Department of Economics at St. Paul's C. M. College, Kolkata, tries to implement the following initiatives to ensure the holistic development and academic success of our students. This can be treated as our Best Practices.

Effective Teaching-Learning Process:

• We try to adopt innovative teaching methods such as flipped classrooms, case studies, group discussions, and multimedia presentations to make learning engaging and interactive.
• We encourage active participation and critical thinking among students through seminars, workshops, and hands-on activities.
• We use ICT tools and e-learning platforms to supplement classroom teaching and provide access to additional resources.

Curriculum Development:

• We regularly review and update the curriculum to incorporate recent developments, emerging trends, and interdisciplinary perspectives in economics.
• We try to ensure that the curriculum is comprehensive, balanced, and relevant to the needs of students and the demands of the job market, definitely in line with Calcutta University Syllabus.
• We offer elective courses or specializations in areas of interest such as development economics, environmental economics, or financial economics to cater to diverse career aspirations.

Research and Publications:

• We encourage faculty members to engage in high-quality research and publications in reputed journals, thereby enhancing the academic reputation of the department and contributing to the advancement of knowledge in economics.
• We promote interdisciplinary research collaborations and encourage faculty members to participate in seminars, conferences, and research networks to share their findings and insights.

Student Support and Mentoring:

• We provide academic guidance and mentoring to students to help them navigate their academic journey, set goals, and overcome challenges.
• We establish a system for regular feedback and counseling to address students' academic, personal, and career-related concerns.
• We try to organize career guidance workshops, guest lectures, and internships to help students explore various career opportunities and develop employability skills.

Infrastructure and Facilities:

• We try to ensure that the department is equipped with modern infrastructure, including well-equipped classrooms, computer labs, libraries, and audio-visual aids, to facilitate effective teaching and learning.
• We create a conducive learning environment by maintaining cleanliness, safety, and accessibility within the department premises.

Quality Assurance and Accreditation:

• We try to implement quality assurance mechanisms such as internal assessments, peer reviews, and feedback surveys to monitor and improve the quality of teaching, research, and student support services.
• We strive for accreditation from recognized agencies such as NAAC to benchmark the department's performance against established standards of excellence and quality assurance.

Community Engagement and Outreach:

• We encourage students to actively participate in community service initiatives, outreach programs, and social awareness campaigns related to economic issues, sustainable development, and social justice.
• We try to foster partnerships with local communities, NGOs, and government agencies to address socio-economic challenges and contribute to community development initiatives.

Here are some Capacity Building strategies that Department of Economics, St. Paul's C. M. College follows to benefit our students:

Faculty Development:

• Subject Matter Expertise: Department of Economics encourages her faculty members to attend workshops, conferences, and online courses related to their specific areas of specialization in economics. This will keep our knowledge base current and allow them to introduce new content and research to students.
• Pedagogical Skills: We organize workshops or invite experts to train faculty on innovative teaching methodologies like flipped classrooms, case-study based learning, or simulations. This will enhance our ability to engage students actively.
• Collaboration: Department of Economics promotes collaboration among faculty members within the department. This can involve co-teaching courses, developing interdisciplinary modules, or jointly supervising student research projects. This fosters knowledge sharing and strengthens the overall teaching approach.

Curriculum Development:

• Review and Update: We periodically review the syllabus distribution methodology to align with the latest developments in the field of economics and to incorporate recent economic trends. We consider incorporating real-world case studies relevant to the Indian context.
• Skill Development: We try to integrate courses that equip students with practical skills like data analysis, econometrics software training, or economic forecasting techniques. These skills are highly sought after by employers.
• Specializations: We try to explore the possibility of offering elective courses or specializations in specific areas of economics, like development economics, financial economics, or behavioral economics, to cater to students' interests.

Student Learning:

• Guest Lectures: We invite economists from research institutions, government agencies, or the private sector to deliver guest lectures. This exposes students to diverse perspectives and practical applications of economic theory.
• Research Opportunities: We encourage student research by providing guidance and mentorship. Consider involving students in ongoing faculty research projects or facilitating access to research databases.
• Industry Internships: Department of Economics tries to partner with relevant organizations to offer internship programs for students. This provides them with valuable hands-on experience and helps them develop professional skills.

Departmental Resources:

• Library Resources: We advocate for expanding the departmental library resources, including access to online databases, journals, and e-books related to economics.
• Technology Integration: We try to promote the use of technology in teaching by encouraging faculty to utilize online learning platforms, educational simulations, and data visualization tools.
• Visiting Scholars: Department of Economics considers hosting visiting scholars from other universities or research institutions to share their expertise with students and faculty. This fosters a stimulating academic environment.

Collaboration with UGC-NAAC:

• We try to identify workshops or training programs offered by UGC-NAAC related to faculty development, curriculum design, or student learning outcomes. Encourage faculty participation in these programs.
• Department of Economics familiarizes us with the latest UGC-NAAC guidelines and quality assurance processes. We align our departmental goals with these guidelines to demonstrate continuous improvement in teaching and learning.

Moreover…

• Sustainability: Department of Economics chooses strategies that can be implemented and sustained within the available resources and faculty workload.
• Evaluation: We regularly evaluate the effectiveness of your capacity building efforts by collecting feedback from students and faculty. We adapt our strategies based on the feedback received.
• Collaboration: We try to maintain open communication and collaboration among all faculty members to ensure a unified approach to departmental development.

Our Department of Economics has a special list of alumni which is quite impressive. 

A few among them are: 

 Prof. Krishnendu Bhattacharya, Dept. of Economics, Prafulla Chandra College 

 Dr. Shanty Chakraborty, Economic Adviser, Govt. of Botswana 

 Prof. Raj Kumar Sen, Rabindra Bharati University 

 Prof Shankar Ghosh, Hooghly Polytechnic College 

 Prof. Arun Sengupta, ISI 

 Prof. Mrinal Dasgupta 

 Bimalendu Giri, Research Institute, U.K. 

 Dr. Debes Bhattacharya, University of Sydney 

 Prof. Kalyan Chakraborty 

 Prof Ramen Bhattacharya, Manindra Chandra College 

 Prof. Kamalakanta Sain, Bidhan Chandra Krishi ViswaVidyalaya, Kalyani 

 Asit Bhattacharya, IFS 

 Prof. Narayan Saha 

 Prof Srijit Chowdhury, Vidyasagar College for Women. Kolkata 

 Prof. Pranab Das 

 Amit Deb, WBCS 

 Dipak Paul, WBCS 

 Kallol Roy, WBCS 

 Shibabrata Chatterjee, Advocate.