Yes, OK.

Please start by introducing your professional journey in academia.

Hi I'm. Divya 11. Assistant professor specializing in artificial intelligence and machine learning. The strong expertise in developing. Intelligent. Data-driven decision systems. My works closely aligned with the research. And. Developing innovation project ideas. And. And I my research focuses on. Scalable and robust. Machine learning applications.

Thanks for sharing that. When you mention your focus on scalable and robust machine learning applications, could you describe a particular project where you had to address scalability issues in your AI system?

Machine learning applications that. The works on. Developing sustainable engineering applications. Applications sustainable on a sustainable engineering projects. I'm practically. Or I'm particularly interested. In developing solutions that integrate predictive analytics. Two decision 2 real time. Decision making or to reliable decision making. I'm also keen. In securing. Funded research. Projects. And also contributing to high impact. Journals. So in terms of teaching, I have experience in handling machine learning. Uh, data science? Business analytics. And artificial intelligence courses. I adopt. Student centric. And the application oriented. Teaching approaches. Incorporating. Hands on sessions. I also actively mentor students who take part in research activities. Hackathons. Umm and innovation projects to solve. To produce real-world problem solutions.

You mentioned incorporating hands-on sessions and student-centric approaches. Can you give a concrete example of an assignment or activity you've designed that helped students connect theory with real-world machine learning applications?

I'm especially interested in contributing to. Our research ecosystems. R&D initiatives and. Student Innovation. Culture at the same time. Improvising my. Teaching abilities. Teaching skills. Along with my.

That's an interesting point. Could you elaborate a bit more on that?

Yes, of course. Recently we have. There there has been a call for. Smart in the hack. Which is a world, uh, which is a nationwide, a nationwide a hackathon. That is conducted in our country. So in that smart India hackathons I have guided. Several projects. So one such projects I would like to mention. Is our solid waste management systems so in this project. What we have What? Uh, the students had showcases that they wanted to. Main provides some solution for managing the solid waste. And most of the Downs area. So in that we have. Suggested method. By making use of computer vision process. Of identifying. Degradable and biodegradable based from the images. From the images of waste that is available by means of. Certain machine learning approaches.

Interesting. For that solid waste management project, what criteria or metrics did you use to evaluate whether the computer vision solution was actually improving waste sorting accuracy in real-world settings?

OK, for the evaluation metric, we have made use of the precision and recall score. As well as. The confusion metric. Uh, confusion matrix. For, umm, strengthening our uh. Research.

Thank you for clarifying your evaluation approach. When you guided students on hands-on sessions for AI or machine learning courses, how did you ensure that their lab work connected directly to current industry practices rather than just textbook exercises?

Actually I. Handel or I visit the placement session of the. Organizing institute as well. So while during when I'm attending his placement sessions, I came I. Come across the various. Platforms or the various um. What is like, uh. The various problems. Which the industry is expecting. Uh, the students or the upcoming, uh, the engineers to solve. In that way I align my. Teaching in such a way. I convey the. What is it I convey the? Uh, concept. In a way. Uh, by explaining with some, uh, existing problems and providing. A solution. Two such problems. Through my teaching approaches.

Let's focus now on your research trajectory. If you were to join our institution, what would your three-year research roadmap look like—specifically, how would you prioritize impactful publications and external collaborations in your area of specialization?

Umm, maybe, uh, like I'm concentrating. On developing. A much more advanced. Uh, deep learning based approaches for. Uh, sustainable engineering practice especially. At car at present at present day sustainable engineering solutions. But provide a better solutions. Or that would be that would be a better way. Or better approach for solving any kind of. Problems and the same way. At the same time. In technology when talking about technology aspect. Currently. I'm concentrating on uh. Impactful AI. Impactful A. Like in terms of agent decay based systems or uh. Some kind of craft? Network based systems. To provide certain innovation solutions. So which are all, uh, which are considered to be some of the most uh. Underlying areas that needs to be explored more. For many potential solutions.

Describe in detail how you would implement an active learning model—such as a flipped classroom—for a large-enrollment artificial intelligence course, ensuring student engagement without using traditional lectures or slides.

With us, uh, we can include Sam. Interactive sessions. Uh, by means of any uh, collecting, uh, the comments or uh, giving, uh. The.

