HED - Engineering Special

INDIA EDITION Connecta

MUST WATCH ENGINEERING COLLEGES IN

INDIA

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Global Education v/s Education in India: How does it Influence Student Employment?

Online Education: A Great Savior for Higher Education during Pandemic COVID-19

Prof. Christopher Abraham, CEO & Head, SP Jain School of Global Management, Dubai, UAE

Prof. PB Sharma, Vice-Chancellor, Amity University, India

What it Takes to be a ResearchIntensive University

Collaboration: The Key for Achieving Academic Excellence

Ronan Hodson, Regional Manager for South Asia and Sub- Saharan Africa, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland

Prof. (Dr.) Sanjiv Marwah, Director, JK Business School, India

MVJ COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

APRIL 2020

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Higher Education Digest April 2020

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Higher Education Digest April 2020

Connecta

April 2020

Vol - 2 Issue - 6

Engineering Colleges Special (India Edition) Editor in Chief

Dr. Manoj Varghese

Managing Editor Sarath Shyam

Consultant Editors

Dr. Johny Andrews Anjana K Shyam S

Navya Venkatesh Stanly Lui Emma James

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Art and Design Ajay K Das

Sales & Marketing

Jyoti Kumari Prathyoosh K Shaji

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Arati Waghmare Rupali Mohankar

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Higher Education Digest April 2020 March 2019

MANAGING EDITOR’S NOTE

Identifying Opportunity in Adversity

T

he most challenging times in our life are the greatest opportunities for us to learn something new and grow as better individuals. Embracing adversity requires a positive mindset. We see the difficulty of the current circumstance. However, we have decided to focus on the opportunity. Let us take our education system for instance. The universities and colleges across the country have shut their campuses due to the nationwide lockdown imposed to curb the spread COVID-19 pandemic.

However, most of them have started embracing online education, as nobody knows when things will become normal.

Not withstanding the fact that it will be a herculean task for the academicians to finish the syllabus on time without compromising on the quality, as various exams have been postponed for an indefinite time. It is also true that college admissions and campus placements will suffer in the coming days. Amidst all this chaos, educational

institutions trying hard to offer online classes to their students so that they can resume academics without much gap is a positive take away from this crisis. Yes, not all of them are fully ready to do this, but they are learning fast using the available tools. The mantra here simple; whatever happens, we cannot let the life to stand still. The show must go on.

The show goes on at the Higher Education Digest too. In this issue, along with our exclusive interviews and articles contributed by academicians and professionals around the world, we have listed ‘50 Must-Watch Engineering Colleges in India’ identified by our expert panel and included inspirational stories of some selected colleges featured in that list. One the cover, we feature MVJ College of Engineering, which has worked with organizations, communities, and industries across the country to push the limits of what technology can accomplish.

Stay home, stay safe and enjoy reading.

Sarath Shyam

Higher Education Digest April 2020

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ADVISORY BOARD Dr. Kuldeep Nagi, Ph.D, MBA, BSc. Program Director of Ph.D, Recipient of Fulbright Fellowship Award & Dan Evans Award for Excellence and Writer columnist.

Dr.Varughese K.John, PhD, MBA, MPhil, MCom, LLB. Program Director, MS in Management Program, GSATM - AU

Dr. Venus M. Alboruto, PhD, Master Teacher, Researcher, Innovator, Trainer.

6 Major General (Rtd.) Dr. Sunil Chandra, VSM (Vishishta Seva Medal), Ph.D, M. Phil, MA, M.Ed, PGBDA Ex-M D Army Welfare Education Society, ExCOO GEMS Education - India, Ex- Addl Dir Gen - Army Education, Mentor - Adventure-Pulse

Dr. Ajay Shukla, Ph.D, MBA, BE.

Mr. Sreedhar Bevara, MBA, B.Com

Co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer at Higher Education UAE

Senior General Manager: Panasonic Middle East & Africa, Thought Leader, Speaker & Author of ‘Moment of Signal’ (Amazon’s International Bestseller)

Mr. Amulya Sah, PGD PM & IR, PG Diploma in PM&IR (XISS Ranchi)

Shanthi Rajan (MSHRM, FHEA, AMCILT) Director, Institution Development, University of Stirling, RAK Campus, UAE.

