, limited answers And at the same time it is a three hour paper ensuring all the questions are attended to. So that is very important within.

Also at the same time.

The time frame and I would also ensure that handwriting skills are very important because it shows they are very consistent from not only a thought process but also they're writing process and style.

Your structured approach to student evaluation emphasizes grammatical accuracy, adherence to instructions, time management, and even handwriting—a detailed methodology ensuring both technical precision and practical application. The inclusion of word limits and time-sensitive evaluation highlights your commitment to comprehensive skill assessment. Shifting focus, how do you guide students in projects or research initiatives to ensure they maintain academic rigor and originality in their work?

1st and the most important aspect is the what time limit do we have? Let's assume it's a six month project or it's a one year project or a two year project. My first focus, point of focus would be of telling them crystal clear because I'm a person who believes in clarity. If the students are not able to get the clarity what the project importance involves, then I feel it is personally my obligation and failure.

What it clearly says is at the end of the sixth month or the end of the first year, now there is there's 25 to 30% of chances that he or she might not complete the project and ask for an extension, but.

By not proving my clarity. So it is very important to first and foremost tell them what is the time period here. So going by the Dilbert principle in management.

It is very important to note projects should not have an extension because the very purpose of the project within a timeline it defeats the purpose. So first focus will be on the.

Timeline of how it should be achieved. So this is to show the seriousness of the project. Second, what I would focus on is to divide the faces in the project of three or four depending on the priority. So if the project feels there are answers which are answered already and which requires just furthermore processing or furthermore inquiry, then I would focus the first three months on answering those queries. Parallely collecting further materials for the next three months.

So in this way what happens is we are saving a three month period in a one one year cycle. So our task and focus should be to complete it at the 9th or 10th month. Because if there is any delay during this process, the last two months or three months in this one year project can be used as a buffer time. So in this buffer time all the variations that were requires meet writing be it publishing, be it working out, being a scientific survey, being it a snowball survey or being it a split survey. So all this aspects should be covered within these 3-4 phases of each. So this allotment of phases is important. Completion of small works during these phases and completion of all these phases at the end of the ninth and 10th month with a buffer period of.

Humans is making sure that the project is completed and and finally a recording of every aspect is important so every day, every time, whatever little. Progress happens. This has to be recorded because as it searches, it is important to record everything. As researchers, it is important to note down everything, either through written or digital form, or it is in the notebook form or in a progressive report.

So as a progress report, it is important biweekly or bi monthly or monthly to also enhance the progress. It also helps us to ensure to help us to know where we stand. So this will give us a check-in point balance as well.

Your structured approach to guiding student projects, emphasizing strict timelines, phased progress with clear priorities, and consistent documentation, reflects strong academic rigor. The inclusion of buffer periods and biweekly or monthly progress checks ensures accountability and adaptability throughout the project lifecycle. Finally, Professor, could you describe your philosophy for maintaining good communication while employing structured teaching methods in your classrooms?

Yes, the most first and foremost important, uh, uh, highlight for an any communicative set is to maintaining eye contact. So maintaining eye contact plays a very important role while speaking and while listening because when we are speaking, we are under the impression that everybody is listening. No, when a student speaks, when a professor listens, it is also equally important for the professor to maintain eye contact with them and.

So 1 is to show that we are attentive, giving them complete attention and focus. Because in language and communication, attention focus goes hand in hand. Second, we should also ensure that while a student speaks, the professor or the researcher should also listen. It is equally we should maintain that equilibrium across.

All.

Students both teaching and learning aspects second is listening gives us a lot of patience it helps us to focus on thoughts it helps us to mediate our thoughts it helps us to not go above ground or have a grandstanding but balance our thoughts because students will have a tendency to shift between their classroom periods from. Point A to point B they will keep ruffling, so first I will ensure that they are.

Stream of thought, stream of consciousness comes to place before my class starts or my work starts. So this will give them enough time to settle down, bring their thoughts into focus. Because I feel as communication takes place first, listening also needs to be processed. The brain needs to wait for some time for it to process, for the students to help them understand that they're in a different setting, in a different setting of class, because they're learning not just a principle but also a language.

So for that the brain to process it takes time. So I'll wait. I'll listen to their thoughts, wait for them, focus and then start.

Going into my pedagogy and one other aspect that needs complete attention for students is to make sure that given at hand task is completed then and there rather than prolonged or avoid procrastination. So what happens is sometimes the students think that communication is not an aspect that when they go for an interview or when they attend scheduled.

Uh, interview or go for a corporate placement at that time, they can enhance it. But what happens is during the final course of their, uh, course, uh, they tend to not pick up the fundamental items, the fundamental basic grammar and the whether to talk when somebody's talking, wait for them to finish and then answer whether we should give a one line answer or we should give A2 worded answers, whether it should be a prompt answer or, uh, listen. So how many seconds should a person to wait?

Before answering, is it few seconds or few runs and what kind of So I feel communication also is not just of maintaining eye contact, it is also about processing. It is also about not over grandstanding. At the same time maintain a common zone of touch and also ensure that the way of smoking is normal about a few words in a minute. So I think it is a structure of following so the way.

Student begets the interview.

Consistent, focused, measured word of communication. So this takes long time, this takes a practice, this takes group, this takes time. So ensuring that I carry carry it with them through their learning process of six months or one year of the course module.

At the same a he or she should be able to complete it. He or she should not fasten it, should not slow it down. So I would focus on their.

Your communication philosophy emphasizes keen attentiveness, eye contact, structured listening, and patience, which nurtures students’ processing abilities and builds fundamental language skills over time. You've conveyed a systematic approach to fostering interpersonal communication, steady pacing, and measured responses, aiming for lasting mastery through consistent practice and guidance. Professor, that covers the essential skill assessments needed for this role. Thank you for your detailed explanations and thoughtful insights. I will summarize everything and proceed accordingly.

Professor, could you share with me a specific foundational concept or topic you particularly enjoy teaching to new students in your field?

Yes, I'm very much, uh, interested in uh, teaching students of how.

Umm, a particular setting can give them a whole, uh, letter of teaching. So situational, uh, handling plays a major role. Uh, because, uh, most, uh, most of the times students when they face an unexpected situation, it gives them a lot of stress. It also, uh, induces lot of stress with a lot of. Overload of things that a student needs to carry.