What giving us a? Posting a question on a forum and asking them to uh.

Now let's discuss your approach to institutional stewardship. Suppose your department needs to improve its "Research per Faculty" metric to meet accreditation standards. What systematic steps would you take to help achieve this target?

Right. When aiming to raise the research output per faculty, how would you motivate colleagues who are less research-active to contribute more, especially if they feel overburdened by teaching or administrative duties?

Umm, probably we should uh, encourage them first to handle uh. The work and handle the time balance. So first we need to prioritize the task first which task needs to be handled first and then work accordingly. And also systematic planning. If we want and it is better. To make a planner or to plan your activities well ahead, probably a week ahead. Of what are all the? Activities or ongoing activities you can be expect. In the upcoming week or the current week? If you are able to plan. Your activities and or prioritize your activities well. That itself gives you a better. Uh, space. Better space in terms of both the innovation and both in terms of time. In for managing both your academic as well as your administrative works. And I also suggest that. Um, to have an open. Forum or? A feel free method of communication. With all other faculties involving in an organization irrespective. Off their hierarchy. In order to solve in order to solve any kind of. Discrepancies. Which they arise when they are solving any particular problem or I suggest we can have a brainstorming session. Or some kind of a casual interaction. Maybe once in a day. Regarding like like inquiring about the status, the status of the particular work which they're carrying out. Or they can create or log the particular log the work. Or activities which they are carrying out every day. And provide them. The necessary instructions are activities. Like telling which needs to be more focused later or which needs to be more focused at the present. Uh, likewise.

Let's turn to ethical decision-making. Imagine a scenario where you are accused of grading bias by a student, but the department is also under pressure to meet a minimum pass percentage for accreditation. How would you handle this conflict while upholding academic integrity?

I think this probably will be and and also providing a positive. More to what? How, However, what? Uh, anyway, once workers assigned to us, we're going to do that work. So that. Assignment of work or that assignment that assignment process to be should be carried out in a. Positive aspect or we should be reinforcing some kind of positive mindset? Or a positive idea for the concerned. Person or any concerned person. To carry out or to start that work, or to carry out any process? So that. And also the constant. I also suggest to give constant appreciation. Whether it is a smaller level or a greater level. Rather than just only pointing out of any case of drawbacks. Or any mishaps happen. It is important. It is equally important. To appreciate even a very, very small matters as well. This gives immense positive boost for an individual. To work more effectively and efficiently. I guess following these strategies or methods, one person can be actually. Be able to balance. In case even in case of very stressful or or highly. Umm, I'm time consuming. Umm aspect as well.

You mentioned the importance of positive reinforcement and open communication among faculty—can you provide a concrete example of how you facilitated collaboration between colleagues with differing priorities or work styles?

For example. Suppose if you are now given a task, given a task of. Conducting or organizing an event, say for example a project Expo. Our project Expo or any kind of some some. Activity or some technical fence that needs to be conducted. For the students. In order to select some potential works for some. Process so. I I would. I would. In Part 2 my. First of all, the importance of the work which they are going to carry it out. Rather than just telling them you're going to be overburdened with this additional work. First, it is necessary to tell them the importance of the work they're going to carry out and how much beneficial it is going to be. Imparting the organization. Imparting the betterment of the students. Also, it is how, uh, how much? It is going to be benefiting. Their own aspect as well. First, this, uh, mindset. Needs to be imparted to the particular person. When the task of say for example this project expert is going to be handed to them. So once this has been imparted then. Proper planning needs to be done in the initial stages of. Right from the process of screening of the students until. Um, the mentoring session, throughout the mentoring sessions and throughout until until they execute the prototype. A proper planning should be done. Well, very well advanced. Suppose I, I, I, I guess this kind of, uh. Even. For conducting these kinds of time of prior of one month ahead. A one month before will gives us an ample of uh, thinking space, as well as an ample of uh. Time ample of time to. Plan out to plan out how to bring it more successful. And. Uh, this has been uh. Delegated untimely follow up. Timely, dedicated follow-up for this particular activity is necessary in order to ensure that everything is going on track. So, uh. So this. Everything, and also whenever we observe some kind of. Lag or something is going to be out of tracking. It is necessary for that respective. Coordinator in order to correct them. Yeah, correct them. Not in, uh, correct them. Like, uh. Uh, like in a positive manner? Or like in an better way. This or in a better way. I'm providing the solutions now and then whenever a person is. Approaching for some kind of charisma whenever the student is approaching in kind of. In in the scenario of not clear about what they are going to do not clear about it. So that time we need to be providing or we need to be doing the mentoring support in such a way that. Uh, it'll be helping the. Concerned person in order to. In order to do that, when a person is involved in mentoring sessions, first they also needs to be. Um, undergoing brainstorming. On the various uh, uh. Applications or various solutions? That they're going to mentor on or that they're going to, uh, handle on. So this gives.

