The spotlight is on Dr. Juby Mathew, Head of Computer Science & Engineering, Amal Jyothi College of Engineering, India.

Amal Jyothi College of Engineering (AJCE), established in 2001, is a premier self-financing co-educational institution affiliated with Kerala Technological University (KTU). With an enrollment of 3,075 students and a distinguished faculty of 202 members, including 91 PhD holders, AJCE offers 12 undergraduate and nine postgraduate programs. AJCE hosts advanced laboratories set up in collaboration with leading industry partners such as Royal Enfield, BOSCH, Eicher, and NeST, as well as academic alliances with Red Hat, Oracle, and AWS. The Next Reality Lab, one of the largest AR-VR and Robotics research centers in South India, is a testament to the institution’s focus on emerging technologies.

The college fosters a dynamic innovation ecosystem supported by two Technology Business Incubators (TBIs) and an AICTE IDEA Lab. The Rural Technology Business Incubator and Bio-TBI have collectively secured ₹3.65 crore and ₹4.88 crore, respectively, in funding from the Government of India. Currently, 37 startups are incubated at AJCE, and more than 30 successful ventures have graduated.

Dr. Juby Mathew possesses a strong educational foundation and a distinguished career in academia. He currently serves as the Head of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering. He holds a master’s degree in Technology from Manonmaniam Sundaranar University and a master’s degree in Computer Applications from Periyar University. He earned his PhD in Design and Analysis of Algorithms from Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, where he also completed a post-doctoral fellowship in Data Analytics.

Mathew joined the engineering-focused college in 2011 and played a key role in making it an Oracle Academy member institution. He is an accomplished speaker and the author of numerous research papers. His achievements include receiving the P. T. Bhaskara Panicker Science Writing Fellowship from the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology, and Environment (KSCSTE). Mathew has been honored with several awards, including Best Teacher and Best Performing Faculty. His areas of specialization include Soft Computing, Data Science, and Artificial Intelligence. He also is certified as an Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) Certified Architect Associate and an Oracle Database Certified Foundations Associate.

The Department of Computer Science & Engineering is a center of academic excellence, offering B.Tech (CSE), B.Tech (CSE–Cyber Security), M.Tech, and a postgraduate certificate in AI and Data Science. Accredited by the NBA until 2028, it produces industry-ready professionals. Collaborations with the Indian Navy and INS Vikrant support research of national importance. The department promotes global learning through a student-faculty exchange program with Elmhurst University, Illinois, United States. It also leverages Oracle Academy resources, including full database and Java curriculum, the Oracle Academy Cloud Program, and specialized courses like Artificial Intelligence with Machine Learning in Java, fostering innovation and advanced learning.

Oracle Academy: How did Amal Jyothi get involved with Oracle Academy?

Juby Mathew: It began in 2011 when we attended a workshop held in the coastal resort Kochi, organized by the State of Kerala, which has a MoU to integrate Oracle Academy resources into a number of colleges. We in turn became a member and our teachers took online training on how to use the resources in their coursework. Since AJCE is an autonomous college, we are free to design and implement our own curriculum, rather than following a standardized syllabus set by the state, and have in the last 14 years deeply integrated Oracle Academy resources into our curriculum and teaching activities. Successful completion of Oracle Academy modules is counted towards internal assessments. We also encourage students to take Oracle professional certification exams.

Oracle Academy: How many students and faculty use Oracle Academy resources?

Juby Mathew: To date, 2,100 students have followed Oracle Academy courses. Currently 450 students have active Oracle Cloud accounts. We use all of the database and Java courses, plus Oracle Cloud and AI/ML, and we will be introducing Oracle APEX in the summer. On the faculty side, 72 teachers have attended online Oracle Academy teaching methodology courses.

Oracle Academy: And how do the teachers stay up to date?

Juby Mathew: We organize online conferences for faculty. These are interactive sessions delivered online by Oracle experts. In the past 12 months we have had presentations covering new features of Java Development Kit (JDK), MySQL, cloud computing, Internet of Things, Oracle Analytics, and information security. These conferences have provided our teachers with invaluable knowledge and skills for the benefit of our students.

In addition, ahead of rolling out Oracle APEX in our computer science area next semester, teachers are learning low code development resources too.

Oracle Academy: What is your roadmap for APEX teaching?

Juby Mathew: I am starting an Oracle APEX seminar for teachers this summer, and APEX for the students will be a new course as of 2026. It is aimed at those working on, for example, web page design and mobile apps development. The plan is to encourage BTech/MCA candidates to use APEX for final year and research projects, as well as Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI).

