IQAC CUSAT

The IQAC, CUSAT in association with NAAC organized a one-day national seminar on “Ensuring Quality in Higher Education: Opportunities and Challenges” on 7^th December 2019 . The Seminar has witnessed the participation of about 60 eminent faculties representing various prestigious institutions across the country. The key resource persons for the sessions were Mr. B. S. Ponmudiraj, Deputy Advisor, NAAC, Bangalore; Prof. (Dr.) L. S. Ganesh, IIT, Madras; and Prof. N. J. Rao, Visiting Professor, IISC Bangalore.

I IQAC, CUSAT conduced a Five day Faculty Development Programme on Outcome Based Teaching, Learning and Assessment Strategies on 27th November to 01st December 2019, to empower the faculty members with the outcome-based teaching, learning and assessment strategies. Resource person of the FDP was Prof.B.V.AppaRao, Visiting Professor on nomination , University of Hyderabad

Report of Five Day FDP on OBE
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Academic audit is a scientific and systematic method of reviewing the quality of the academic process in the institution. The Academic Audit 2018 conducted by University includes self-study by the departments and physical verification by peers from outside the institution.

OBJECTIVES

i. To understand the existing academic and research processes in the departments.

ii. To ensure the quality of teaching-learning processes, research activities as well as other related processes.

iii. To ensure the quality of research and academic outputs and to set new benchmarks in these outcomes.

PROCESS

The Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) of the university has identified the following six criteria and prepared a format for conducting the academic audit based on these criteria.

i. Curricular Aspects

ii. Teaching, Learning & Evaluation

iii. Research and Consultancy

iv. Learning Resources

v. Extension Activities and Best Practice

vi. Basic Amenities and Green Initiatives

The teaching departments/ schools/centers conduct a self-study by assimilating information regarding the academic activities in the departments as per the format. The audit is conducted at individual departments with the help of external experts from within and outside the state. The peer reviewers visit the departments and do physical verification of the processes, documents, and facilities. Each team critically reviews the academic processes in the departments and their suggestions for taking necessary corrective measures is helpful for the university to attain its targets.

Academic Audit Report 2018
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Academic Audit Format 2017
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One of the recommendations of the NAAC Peer Team Report is to collect feedback from students regularly, analyze it and implement the suggestions. The IQAC has developed an online feedback system for students in accordance with the guidelines of NAAC.

The students of the University can directly give feedback using this web portal and faculty members can view their scores without viewing the details of students who enter feedback. Heads of all Departments shall ensure that students of their department enter feedback using this web portal both at the middle and end of every semester.

Student Feedback Form
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Feedback Analysis Report
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The Chancellor’s Chair Scheme has been instituted in the University to engage eminent scientists/ academicians from foreign universities having rank, preferably, within 200 in the world university ranking as Chancellor’s Chair Professors. The scheme is being conducted under the realm of IQAC. An amount of Rs.2,50,00,000/- (Rupees Two Crores and Fifty Lakhs only) of Chancellor’s Award prize money has been earmarked for this scheme.

The Chancellor's Chair Professor scheme makes possible the presence of eminent academicians from world-renowned institutes in the campus for at least one month and the faculty members, scholars and students of the University get an opportunity to interact with them.

The chair professor should offer at least one course in the University Department preferably with an interdepartmental nature so that students from other University Departments also can attend the course. The Scheme was inaugurated by Dr.J.Letha, former Vice Chancellor of CUSAT on 16/08/2018. Dr.Bin Han, Professor of Mathematics, University of Alberta (THE world University Rank 2018 - 119) is the first Chancellor’s Chair Professor.

