REPORT OF FE STUDENT INDUCTION PROGRAM 2024-25

As mandated by the AICTE Model Curriculum which comes into force from this academic year, Don Bosco College of Engineering conducted a two-week Student Induction Program (SIP) for the newly inducted first year engineering students. The schedule was meticulously prepared keeping in mind the norms and recommendations of AICTE.

Day 1 (15th July 2024)

The first session of the SIP was delivered by Fr. Ralin De Souza, Rector, Don Bosco, Fatorda. Fr. Ralin in his session talked about the Preventive system of Don Bosco’s education which he said “is based on three pillars: Reason, Religion & Loving Kindness”.

Next, the students were addressed by Fr. Kinley D’Cruz, Director, Don Bosco College of Engineering. The director briefed them about the inception of the college and gave general instructions on discipline and overall behaviour in the institution. He said, “We want your four years stay here at DBCE to be a happy and memorable one”.

In the afternoon session, the students were put into groups of about ten each and were engaged in ice-breakers and fun activities by the counsellors Ms. Elaine Dias and Ms. Mancia Lobo.

Day 2 (16th July 2024)

In the morning session, Dr. Neena Panandikar, Principal, DBCE, addressed the students and gave a general overview of the various activities and achievements of the college. She solicited the support of the students saying, “You are our important stakeholders, contribute and help us grow.”

This was followed by a session on “Scheme, Examination, Grading, Scholarships & Audit courses” by Dr. Kala Nayak, Registrar & HOD of Science & Humanities department, DBCE.

Dr. Kala also introduced the students to the faculty who would be teaching them in the first semester.

In the afternoon session, Dr. Norman Dias, Training & Placement Officer, DBCE, gave a session on “Career Options: Higher Studies, Job Markets & Startups”. In his session, Dr. Norman highlighted the job market scenario in each of the engineering branches.

The students were then taken for a campus tour by faculty from the respective departments and were familiarised with the various labs and central facilities in the college.

Day 3 (17th July 2024)

In the morning session the students were given an insight into the various activities / clubs / associations at DBCE by the respective section heads/coordinators. These included Cultural activities, Sports activities, NSS, E-cell, IEEE, SEEDS, Satellite Club, FSAI, IIC, Robotics Club & CII-IWN. The Anti-Ragging committee / squad of the college headed by Mr. Ajit Salunke also addressed the students.

In the afternoon session, the heads of the departments acquainted the students about the Vision, Mission, and Accreditation, Major/Minor degree, departmental associations and other relevant details of their respective departments.

Day 4 (18th July 2024)

In the morning session, faculty from respective departments delivered a session on the “Role of Engineers in Society & Industry” which was then followed by the faculty highlighting some “Innovative Projects” in their respective departments.

In the afternoon, the students were taken around to view the “Kshitij 2024” project exhibition in which projects done by students from DBCE & various other schools were on display.

Day 5 (19th July 2024)

A scientific calculator is an essential tool for every engineering student and it is equally important to know the proper use of its various functions. Keeping this in mind, a hands-on workshop on the use of scientific calculator was conducted for the students in the morning session by faculty from respective departments.

An interaction with senior students and alumni of the respective departments was held wherein the seniors and alumni shared their experiences at DBCE and gave useful advice to the students.

In the afternoon session the students were divided into groups and engaged in games of Chess, Carrom, Table Tennis & Uno.

Day 6 (22nd July 2024)

The first day of the second week of the orientation programme began with a yoga session conducted by Mr. Clifford Britto, College Director of Sports & Physical Education. Mr. Britto along with Dr. Kala Nayak demonstrated various yoga postures and explained their importance in relieving stress and in overall wellbeing. Students actively participated in the session by doing the postures shown.

The next session was by Dr. Joline Fernandes, Immunity, Lifestyle & Wellness Consultant. She delivered a session on “Health & Nutrition” in which she emphasised that, “it is important to eat to be healthy rather than to have a good physique”. Dr. Joline encouraged the students to eat healthy food prepared at home rather than fast food. She also highlighted that almost all health problems we face today are because of unhealthy eating habits which leads to improper digestion. Daily exercise is also an important aspect of healthy living, she added.

In the afternoon, Prof. Selvyn Fernandes from ETC/ECS department gave a session on “Universal Human Values. This was followed by an informative session on “Cyber Crime & Cyber Security” by Mr. Vidyanand Pawar, PI, Cyber Crime Cell, Goa Police. In his talk, Mr. Pawar explained the various ways in methods of online frauds and also proposed ways by which we can remain safe while interacting online.

Day 7 (23rd July 2024)

In the morning session, the students were shown a video on “Substance Abuse” prepared by the Anti-Narcotics Cell of Goa Police. The video highlighted the harmful and sometimes fatal effects of various types of drugs and prompted the youth to keep away from it.

