Department’s faculties are practicing 25 Innovative teaching methods to improve the student’s interest and their performance in academic as shown below.

1. ICT Methods
2. Flipped Classrooms
3. Brain storming sessions
4. Project Based Learning
5. Google Classrooms
6. Concept based animated videos
7. Integration of NPTEL Video lectures in teaching learning process
8. Activity based learning
9. Industrial Visit
10. Learning through MOOCs resources
11. Student’s Innovative projects
12. Faculty Initiative towards Students Research
13. Approach to deal with slow and advanced learners
14. Online Teaching
15. Mind Map
16. Mnemonics words-words-words approach
17. Advanced Technology Laboratory (ATL)
18. Laboratory Improvements for Future Trends (LIFT)
19. Group Learning
20. Role Play
21. Fish Bowl
22. Jigsaw Activity
23. Group Discussion
24. Peer to Peer Learning
25. Virtual Program Ming Lab

Few of them are in details:

Mind Map

A way of helping students make notes that used only key words and images, but mind map can be used by teachers to explain concepts in an innovative way. They are much quicker to make and much easier to remember and review because of their visual quality. The nonlinear nature of mind maps makes it easy to link and cross-reference different elements of the map. Mind Maps are also very quick to review, as it is easy to refresh information in your mind just by glancing once. Mind Maps can also be effective mnemonics and remembering their shape and structure can provide the cues necessary to remember the information within it. They engage much more of the brain in the process of assimilating and connecting facts than conventional notes. The key notion behind mind mapping is that we learn and remember more effectively by using the full range of visual and sensory tools at our disposal. Pictures, music, color, even touch and smell play a part in our learning armory will help to recollect information for long time. The key is to build up mind maps that make the most of these things building on our own creativity, thinking and cross linking between ideas that exist in our own minds.This would bring very high impact on the minds of the students about a concept

• Creates clear understanding
• PowerPoint can be used widely
• Innovative thinking improves

Mind mapping for Object Oriented Programming

Goals

All mind maps begin with a main concept or idea that the rest of the map revolves around, so choosing that idea or topic is the first step. Begin by creating an image or writing a word that represents that first main idea.

From that main idea, create branches (as many as needed), that each represent a single word that relates to the main topic. It’s helpful to use different colors and images to differentiate the branches and sub-topics.

Then, create sub-branches that stem from the main branches to further expand on ideas and concepts. These sub-branches will also contain words that elaborate on the topic of the branch it stems from. This helps develop and elaborate on the overall theme of the mind map. Including images and sketches can also be helpful in brainstorming and creating the sub-branch topics.

Method

Mind mapping is a visual form of note taking that offers an overview of a topic and its complex information, allowing students to comprehend, create new ideas and build connections. Through the use of colors, images and words, mind mapping encourages students to begin with a central idea and expand outward to more in-depth sub-topics. A mind map is a visual representation of hierarchical information that includes a central idea surrounded by connected branches of associated topics. Mind mapping is a beneficiallearning tool to help students brainstorm any topic and think creatively. Mind maps are particularly helpful in the writing process and provide students with a natural way of thinking and building thoughts on a story plot or theme.

Mind maps also provide teachers with insight into their students’ thought process regarding a specific topic. By asking students to create mind maps demonstrating their comprehension of a concept, teachers are able to understand what a student’s prior knowledge was and how well the student understands the assignment or the material being taught. This is a very effective way of evaluating students’ understanding.

Benefits

• Help students brainstorm and explore any idea, concept, or problem
• Facilitate better understanding of relationships and connections between ideas and concepts
• Make it easy to communicate new ideas and thought processes
• Allow students to easily recall information
• Help students take notes and plan tasks
• Make it easy to organize ideas and concepts

Peer Review and Critique

Mind Map documents are submitted for peer review with expert committee for identifying any difficulties and suggestions. The following are the guidelines given by the committee to implement the above method effectively.

• Select the Concepts and Computer terminology very carefully which is easy to remember
• Identify the proper images, Colors, Keywords and Visual representations
• Facilitate students to communicate with plans and ideas

Mnemonics Words - Words –Words Approach

Here the teacher is not supposed to talk on a particular concept for a quite long time. But to make it clear to the students he can just go on saying mnemonics or its associated meaning in words. Here he goes on saying only words instead of sentence, and once they come to a basic understanding of the meaning of a particular concept then the teacher will explain in sentences. For example in teaching language courses this technique can be used as an effective medium by the teacher to develop word power.

