Dr Shri ram Roy, Principal, Black Diamond College of Engineering and Technology(BDCET) shares insights with Elets News Network (ENN) on the institute’s efforts to bridge the skills gap
Please share some of the unique initiatives taken by your institutes?How can the gap between industry and academia be bridged?
We have been giving our students practical insight by exposing the students into the work environment of industries there by transforming the classroom conversation and theoretical. The local industries at the nadir of Jharsugudas how their earnest enthusiasm in this regard by educating the technical students. This theoretical-cum-felt teaching bridges the gap between industry and academia and bolsters the coherent lines of thinking and inquiry. This relationship-building dynamics will optimise technical competence of the students within the context of problem-faced and problem-solved industrial surroundings.
Students complain most engineering institutes pay more attention towards imparting the oretical knowledge rather than giving practical assignments. Has this trend changed in the last few years?
Institutes present today feel the urgency of practically moulded learning. Further, it is seen that the industries are taking initiatives to make the engineering students industry ready. The institute-industry interaction programme is taking acceleration but the pace requires momentum.
Institute across the world are coming up with new ways of imparting education. How are you bringing innovation in pedagogy at your institute?
Dynamics of learning mechanism in technical education has undergone significant transformation. From teacher-centric system to learner-centric one,from chalk and talk method to online based method of teaching. Keep ingrhythm with changing learning, BDCET is bringing innovations to its pedagogy with measures like application based education by interacting with industry and training institute closely to reduce the gap between theory and practice.The industrial exposure with subjective expertise makes the future technocrats industry ready. We also use face-to-face and online blended education to assist learners to develop the best mix of empirical/factual and theoretical/ conceptual learning. At BDCET students are provided online cum classroom teaching enhancing their knowledge and skills.
How important is to have a strong academia-industry linkage for an engineering institute and how it is beneficial to the students?
The urgency to have a strong academic-industry linkage for an engineering institute is more than ever. The mismatch between the two brings imbalances inhuman resource allocation – as there is seen difference in holding a certificate and doing a job. The mutual tie-up can blur the boundary between the oretical knowledge and practical skills and having positive implications for developing old academic-vocational divides.
India may get the full-fl edged membership status of the Washington Accord by June, enabling global recognition of India degrees and improving mobility of students and engineers. In your opinion, how it is going to help Indian students and engineering education system?
Getting full-fledged membership in Washington Accord is a milestone prospect for the country. It will facilitate mobility and international exposure to Indian students. But only some reputed colleges like IITs will benefit from the status because of the stringent criterion of Washington Accord.
What is the importance of an incubation centre and tells us about your plans to install one?
It aims to attract students to develop their entrepreneurial skills. The centreen courages students to develop new ideas and innovative products. The centre also mobilises resources for product designing and undertakes feasibility study on commercial ventures for the products. BDCET is planning to install one incubation centre in near future.
How has been your college’s placement in recent years? Do you think there is sufficient demand in the industry for the engineering graduates?
Every year from our institute, more than40% per cent students are placed in the industry through the college placement programme. To inculcate the industrial skill set, the college trains students from the second year. The basic branches such as civil, electrical and mechanical are in good demand.
What are the new engineering courses, which are be coming popular?
Now-a-days engineering courses like Design and manufacturing Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Agri Environmental Economics Engineering, Civil Engineering and Mechatronics Engineering are becoming popular.
In India, there are multi pleagencies which look into the accreditation,but majority of them have failed to bring quality.In your opinion, does accreditation perse help in enhancing the quality of education?
Accreditation is synonymous with quality enhancement, quality assurance and quality enrichment. Accreditation, to a great extent, leads to infrastructural standard, laboratory installation, inter-net connectivity and pedagogical improvement. The National Accreditation Regulatory Authority (NARA) seeks to make it mandatory for higher technical educational institutes to be accredited by NAAC and NBA.
Please share your institute’s ex-pansion plans in the coming years?What are the challenges, which you face nowadays?
We are preparing for NAAC & NBA Accreditation during the Year 2015-16and then will plan to add M-tech and MBA Courses from 2016 onwards.
What is your policy expectationfrom the government?
The government should take steps tobring curriculum modifications keeping pace with international standards. Syllabus that is taught in technical education is static and it needs updating and should be dynamic.
