Good day, Dr. Hajara M. 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?

Uh, I'm Hajra, I'm from Tinnel Valley. I completed my UGPG and Ymfield degrees at uh, Sadakatulapa College from Tanal Veli and I recently submitted my PhD thesis and I received award. I mean, I, I was awarded from Manamuniyam Sundarnar University last year. And uh, I worked as an assistant professor for one and half years at Einstein College of Arts and Science. And currently I'm working as an assistant professor in Francis Xavier.

Please start by introducing your professional journey in academia.

Seven months and I have also cleared net examination.

Thank you.

You're welcome, Professor. Let's continue. Can you discuss your experience with English Language Teaching and how you approach creating engaging course content for students?

So after joining Francis Xavier Engineering College, I have adopted so many teaching methodologies. Like in my classes, I would adopt role plays. Like I would make the students to do role plays and make them, uh, engage in Group discussions and make them present and make them give presentations.

And, uh, I predominantly use technology, uh, to make it more interesting for the students.

That sounds solid. How do you measure whether these methods and technological tools are improving student comprehension and engagement in your courses?

Like if you take LMS, that is learning management system, we have uh, uh, Google, uh, classroom, Moodle and all sources are there. So through which we can post materials and students can access to it, uh, anywhere at any time. And they can have listening practices through video platforms like, uh, Ted talks, YouTube.

OK, then we have, uh, many apps like uh, uh, talk app, uh, chat bots to, uh, to give them uh, listening practices and speaking practices.

So we we have also a gamified apps like Vis.

Interesting. Beyond leveraging technology, how do you handle varying levels of language proficiency in a classroom to ensure all students progress effectively?

Uh, yes, uh, uh, it is normal to have, uh, students who are different levels of proficiency in English. So first, uh, I would give small tasks, uh, simple tasks for the slow learners. And I would identify, uh, the advanced learners and I would give them more difficult tasks to make them more, uh, uh, to make them more shine in communication, in confidence. And also I would also. Make slow learners improve their confidence.

And their communication skills through more practice.

Thank you, Professor. Your methodologies are well-considered. Shifting gears, can you elaborate on your research experience and any publications in reputed journals?

Yeah, uh, my research is on translation studies. So I focused, uh, how Lakshmi Armstrong, the translator, uh, Lakshmi Hamstrom, how she has translated the Tamil literature into English, especially her works of modern fiction, modern poetry and her translation of the classical poetry Silapati Garam.

I focus how she has brought.

How she has brought what, Professor? Could you elaborate further?

All those.

Uh, sorry.

No problem, Professor. Could you confirm if you've published any of your work in reputed journals?

Oh yeah, I have published 4 corpus papers.

That's commendable, Professor. Could you briefly describe the focus of one of those papers?

Yeah, so I the paper I published is on translation studies like.

Uh, how a dialect? A Tamil dialects have been translated into English, so obviously there are no dialectal variation in English. I mean when when Tamil text is translated into English, it is difficult in English to find an equivalent.

So how she has a handle how Lakshmi Holmes Nam has handled those difficulties in her translation. So those things is a is analyzed is 1 in in one of my papers.

Thank you, Professor. Let’s shift to your ability to guide student research and projects. Could you share how you approach mentoring students in their research endeavors?

So obviously I would make them understand how important it is to publish a paper in a Rep in reputed journals like Scopus, SCA and I would encourage them how to write a paper.

Uh, I would guide them like, uh, if, if needed, I would even make a PPT and present it in a class, uh, and make them understand more how to present a paper. Uh, what are all the things to be included in a paper? So I will guide them obviously and make them publish in reputed journals.

Uh, can you repeat?

Understood. When guiding these projects, how do you ensure originality and rigor in their research work?

It would be so originality is very important. After the arrival of AI, we could see so many students are depending on a is, so I will make them understand a is only to get help from uh, we should you should not completely depend on it. It, it should be original in the your paper should uh, should be original. Every word in it should be original should come from your mind. Your own idea should be reflected because.

It is a thing that will be read by millions of readers in the world, so it should be original. The original has author has to be acclaimed.

Certainly. How do you ensure that the research work your students

Thank you for the detailed response, Professor. Moving on, can you discuss your experience with student assessment, including exam duties and evaluation methods?

Umm, uh, assessments. I conduct A formative assessments like uh, quizzes, umm.

And like.