In addition, next year we are planning to do an APEX elective six-month course for final-year Mechanical and Automotive Engineering students. The course will earn them additional credits and is definitely applicable to any engineering discipline.

By the way, our department participated this May in APEX Utsav 2025, a six-city event run by the India Oracle APEX User Group (INOAUG). The presentations gave us a deep dive into the latest APEX innovations, AI-powered applications, and real-world automation use cases. Most inspiring.

Oracle Academy: Are there any other departments using the resources?

Juby Mathew: We are opening up Artificial Intelligence with Machine Learning in Java to second year students across the whole college, not just CS&E, of particular interest to anyone involved in data science and analytics. It will be a self-study course and another example of technology relevant to multiple subject areas. We are considering adding blockchain too.

Otherwise, the department of Civil Engineering uses Oracle Primavera P6 Professional Project Management Fundamentals for project scheduling and budgeting in the third or fourth year of its BTech Civil Engineering course.

Oracle Academy: What kind of final year projects do they do with OCI?

Juby Mathew: We had many final year projects where students utilized various OCI services based on their project requirements. For IoT-based applications, they employed services such as Streaming, Object Storage, and File Storage. Additionally, some projects leveraged OCI's machine learning capabilities, including Data Labeling, Generative AI, and Speech services.

Oracle Academy: Earlier you mentioned certification; can you expand on that?

Juby Mathew: Oracle professional certification is something we push, and we have dedicated sessions to prepare students for the exams. Over 200 students have already become OCI Foundations Associates. Many more have passed the Certified Foundations Associate exams both for Oracle Database and Java.

These professional certifications — recognized all over the world — give real evidence of skills in Oracle Cloud, Java programming and database knowledge with which to differentiate themselves. We also expect teachers to acquire these certifications, which help them to teach, while adding to their own career advancement.

Oracle Academy: Super. And do you use the Oracle Academy Member Hub?

Juby Mathew: The Oracle Academy Member Hub has many advantages. Lecturers manage student progress through this platform, checking test and exam performance. The Hub also allows them to easily set up cloud accounts for the cohort. Conversely, lecturers access the Hub to enhance their knowledge through online workshops, Oracle Academy Education Bytes, and other resources that reinforce professional development. It is very user friendly and, as with the Oracle Academy curriculum, the materials are nice and simple, easy to teach and to learn from.

Oracle Academy: Any other plans?

Juby Mathew: Our intention is to create more AI and data science-focused courses. Clearly, we will use Artificial Intelligence with Machine Learning in Java in the curriculum but look forward to obtaining more teaching resources covering these subjects.

Otherwise, I try to encourage other colleges in Kerala State to use Oracle Academy. Although the ICT Academy of Kerala signed an MoU in 2016 to integrate Oracle Academy across 125 colleges, not many have taken advantage to the extent that we have. It seems to me that the more students graduating with degree and certification in Oracle’s technology, the stronger our state will be in terms of e-government and industry. Our own status is changing next year from an autonomous college to private university; i.e., we will be an independent degree-awarding institution. To promote this change in status, we have spotlighted Oracle Academy courses as an influence in attracting students, highlighting their career potential and benefit to society.

Oracle Academy: Wishing you every success. How would you sum up the Oracle Academy experience of these past 14 years?

Juby Mathew: The collaboration with Oracle Academy has had a transformative effect on our academic community, students and faculty alike. The high-quality learning resources have enhanced our course delivery, supported syllabus updates, and enriched classroom discussions. Students gain skills relevant to the real world, while Oracle certification opportunities enhance their career prospects and help them stay ahead of the curve. Needless to say, all Oracle Academy learning materials are accessed free of cost, while expert advice and online help is always available.

Oracle Academy resources also contribute to the professional development of faculty members, who regularly attend training sessions and workshops and prepare themselves for Oracle certification. AJCE maintains a dedicated Oracle Academy web page.

Oracle Academy: Thank you. And finally, what are your interests outside of teaching?

Juby Mathew: My passion is writing, which I see as an extension of teaching —one that reaches a wider community. I contribute articles that explain computer technology, Artificial Intelligence, and Natural Language Processing, often answering queries on platforms like ChatGPT and DeepSeek to help demystify the new digital era. My articles, written in Malayalam, are published in a leading Kerala daily with a readership of over four million. For the past 12 years, I also have been a regular contributor to Darsakan, the monthly magazine of the Catholic Diocese of Kanjirapally. Through my research, I address societal problems and aim to develop practical solutions — such as detecting lung cancer and canine skin diseases, and creating algorithms for translating English into Malayalam. In my free time, I enjoy playing with my children and traveling.

Thank you, Dr. Juby Matthew, for your passion for Oracle Academy and for preparing your students to make a positive impact.