Good day, Sadhna Swayamsidha. 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?

Please start by introducing your professional journey in academia.

Hello, uh, good evening. My name is Adna Zwanzidah. I've completed my.

Graduation in the year 2016 from Reventure University. I've completed my postgraduation from Pondicherry University in the year 2018, I have completed my MFIL in the year 2019 from Reventure University and I have recently completed my PhD from IID Madras in the year 2025. Thank you.

Thank you for sharing that, Professor Adna Zwanzidah.

Professor Sadhna, I'll now verify your skills relevant to the English Professor role. First, let us evaluate your foundation in English Language Teaching. Could you share how you approach designing a curriculum that balances linguistic proficiency and critical thinking for undergraduate students?

OK, so for this I would take an instance of the course that I propose that is applied communication in. Could you please repeat the question again?

It was not very much clear.

Certainly. How do you approach designing a curriculum that balances linguistic proficiency and critical thinking for undergraduate students in English Language Teaching?

OK, so first of all, I'll make sure the purpose of the objective of the course is designed in such a way that it will help the students to have a very critical oriented thinking and but at the same time it will be able to.

The course objective mostly will have two to three objectives based on the purpose of the course. Then there will be an research output which will be based on the research objectives that are there. And there will be a few modules and each module will include an activity that will be there to help the students have a thorough understanding of the course. Then it will have an assessment pattern.

You know, help them in real life scenarios or their placements. So the first there will be an A research course objective that will be there.

Which would include question answers in mocks, interview marks, interactive section, interactive sessions and role-playing scenarios, and also Ai-generated. You know, AI aided assessments will also be a part of that. Thank you.

Yes.

Let’s move forward. Could you explain your expertise in teaching Commonwealth Literature? How do you make this subject engaging for students while addressing its historical and cultural complexities?

OK, so Commonwealth literature basically comes with a lot of history, a lot of historical and geographical context. So what will make it interesting for the undergraduate students is that it to define or to redefine actually these historical context and present them in a very contemporary scenario. I feel this will some way or the other make them very much interested.

And the historical aspects, although cultural and historical aspects that will be there will be presented in a narrative form, in a storytelling form, which will make it very much interesting for the students.

Sure.

Please continue. How would you further enhance engagement in this subject?

So I will also include some videos which are there, the historical videos which will some, because the more visually oriented approach approaches will be there. The students will be able to understand it in a better manner and their attention will be there. So I will also try to incorporate visual aids maybe.

Uh, AI, uh, generated tools to create specific videos or maybe even animated videos to make it more interesting for the students, but I'll also make sure that they understand the.

Use.

Seriousness of such historical and political and cultural contexts.

Combining visual aids, AI-generated tools, and maintaining the seriousness of historical and cultural contexts shows a well-rounded teaching strategy. Let's evaluate another skill. Can you discuss your methodology for guiding student research projects, particularly at the undergraduate level?

OK. Do you mean the research for the undergraduate students?

Yes, specifically guiding undergraduate students on their research projects. What is your methodology for mentoring them effectively in this process?

OK. So I do believe that research for undergraduate students is very much important because it is going to be the foundation of how they are going to do research later. So it is going to have. So it is very much important for them to have a very strong foundation at a very early age so that it will be very, very significant to them in the later stages of their life or the later stages of their research.

So in that context, I will start with a lot of literature review and literature review of not just text or you know, not just text or research papers, but I would also encourage them to find such scenarios from real life events. I feel that will make it more interesting for interesting for them to.

Explore so in this way this will be my basic.

Uh, strategy to capture their interest in the research. Secondly, I will also try to focus on their writing skills. So at a very preliminary stage, I would advise them to start writing papers so that they will be able to develop that skill gradually and in a very. Nice manner so that at the end of the research they will.

The writing skills would have developed very efficiently.

And I will also try to focus on early publications, to try for early publications.

Your approach of integrating literature review, real-world examples, writing skill development, and early publications is well-considered for undergraduate research guidance. Moving on, could you explain how you structure teaching both theoretical concepts and laboratory components effectively in your courses?

OK. Could you please repeat the question again?

Of course. How do you structure your teaching to effectively balance theoretical concepts with laboratory or practical components in your courses?

OK, so major part of my teaching will be theoretical. Theoretical as in not the conventional theoretical method, but what it is in a very inner theoretical in a very contemporary sense, which will include not just monologic dialogues from my side, but also will be a dialogue interaction between the teacher and the students, where the team, not only the teacher but the students will also brainstorm ideas.