Let's shift to industry alignment. Professor, can you describe a concrete strategy you would use to leverage your professional network to create more direct internship or employment opportunities for students in the multimedia or artificial intelligence fields?

Much more. Session I mean much more interaction. Interaction among the. Umm, individuals. So and. In a positive way, in a positive way. So this will kind of bring in room for innovative solutions. So once you are able to communicate your mind better and that too in a more systematic planned way, this gives rise to more potential based solutions. This method of orbit will also be. What is a motivating? And also we we need to be imparting that we should not be forcing to be achieving the success at the first step itself. We should be making it clear that. Whether you're achieving the success. Or not. Participation is the. Uh, key thing participation is itself is the first success like that you need to impart them. And you need to encourage in such a way that with this can bring. Tremendous. Umm. What is improvements? In the. Behavior of the individual as well as. The output of the project. Which you will be attaining. If you're following these kinds of approaches.

Through by means of positive reinforcement and proper planning. And. Well tracked. Timelines.

Now, focusing specifically on student evaluation and exam duties: can you walk me through how you design, administer, and grade assessments to ensure both fairness and alignment with course objectives?

You emphasized the importance of participation and mindset in motivating colleagues—can you share a specific moment when this approach led to a measurable improvement in either faculty research output or project success?

Umm, OK. Uh, so, umm. There was a colleague. There was a colleague of my department. Who didn't have? Any idea who didn't have any idea about research? She, that person, was just only concentrating on handling the crosses. And uh, doing only academic, uh, uh, related activities or two only relevant to teaching, not anything involved in research, but. One day. I had an opportunity. To explain them the importance of research. And first of all, they were not showing that much of. Interest, but. I made them more, but I was made more approachable to them. I was more approachable to them. I, I, I told them whenever you have any concerns regarding or research or something. Uh, you just reach me out and in that way and I also showcase them. What are all the how the research works are usually carried out? And what are all the different kinds of problems is existing? I just took a real life solution, a real life problem like. The crop in prediction. In agriculture, so agriculture is now is one of the main. Umm, domain. Or off or or or or a main discipline of of our backbone of any economy, especially in our Indian economy where agriculture is our. What a ****. So when you are going to uh as an engineer? You need to. To develop or you need. To provide something or provide some solutions to some existing problems that will be really. Creating some impact on an environment. Likewise only I took this example of prediction and explained them. How these current research techniques by making use of these like these machine learning. The particular person was handling the machine learning courses. So using this machine learning approaches. How can you? Uh, provide. 1st 1st I mentioned them how to identify the potential problems in the particular domain. Understanding, identifying the problem, how can you give? Potential solutions so once. Potential solution by means of machine learning.

You described guiding a colleague new to research by connecting machine learning coursework to real-world agricultural problems—what tangible outcome resulted from your mentorship, such as a published paper, student project, or change in their teaching or research activities?

So once you are able to provide solutions and how to evaluate these kinds of. Solutions. And when you are going to present and also once this. Date has been achieved and I have told them. I have told the concerned person. To publish the paper. To take step to publish the particular paper. Um, in the. In in one any, any kind in any conference or any. Journal. Initially they were thinking that it was a very, very time consuming or it is a very, very difficult task, but once explained. The step, step by step. Like we are not in an very backward era of.

After you walked your colleague through the publication process step by step, did they eventually submit and publish their research on crop yield prediction, and if so, what was the impact on their engagement with research activities afterward?

