Sandeep Shah is working as Assistant Professor at Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Deogiri Institute of Engineering and Management Studies. Apart from this he is a technocrat, handling position as Head, IT Infrastructure, with over 32 years of rich & extensive experience in the areas of IT System / Network / Security Administration and Imparting knowledge to the students to make them industry ready & proficient in managing IT services in large network administration on multiple platforms. An out of the box thinker having expertise in problem solving, strong communication, collaboration & team building. 

Deogiri Institute of Engineering and Management Studies

You have held key positions at education institutes throughout your professional career. What keeps you connected with the Education Sector and how has your experience been so far with the institute?

I have been in the education sector since 2006. Before it I was in industry. When I started my career in education, I found a very huge gap in Industry and academia. To bridge this gap, I started exploring the subject I am passionate about and did some global certifications like CCNA, CCNP, JNCAIR, JNCIS, JNCIA, RHCE and HCIA (R&S). Teaching has always been my passion. Constant upskilling and innovation in education keeps me connected with the education sector. I strongly believe that innovation in teaching learning methodology always adds value to quality education. I joined the Deogiri Institute of Engineering & Management Studies (DIEMS) in 2010. Since these years, I have observed DIEMS as a platform for providing academic excellence to the students with the help of innovative teaching learning strategies.

Being the Assistant Professor – Computer Science and Engineering of Deogiri Institute of Engineering and Management Studies (DIEMS), what are your roles and responsibilities towards the students?

My primary role is to impart the knowledge to the students and make them industry ready. I am responsible for keeping myself updated abreast of current trends and developments in the field of IT sector. I always feel along with being a teacher, every engineering faculty should be a mentor to help students to achieve success in professional life focusing on their personal issues too through our Mentor-Mentee mechanism.

Do you have any extracurricular activities/ programs to enhance the skills of the students or expose them to real-world challenges?

Generally, employers are looking for students and graduates who have a range of skills, personal qualities, and experience, which will help them to be productive in the workplace. We have taken initiatives like Red Hat Academy, CISCO NETACAD Academy, AWS Academy, Google Cloud Ready Engineer Program, HackerEarth Platform to guide and expose students to facing real world challenges. Extra-curricular activities give students the chance to develop these by doing things that they enjoy. Therefore, we also have different clubs at our institute like Coding Club, Cycling Club, Nature Club, Photography Club, Trekking Club etc. which addresses different abilities and interests of students. 

How does the curriculum of Deogiri Institute of Engineering and Management Studies (DIEMS) ensure that the students are being prepared for the future?

As we are affiliated to Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Technological University, we follow prescribed curriculum. Along with core subjects, open electives in curriculum like Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Blockchain, Cloud Computing, Game Design, Information Security etc. offers students great autonomy over curriculum and provides them opportunity to customize it to reflect their passions and interests.

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How do you try to bring in a practical approach towards subjects and make it industry oriented?

We teach as per the prescribed university curriculum. But apart from that we at DIEMS, impart over and above knowledge to our students by providing hands-on to the technologies which are not in curriculum but they are required as per the industry needs. We have introduced some open elective subjects as per the demand of the industry for the students to make them industry ready. We motivate students to make projects or mini applications where they will be more explored towards practical application of a particular subject. 

What are the interventions and approaches you bring in apart from curriculum to train/teach the students?

We follow practices like flipped classroom, project-based learning, subject wise expert talks, regular industrial visits, industrial orientation to first year engineering students etc. for bridging the gap between curriculum and industry.

What would you like people to know about your institute they may not know?

Consistent presence on LinkedIn platform, Personalized counselling of students through mentor mentee program, Faculty hackathon, Regular financial assistance to economically weaker students

What do you see as the greatest strengths of Deogiri Institute of Engineering and Management Studies (DIEMS)?

Industry integrated curriculum, Industry Tie-ups, Young and enthusiastic faculty, good student support, Guest lectures, Inspire series for interaction with social and industrial leaders, Technical initiatives, Placement Support, Value added courses, Scholarships & financial aids etc. 

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What are some of the biggest challenges you see, both for higher education in general and for Deogiri Institute of Engineering and Management Studies (DIEMS) specifically?

During Covid-19 pandemic, a sudden shift to online education forced us to deliver education in online mode and students became habitual of the virtual learning environment which drastically reduced students’ engagement in the teaching learning process. Currently though the classes have been started in offline mode, students are still in the mentality of an online learning environment only. So, changing students’ mindset from online mode to classroom mode is still a challenge for us. 

Any suggestions you would like to give to the current youth and the aspiring students?

My suggestion to current youth or aspiring students will be to follow your passion. Make wise use of gadgets and social media platforms to improve your portfolio. Find your role model and dream company to become like him or have your own company like it. Choose your own path and follow it passionately.