Best Practice - 1

Holistic Development- Empowering students to serve the global community along with their academic knowledge.

The institute is dedicated to fostering holistic development and academic excellence alongside a strong sense of social responsibility. As proud members of both the International Pharmaceutical Student Federation (IPSF) and the Academic Institute member (AIM) of the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP), we are deeply integrated into the global pharmaceutical community.

Through our affiliation with IPSF, a leading international advocacy organization for pharmacy and pharmaceutical science students, we actively advocate to improve public health through various means such as information dissemination, education, networking, and professional initiatives. Our association with IPSF provides us with access to an extensive network of pharmacy students, educators, researchers, and professionals worldwide.

• Objectives:

  The primary objective of this practice is the development of the students which encompasses nurturing their intellectual, emotional, social, and ethical dimensions, ensuring them evolve into well-rounded professionals capable of making significant contributions to society. While academic excellence is pivotal, the goal is to develop them with creative thinking rooted in pharmaceutical sciences. This encompasses courses in pharmacology, medicinal chemistry, pharmaceutics, pharmacotherapy, and pharmaceutical care.

• The Context:

  The institute broadly believes in the fact that beyond theoretical knowledge, students must cultivate practical skills pertinent to pharmacy practice, including compounding, dispensing, medication therapy management, patient counseling, and pharmaceutical care. Hands-on experiences gained through internships, clerkships, and experiential learning opportunities are indispensable for skill development.

• The Practice:

  The aforementioned practice is implemented through effective communication with patients, healthcare providers, and other stakeholders is paramount in pharmacy practice. Students should undergo training in verbal and written communication skills, active listening, empathy, cultural competency, and teamwork. Role-playing exercises, simulations, and interpersonal skills workshops serve to cultivate these competencies.

• Evidence of Success:

  Our students play a pivotal role in promoting public health and disease prevention. Education on public health principles, health promotion strategies, immunization programs, medication safety, and adherence enriches students' comprehension of their role in enhancing population health outcomes. Engaging students in community health initiatives, health screenings, and health education campaigns creates a sense of social responsibility and fosters community engagement.

• Varied Pedagogical Approaches: 
  The institute incorporates Varied pedagogical approaches which are essential in education to cater to diverse learning styles, enhance student engagement. Examples include problem-based learning (PBL), case-based learning (CBL), team-based learning (TBL). Additionally, the integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools enhances teaching and learning experiences. These tools encompass interactive multimedia resources, virtual laboratories, online modules

• Peer Teaching and Mentoring:

  Peer teaching involves students teaching and learning from their peers under the guidance of instructors. Mentoring programs pair students with faculty members or experienced practitioners to provide guidance, support, and professional development opportunities to our students.

• Networking Opportunities:

  Participation in IPSF and FIP events, conferences, and programs allows students to network with pharmacy students, educators, researchers, and practitioners from around the world. These connections can lead to collaborations, mentorships, and professional opportunities in different countries and healthcare settings.

• Problems Encountered and Resources Required:

  Students from diverse backgrounds and learning styles who enter higher education institutions right after finishing their education have some time to adjust to a completely new environment. In the early months, students are hesitant to fit in with classmates because they lack confidence. Together, the designated mentors, the class teachers, the academic head, work to resolve all of these problems and help the kids.

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Additional Information

Best Practice-2

Expertise Training and Development Program

Objectives: 
The main objective of this practice is to give faculty members ample opportunities to further train themselves in technical knowledge, research areas, and other academic/pedagogy-related areas to stay up to date in the fields. By offering various incentives and facilities to all faculty members.

The Context:
Faculty members are among the important stakeholders for an institute, as they are directly involved in shaping the students’ present and future. Therefore, their incessant learning is very crucial in this rapidly changing world, not only for the betterment of the students but also for faculty members to remain relevant in the domain. The fact that there is a minimum one-generation gap between teacher and student further demands the concept of training the trainer.

The Practice:
PMKVY training, research promotion policy, participation in FDP, Conferences, and Workshops are the measures to ensure full implementation of the Train the Trainer concept. Throughout the year, various programs are arranged through the SAIP teaching and non-teaching departments. They focus on holistic development through training programs on leadership, management, teaching-learning, humanity, social values, international affairs, and others. All these programs are organized online on the PMKVY platform. The research promotion policy is a research-linked financial incentive for each faculty member to boost their research portfolio in a win-win situation. Monetary incentives are provided for patent granting, publication of research and review articles in impact factor journals, designing add-on courses, and fetching consultancy.

Evidence of Success:
Continuous PMKVY training has led to a transformation in the faculty member’s teaching style and other aspects. Encouragement to attend various FDPs has developed subject-related and emerging field-related skills in faculty members. Scientifically crafted by AICTE, New Delhi has equipped the teaching staff with the ability to analyse the requirements of students at various learning levels after completing all module examinations. Research promotion policy has reflected a good number of publications year over year.

Problems Encountered and Resources Required:
There is a minimum one-generation gap between faculty members and students. Here comes the concept of upskilling and reskilling. Our faculty is always keen to bring and learn new ways to make the overall teaching-learning experience non-monotonous and more fruitful from students’ perspectives. Our high-tech institute, with a fully modern, supportive, and dedicated team, makes all efforts to make things easier for faculty members. Faculty members keep learning various online tools for delivering content, like MS Office, WhatsApp, and Google Classroom. It means that, because of world-class infrastructure and ever-ready competent faculty members to up-and-reskill themselves, it was not a big deal to practice the philosophy of “Train the Trainer.”

Supporting Information