Scheduled Visit Details of Chancellor’s Chair Professors:

Sl. No.	Name and Designation of Chancellor’s Chair Professors	Period of Visit
1.	Dr.Bin Han, Professor of Mathematics, University of Alberta, (THE World University Rank 2018 - 119)	15/10/2018 to 14/11/2018
2.	Prof. David M. Checkley, Jr., Professor of Oceanography Emeritus, Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO), University of California San Diego (UCSD), (THE World University Rank 2018 - 31)	February 2019
3.	Prof.Gaurav Sharma, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Rochester, (THE World University Rank 2018 - 163)	January –February 2019
4.	Prof.George Katushi Iwama, Adjunct Professor, Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, (THE World University Rank 2018 - 37)	July,2019

Chancellor's Chair -Selection Committee
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Chancellor's Chair Professor-Guidelines
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The University has instituted “Distinguished Young Faculty Award” and “Distinguished Researcher Award” for recognizing the faculty members and research scholars respectively of the University every year. The award consists of a certificate of appreciation and a financial incentive, utilizing the prize money of Chancellor's Award. An amount of Rs.50,00,000/- (Rupees Fifty Lakhs Only) is set apart for this which would be deposited as corpus fund and interest earned shall be utilized for this purpose.

i. Purpose of the Award

Distinguished Young Faculty Award is to recognize the permanent young faculty members of the University who have contributed significantly to the teaching and research of the University.

Distinguished Researcher Award is to recognize the full-time registered research scholar of the University who have contributed significantly to the research of the University.

ii. Nature of the Award

Recipients of the Distinguished Young Faculty Award shall receive a cash prize of Rs.30,000/- and recipients of the Distinguished Researcher Award shall receive a cash prize of Rs.20,000/- as well as a certificate of appreciation. A maximum of five numbers of awards shall be offered in each category every year, based on the performance of the applicants.

iii. Eligibility Criteria for Distinguished Young Faculty Award

a) Applicants shall be permanent faculty members of the University having at least two years experience in the University, as on 1st July of the awarding year (For example: as on 01/07/2018 for Young Faculty Award 2018 ).

b) Applicants shall be of an age less than 45 years as on 1st July of the awarding year (For example: as on 01/07/2018 for Young Faculty Award 2018 )

c) A person who has achieved this award once shall not be eligible to apply for the same in the subsequent three years.

iv. Eligibility Criteria for Distinguished Researcher Award:

a) The applicant shall be a full-time registered research scholar of the University.

b) The applicant shall have minimum one-year research experience in the University.

c) A person, who has achieved this award once, shall not be eligible to apply for the same in the subsequent three years.

v. Application Process

a) Applications in the prescribed format, as per the approved criteria, shall be invited during the month of July every year and the awards shall be distributed in a public function during the month of August/September every year.

b) Applications shall be submitted by the candidate along with the necessary supporting documents.

vi. Selection Criteria

a) Selection shall be based on the performance/contributions of the teachers/research scholars during the preceding academic year.

b) A screening committee comprising of the following members shall scrutinize the applications:

1. Vice-Chancellor (Chairman)

2. Pro-Vice-Chancellor

3. Members of the IQAC core committee

4. Dean of concerned faculty

5. Director, IQAC (Convener)

c) The screening committee shall have the right to reject an application if it is found ineligible or not genuine.

d) A selection committee comprising of external experts, nominated by the Vice-Chancellor, shall assess the applications and select the awardees as per the criteria.

IQAC/Faculty Award/2018-19
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Guidelines_Distinguished Young Faculty/Researcher Award
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Applications_Distinguished Young Faculty /Researcher Award 2024
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The University has instituted the five new virtual centers to promote interdisciplinary research, as per the academic and research plan prepared by IQAC.

i. Virtual Centre for Advanced Research in Basic Science.

ii. Virtual Centre for Advanced Research in Engineering Science and Technology.

iii. Virtual Centre for Advanced Research in Scientific Computing.

iv. Virtual Centre for Advanced Research in Marine Sciences.

v. Virtual Centre for Advanced Research in Humanities and Social Science.

More than seventy interdisciplinary research groups are identified under these centres.