Higher Education Digest April 2020

Senior Director HR. Head HR group Samsung R&D Institute India,Transformative HR Leader, Change agent, Digitization facilitator, Engagement architect, Trainer and Diversity champion.

Asst. Prof. Dr. Suramya Mathai, Ph.D,M.Ed,MA,BA. Teachers Training Expert, Writer, Author, Speaker & Social Worker

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Higher Education Digest April 2020

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CONTENTS

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90 116 134

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122 142

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46

42 - 45

ACS COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

Mitigating the Skill-Shortage of Indian Techies

82

70

46 - 53

90 - 94

RAJARAJESWARI COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

100

Preparing IndustryCompetent Engineers

100 - 108

SANDIP INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY AND RESEARCH

Defining the Success of India’s Engineering Aspirants

134 - 137

VIDYAVARDHAKA COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

116 - 120

S B PATIL COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

HINDUSTHAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Shaping the Industry Leaders of Tomorrow

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58 - 64

ICFAI UNIVERSITY, JHARKHAND

Offering Quality and Affordable Technical Education to the Masses

70 - 77

K J SOMAIYA COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

Creating Future Ready Engineers for the Industry

Revamping Engineering Education

An Autonomous College of Excellence

142 - 147

XAVIER INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING

Making a Difference in the Indian Technical Education System

122 - 128

SHRI GURU GOBIND SINGHJI INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY

Where Education meets Innovative Technology

82 - 89

MANIPAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Making a Better World through Education, Research Higher Education Digest and Innovation April 2020

MENTOR’S MANTRA

STARTUP CHAT

12 - 15

110 - 114

Collaboration: The Key for Achieving Academic Excellence

Protecting People through ‘Socialpreneurship’

Prof. (Dr.) Sanjiv Marwah, Director, JK Business School

Vishal Saurav, Founder & CEO, Xboom Utilities

16 - 18 Global Education v/s Education in India: How does it Influence Student Employment?

Prof. Christopher Abraham, CEO & Head, SP Jain School of Global Management, Dubai

138 - 140 54 - 56 The New Faces of Global Economic Studies Dr. Albin Erlanson, Lecturer, University of Essex

What it Takes to be a ResearchIntensive University Ronan Hodson, Regional Manager for South Asia and SubSaharan Africa, Trinity College Dublin

GLOBAL EDUCATION INSIGHTS

INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE

66 - 69

96 - 99

130 - 132

148 - 150

The Degree is Just a Piece of Paper Held by Millions. How are You Going to Stand Out?

Why Millennials and ‘Gen Z’ Fear Climate Change More Than Anything Else?

Robotic Labs to Make Students Job-Ready in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

How to Maintain a Balance While Preparing for Boards and Entrance Exams?

Srinivasa Addepalli, Founder & CEO, GlobalGyan

Shalini Singh, Chief – Corporate Communications and Sustainability, Tata Power

Venkata Dinesh P, Associate Product Manager, Next Education India

Vivek Jain, Chief Business Officer, Shiksha.com

30 - 34 What Do I Think as an Edu-preneur?

Dr. Jitin Chadha, Founder and Director, Indian Institute of Art & Design and Indian School of Business & Finance

78 - 80 Online Education: A Great Savior for Higher Education during Pandemic COVID-19 Prof. PB Sharma, Vice-Chancellor, Amity University

ACADEMIC VIEWS

MENTOR’S MANTRA

Collaboration: The Key for Achieving Academic Excellence 12

Prof. (Dr.) Sanjiv Marwah is currenty the Director at JK Business School. In an exclusive interaction with the Higher Education Digest, Dr. Marwah discusses the current state of academic research in India, the need for professors to be continuous learners, the importance of academic collaboration with the industry, many more.

