The challenges for engineering education are highlighted. Any new institute will face challenges such as faculty, infrastructure and placement.

1. Engineering Education:
Imperatives & Issues
Dr S G Deshmukh
ABV-Indian Institute of Information Technology & Management
www.iiitm.ac.in
Session at RJIT Tekanpur, 1 Sep 2012

2. Opening quote….
 “Quality in higher education has been a matter of
importance,concern and priority at regional,
national and international levels especially in the
recent past”.
 Cathamparampil et al.(2005)

3. Speaking points
 Imperatives
 Engineering Challenges
 Critical Success Factors
 Issues :
 Faculty development
 Laboratory development
 Role of faculty in administration
 Industry-Institute linkages
 Employability
 Concluding remarks

4. Typical comments on curriculum
 Too much theoretical content
 Compartmentalized approach
 Lacks preparing student for problem solving skills
 Gap between what is taught and what is required
 Gap between knowledge and skills
 Not industrially relevant

5. Digital Divide
Teacher
Student
 Relies on old text
books/notes taught by his
teacher
 Not comfortable with
technology
 “Syllabus” mentality
 Refuses to acknowledge
student
 Uses mobile on and off the
class room
 Comfortable in handling
technology –WiFi, Mobile,
YouTube , iPad, participates
in blog discussions , Hooked
to Facebook , Hi5 or
LinkedIn
 Reluctant to acknowledge
teacher !!

6. IImperatives ..
 Globalization : BorderlessWorld of accelerating multi-
dimensional change
 Quality of services(WTO,Washington accord), and Shift
to knowledge economy
 Role of private universities
 Expectations of student community, and industry
 Changing face of technology : Revolutions in Information
Technology (IT)
Engineering Education System MUST
translate these challenges through a Quality
response

7. GGrowth of Higher Education
Institutes 1950-51 1990-91 2010-11
Universities 30 117 537
Colleges 750 7356 26,000
Student
Enrolment
236,000 49,50,000 135,00,000
Faculty 24,000 272,000 530,000
Source: Ramachandran S, 2011, Significance & contributions of self-financing institutions in higher
education, Pride,Vol 1(1), pp 6-8

8. Imperative 1: Globalization of
Education
 Globalization refers to the increasing flow of technology, finance,
trade, knowledge, values and ideas across the borders(Knight &Wit,
1997)
 It has multidimensional impact on the system of
education.
 It has underlined the need for reforms in the educational
system with particular reference to wider utilization of IT
giving productivity and quality dimension and emphasis
on its R&D activities.

9. Imperative 2 : Expectations of Student
community and Industry
 Bombarded with technological gadgets (Mobile, web,
laptop etc.)
 Low retention span
 Teacher as a facilitator/coach
 Dynamic requirements of industry
 Gap between what is taught and what is required

10. Features of Traditional Engineering
Education
 More focused on abstract themes
 Instructor centered learning
 Depth in specialized fields
 Very little use of computers, Multimedia, Internet
 More focused on individual efforts

11. The Reality!: Current Weaknesses in
Today’s Eng. Graduates
 Weakness in understanding manufacturing processes
 Mostly analysts in specific areas
 Myopic view of engineering
 No understanding of quality process
 Weak communication skills
 Lack of design capabilities
 Weak teamwork & project management skills

12. Essentials for Competitive Graduates
 Strong technical capability
 Skills in communication and persuasion
 Ability to lead and work effectively as a member of a team
 Understanding of the non-technical forces that profoundly
influence engineering decisions
 Commitment to lifelong learning
 Skills in design and project management
 Multidisciplinary

13. Forces Pushing for Change
 Companies employing engineering graduates
 Accreditation efforts (such as NBA/ABET)
 Globalization of economy
 Engineering professional societies

14. Technological Challenges
 Information: Proliferation
 Tech. development: Multidisciplinary
 Markets: Globalized
 Environment: Endangered
 Social responsibility: Engineering
 Corporate structure: Participatory
 Change: Rapid!

15. Critical Success Factors for Good
Engineering Education
InfrastructureStudents Faculty

16.  Attract the best students with leadership potential
 Develop and nurture students for a wholesome personality
 Educate & motivate engineering students to be ready:
to implement new technology
to focus on innovation
to understand global trends
to make an impact on society
Students

17.  Faculty with good engineering/science background
 Faculty with excellent potential in carrying innovative research
 Faculty committed to a dynamic teaching environment
 Provide faculty with opportunities for self development
 Motivate faculty for doing high impact research
 Facilitate cooperation with industry & the society at large
Faculty

18.  Provide enabling environment that encourages high levels of academic
productivity
 Up to date facilities (Computers, Library, Laboratory, sports etc.)
 Adopt flexible and clear rules and regulations
 Create sense of ownership
Infrastructure & Support

19. Strengths of RJIT
 First of its kind institute
 Young and dynamic faculty
 Disciplined student community
 Learning culture
 Good infrastructure
 Adequate space for expansion
 Good academic programme: Both UG & PG
 Niche Programme :Automobile Engg

20. Implications for RJIT
 Move to next orbit
 Enhance quality teaching
 Emphasis on laboratory development
 Give space to experiment & innovate
 Network with other institutes
 Use of National Knowledge Network
 Stress on Research
 Provide ecosystem
 Faculty Incentive to motivate

21. Issue 1: Faculty development
 Encourage faculty to do Ph d
 Motivate them to conduct seminars/workhops/conferences
etc.
 Lab development – a priority item
 Empower them to take decisions and be
responsive/responsible
 Encourage team work
 Incentive scheme for quality research

22. Issue 2: How to create interest
amongst students in Lab
 Open ended assignments
 Hardware based projects
 Industry assignments
 More emphasis on “ Hands-on” experience
 Increase Laboratory weightage in evaluation
 Participate in competitions such as Robocon, Baja etc.

23. Issue 3: Industry Institute Linkage
 Invite industry people for guest lectures
 Make industry visits compulsory
 Allow faculty to spend time in industry (during vacation
/break etc.)
 Collaborative projects : Research/consultancy/problem
solving assignments

24. Issue 4: How to groom students for
placement
 Understand issues in employabilty
 Enhance soft skills
 Make students aware of the industry requirements
 Conduct regular industry meets

25. Issue : Employability skills
 Cognitive skills - higher level intellectual or academic skills (e.g.
interpreting, analysing, researching)
 Key skills – personal skills and qualities which are generic to a range of both
academic and employment settings (e.g. enterprise, criticality, teamwork,
communication, planning and organising)
 Career Management skills – skills required to manage career development
(e.g. self analysis, networking, self reliance and reflection)
 Enterprising Attitudes – personal qualities to spot opportunities and have
the skills to act on them.

26. Issue: Skills Expected
 Technical skills : Subject matter
 Ability to ask questions
 Ability to work independently
 Ability to identify with the community
 Soft skills: Leadership, Communication, team work, perseverance ,
tenacity

27. Issue 5: Role of Faculty in Administration
/Academic development
 Faculty have to shoulder responsibility in
admn(Procurement/Recruitment/Construction )
 Evolve SOPs for various activities
 Individual development vis-à-vis institutional development
 Emphasis on high quality research and the supporting infrastructure that
is needed
 Sense of ownership/involvement

28. Concluding remarks..
 Providing good quality engineering education – a challenge
for an institute like RJIT
 Faculty , students and staff work in a synergistic manner to
meet this challenge
 Providing good ecosystem and environment: a must

29. Thank you very much !
I would appreciate your comments at
deshmukh.sg@gmail.com