Coordinators of these virtual centers are:

Sl. No.	Overall Coordination	Director, IQAC
1.	Virtual Centre for Basic Science Research	Dr.N.Balakrishna, Professor, Dept. of Statistics
2.	Virtual Centre for Engineering Science and Technology Research	Dr.Deepa G.Nair, Associate Professor, Civil Engineering Division,, School of Engineering
3.	Virtual Centre for Scientific Computing Research	Shri.Baby Chakrapani, Associate Professor & Head, Dept. of Atmospheric Sciences
4.	Virtual Centre for Marine Science Research	Dr.A.A.Mohamed Hatha Professor, Dept. of Marine Biology, Microbiology and Biochemistry
5.	Virtual Centre for Humanities and Social Science Research	Dr.Aneesh V.Pillai, Assistant Professor, School of Legal Studies

IQAC/I.D.Research groups/2018
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SASTHRAYAAN CUSAT OPENHOUSE aims to communicate the research results of the University to the masses and to provide a platform to people, scientists and students to interact. Further, it supports to make innovation useful for the people and develop technology that is affordable to the masses. The programme also aims to stimulate scientific temper and orchestrates such efforts throughout the country.

IQAC conducted Sasthrayaan programme successfully in 2017 (on 20th and 21st January 2017) and also in 2018 (on 27th and 28th February 2018). In 2018, the programme was conducted with the support of RUSA and Govt. of Kerala.

The university doors were opened to school/ college students and the public during the days. In this open house, the existing research facilities of social relevance under different faculties such as Engineering, Science, Marine Science, Social Science etc. were highlighted. This was the first of its kind conducted in the State and won appreciation from all corners of the society.

Shri. Prakash Javadekar, Union Minister for Human Resources Development congratulated the University for this Innovative Project ‘Sasthrayan’.

Aims and objectives of the program

The aim of this venture is to extend the research outcomes of the university beyond the confines of academia and make it accessible to the larger community.

• Exposing the research results of CUSAT to the masses.

• To motivate young scientists towards greater creativity and originality.

• Showcasing the usable research results to policymakers, people representatives and to the public.

• Showcasing the contributions of CUSAT in various fields over the years.

• To create awareness among the younger generation for entrepreneurship development out of the research results of the university.

• To develop an understanding of how to extend the current research output to benefit the general community.

A brief description of the programme

IQAC conducted Sasthrayaan programme successfully in 2017 (on 20th and 21st January 2017) and 2018 (on 27th and 28th February 2018) in the following way:

• Exhibition of major research activities - The event will provide an opportunity for researchers to present their research output. The medium of exchange of ideas will be videos, sketch, PowerPoint presentations, and posters. The exhibition will have all 27 departments of CUSAT showcasing their major research activities. The exhibition will present the activities of each department in a simple and lucid manner. The aim of the exhibition is to give an idea to the public and policymakers how they can benefit from the research being conducted.

• Interactive sessions - There will be an opportunity for the students and public to interact with the scientists and research scholars during the event. Through this, the students will get the right global experience and also help them to develop scientific ethos at the prime age. There will be opportunities for the general public to visit the CSiS and Advanced Centre for Atmospheric Radar Research during the event.

• Quiz competitions - at school and college levels.

• Project Exhibitions – at school and college levels.

• Water Clinic - where the public gets their drinking water samples analyzed.

The relevance of the programme

• The event is setting a platform for policymakers, people representatives and administrators to realize and understand the research potential and output of CUSAT

• The student community is one of the focuses of ‘CUSAT OPENHOUSE’. Science students (both school level and college level)are getting an opportunity to understand the research activities going on in the university so as to get motivation.

• The event can be a bridge between CUSATresearch community and industries.

• ‘CUSAT OPENHOUSE’ creates a platform to discuss the problems of the society with the research community so as to start up a need-based research system.

• The program enables the public to glance at the scientific advancement of the University.

IQAC/Open House/2017 | Tender
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IQAC/Open House/2017 | Advance
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IQAC/Open House/2017 | Additional Stall
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IQAC prepares of the Annual Quality Assurance Report (AQAR) as per guidelines and parameters of NAAC, which is to be submitted to NAAC every year.