Doing very tedious tassels nowadays we are having many. Assistance from, especially from our artificial intelligence itself, which helps. US in making our research more. Easier. Are in in other words to more. What is a tomorrow? Affinable or a more likable? Umm, so this kind of approach had had. Change their aspect. Uh, first change that aspect. That research is not difficult. That change their aspect. Research is interesting, so rather than just monotonously just handling the subjects or thing. Providing some interactive, providing some some real world problems and finding the way to solve such kind of problems has and had developed. And develop the motivation inside them that they also will be able to they are also capable of finding. Solutions. To some kinds of problems. This encouraged a particular person. To take a step forward now to register for. Umm, they have to register for her. PhD. Which I see it is. Which I see it is a very uh. Uh. A good step. A very good process. Especially in her career. Her career for the carrier.

Thank you for sharing that example. Shifting to your communication and teaching approach, can you describe a specific method you use to ensure your lectures are structured in a way that supports students with varying levels of prior knowledge, particularly in complex topics like deep learning?

Umm, usually.

Okay. When teaching foundational concepts in deep learning to a mixed-ability group, how do you identify when students are struggling, and what specific intervention do you use in the moment to help them catch up without slowing the rest of the class?

Which I was about. Deliver on that lecture. Once the topic has been delivered, I also engage on a Q&A sessions. Regularly. Like what did they understand and?

You mentioned building curiosity and using Q&A to check understanding—can you give a specific example of a time when this revealed a misconception, and how you addressed it to help the student grasp the concept?

Who is this? Like quizzy or something that can uh. Make the class more. Lively like. Competition like something you can. Or you can conduct at the time. Of your classroom itself which? I can turn the boring session. Into. More playful or interactive?

Using interactive tools like quizzes during class can keep students engaged—can you describe a time when a student who was initially disengaged or struggling became more active or improved because of these activities?

Actually, I myself. Got introduced to quizzes like that only. I was attending one of my. FDP is faculty development program on. Innovation teaching methodologies. Until then, I was not aware of these kinds of. A tools or a methods which can conduct or on the spot. Uh, quizzes are on the spot. Uh, games game like gamified learning like some. So I was not aware initially before attending the. Once when I was attending the FDP, I found I. Finally I found myself. Like what? Answering with more enthusiasm, like everyone of us who are participating in. Like when that question was posed and there were a timer was running and we were like rushing up. We were like rushing up to post the answer fast. And because the one was giving the answers first was. Awarded what was giving was. Given some rewards. Was given some rewards at the app. And that was like a kind of. Uh, that, that made me realize that, uh, lectures, lecture, even, uh, some. Dry lectures can also be made. More. Interesting. Are more attentive as well.

OK, so I myself as an example I myself. We can be told as an example for. These kinds of approaches.

Interesting realization. Can you share how you adapted the gamified quiz method from your faculty development program to your own classroom, and what changes you observed in student engagement or outcomes as a result?

Understood. Shifting focus, can you describe your experience with student evaluation and exam duties—specifically, how do you design assessments to fairly measure both theoretical understanding and practical application in your subject area?

Evaluating based on. A project work. OK, so the questions. While in the theoretical exams as well. Umm, 50 percentage of questions. Uh, or like or or no for 40 percentage of the questions. Will be like concentrating on descriptives or. Understanding level. And UH-60 percentage and, and, uh.

You mentioned allocating 30 percent of marks to project work—can you give a concrete example of a project assignment you've used, and how you assess whether students have achieved both creativity and technical rigor in their solutions?

30 percentage. Will be asked in terms of analyzing aspect. But and. 10 percentage will be concentrated on crime. Creative aspect. So in this way. Give some kind of Fair evaluation. For every student because. Not everyone will be excelling in all the things, few will be excelling in all the things, and few will be concentrated. So that's. Everyone will be getting a. Plays or getting a chance for showcasing their uh. Level of expertise.

You mentioned differentiating between descriptive, analytical, and creative questions in your exams—can you share an example of a creative exam question you've used, and what you look for in a strong answer?

For, uh, for any. For any. A real time application. Like from the. Phase of. Data procuring or data collection? Till your. Monitoring or maintenance space. Like, uh. Can you provide me? The pipeline, the machine learning pipeline, or the workflow process? For any real world applications.

When you assign a machine learning workflow question like that, what are the most common mistakes or gaps you notice in student responses, and how do you address them in your feedback?