ENGINEERING REDEFINED
Why does education have to be force-fed to engineers?We say it doesn’t.When an aspiring engineer finally joins college,he has certain expectations. He wants to learn how to innovate, to make an impact on the world around him. But what stares up at him is the tons of books, journals and assignments with deadlines around the corner. Unable to cope with this ever increasing demand for academic work he gives up on his aspirations and submits himself to the grind of an average engineer from the factory of Mumbai University. What results is a product who no one wants, not even the industry who have to train them all over again.It is this effort on our part of FE's that we endaveour to become not rote learning engineers but one's who are sought after by industries around the world. Let us try to bring a change in the system, to make sure that SP will rise to new heights and become one of the best institution for learning in the world.
Engineering students are given a printed write-up to copy into the journals. This deprives them of pro-active learning right from first year. This process crushes the creativity of the students, and encourages them to copy journals blindly without understanding the concepts.It is a known fact that during submission of these journals, there is always a horde of students near the xerox centre.This fact itself is enough to prove the inability of this age-old method of documentation of laboratory experiments.This method sends the message to the students that engineering is about monotonous gopher work that needs no knowledge or skill.The teachers are also used to expecting neat journals that are just copied from other students.
Engineering students are given a printed write-up to copy into the journals. This deprives them of pro-active learning right from first year. This process crushes the creativity of the students, and encourages them to copy journals blindly without understanding the concepts.It is a known fact that during submission of these journals, there is always a horde of students near the xerox centre.This fact itself is enough to prove the inability of this age-old method of documentation of laboratory experiments.This method sends the message to the students that engineering is about monotonous gopher work that needs no knowledge or skill.The teachers are also used to expecting neat journals that are just copied from other students.
The long gap between the industry’s requirement and the current education has to be bridged. Syllabi have to be made accordingly.Seminars & workshops that help the students understand the latest industry procedures & needs should be organized.
Each branch should have its individual website to help students stay updated about latest events, whether it be extra-curricular or academic activities. It should also inform about projects, assignments , lectures and special interest groups.
Special-interest groups among students should be encouraged by the institution.These groups, with the help of teachers, can undertake projects & presentations on the subject of their interest. The goal is to promote working as a team, and to encourage students to learn more about the topic of their liking.The weekly schedule should include some time allotted to doing research on any topic of the student’s interest. The student may then be asked to submit a report based on his research at the end of the semester. So the student is encouraged to learn something that he likes, rather than just rote-learning subjects he finds uninteresting. This also introduces the much needed flexibility in engineering education.
And finally, the views & feedback of the students should be considered important in the decision making process, because they have to bear the consequences. Hence it is only fair that students are allowed to comment on any rule, restriction or new subject introduced by the college, and encourage or condemn it. The only way to ensure the co-operation of the students is to involve them in the workings of this great institution.