All NAAC accredited institutions will submit an annual self-reviewed progress report to NAAC, through its IQAC. The report is to detail the tangible results achieved in key areas, specifically identified by the institutional IQAC at the beginning of the academic year. The AQAR will detail the results of the perspective plan worked out by the IQAC. (Note: The AQAR period would be the Academic Year. For example, July 1, 2012, to June 30, 2013).Source: Wikipedia

ANNUAL QUALITY ASSURANCE REPORT 2017-18
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ANNUAL QUALITY ASSURANCE REPORT 2016-17
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The Cochin University of Science and Technology bagged Chancellor’s Award 2017 for the Best University in the State. The award carries prize money of Rupees Five Crores, a citation and a trophy. The selection for the award is based on the marks scored by the University for its performance in broad components such as Academics, Teaching & Pedagogy methods, Students Profile & Achievements Academic Governance, and other achievements. The Award presentation ceremony held on Tuesday, 16th January 2018, 3 PM at CUSAT.

The IQAC coordinates the activities related to Chancellor’s Award in CUSAT.

The University utilized the prize money of the Chancellor’s Award in the following way:

• Instituted the Chancellor’s Chair in the University to engage eminent scientists/ academicians from foreign universities having rank, preferably, within 200 in the world university ranking as Chancellor’s Chair Professors. An amount of Rs.2,50,00,000/-(Rupees Two Crores and Fifty Lakhs only) is set apart for this.

• Constructing a hostel for ladies students in the University. An amount of Rs.2,00,00,000/- (Rupees Two Crores only) is earmarked for this.

• Instituted Distinguished Young Faculty Award and Distinguished Researcher award to honor the faculty members and research scholars respectively who have contributed significantly to teaching and research. An amount of Rs.50,00,000/- (Rupees Fifty Lakhs only) is set apart for this which is deposited as corpus fund and interest earned will be utilized for this purpose.

The University participates in ranking processes such as Times Higher Education (THE) World Ranking, QS World Ranking, India Today MDRA Best University Ranking, THE WEEK best University Survey etc. The IQAC coordinates all these activities.

The IQAC has been instrumental in the syllabus revision for the past three to four years. During the visit of NAAC, the syllabi of more than 95% of academic programmes were revised. Deans of all faculties, Chairmen of all Board of Studies and Heads of all Departments have been informed to take necessary action to revise the syllabi of all courses periodically.

Ministry of Human Resource Development conducts an annual web-based All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) since 2010-11 which helps to portray the status of higher education in the country. The survey covers all the Institutions in the country engaged in imparting of higher education. Data is being collected on several parameters such as teachers, student enrolment, programmes, examination results, education finance, infrastructure.

Dr.S.M.Sunoj, Professor, Dept. of Statistics is the Nodal Officer of the University in connection with the AISHE activities. The IQAC conducts AISHE survey in the University.

CUSAT AISHEU 0253 CERTIFICATE
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The University conducted GURUDAKSHINA programme to honor the retired faculty members who paved the way for building up the University. The programme was on Tuesday, 16th January 2018 and more than 100 retired faculty members were honored in the programme.

IQAC has been actively engaged in collection and processing of data regarding teaching, learning, and research conducted across all departments/schools/centers and other auxiliary bodies, which are used for making policy decisions and for taking quality enhancement initiatives.

In order to improve the quality, completeness, and correctness of data, IQAC has engaged in developing a data acquisition web portal so that the report generation becomes highly effective.

The University provides financial assistance to full-time students/ research scholars of the University for participating in Seminars/ Conferences /Workshops organized at foreign institutions.

Guidelines for providing Financial Assistance

These guidelines are applicable for providing financial assistance to full-time students and full-time research scholars of the university departments/schools/centres for participating in conferences/seminars/workshops organized by foreign institutions as per the following norms:

i. The financial assistance is limited to full-time students and full-time research scholars of the University departments/schools/centres whose paper has been accepted for presentation in conferences/seminars/workshops organized by a foreign University/Institution /Society of high repute and having significant academic credibility.

ii. Assistance shall be provided only to the presenting author.

iii. Financial assistance by the university is limited to 75% of the expenses related to the registration fee and travel including air travel in economy class.

iv. Assistance shall not be given for attending training, summer/winter courses etc.

