Transition from school life to college life poses a series of challenges. To help the new entrants into the College cope with this learning transition NGM College conducted a Three-day Bridge Course from 17th June to 19th June 2019. This crash course was designed to bridge the gap between the students’ initial level of learning and the general requirements of higher education. Experts and Professionals with rich experience in their respective fields addressed the students on various skills and knowledge sets.
The Inaugural session was presided over by the Principal of the College Dr. P. M. Palanisamy. Prof. S. Muthukumaravel, Head, Department of English, welcomed the gathering at the Inaugural session, briefing on the relevance of conducting such Bridge courses in Arts and Science Colleges. In his presidential address, the Principal recounted the history of the College and briefed on the academic activities of the College along with the additional learning opportunities like Research Journals, Human Excellence, Academy for Professional Development, Non-major electives, and other amenities available within the campus.
Rtn. S. Jai Ganesh, Director, INVOSYS and Ignite Academy delivered the Inaugural address on the topic “Time of Transition”. He briefed on all the soft skills like interperonal skills, leadership skills, flexibility and punctuality that one should equip oneself with for success in life. He said, knowing oneself and one’s purpose in life will give a lot of confidence in life.
In the afternoon session, Mr. J. Sam Daniel Stalin, Bureau Chief, NDTV, Chennai addressed the students on the topic, Spoken English: A Passport for Success”. He interspersed his speech with practical tips to the students improve their communicative competence in English. He insisted on chatting in English daily, voice recording in Whats App, joining Debate Clubs and watching English News channels and English movies. He recounted his own experience as a journalist and advised the students to create their own opportunities instead of waiting for one.
Second Day of the Bridge Course began with a session on “Attitude Building” handled by Mr. Saravana Perumal, Placement Officer & Soft Skill Trainer, Sona College of Technology, Salem. The speaker enumerated the tips and resources to build a positive attitude for better performance at the workplace. He also made the students perform tasks that would boost their self-confidence. In another session Dr. Naveen Annamalai, Advisor, Kongunadu Arts and Science college, Coimbatore in his address on the topic “Communication- An Art of Mastery’, focused on honing one’s LSRW skills for effective interpersonal communication. His presentation included practical guidelines that the students should follow while developing the four skills. The activities that the students were made to perform during the session enhanced their understanding of the subtleties of communicating in English.
On the third day of the Bridge Course, Coordinators of various clubs and cells of the College including Controller of Examinations, Academy for Professional Development, Human Excellence, Placement Cell, NCC, NSS and Sports, Fine Arts, Equal Opportunity cell, Green Cell, Students Guild of Services and Certificate courses in Home Science and Uzhuvu Bharatham introduced their concerned departments to the students.
The Bridge course came to an end with the Valedictory session in the afternoon of 19 June. The Principal in his Valedictory address detailed on Quality Assurance in Higher Education. He introduced the students to the process of accreditation that endeavors to ensure quality in higher education system. He also provided the students with an overview of the standards set by NAAC and key concepts in Quality assurance.
In the Feedback session a few students came forward to share their experience at the Bridge Course, after which the session came to an end with the vote of thanks.