Uh qui uh, quizzes, uh MC qu MC queues. So those kind of, uh, assessments, I, I would usually connect to my students and the end semester exam in like, apart from that, we could say like continuous assessment test where students would write, uh, uh.

I would write more paragraphs so.

Thank you, Professor. Beyond these methods, how do you ensure fairness and consistency while grading or assessing student work?

Can you repeat? I didn't understand.

Yeah, yeah.

Yeah, obviously I would be very strict while evaluating the student. If you are so liberal, while correct correcting the paper, it will make the students more lazy. So your evaluation should be strict. So uh, we have a, uh, bell shape method like, uh, if a student has taken a zero, uh, I mean 20 marks, it should be like that Vishnu, we should not be very liberal in giving marks. It will make them more lazy and it will decrease.

At perform performance level. So only if you are very strict in uh, grading them, uh, they will show uh, great improvement in future.

Understood, Professor. Next, could you elaborate on how you incorporate a structured and effective teaching approach in your courses?

Uh, yes. So I usually use PPTS in my glasses, so which would make them uh, visually understand So what it is about. I would also play videos in my classes, umm umm, like uh.

Umm, I would, uh, make them interact. So most of my classes would be so interactive. So I would ask a questions to the students if they, if they are hesitant to speak up, I'll encourage them to, to speak up. So sometimes we would have group discussions, umm, if uh.

Uh, if students are very hesitant, I will make the peer. Students will be the judge.

Uh, in the group discussion, so, uh, they, they can have more, uh, like.

They feel free when their peers or their judges. So I will watch them how she is judging, uh, how the students are responding. So all those things I will watch as a teacher and I will, uh, give them corrections. So where to correct, where they improve. So all those corrections I will give them.

Thank you, Professor. Let’s now discuss your experience with teaching both theory and laboratory courses. Have you had the opportunity to teach a combination of these? If so, how do you balance theoretical and practical aspects?

Uh, I don't understand. Can you repeat, uh, sorry?

Of course, Professor. Have you taught both theoretical concepts and practical components in your courses? If yes, how do you balance teaching the theory and incorporating practical applications?

MMM.

Uh, uh, yes.

Take your

Practical application in the sense, uh, we had a recording activity like, uh, conversation app. Uh, in, in the conversation app, the students will be encouraged to talk with the AI voice and they need to record their voices and post it in Google, uh, classroom. For that, they will be awarded mocks and they will be also given a suggestions of how to improve their pronunciation.

Uh, how to read those things, how to converse with other person. So all those things, uh, will be noted and they will be given suggestions.

Thank you, Professor. Lastly, can you shed some light on any involvement or experience you've had with industry projects or consultancy work?

Uh, what kind of projects? I don't understand.

Uh, actually I haven't worked out of my institution, but I have, uh, made many, uh, I have arranged organized guest lectures. I have made one of the professor, professor from N8 is to present, uh, a lecture through online mode for my students. And I have conducted innovative teaching methods.

I mean any collaboration or work you've done with industries or organizations outside academia, such as consultancy, training programs, or applied research projects.

But I haven't done any collaborative activity, uh, outside my institution.

Thank you, Professor. I understand. That concludes the skill verification phase. Let me proceed.

Professor, welcome. To begin, could you describe an introductory course in English literature or language that you find particularly fulfilling to teach?

Difficulty to to teach? Are you asking what kind of literature is it difficult to teach?

Not quite, Professor. I am more interested in knowing about an introductory course you personally enjoy teaching—perhaps a course that allows you to engage with students meaningfully and spark their interest in English literature or language. Could you share your thoughts?

Yeah, sure. Uh, I, uh, I, uh, obviously every time grammar parts would make me, it would, is interesting for me. So while teaching grammar pots for the students, uh, I feel, uh, very confident to make them understand. I would make a concept, uh, I mean complex concept into uh, simplified way, OK to make them understand like I would, I would enjoy teaching concord, that is subject verb agreement.

I would enjoy teaching them all the tenses in English.

So.

Professor, I see that your research is rooted in English Literature and you are pursuing a Ph.D. from Sadakathullah Appa College while also having cleared the National Eligibility Test. Based on your background, could you share some insights on the thesis or research focus of your Ph.D.? How does it connect to your teaching approach in the classroom?

Uh, yes. So, uh.

Uh, my thesis is on translation studies, as I already told you. So it is very, uh, it is really a fascinating one because uh, uh, Tamil, in Tamil, we have many lexical terms like, uh, like and, or.