To make the teaching more effective. So it will be more learners centric, uh, approach that I will be using. So it will be basically.

On uh, uh, presentations, uh, mock interviews, mock drills, uh, real life, uh, representing real life scenarios in a classroom. So these are the things which will make the theoretical aspects more interesting. And when it comes to laboratory, I will mostly focus on AI aided tools to help them develop those theoretical aspects that they have learned in the classroom.

Your learner-centric approach, combined with interactive elements and AI-aided tools, ensures a strong connection between theoretical and practical learning. Let us now evaluate your communication skills. How do you ensure clarity and structure in your teaching to make complex concepts accessible for all students?

I do understand that VIP as an institute will have diverse students from very different backgrounds. So the first approach of communication that will that I will have is very clear communication with communication with clarity. That includes the use of very simple language and confidence and the clarity, the clarity in communication from the teachers side or the professor's side, I feel.

Is the best way to communicate in the classroom.

And I will, in order to make this communication more better, I will also try to include the students in the communication so that if the I will try to make the communication not monologuing so that the students will feel to be a part of the communication rather than feeling that it is a very hierarchical structured communication.

Your emphasis on clarity, simplicity, and inclusivity in communication demonstrates a thoughtful approach. Now, moving forward swiftly, could you briefly explain your experience with academic publishing in reputed journals?

OK. In the course of my research, I have 3 publications, one in this corpus in the journal, one in a PRISM index journal which is by University of Calgary, Canada and 1 is a conference processing which is published in a UGC recognized journal. So these are the three publications that are there. I have two under review.

Three under review paper which are in Scopus index? Which are Scopus which are in Scopus index.

Two working papers which I intend to send to a Scopus index journal and apart from that I am at the present time trying to convert my thesis to a monograph.

And I have.

As of now, I do not have any experience, but I in the future I do look forward to explore such opportunities.

Your academic publishing record, including Scopus-indexed works and ongoing monograph efforts, reflects commendable scholarly activity. Lastly, could you share your experience, if any, with industry projects or consultancy and how they have influenced your academic approach?

Professor Swayamsidha, I'd like to hear about your teaching experience. What kind of classroom environment do you find most effective for helping students engage with and understand foundational concepts in English studies?

Come again?

Could you please repeat the question again? It was not very uh. The voice was not very clear.

Of course. Professor Swayamsidha, what kind of classroom environment do you find most effective for helping students engage with and understand foundational concepts in English studies?

I do believe a communication friendly where the students will be able to approach the professor with a lot of confidence is somewhat.

Environment that I would say so where the teacher nurtures the students to communicate and where the students feel free to ask questions.

And you know are OK with you know, asking any kind of question related to the topics or where they are able to able to share their views on the topic. And able to brainstorm ideas or give references. Along with the teachers. So basically a very teacher student.

Communication healthy environment is something I do feel is a very apartment classroom environment for the development of both the teacher and the students.

Professor Sadhana, I see clear enthusiasm for fostering a nurturing and communicative classroom environment—where both student engagement and mutual growth are prioritized. Let us now explore how your academic research connects with your pedagogical philosophy. Your resume mentions peer-reviewed publications in SCOPUS-indexed journals. Can you select one of your key publications and describe how its insights or findings might translate into classroom instruction?

OK, so one of the I'll talk about the Scopus index publication that is there, which is the publication is. Titled is I hoped for healing the idea of hope in the eco memoirs of Leslie mom and Silco and Linda Hogan. So there's a very optimistic these are very powerful texts. So this text itself somehow or the other inner emits the energy of confidence, emits the energy of hope.

Which in today's world is very much required. So the the the concept of hope itself becomes very.

Important for the students to grasp what is this hope in this context of Anthropocene or the climate crisis that everyone is experiencing in today's world. So when we talk about hope, hope here is not just an imaginary or is not something, is not an abstract concept, but rather.

Where you are able to do something about it, act to change, a power to change. Hope is defined as such in this eco memoirs. So in a classroom, if we see in the classroom context, if we see if we are teaching kind of hope to the students, it becomes very relevant in their courses. It becomes very relevant in their life narratives also.

Performance and act where you know.

And.

Am I audible?

Yes.

Please continue, Professor. How do you see this idea of hope, grounded as a performative and actionable concept, influencing students both academically and personally? How would you translate this into tangible learning activities or discussions in your courses?

