Vision of an Engineering Institution

Vision document of any organization is an important document for its growth and it equal is also equally important for engineering institutes of the country.  Taking into consideration the present scenario of the status of engineering education in the country when within only a short span of 40-50 years of engineering education growth in the country, decreasing enrollment of students, increasing un-employability of pass out engineers, closing of many existing engineering institutes, less societal role played by these institutes, there is great need for a holistic envision towards the teaching, working and administration of engineering institutes in the country. Here are some points highlighted which reflect the road map for the growth of engineering education institutes in the present scenario.

 

1. Restructuring/revision of curriculum and up-gradation of existing courses

 

Restructuring/revision of curriculum: Curriculum of all UG & PG courses should be restructured/revised taking the following points into consideration:

 

• There should be no repetition of course contents in the subjects from lower module to higher module e.g. diploma -degree -M.Tech courses
• Industrial oriented contents be incorporated in every course contents with proper inputs from industrial people
• Flexible credit system should be incorporated particularly at UG and PG levels by floating more industrial relevant, advanced course contents and elective courses
• More efforts should be put to include numerical based approach and real life based problems in all course contents
• Tutorial classes (in real sense) should be an integral part of teaching load with a suitable size of student strength in a tutorial
• Science based course contents to all engineering courses should be given a proper weightage
• Autonomy bestowed on teaching community should have a check for its best and effective use
• Communication skill training laboratories should be setup
• Introduction of online and part-time engineering programmes is the need of hour

 

Up-gradation of existing courses: Re-look at all existing courses in order to take decision in order to discontinue or upgrade the existing courses with following points into consideration

• Flexible credit system should be incorporated particularly at UG and PG levels by floating more industrial relevant and advanced courses with elective course contents
• Courses (UG or PG) not attracting students for continuously 2-3 years should be replaced with advanced and marketable courses
• Courses in demand should be started taking inputs from other reputed technical institutes of the country

 

2. Introduction of new courses/programs

• Flexible credit system should be incorporated particularly at UG and PG levels by floating more industrial relevant, advanced course contents and elective courses
• New ICD courses which are more relevant to the latest trends in industries should be introduced
• UG courses in engineering discipline like CIVIL ENGINEERING, INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING, AUTOMATION, MECHNOTRONICS, ROBOTICS, ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINNERING, WASTE MANAGEMENT ENGINEERING, POLLUTION CONTROL ENGINEERING, BIO & MEDICAL PHYSICS, ENERGY ENGINEERING (GENERATION & CONSERVATION) etc. should be considered to be introduced
• UG courses like Engineering B.Sc. in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics departments should also be considered to be introduced
• Research activities in the institute should be strengthened through institute grants or industrial collaboration to cater to the needs of local industries

 

3. Development of centre of excellence in potential research areas

• Centres of excellence in potential research areas like MATERIALS SCIENCE, NANOTECHNOLOGY, TELEMEDICINE, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, ROBOTICS, MACHOTRONICS, INTERNET OF THINGS, BIOMEDICAL with available expertise available in the institute should be considered
• Future faculty should be recruited taking into consideration the demand towards centres of excellence
• Institute level funding with a limited fellowship for pursuing research should be re-introduced in order to strengthen the research activities in the institute

 

4. Infrastructure, human resources and digital requirement of the institute

 

Academic Infrastructure

• Sufficient & required academic space like class rooms, laboratories, departmental libraries and research laboratories need to be created
• All departments should be provided with HOD rooms, departmental libraries, common rooms, research scholar rooms etc.
• Proper parking spaces for four wheelers and two wheelers in and around academic area are required
• Proper parking spaces for four wheelers and two wheelers in and around hostel and residential areas are required
• Every academic block should have a tea and snacks vending machine

 

Hostel infrastructure

• Every hostel should be equipped with reading rooms, fixed exercising and entertaining equipments
• Hostel rooms should be modernized in order to be properly lighted and ventilated
• Hostel messes should be modernized in order to make dinning more comfortable
• Every hostel should be equipped with a tea and snacks vending machines
• Late night dining facility should be created near hostels
• Sufficient hostel space should be created to cater to the increasing enrollment of hostellers with efforts in providing single occupancy

 

Infrastructure for fitness and recreational activities

• Physical fitness parks equipped with simple exercise equipments for institute residents should be developed at different locations
• Similarly, playing and exercising parks for children of the campus also should be developed

 

Digital requirements

• Web site of the institute is a mirror of the institute in the digital era and should be upgraded/developed at par with websites of Indian institutes of repute like IITs giving all the desired information about the institute in a more systematical and fast manner
• All the class rooms should be equipped with latest educational tools like projectors, smart boards, CCTVs etc.
• ERP and Biometric attendance systems should be installed at the earliest
• Each and every nook & corner of the institute should have access to Wi-Fi as well as places for smart phone plugging
• Institute should develop and use APPS to connect with students, faculty and staff in a more easy way

 

Human resources

• All teaching and non-teaching posts should be filled at the earliest with competent and qualified personnel
• Additional teaching positions should be created in order to make the student-teacher ratio at par with institutes of national repute
• Teaching human resource of the institute in general and new faculty in particular should be trained in pedagogy
• Non-teaching staff should be given opportunities to improve their competency in their respective fields by sending them on short term training programmes in reputed institutes
• All the teaching and non-teaching staff members should be made accountable towards their duties
• Every faculty member should be asked to submit minimum one research project

 

5. Networking with industries and collaboration with other institutions/agencies

• Engineering faculty members should be asked to collaborate and acquire R&C projects from nearby industries
• Institute should speed up to sign MOUs with institutes of national repute as well as industries
• There should be a separate administrative/accounts section to deal with R & C activities of the institute
• Networking with industries should be further strengthened in order to increase placement prospects for pass out students of the institute
• Collaboration opportunities with institutes of national repute in the local area
• Every HOD should be asked to make a blue print of departmental activities related to Networking with industries and collaboration with other institutions/agencies

 

6. Social responsibility of the institute

 

Towards institute fraternity

• Academic and hostel infrastructure should cater to the demands of differently-abled and left handed students
• Beautification of campus derive should be taken
• Apps should be developed to cater to the technological knowhow of the local people
• Contributing fund schemes for the benefit of faculty and staff in emergency should be implemented
• No vehicle days activities already going in the institute should be implemented strongly

 

Towards local populace

• Institute should come forward to find scientific and engineering solutions to deal with local problems related to pollution, illiteracy, waste management, energy conservation etc.
• Local people should be trained in different emerging self-employment generating schemes like bee keeping, solar power generation, making food items (pickles, beverages, cookies etc), use of rice straw etc.
• Schemes towards social upliftment by the institute should be expanded and institute should participate with all zeal in every central as well as state governments flagship programmes related to social welfare
• Science and engineering exhibitions & short-term vocational courses at the institute to local students and people should be strengthened and should be more regular features
• Institute should work on creating start up hubs, incubation and innovation centres in order to benefit local populace
• Every department should proceed to develop on basic laboratory catering to the needs of popularization of science and technology (at par with Science City) to students and local masses
• Make provision to give free education and hostel facilities to few girl and boy students belonging to poor economical background at UG and PG levels