• Dictionary must be used widely
• Word power increases
• Teacher also gets to know many words pertaining to a particular concept

Goals

• One essential goal of teaching with such memory tools enable students to create and use their own tools, or "mnemonics," to improve recall
• In mnemonic instruction, students relate new information to what they have already learned through visual and verbal cues
• A primary goal of mnemonic instruction is to have students adopt mnemonic strategies and use them independently to facilitate the transition from teacher-created to student-created mnemonics

Method

• One effective mnemonic is a verbal elaborative strategy that successfully links known information to unknown information, usually through an acoustic proxy. In this basic form, an unknown word sounds like a known word [keyword] and is related in picture or image to the definition. For example, rana, which means frog in Italian, sounds like rain, and the student, forms an image of a frog sitting in the rain
• The keyword strategy. Begin by prioritizing and choosing the most important vocabulary, terms, and concepts students should remember. Choose acoustically similar keywords familiar to all students
• To facilitate the transition from teacher-created to student-created mnemonics, Scruggs outlines six steps

Benefits

• Incorporate mnemonic strategies as much as possible in your teaching
• Apply attributions. (i.e. "If you use these strategies, you will remember the information.")
• Induce creation of the strategies. (i.e. "Mollusks are characterized by a soft skin. What is a good way to remember that?")
• Help students create strategies and use class brainstorming
  • Identify important information or associations
  • Create keywords or other relevant verbal elaborations/li>
  • Relate the keyword to the associated information
  • Execute the steps to retrieve the information
• Have individual students create strategies
• Monitor and evaluate independent creation of mnemonic strategies

Peer Review and Critique

List of Mnemonic Words is cross checked with the subjects is given to peer review and expert committee for identifying any difficulties and suggestions. The following are the guidelines given by the committee to implement the above method effectively.

• To make Use of Computer Dictionary to select the words and abbreviations
• Identify the sequence of words in the topics with proper icons and GUI’s
• Use of Appropriate Assessment Methods to measure the Students performance (Ex. Quiz, Brainstorming etc.)

Advanced Technology Laboratory (ATL)

This lab helps students to get good exposure with different experiments and uplift the design knowledge levels of students in various fields with different applications. Through this program students are introduced to various emerging technologies and their applications, making them competent and industry ready graduates.

Goals

Engineering students of different branches learn many theory subjects and perform labs as per JNTUH curriculum. CMREC is introducing Advanced Technology Laboratory (ATL) which is modern teaching learning process for the second & third year B.Tech students. The II year students as a part of ATL lab are also taught applications of mathematical concepts

Method

Under ATL second & third year students will learn an advanced technology which is being used by them but not taught as part of the syllabus.

Outcome

Through this program students can enhance their knowledge and develop their skills which may create interest in Research and Development.

Benefits

• Learn new things beyond curriculum
• Useful in attending any technical interview in placements
• To Gain useful knowledge about a particular technology

Peer Review and Critique

List of ATLs are cross checked with the subjects is given to peer review and expert committee for identifying any difficulties and suggestions. The following are the guidelines given by the committee to implement the above method effectively.

• Select the technology where students are lacking the knowledge and same time industry needs
• Maintain a proper document for each ATL which is used as reference by juniors
• Use of Appropriate Assessment Methods to measure the Students performance (Ex. Quiz, Brainstorming etc.)

Laboratory Improvement for Future Trends (LIFT)

Laboratory instruction is considered essential because it provides training in observation, supplied detailed information, and aroused pupils' interest. Keeping this in the view, LIFT has been introduced to provide practical hands on experience for each student by making them with good exposure to different experiments and uplift the knowledge levels of student in various fields with different applications.

Aim

The main aim of the LIFT programme is to innovate, modify the existing facilities in labs, to create awareness among the students and develop Industry –Institution interactions and reach the standards in laboratories

Objectives and Relevance

The main objective of the LIFT concept in lab course is to provide practical hands on experience for each student by providing them with good exposure to different experiments and to uplift the knowledge levels of the student, with different applications in various fields

Scope

The main scope of the LIFT lab course is to cover all the experiments as per the schedule given in the prescribed week wise periods. With this, a student can better understand the concepts and operating systems so that he could get better knowledge about each lab.

Functions

• To create better understanding concepts of LIFT and other lab related activities among the staff and lab technicians for better improvement
• To Arrange LIFT Presentations from each department about the lab activities by the staff handling the labs. (Lab Planners)
• To Prepare GAP ANALYSIS: This involves collection of requirements from each lab of every department, information about expansion of labs, repairs and maintenance of labs etc
• To arrange Industrial Visits/ Industrial training programs in coordination with concerned lab staff and Heads of the departments
• A Report on Shadow Engineering: This involves arrangement of Industrial and Practical learning, Submission of Industrial Visit report, Technical Survey reports and Market Survey of a product for development in laboratories
• Verification of all the laboratories in every department by the LIFT Team along with the Principal and the concerned HODs, to check whether the activities are going according to LIFT guidelines, to check the Record Keeping, Lab Manuals and Viva sessions etc.
• Check for LEAD Experiments and its follow up
• Submission of proposals related to R&D, Project and Consultancy from lab staff to the Principal for further approvals

Goals

• The main aim of the LIFT programme in laboratory is to innovate, modify the existing facilities in labs, to create awareness among the students and develop Industry –Institution interactions and reach the standards in laboratories

Method

• To create better understanding among all the staff and lab staff. /technicians about the concepts of LIFT and other lab related activities
• To Prepare Gap Analysis: This involves collection of requirements from each lab of every department, information about expansion of labs, repairs and maintenance of labs etc.
• To arrange Industrial Visits: A lab and LIFT related industrial visit will be organized for II and III year students once in a year and a report is to be submitted by the Coordinator with the student feedback

Peer Review and Critique

List of LIFT manuals are cross checked with the subjects is given to peer review and expert committee for identifying any difficulties and suggestions. The following are the guidelines given by the committee to implement the above method effectively.

