Industry Relevant Curricula in Engineering and Technology to meet the Challenges of “Make in India�
Thanikachalam Vedhathiri, B.E., M. Tech., Ph.D., M.S, FIE, FIGS
Expected Impact of “Make in India” • Establish modern industries not only for Indian needs but also for export • High quality production • Demand for engineers with competencies for analysis and design • Development of innovative products • Product testing and improvement • More cooperation and collaboration with the engineering colleges
SWOT Analysis Strengths Around 1.6 million students opt for engineering programs IITs, NITs, State Technical Universities, Deemed Universities and Autonomous Colleges are growing at fast rate MHRD is supporting the faculty development and curriculum development through AICTE Government of India is providing research grants through AICTE, CSIR, DST, and UGC for high quality research works. IITs, NITs and State Technical Universities offer Ph D Programs for the in-service faculty members under Quality Improvement Program. They also plan International Conferences , Symposia, Seminars and workshops. Almost all the high performing institutions publish journals. World Bank has assisted the institutions for Capacity Development, Quality Improvement and Efficiency Improvement
Weaknesses Out of 95% of the self-financing colleges, many lack qualified and experienced faculty Most of them offer only traditional programs without any focus on the desired competencies prescribed by the global industries Most of the engineering colleges recruit fresh graduates and offer very low salary The culture of many engineering colleges have not grown to establish consultancy centers or plan industry relevant graduate and postgraduate programs They have very weak linkages with the industry
Opportunities Need for more competent engineers due to modern industries in the export processing zones, industrial corridors and hubs Research funds are distributed through CSIR, DRDO, DST and TIFAC More faculty could be developed through QIP of AICTE for Masters and Doctoral Programs Many bilateral programs are available from many advanced countries in emerging technology
Threats Poor engineering colleges could not attract the high performing faculty and students Many colleges started closing Poor quality teaching makes the incompetent graduates who may not get high paying jobs Poor curriculum does not provide needed competencies and skills in the advancement of technologies Additional expenditure on industries in training new employees MNCs could shift their design , research and development works to other countries GDP Growth would be decreased
Curriculum Design Process Adopted by Many Universities Ad Hoc Boards of studies 5 to 10 Senior faculty members One or two middle level industry representatives Limited time and funds to complete the curriculum Incremental changes are considered Views of the faculty members are not invited Draft curriculum is completed and placed before the Board of Studies Without any change the final curriculum would be placed before the Academic Council A few members raise questions and recommend changes Improved draft would be placed before the Senate After formal approval, the curriculum is institutionalized
Trends in Global Curriculum Country European Union China, Japan and Korea (CJK)
USA
Trends Three tier system (Bachelor, Master and Doctorate) More industry relevant programs, more cooperation between the industry and universities More sponsored research Industries fully utilize the outcome of research Industrial collaboration in maximum More funding from the industry for sponsored research Optional internship and cooperative programs
Demands of Knowledge based Economy Creative thinking Risk taking capability Financial management Marketing
Focus of Engineering Curricula Science based Industry relevant Cooperative programs Industry sponsored Entrepreneurship based
Science Based Curricula Unbalanced with needed competencies Inadequate with number of key courses Partially relevant to emerging technology Graduates could join postgraduate programs Many comeback to teaching profession NBA accredits the program Most of the courses are based on the expertise of the members of the Board of Studies Affiliated colleges have to faithfully follow the curriculum prescription External examination system is followed Industrial linkages are limited
Industry Relevant Curricula Courses are very much balanced Focused on performance skills Problem solving abilities, critical thinking skills and design abilities are developed Advanced courses are based on the emerging needs of industries and reflect the state of the art Industrial training is offered due to active cooperation Industry relevant dissertation topics are encouraged Graduates are preferred by the corporates due to their industry ready skills Most of the technical universities, NITS, and autonomous colleges offer industry relevant curricula
Industry Sponsored Programs Industry is associated with the planning and development Industry needs high end engineers for design and manufacturing The employees are sponsored with salary The institute gets funds from the industry Generally Program is not opened to other students The graduates have to join the industry upon completion of the program The industry prefers leading institutes with excellent faculty and resources Collaboration is maximum Once the collaboration comes to an end, the institute can offer the program to open candidates The institute may not get financial support after the contract comes to end HAL sponsored M.Tech in aeronautics and the program was conducted by IIT Madras BHEL sponsored M.Tech in thermal engineering and NIT – Trichy conducted the program The programs have to follow the norms and standards of AICTE
Group of Companies Sponsored Collaborative Program A group of companies may sponsor a new program to meet the needs Candidates are selected through competitive entrance examination Successful candidates would receive stipend The companies would select the graduates after completion of the program The institute would receive funds Cooperation is maximum The resources generated would be with the institute Once the contract is completed, the institute would continue the program based on the demands The companies in the industrial estates could form an association and negotiate with the technical universities for a industry relevant program
Entrepreneur Focused Programs Provide more exposure to entrepreneurship development activities Provide more industry relevant courses, financial management, professional skills like investigation, analysis, design, prototype development, manufacturing ,marketing and maintenance Projects could be based on the individual needs
Skill Development Process Identify the industry relevant hard skills Assess the curriculum against hard skills strategically develop through planned assignments, case studies, projects, and seminars Incorporate industry relevant projects and dissertation works Design appropriate strategies for inculcating the soft skills
Leadership Development Provide opportunities to solve critical cases Identify the role of leadership Evaluate the leadership abilities
Industry Needs Analysis Science based Program
Industry Relevant Program
Learning needs are identified Career needs of the students would be considered Research focus would be there Students could migrate to various high paying jobs Many may join software industry Many may opt for management programs
More focused on the manufacturing and maintenance May be implemented as cooperative program Students would get on the job training The project work would be based on the emerging problems of the industry
Industry Sponsored Industrial Program Association Sponsored program The courses would The course be be centered around based on the the sponsoring average needs of industry’s needs the group but Very much focused electives would be on the design, planned to meet manufacturing, the needs of testing and individual needs of prototype the members development The dissertation Dissertation topic topics could be would be based on based on the needs the needs of the of the group sponsoring industry
Comparative Analysis of the Curricula Factors PEO
Questions How are they formulated?