v. No scholar/student shall be considered eligible if he/she had already availed the assistance under this scheme earlier during the present course of study.

vi. Application for assistance shall be forwarded to the university through the research guide and head of the department in case of Ph.D. scholars and through the head of the department for other students.

vii. A brochure, as well as details regarding the programme and organising institute, shall be submitted along with the application.

viii. A copy of the letter of invitation from the organizer and/or letter accepting the paper for presentation also shall be submitted along with the application.

ix. The number of scholars/students for whom financial assistance can be provided in a year shall be based on the amount allocated by the university for this purpose.

x. If the number of applicants is more than the number approved for assistance at sl.no.(9), preference shall be given in the following order:

a) Preference shall be given to research scholars.

b) The number of papers published in peer-reviewed journals with impact factor.

c) The number of papers published in peer-reviewed journals without impact factor.

d) The number of papers presented in international/ national conferences.

xi. As and when an application is received, a committee comprising the following members shall verify the eligibility of the application.

Pro Vice Chancellor - Chairman

Director, IQAC - Convener

Dean, Faculty of Technology

Dean, Faculty of Engineering

xii. The application shall be selected to provide financial assistance only if it is found eligible by the committee.

Format of Application Form
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The aim of the Workshop on Vision for Excellence is to identify practical measures for the improvement of excellence in teaching, learning and research process.

The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) is a methodology adopted by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Government of India, to rank institutions of higher education in India. The Framework was approved by the MHRD and launched by Minister of Human Resource Development on 29 September 2015.

There are separate rankings for different types of institutions depending on their areas of operation like universities and colleges, engineering institutions, management institutions, pharmacy institutions and architecture institutions. The Framework uses several parameters for ranking purposes like resources, research, and stakeholder perception. These parameters have been grouped into five clusters and these clusters were assigned certain weightages. The weightages depend on the type of institution. About 3500 institutions voluntarily participated in the first round of rankings. The 2017 ranked lists were released by MHRD on 3 April 2017. Source: Wikipedia

CUSAT NIRF DOCUMENT 2019
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CUSAT NIRF DOCUMENT 2018
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Two Best Practices of the University

Best Practices

Best Practices
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Programme Outcomes, Programme Specific Outcomes, Course Outcomes and Syllabi of Academic Programmes conducted by University Departments

Five Day Faculty Development Programme on Outcome Based Teaching, Learning and Assessment Strategies
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Five Day Faculty Development Programme on Outcome Based Teaching, Learning and Assessment Strategies
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Report of Workshop on OBE -09/03/2020
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Foreign visit Report of Faculty Members
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Merit Day, held on 27 October 2025, is an annual celebration of excellence, recognizing the outstanding achievements of the University community in academics, research, and co-curricular pursuits. During the function, prizes were awarded to the three recipients of the Distinguished Young Faculty Award 2024 and the four recipients of the Distinguished Researcher Award 2024. In addition, the event honoured the recipients of various University Endowment Awards, as well as the winners of National- and International-level Arts and Sports competitions.

The function was graced by Dr. R. Bindu, Hon’ble Minister for Higher Education and Pro-Chancellor of the University, as the Chief Guest, who presented the awards to the recipients.

The University has initiated the adoption of the Ezygo OBE software across all Departments, Schools, and Centres for managing Outcome-Based Education (OBE) processes for effective planning, monitoring, and evaluation of academic outcomes, with effect from the academic year 2024–25 onwards.

In this context, a Faculty Workshop on Outcome-Based Education (OBE) Practices and Attainment Analysis Tools was conducted for faculty members from all departments to familiarize them with OBE concepts, operational procedures, and the use of attainment analysis tools available in the portal. The workshop enabled participants to gain practical insights into outcome mapping, assessment, and attainment calculation, thereby supporting the effective implementation of OBE across the University.

The Prof. M. V. Pylee Endowment Award for the Distinguished Academician of India – 2023 was conferred upon Prof. T. Pradeep, Institute Professor, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to academics, research, and the advancement of higher education in India.