Many experts in the education sector and industry claim that a culture of research is missing in Indian institutions.

What is your take on that?

In our country, academic research and industry research are viewed as two different activities. Academic research is for the sake of research only, which at best could end up in a conference presentation, or publication in a reputed journal. Whether, the recommendation of the researcher, is actually considered for application, is not a quality attribute of academic research. Corporates have their own research teams, but they seldom collaborate with the academic world, sometimes citing excuses of data security, and missing out on the valuable inputs from the eminent researchers. So, unless the goal congruence is appreciated by the industry and academia, research will continue to suffer.

Do you consider the lack of quality faculty members to guide research aspirants as one of the major issues in the Indian higher education sector today? Please tell us about the challenges Indian institutes face while promoting research inside the campus?

Research demands-resources in terms of data, software, expertise and most importantly, time. Research is a risky proposition as well because even after the deployment of resources, it might not deliver

Higher Education Digest April 2020

Knowledge is such an asset that multiplies on sharing

13 Prof. (Dr.) Sanjiv Marwah

Prof. (Dr.) Sanjiv Marwah has been an academic leader as a Director at MM University, Mullana, and Era Business School. He has been a Professor and Head of Marketing at Apeejay School of Management while spearheading the CRC which was developed and nurtured as a Business School Innovation.

Management Trainee till Regional Head from DCM to Onida writing success stories in the corporate sector in India before leading to academic life at the age of 32 after 10 eventful years. As Founder Dean of School of Management and allied departments at MM University, he expanded undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral level programs.

Higher Education Digest April 2020

The objective of any research should be linked to the development of some marketable products or services.

Otherwise, any research is of little or no value at all

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Prof. (Dr.) Sanjiv Marwah

Higher Education Digest April 2020

the intended result. The experiments are always prone to failure, however professionally they are designed.

So, the institutes must have the mindset to invest in research activities. The strategic plan should consider the employment of experienced and competent faculty members dedicated solely to research. Academic Institutes offering technical education can only survive if they can keep themselves updated with the needs of the industry and the changes through which it continuously passes.

It is an excellent opportunity for the companies, to get exposure to the multidisciplinary team of researchers of the institutes who can open up new solutions to their longpending problems.

So, the startups and small business houses can collaborate with the B- grade technical institutes towards a win-win solution to both. Thanks to open-source software, which has made data analytics doable by all.

So, a culture of research, now is possible which was earlier confined to the premier institutes only. The challenges of yesterday can be converted to today’s opportunity by hand holdings of entrepreneurs, professors, and students.

Why is it important for Indian institutes to collaborate with global universities to foster research and innovation?

The definition of openness has changed altogether.

Knowledge is such an asset that multiplies on sharing. So, the internet has emerged to be an ocean of information.

But when it comes to academic research, unfortunately, researchers are still working in silos. Research topics are often repeated, and in order to differentiate, a phrase with local significance is added to the title. e.g. “The Impact of Stock Dividends and Stock Splits on Shares’ Prices: Evidence from Egypt”. Instead of having research on any topic in piece meals, global level research can be conducted by senior and experienced academicians. Many of the research scholars become directionless in want of proper guidance. They end up losing their time, resources, and in utter frustrations. MOOCs have brought to the students a world-class teacher for any subject one wishes to learn. A similar model for research can be designed, that will bind all researchers working in the same area under the guidance of one or more supervisors.

The advantages are: Cross-Pollination of Ideas, grouping of researchers involved in similar research, the structure and methodology are well defined, timeline is fixed, research is conducted under global experts, the global perspective of any problem can be aggregated thus excludes local bias, a win-win situation for all the researchers and supervisors.

What do you see as the key to academic institutions turning their intellectual capital into marketable products?

A marketable product is something that has the value to satisfy some human needs. This must be the very basic objective of any activity, and research activity for that matter. So, intellectual capital must be channelized in such a way to fulfill someone’s requirement. Otherwise, it gets dissipated on its way. The objective of any research should be linked to the development of some marketable products or services. Otherwise, any research is of little or no value at all.