OK, if we see the idea of hope, it is very important or significant for today's students who go through a lot of chaotic experiences in their life. So at a very ground level, the idea of hope itself brings ray of hope to the students. It is very important to talk about this concepts of hope in a very dark ages that we have Anthropocene or the dark ages where people have become clouded by. Maybe.

Certain uncertainties of life. So the hope itself is talking about a performance, a power. It's a performative tool it becomes.

An for instance, for the students to find hope will give them confidence that it will encourage even if there is a failure, even if there is a less grading, if they have got this idea will enable them to rise from that situation. It will help the students to think.

And see that if they perform well, there is a hope for better.

Bettering themselves in whatever they are working on. So moreover, uh, tomorrow it gives this kind of concept gives a real life, uh, you know, encouragement. For instance, if a student is not able to crack an interview or get a placement tomorrow, this idea of hope is something which will help that student to come out of that situation and emerge in a very. Emerge and you know, get ready for a proper or a better tomorrow.

Thank

So this is something which will help them in life. Moreover, when we are talking about the concept of hope, this hope becomes a part of a if we are talking about engineering students or if you're talking about undergraduate students, they can use it as a theoretical framework to create narratives for better futures narratives or you know, industrial ideas or business ideas for a better future tomorrow.

Thank you, Professor Sadhana. It’s evident that your focus on hope as a performative and actionable concept has the potential to deeply connect with students, both as a life skill and as a theoretical framework for academic and professional growth. Let me ask a more pointed question: Given the interdisciplinary applicability of this concept, how would you design a specific classroom activity or assignment to ensure students not only grasp the theoretical underpinnings of hope but also apply it in their academic or industrial contexts?

Sorry to interrupt, we're down to the last 5 minutes.

OK, so when we are talking about applying this concept of hope in a very practical sense, I will have you know, I will ask them to see S tank videos where the.

People who the you know the business idea pitches or the are not accepted by the investors.

So when they are I will show them ideas of failure or visuals of failure and ask them to develop an idea of hope from that failure. So the the hope will emerge from the failures for them. For I will create an instance where I will be asking giving them a real life scenario such as the the the modern industrial.

Developments do you know are countered by? Many Indigenous communities. Many.

You know diverse communities whose lands are being taken. So I would ask the students to create a very hopeful scenario where it will work both for where the industrial development will somewhere the other align with the. Imaginations or the sources of the native people or the people who occupy the land.

That is a fascinating integration, Professor Sadhana. Using real-world examples like business pitches in failure and the contrasting dynamics of industrial development versus Indigenous rights provides students with both intellectual rigor and practical engagement. This approach clearly nurtures critical thinking while weaving hope into both ethical and professional problem-solving. To probe further—do you believe this framework of hope intersects effectively with fostering collaborative problem-solving, particularly in disciplines like engineering or business? How would you encourage interdisciplinary teams in your classroom to work together on such scenarios?

Could you please repeat the question again?

Certainly, Professor. Do you believe this framework of hope intersects effectively with fostering collaborative problem-solving, particularly in disciplines like engineering or business? And how would you encourage interdisciplinary teams in your classroom to work together on such real-world scenarios?

OK, I do definitely see a very collaborative scenario here, so I would like to train the students in such a manner where they will be able to.

See hopeful sites. So for instance, when we are talking about real life scenarios where we are always seeing a certain kind of current confrontation between development and.

Citizen rights, indigenous rights and other environmental issues. So the idea of hope here will bring a very collaborative scenario where there will be a sustainable development. So the idea of sustainable development actually comes further from the idea of hope for the environment. So we are, we are not just creating hope for a particular situation, but we are also creating hope for generations that are going to come, hope for a better future, hope for the.

In this way, I feel that there will be a very interesting and fascinating collaboration between this theoretical framework and the industrial and real life scenarios, which I feel the students will definitely find interesting.

Understood. Thank you for illustrating your perspective on the collaborative and future-facing applications of hope as a pedagogical tool. I appreciate how you connect this framework to broader concepts like sustainability and interdisciplinary engagement. Let us conclude this section here.

OK.

How much?

No, no, no. I just said thank you so much for the interview.

Professor, could you clarify what you mean by "how much"? Are you inquiring about the expected amount of external funding to secure, or something else?

Yes, if there are no more questions from the.

I appreciate that, Professor. However, before concluding, I want to confirm explicitly whether you are requesting to end the interview at this point. Could you clarify?

AI generated model then I do want to end the interview.