The presentation ceremony was held as part of the University’s academic celebrations, marking a significant occasion that honoured excellence and scholarly leadership. The award was formally presented by Prof. Anil Sahasrabudhe, Chairman, NAAC (Executive Committee) and Chairman, National Educational Technology Forum (NETF), in the presence of distinguished members of the academic community.

The event highlighted Prof. T. Pradeep’s exemplary achievements and enduring impact on teaching, research, and innovation, while also reaffirming the University’s commitment to recognizing and promoting academic excellence at the national level.

The Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) of CUSAT organized a brainstorming session to explore strategies for enhancing the quality and quantity of research publications. The session was Inaugurated by Hon. Vice Chancellor of CUSAT, Prof. Dr.M Junaid Bushiri in the presence of Dr. Sam Thomas, Director IQAC and Prof. Mohammad Hatha, moderator of the session. The session

was structured into four working groups, each addressing specific aspects of research publication and its impact. The three hour long discussions led to insightful recommendations aimed at strengthening the university's research ecosystem

In tune with its vision of continuously enhancing the quality of academic activities and promoting research and innovation in frontier areas, the Syndicate of Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) constituted an Expert Committee comprising eminent academicians to critically evaluate the existing academic and research ecosystem of the University and to formulate a Vision Document for Academic Excellence.

The Expert Committee consisted of the following members:

Dr. George Thomas (Chairman), Professor & Dean, Faculty Affairs, IISER, Thiruvananthapuram
Dr. Rejie George Palathitta, Professor, Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore
Dr. C. Krishna Mohan, Professor, Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad
Dr. Rajeev K. Sukumaran, Senior Principal Scientist & Head, MPTD, Biofuels and Biorefineries Section, CSIR–NIIST, Thiruvananthapuram

The committee held detailed deliberations on key areas, including the current academic and research scenario of the University, emerging disciplines, the feasibility of introducing new academic programmes, and the restructuring of existing programmes in a forward-looking and interdisciplinary manner. Emphasis was also placed on strengthening research, innovation, and industry engagement.

Following its comprehensive evaluation, the Expert Committee submitted its report to the University, outlining strategic recommendations aimed at fostering academic excellence and positioning the University for future growth.

Merit Day, held on 23 February 2024, is an annual celebration of excellence, recognizing the outstanding achievements of the University community in academics, research, and co-curricular pursuits. During the function, prizes were awarded to four recipients of the Distinguished Young Faculty Award 2023 and the four recipients of the Distinguished Researcher Award 2023. In addition, the event honored the recipients of various University Endowment Awards.

The function was graced by Dr. R. Bindu, Hon’ble Minister for Higher Education and Pro-Chancellor of the University, as the Chief Guest, who presented the awards to the recipients.

Activities of IQAC

NAAC sponsored National Seminar on “Ensuring Quality in Higher Education: Opportunities and Challenges”

University Order

GALLERY

Faculty Development Programme on Outcome Based Teaching, Learning and Assessment Strategies

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Academic Audit

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Student Feedback System

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Chancellor’s Chair

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Distinguished Young Faculty Award & Distinguished Researcher Award

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GALLERY

Virtual Centres

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Sasthrayaan - CUSAT Open House Programme

University Order

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Annual Quality Assurance Report (AQAR)

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Chancellor’s Award

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Other National and International Level Ranking Processes

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Reorganization of courses / syllabi

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All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE)

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Gurudakshina Programme

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Development of Data Acquisition Web Portal

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Financial Assistance to Students for Participating International Seminars / Conferences

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Workshop on Vision for Excellence

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NIRF Ranking

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Best Practices

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Best Practices

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POs, PSOs, Course Outcomes and Syllabi

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Five Day Faculty Development Programme on Outcome Based Teaching, Learning and Assessment Strategies

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Five Day Faculty Development Programme on Outcome Based Teaching, Learning and Assessment Strategies

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Workshop on OBE held on 09.03.2020

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Foreign Visit Report of Faculty Members

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Merit Day 2025

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Faculty Workshop on OBE Practices and Attainment Analysis Tools