To Engineer is to Create Skillfully, says Avantika University Vice Chancellor

The term ‘Engineer’ is derived from the Latin words ‘Ingeniare’ which means to create and ‘Ingenium’ which means cleverness.  In simple words, to engineer is to create skillfully.

The whole essence of engineering education is to enable students to create solutions for complex technical problems. But the model being followed in most educational set-ups in India focusses more intensively on teaching just the principles and not their application. Such a way of education, which promotes the ‘Chalk and Talk Model’, trains students to ceaselessly gulp all the information, but nowhere tests the student’s skill to apply the same in a real-world scenario. When such graduates are dispersed into the job market, the mismatch between what the industry so desires and what the education system offers is realised. Such a mismatch handicaps the whole purpose of education which is, to enable individuals to make a living and be better human beings.

Need for Renovation

The educational framework calls for desperate renovation in order to meet the needs of global employers and professional communities. A transformation which equips the educational framework to be exhaustively comprehensive, cohesive, and skill-oriented, is the need of the hour.

Realising this disparity, Avantika University, Ujjain envisions to provide a breakthrough in the engineering education of the country, by unveiling an education model that reenergises the academic set-up as per global standards.  The Avantika model of education revolves around interdisciplinary learning on a solid foundation of liberal arts and design thinking principles, which promotes the spirit of innovation, enterprise and design centeredness.

The model works on the intersection of Engineering (understanding if the solution is practical for implementation), Design (understanding if the solution caters to the need of the end-user) and Business (understanding how the solution will reach the end-user) to make student learning a holistic process where s/he explores the finer nuances of all these disciplines only to culminate as a blend of all.

The engineering programme at Avantika is built in sync with the latest global trends, breaking free from the traditional engineering concepts. Students explore streams like Artificial Intelligence, Data Analytics, Internet of Things, Robotics, Augmented and Virtual Reality etc to stay abreast of latest technologies which are dominating the industry.

Emphasis on Project-Based Learning

The education model puts maximum emphasis on project-based learning where the student learns through hands-on application of engineering principles. They work on project for every subject by practicing its real-world application. The multi-fold projects are spread over 8 semesters which provide a breadth of knowledge and experience of diverse domains. These projects culminate into a Capstone Project in the 8^th semester which is pursued in an industrial set-up. The students learn through failing, incessant re-tries, exploration and success.

The programmes, in spirit, provides a breadth of knowledge introducing students to diverse domains of engineering, design and entrepreneurship to facilitate holistic learning. Such a blend enables students to club their analytical mind-set with user-centeredness, empathy and systematic reasoning, making them Digitally Fluent, Creatively Adept and Intellectually Sharp.

Hence, the whole essence of Interdisciplinary learning at Avantika is to promote student’s choice and voice by giving them an opportunity to craft their own specialization by choosing from an eclectic mix of electives as per their interest and passion. Exposure to a variety of domains empower them with a holistic mindset which is able to solve the most complex of challenges in the world.

Fostering Entrepreneurial Culture

A place where almost all the educational set-ups lack is fostering entrepreneurial culture within the academic set-up. Our education system has always encouraged students to get placed and never to innovate, and start-up. Education should be liberating and not constraining, and such an approach puts barriers in the learning process. Hence, entrepreneurial guidance to identify and pursue innovative ideas, in sync with industry standards pushes the growth graph of the students beyond the academic boundaries and proves to be an essential part of their education.

A new way of engineering education shall progress in such a manner so as to inculcate the 4 Cs i.e., Critical Thinking, Creativity, Collaboration and Communication as a basic instinct in the student. These skills along with technological and domain expertise, can change the face of education by introducing new perspective, ideas, leadership and influencing skills. Such an education will enable individuals to succeed in all walks of life by making them malleable to update and upgrade their knowledge as and when required. An education that continues to empower throughout one’s life should be the new way to go ahead.

About the author

Dr Prasheel Suryavanshi is the Vice-Chancellor of Avantika University, Ujjain. He has completed his Doctorate in Control Systems from College of Engineering, Pune, with a proven track-record in teaching-learning. Dr Suryavanshi has well-rounded experience of 21-years in academics, research, and consulting, has nurtured a scientific acumen, logical thinking, organisational ability, as well as dynamic interpersonal and communication skills.

Note: The views expressed in this article are solely author’s own and do not reflect/represent those of Shiksha