The document discusses the challenges and imperatives in engineering education, emphasizing the need for quality improvements driven by globalization, student and industry expectations. It highlights the weaknesses of current graduates and the essential skills they must possess, such as technical capability, communication, and teamwork. Key issues include faculty development, laboratory enhancements, industry linkages, and preparing students for employability in a rapidly evolving technological landscape.

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