• Select the technology where students are lacking the knowledge and same time industry needs
• Maintain a proper document for each ATL which is used as reference by juniors
• Use of Appropriate Assessment Methods to measure the Students performance (Ex. Quiz, Brainstorming etc.)

Group Learning

The Instructional innovation is very essential for undergraduate engineering, and technology courses and programs highlight the need for a solid foundation of education at the undergraduate level on which to base policy and practice. The analysis of group learning demonstrates that various forms of group learning are effective in promoting greater academic achievement, more favorable attitudes toward learning through engineering and Technology courses and programs. In this method, a collection of students who are intellectually and aesthetically engaged in solving problems, writing computer programs, creating products, and an assemblage in which each student learns autonomously in different ways of learning with others. By group, we refer both to the learning of individuals that is fostered by being in a group and to a more distributed kind of learning that does not reside inside the head of any one individual. Rather than focusing only on what the individual knows, the goal is to build a collective body of knowledge; learning groups strive to create publicly shared understandings.

Features of Group Learning

• The members of learning group consist of 4 students
• Members of learning groups are engaged by the teacher to explain the concepts of the subject
• The focus of learning in learning groups extends beyond the learning of individuals to create a collective body of knowledge
• Viva voce has been conducted to each group at the end of the session
• Documenting group learning processes helps to make learning visible and shapes the learning that takes place and creates deeper understanding of the subject

Goals

• Ability to learn any new things very effectively and easily
• Motivate to improve the Group Discussion(GDs)
• Express their comments or views on selected topic

Method

• Creating group of students and each group consists of four / five students
• Conduct a session as debate on any emerging topic in computer science with pros, cons, methods and algorithms
• Coordinator will justify and make to learn all students on specific topic in depth

Benefits

• Democratic process of teaching & learning
• Student can able to demonstrate any topic technically and fluently without fear
• Gain the implicit knowledge about topic

Peer Review and Critique

List of SIGs are cross checked with the subjects is given to peer review and expert committee for identifying any difficulties and suggestions. The following are the guidelines given by the committee to implement the above method effectively

• Use latest topic in Electronics for debate like any new technologies, tools and software’s etc.
• Coordinator should prepare the guidelines and discuss with the students
• Use of Appropriate Assessment Methods to measure the Students performance (Ex. Quiz, Brainstorming etc.)

Role Play

Role play is a technique that allows students to explore realistic situations by interacting with other people in a managed way in order to develop experience and trial different strategies in a supported environment. Depending on the intention of the activity, participants might be playing a role similar to their own or could play the opposite part of the conversation or interaction. 

Key benefits of role play

• Develops communication and language skills
• Allows students to act out and make sense of real-life situations
• Allows students to explore, investigate and experiment
• Develops social skills as students collaborate with others
• Students learn to empathize with others; Helps children learn about different cultures
• Encourages students to express their ideas and feelings in a relaxed environment
• Sparks creativity and imagination

Role Play activity in Operating System

Fish Bowl

Students will be given a topic to study and research.  Then a small group of students will start discussing the topic while others will sit around them taking notes and not contributing. The students in the middle are fish and others are bowl. This method is applied for the subjects like Software engineering, Object Oriented Analysis and Design.

Fish Bowl activity in Software Testing

Jigsaw Activity

The “Jigsaw” is a teaching strategy of organizing student group work that helps students collaborate and rely on one another. This teaching strategy is effective for accomplishing multiple tasks at once and for giving students a greater sense of individual responsibility. In groups of five, assign a brief unique reading either in-class or out-class. The group is given a general topic to discussion, and each participant takes a turn discussing it from the viewpoint of their unique reading.

 Jigsaw activity

Group Discussion

Group discussion provides opportunities for student to speak in front of others and receive feedback from them. It increases active participation of everyone and provides platform to express their ideas. Our students are encouraged to participate and express their ideas in technical activities, technical debate and so on.

Group Discussion

Peer to Peer Learning

It is considered as ‘student-to-student’ support system. In this system, the students will be formed as a group and each one of the group will assist others to learn. There will be a leader for each group who is taking care of the discussion named as Peer Assisted Leader (PAL). For the problematic subjects such as Theory of Computation, Design and analysis of algorithms and mathematics subjects our students are using this method for better understanding.

Peer to Peer Learning

Virtual Programming Lab

Virtual Programming Lab is an activity module that manages programming assignments. That lets edit and execute programs and enable the automatic and continuous assessment. In our campus we are using Digipro, e-box for the programming assistance.

Virtual Programming Lab for Data Structures Laboratory