What according to you is at the core of industry 4.0? What should educators need to know before preparing the students to embark on this journey?

Educators should themselves be continuous learners. The pace with which technology is advancing, every new day introduces a new concept. Faculty members should keep themselves updated to these changes and take their knowledge to the classroom, modifying the curriculum at the same pace. Failing to comply with this need of the hour is in a way suicidal.

What are your views on leadership? How should education administrators ensure that their faculty members and students transform into worldclass leaders?

One of the key qualities of a leader is empathy. Empathy not only means to put one’s feet in other’s shoes, but it is also about walking a mile in those shoes. Faculty members should overcome the barriers of the generation gap, educational superiority, and other egos and feel one with the students. They need to respect their students and trust them to see them as future India.

The students should learn to understand their employers, colleagues, and customers and maintain a healthy ecosystem around them. The soft skills of effective communication and interpersonal skills are essential for one to evolve as a successful leader.

What advice would you give to staff and students regarding their involvement in the country’s and the entire world’s affairs?

Be the change you wish to see in the world. You are the one with immense power. Start taking baby steps and be consistent in your efforts. Drops can accumulate to form an ocean. I trust that Honesty is not only the best policy, it is also the easiest one. Honest and sincere efforts are always successful.

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GLOBAL EDUCATION INSIGHTS

Global Education v/s Education in India: How does it Influence Student Employment?

By Prof. Christopher Abraham, CEO & Head, SP Jain School of Global Management, Dubai

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I

n the beginning of the 21st Century, an interesting social experiment was conducted at the Cornell University. Three categories of people were identified for the experiment as follows: One category who lived their entire life in one country; (United States). The second category were people who had experience in two countries (US and another); and the third category were people who had exposure and experience in multiple countries and cultures.

All three categories were given a similar and interesting challengeThe Dunker Candle Problem. Of the three categories, the highest percentage of correct solutions came from the participants who had a multi-country exposure. This experiment validates the need and relevance for global exposure and education to stay relevant.

We have witnessed that over the last few decades the world has become increasingly globalized. Geographic and political boundaries have been broken, creating a world of diverse nations connected with each other. Renowned global strategist, Parag Khanna calls this “Connectography� in his recent book.

This new paradigm opens up a plethora of opportunities and challenges. Corporations across the world, in any country require professionals with a global mind-set. These professionals understand nuances of global culture and global business practices. They are also required to familiarise and appreciate how different people from different countries understand each other and do business.

This new business order cuts across cultural ideologies and requires managers and leaders to be adequately equipped with the right knowledge, skills and attributes. These include Decision Making, Digital Intelligence, Critical Thinking, Frugal Innovation, Cross-cultural Collaboration, and Emotional and Social Intelligence in a globalised context.

Higher Education Digest April 2020

Corporations across the world, in any country require professionals with a global mind-set

17 Prof. Christopher Abraham

Prof. Christopher Abraham is the CEO & Head of Dubai Campus and Sr. Vice President - Institutional Development, Professor of Leadership, Design Thinking & Organizational Behavior, at SP Jain School of Global Management. He holds three postgraduate qualifications including Master of Business Administration from Regional Engineering College, India (1986), Masters in Human Resource Management from Bharathidasan University, India (1984) and Masters in Labour and Administrative Laws, Annamalai University, India (1984). He is a Certified Design Thinker from IDEO/Stanford and has over 32 years of experience in management consulting, marketing, and management education in India, Canada, Singapore and the UAE.

Higher Education Digest April 2020

Prof. Christopher Abraham

Every time a person is exposed to a new country and its culture, new neural connections are formed in the human brain, which absorbs all these varied experiences

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The results of the Cornell University experiment are counter-intuitive as the latest findings from neuroscience explain this well. Every time a person is exposed to a new country and its culture, new neural connections are formed in the human brain, which absorbs all these varied experiences.

These experiences are stored in the hippocampus region of the brain. In a typical work situation, when a global challenge or problem is encountered, the brain, exposed to multiple global cultures, is able to connect the dots and provide the most appropriate solution.

