Engineering – A combination of both Theoretical as well as Practical Study

The Engineering sector has witnessed a vital growth over the last few years. The influence of technology advancements and their marketing strategies designed and developed by engineering students through Startups and innovations play a major role in the rise of Indian economy. 

Students emerging from schools located in different regions and structures prefer to enjoy their learning in colleges be it an Engineering or an Arts and Science College after their tough and strenuous preparations for their board examinations.

Hence, In spite of the restrictions on most of the Engineering Colleges affiliated to Anna University, Chennai, to follow a specified curriculum, it is the responsibility of every college to ensure that students graduate as Engineers and not mere Graduates after completing four years of Study and Tests. The Engineering concepts taught to the students remain volatile after every semester since they are oriented towards examination point of view to initially gain their confidence.

This practice seems to be easy at the beginning and gradually proves to be difficult for the Engineering students.  Students tend to forget the learnt courses after every semester which lacks to provide any assistance towards their career development during interviews. All learning that creates interest gets retained permanently and retrieval process becomes simpler.

To be clear engineering concepts are actually really interesting. Most of them are being practiced almost every day in our daily lives. Hence, the courses designed as a curriculum, may be related to such relevant incidents and students may be encouraged to experiment on such issues where they learn the syllabus practically. They may be permitted to document their findings and publish them in reviews or research work, thereby moulding them into research scientists.

Other than theoretical studies, practical study also plays a vital role in moulding a student’s career. It becomes immensely important for students to get an idea of real industrial atmosphere. Industrial tours, Internships and in plant training creates this within the students and they start enjoy learning Engineering. This would arouse their interest and inspire them to comprehend their purpose of study. Interdisciplinary learning may be introduced involving more of field work, data analysis and synthesis.

Experimenting Engineering while executing projects is the best method which involves application of knowledge, innovations in technology, entrepreneurial skills and confidence, which are the essential traits of a real Engineer. This can be practiced every semester which builds and sustains their knowledge till their final semester.

Engineering blended with additional skills transform the students into responsible Professionals. Hence, students should be facilitated with self-learning facilities, extracurricular activities and co-curricular activities. The National Service Scheme and the Swachh Bharat unit of the college builds the social responsibility of the student in addition to being an Engineer.

The Sports and Cultural clubs exposes the hidden skills of the students making them confident and comfortable within the campus. Technical Symposia and Conferences may be organized to strengthen their presentation skills. Encouraging students to participate in all Hackathons would be another leap that the colleges can think of for an enhanced learning process of the students on par with the global standards. Awareness on Startups and entrepreneurship skills should be provided to the students by the Entrepreneurship Development skills.

Industries and well-known companies look for such skills in every candidate. They expect them to play the roles of a team player and a team leader which are built within the college during their execution of projects and various activities organized for the students. Students should be trained to critically think for innovative solutions and create self-sustained employment opportunities to completely eliminate the unemployment issues in the country.

About the Author:

Dr. Ramesh P.L.N is the principal of Prathyusha Engineering College.