The terms like.

I'm sorry if I'm taking the time, uh.

I.

Like.

Uh, so translation is not about, uh, bringing word for word or line for line. If we translate a Tamil sentence, we should not bring as it is in Tamil because in English we don't have, uh, the Tamil figurative, uh, figurative types like, uh, figurative languages like Adukut, Thodar or Irate Kelavi, all those things we do not have in English. But while translating it into English, uh, we adapt to the style of English language. So that is what followed.

Hey Lakshmi Homestown in her translation.

Take

Yes.

How does this understanding of cultural and linguistic nuances inform how you would teach literature or English language courses? For instance, do you integrate these translation studies concepts into your teaching methodology?

So obviously now and then I would tell them what are all the what are all the things to be concentrated while translating a Tamil text into English. So it'll make the students interesting. So like there are so many techniques are there in translation studies like omission, addition, adding descriptive phrases, functional giving functional equivalent. So, so many techniques are there in a translation. So how? These techniques are adopted by the translator to bring a Tamil word into English.

So those things I will explain to my students in my classes.

So obviously they would show a lot of interest while listening to the things I share about translation studies. They will ask me a lot of questions. Umm uh, they will, they will give me some Tamil songs and will, uh, they would ask me to translate it into English, uh, using those one of the techniques. So while applying those techniques, they will understand how the translation studies would be.

It's commendable that you're integrating nuanced translation techniques, such as omission, addition, and functional equivalence, into your teaching. How do your students typically respond to this interdisciplinary approach? Have you found it enhances their engagement or understanding of the material?

Like even yes, yes you can continue.

Thank you, Professor. It’s impressive that your students are actively engaging by applying techniques from translation studies to practical examples, such as Tamil songs. This hands-on approach truly seems to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application. Let me note this, and we may proceed.

Ah, yes.

Could you outline your 3-year research roadmap, focusing on how it aligns with the institutional goals, and your approach to securing external research funding for projects in English studies?

Umm so I have an idea to do a funding project in future. So apart from a translation studies. So now these days my interest relies on English language teaching. So in future if I am doing a funding project or a patent I would focus on ELT that is English language teaching.

Thank you, Professor. How do you plan to mentor junior scholars or students within this roadmap to ensure a steady pipeline of high-quality research outputs?

Can you repeat?

Certainly, Professor. How do you plan to mentor junior scholars or students within this roadmap to ensure a steady pipeline of high-quality research outputs?

High quality research app doesn't means containing rich vocabulary but the rich content.

I will make them understand, uh, I would, I would make them realize how wrong it is to go, uh, to, to plagiarize a work.

So they should work, they should work original, original, they should bring original work. They should also refer to lot of sources so that so that they can get some idea about the work they are they are writing. So I will encourage them to read more and more books, more and more sources related to the work they they are writing, the they are writing the research papers.

And I will, uh, ask them to completely depend on AI.

Understood, Professor. Lastly, how would you utilize international collaborations to enhance both the visibility and citation metrics of your research efforts?

MMM, so, uh.

Can you repeat?

Take your time, Professor.

Certainly, Professor. How would you leverage international collaborations to enhance both the visibility and citation metrics of your research efforts?

MMM yes. So collaborating with the persons from other nation would obviously enrich our research paper because we Indians, we have a different ideology ideology and persons from other countries have different ideologies. When both ideologies collaborate together, we can produce a new idea idea. So which will make the research paper more interesting.

Umm umm, more content rich paper.

Thank you, Professor. That's clear. Let me note that. Moving forward.

Professor, I'm interested in learning how you might implement an active learning model, such as a Flipped Classroom, for a large-enrollment course without relying on slides. Could you provide a detailed explanation of your approach?

Uh, regarding what, uh, can you repeat?

Of course, Professor. How would you implement an active learning approach, like a Flipped Classroom, for a large-enrollment course, ensuring that it does not rely on the use of slides? Could you explain your strategy in detail?

Yes. So I would, uh, often conduct innovative teaching method like as you said, flip the classroom, uh, like conducting games, uh, uh, to make them learn a new vocabulary.

Umm, and I would. I will uh, teach them idioms and phrases now and then, uh, to make their language more beautiful.

And so I, I will tell, tell them what what is the difference between active voice and passive voice? That is when should we in their school days, they might have learnt what is activized and passive voice, but they, they would not have been taught where should the passive voice, where the passive voice should be used. So here I, I would teach them. So I would clearly explain them the things as the voices.