OCs
How do they contribute to the success of the PEO? Factors to be compared between the curricula
Courses, resources, Faculty qualification and experience, Linkages with the industry, Autonomy, Accreditation, Assistanceship/ fellowship, Job opportunities, Career advancements, Migration
Chief Knowledge Officer (CKO) Chief knowledge officer evaluates the growth of new knowledge and its expected impact on the company Identifies the utility and the possible growth / market potential Sends the details to the chief learning officer (CLO) NITTTRs could be CKOs in assessing the growth of new technology and industrial application
Chief Learning Officer (CLO) CLO has to plan for the utilization of the identified new knowledge Has to plan new production/ manufacturing facilities State directorates of technical education could plan for new graduate and postgraduate programs
Reverse System Approach for Curriculum Development Consider the needed outcome of a graduate program through the performance Get the needed feedback from the companies Plan the output, educational learning process, and the needed input like resources, infrastructure and faculty competencies
Faculty Development Plan for the strategic development of the faculty to inculcate the skills and competencies Provide more planned industrial exposure Provide more resources and funds Encourage new research and development projects Plan seminars and conferences
Annual Seminars to be Supported by AICTE Usually AICTE provide funds for developing model curricula to National Institutes It can fund for conducting national seminars to identify the changes in technology and its impact on the human resources The engineering institutes can jointly assess the skills, competencies and new courses/ programs This ensures win-win situation
A Study on the Computer Science and Engineering Program (Srividhya, 2015) The changes in computer science and engineering are very fast It is established that the graduates need more exposure software development management, industry relevant real time projects
A Study on the Construction Technology and Management (Mathew, 2014) The civil engineering graduates need in-depth exposure to modern construction technology They need advances in computer based design methods They also need more skills in management practices related to construction technology
A Study on the Manufacturing Technology (Sivanesan, 2009) Formation of consortium of engineering institutes near the industrial corridors Electing a leader to negotiate with the companies for their active cooperation Providing more industry relevant advanced courses/ electives Permitting the students to choose the required electives by migrating to the institute which offers such electives Negotiating for the optional industrial training Getting industry relevant topics for projects Creating win-win solution
A Study on the Mechanical Engineering Design (Subbaraj, 2014) Introducing needed courses for the mechanical engineering students Selecting industry relevant capstone projects Introducing IT enabled design software Offering the electives in design, manufacturing and maintenance
Institutes under World Bank Assistance
TEQIP-II Focus on Research Consultancy Works Excellence
Predicted Demand for the Engineering Programs (2020) Multidisciplinary skills Focus on Analysis, Design, Prototype Development Manufacturing Maintenance Industrial Cooperation and Collaboration
Needed Collaboration With the Companies in the Industrial Hubs and Corridors Sponsored Postgraduate Programs Sponsored Dissertation Topics Sponsored Research and Development Works Case Studies Executive Development Programs Internships
Critical Success Factors Curriculum is to be based on the emerging technology Skills and competencies are to be based on the high end jobs More focus on critical skills, problem solving abilities, commitment foe excellence Implementation has to be based on the cooperation and collaboration Advanced courses to meet the career needs of the participants Focus on the team work, excellence and productivity
Needed Initiatives Interdisciplinary postgraduate programs Industry sponsored postgraduate programs Executive development programs Start up programs Incubation centers Networking with global leaders International students Consultancy centers in the industrial hubs Technology assessment projects Planning innovation centers
Thank you, Your Questions, Please