The speaker for the next session was Ms. Poonam Shirsat, Life Coach, Founder Director of The Skill Company. She gave a motivating talk on ‘Facing challenges with a smile’. She initially showed the students how people who we consider successful have to undergo lots of challenges and hard work to attain success. She also explained how to change negative situations in life into positive ones.

In the afternoon, the students were divided into groups as per their talents and given tasks to prepare which they would then present on the final day of the SIP.

Day 8 (24th July 2024)

The day began with a session on “Building Healthy Relationships” by Fr. Melito D’Costa. In his session Fr. Melito spoke about green and red flags in a relationship. The green flags included communication, trust, individuality, growth, conflict resolution and resilience.

In the next session, Mr. Skandle Fernandes, Lecturer, St. Xavier’s HSS, Mapusa, urged the students to nurture and be proud of their Goan identity through his session “Celebration and Preservation of the Goan identity”.

In the afternoon, Ms. Risha Hegde, Community Manager, FiiRE, explained to the students the concept of business idea incubation and the start-up incubation process being followed at the Forum for Innovation Incubation Research & Entrepreneurship (FiiRE).

This final session of the day was on “POSH Act” by Adv. Emidio Pinho, SCAN-Goa. Through various real life examples Mr. Emidio explained the various provisions of the Prevention of Sexual Harassment Act.

Day 9 (25th July 2024)

“Space is risky, but it is exciting” were the words of Dr. Vithal Tilvi, Professor, GSHEC, who gave an interesting session on “Adventures in space exploration”. Dr. Tilvi elaborated his journey in space exploration through various programs at NASA, specially the one in which he and his team discovered the farthest known galaxy in the universe which is about 13 billion light years away from earth. He further encouraged the students to delve into space exploration and there are many opportunities for engineers in it.

This next session was on “Constitution of India” delivered by Mr. Nevil Soares, Deputy Registrar, DBCE. In his session, Mr. Soares emphasised on the Fundamental Rights, Duties and Directive Principles described in the constitution.

In the afternoon Ms. Carol Cardozo, Asst. Professor, gave a session on “Barriers to effective communication”. In her session Ms. Carol covered aspects of everyday life which act as barriers in communicating intended messages. The tone was set by giving real-life examples of companies facing losses due to hurdles in marketing communication. This was done with a motive of identifying and eliminating barriers such as Physical, Psychological, Cultural and other fallacies.

Day 10 (26th July 2024)

The final day of the SIP began with an orientation on Library facilities by the Librarian Dr. Rolando D’Cruz & Library Assistant Ms. Vanessa Fernandes. They demonstrated to the students the use of the library website to search for available books, how to access ScienceDirect journal articles and also the use of DELNET.

Next Dr. D.S. Vidhya, HOD, ECS department & NPTEL coordinator conducted a session on “NPTEL MOOC courses” in which she explained about how to enroll for NPTEL courses, how to fill examination forms & timeline for 2024-25 examinations. Students were given idea regarding NPTEL Certificates, fee waiver benefit for SC, ST and low-income students. The importance of domain courses, mentor, NPTEL Stars was also highlighted.

As a culmination of the two-week Student Induction program, in the afternoon, the students were given an opportunity to showcase their talents. The students, who were earlier put into groups as per their talents, came up with fabulous performances in drama, dancing, art, music & singing which was well appreciated by everyone.

Kargil Vijay Diwas was also celebrated with Capt. Utpal Datta (NM), Ex-Naval officer and Kargil War veteran, speaking to the students about his experiences as a helicopter pilot during the Kargil war in in 1999.

Day 11 (27th July 2024)

Orientation for parents of FE students

An orientation programme was conducted for the parents of the FE students on 27th July 2024 in the college auditorium.

The orientation began with an address by the director Fr. Kinley D’Cruz, wherein he briefly explained the history of Don Bosco and the various Don Bosco institutes. Fr. Kinley also gave general advice and instruction to the parents with respect to their wards.

Next, Dr. Neena Panandikar, Principal, gave an overview of the various activities being held at Don Bosco College of Engineering and highlighted the progress of the college over the recent years.

After a break for refreshments, Dr. Kala Nayak, Registrar, then introduced the class teachers and the admin staff to the parents. She also informed the parents about the FE scheme of instructions of the first and second semester as per the newly introduced NEP based curriculum. Further, Dr. Nayak briefed the parents about the various scholarships which the students can avail of.

Dr. Norman Dias, TPO, gave a report of the placement drives conducted on the campus and the status of students placed over the recent years.

The orientation session ended with a campus tour conducted by the heads and faculty from the Mechanical, Civil, ECS and Computer Engineering departments.