Uh, how the reports should be written, how, uh, how they should, uh, discuss in a group discussion, uh, how they should enact in a role place. So all those things I, I, I will teach them. I teach them.

Thank you, Professor. Now, let’s delve deeper. Given your earlier examples, how would you tailor your teaching strategy to balance classroom discussions and experiential learning sessions, ensuring students remain thoroughly engaged throughout?

Umm, so if I conduct uh, activity based learning, it will make the students uh, uh.

Uh, they will concentrate more apart from, uh, apart from using a blackboard or PPTS for A1 or obviously it would make them uh, feel bored. So I will conduct a game based activities. Umm, I will make them interact. I will make them come in front and present something and I will make them give feedback, uh, for that, uh, class, for that particular class after I finish my class. So it will uh.

More interactive.

And make them gain confidence, uh, to come out of the stage fear.

And, uh, I will make them, uh, bring their resume in now and then, so correct it.

Thank you, Professor. One final question in this context: How do you design evaluation tools to measure actual competency in students, going beyond standardized testing methods? Could you outline your approach?

So our evaluation method for grammar, it's, it should be very strict, uh, like uh.

Even if we find a small mistake.

Actually, can you repeat the question? I think I don't understand the question fully.

Certainly, Professor. How would you design evaluation tools that measure actual competency in your students, ensuring they demonstrate real understanding and skills, rather than just performing well on traditional standardized tests?

Our scheduled time for the interview is now up. Before we conclude, do you have any questions related to the role or the company?

So for, for your previous question, uh, like, uh, I would like to answer like before conducting an examination, I would get, I would, uh, give them, uh, classroom assessment. Like, uh, if I teach, uh, white paper writing, I will give them umm.

I will give them some uh.

Some questions on it and we'll and we'll make them write a white paper on that question. OK. So after writing that, they'll get some confidence and they will get to know how to write a white paper and we can see it's reflection in their paper.

Thank you for clarifying, Professor. You've shared some thoughtful insights into your teaching and evaluation approaches. That concludes this segment of the interview. Please hold briefly.

Yes, yes.

As an English Professor, improving departmental metrics to meet high-level accreditation standards is essential. How would you systematically enhance a specific metric, such as the number of publications per faculty, to contribute directly to accreditation success?

So every faculty should publish at least two papers in a year so that, uh, they can enrich their knowledge. Umm.

So, uh.

They can gain more.

So, uh, it'll not only increase our salary, but also our, uh, our knowledge.

About English.

So when we when we learn more, we can earn more.

Interesting point, Professor. Balancing faculty publication requirements with broader academic responsibilities can be challenging. How would you manage the potential administrative fatigue that could arise, ensuring faculty can focus on both publishing and other academic priorities effectively?

MMM, yes.

Being a teacher doesn't mean teaching is the only job. So they need to publish papers, they need to conduct a different kinds of tasks to make the students more interactive and uh, uh, they can even, uh, I mean.

Uh, they can even organize guest lectures, uh, workshops.

To make the students, uh, well trained. So, uh, so our sole duty is to make the students uh.

What to say? They should, uh, deserve their degree when they come, uh, when they go out of the institution.

I see. Have you led any internal committees aimed at improving departmental quality or audit outcomes that could directly impact accreditation success? Could you share some specific experiences?

Uh.

Sorry.

That's fine, Professor. Let's move forward.

Professor, consider the following scenario: You are faced with a student alleging grading bias in your assessment, while institutional leadership pressures for maintaining specific pass-percentage metrics. What would be your resolution strategy in this situation?

Can you repeat please?

Umm, so far I haven't faced a situation like that. If I face like that, uh, I will personally approach the students and, uh, correct him. Uh, only after that I will approach the management if I'm not able to correct him.

Certainly, Professor. A student alleges grading bias in your course assessment, while institutional leadership expects you to uphold specific pass-percentage targets. How would you resolve this situation?

Thank you, Professor. Let’s delve deeper. How would you ensure that your actions in addressing such an allegation align with ethical academic standards and maintain transparency throughout the process?

Umm, so even if it is semester paper, uh, uh, I will uh.

Umm, uh, yes, uh, I will appreciate, uh, the management to show the papers to the students so that they can know, so how, where they can, uh, mistake, where they have mistaken, where they have committed mistakes, So where should they improve all those things they will come to know. So it should be, uh, transparent, even if you.