In another research done by Harvard University in 2010, which looked into the critical competencies for the 21st Century Leader, it was found that Global Intelligence was one of the most crucial , for surviving and thriving in a dynamic global environment.

Higher Education Digest April 2020

Based on the Cornell University experiment and the research by Harvard University, we can categorically confirm that student employment opportunities are much better for people with global education, in comparison to people educated in one country only.

For corporations across the world the imperative need for such globally intelligent managers is increasingly becoming the norm. For example, in multinational corporations like Unilever, P & G and Nestle, there are more than 100 nationalities working in each of them.

Students who are able to identify this changing trend and prepare themselves with the right global education have an extremely high probability of exciting and successful career options.

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By Sarath Shyam

Higher Education Digest April 2020

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Higher Education Digest April 2020

A

ll around the world, leaders from government and industry debate the future of work and the changes brought by technology and automation.

Despite this, the world is not reacting fast enough to update our system of education both in content and delivery. So, what are we doing to prepare future generations to thrive in this changing landscape? “In most schools and colleges, we are still teaching subjects in a traditional way with the same old course content. Although some debates about the evolving future of education in changing times have already begun there isn’t much action on the ground happening as a result of it. Any discussion on the future of work should go hand-in-hand with a discussion on the future of curriculum and also about those who eventually deliver it i.e. teachers and faculty,” Opines Dr. P. Mahabaleshwarappa, Principal, MVJ College of Engineering.

MVJCE has state of the art infrastructure situated in a 15acre campus in Whitefield, which has resulted in creating an environment for progressive learning and development

Higher Education Digest April 2020

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To take full advantage of the opportunity created by advanced technology we need a similar revolution in education. We need to ensure that our students and teachers alike get the best possible teaching-learning experience. This calls for developing Education 4.0 experience for students and teachers that addresses the needs of the fast-developing world around us.

“Indian education for building a workforce for enterprise 4.0 will need a more robust professional framework. Career planning in a rapidly changing world will be based on inter disciplines that are more advanced. At MVJ College of Engineering, we have an active Industry Institute Partnership Council.

The primary aim of this council is to ensure that the graduating students are ‘Industry Ready’ by forging strong interaction with relevant Industries,” pinpoints Dr. Mahabaleshwarappa.

MVJ College of Engineering was established in 1982 as the flagship institution of the Venkatesha Education Society to impart education in engineering, management, and beyond. MVJCE’s 15-acre campus in Whitefield, Bangalore, bears state-ofthe-art infrastructure that creates an environment for progressive learning and development. “Over 37 years, MVJCE has evolved and perfected a unique approach to knowledge delivery for our engineering and management programs. We are deeply involved at all levels of the students’ academic life, ensuring that they strive for excellence from the time they step into the campus,” shares Dr. Mahabaleshwarappa.

Higher Education Digest April 2020

MVJCE provides ample laboratory facilities for experiments and hands-on training to the students both in the academic subjects as also in the emerging fields of specialization

Preparing Engineers for Industry 4.0 At MVJCE, every experience and opportunity presented to the student is significant, carefully planned, and holds immense possibilities for self-development. For instance, on August 2019, the institute conducted a oneday Workshop on ‘Readying Students for Industry 4.0’ to mark the College Academia-Industry Day. The Chief Guest for the workshop was Dr. Anil D Sahasrabudhe, Chairman – All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). Dr. BN Suresh, Chairman – Governing Council of MVJCE, presided over the Workshop. Many eminent speakers from academia and industry addressed the gathering comprising guests from Industries, DRDO Labs, PSUs, ISRO, CSIR Labs, invitees from statutory bodies, VGST, VTU, alumni, parents of current students and the students of the college.

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In fact, MVJCE regularly features experts from the corporate world as opportunities for interaction and ways to enhance knowledge. “We work with Infosys Technologies, Biocon, Unilever, GE and individuals to strengthen our training and development, and placement needs. Our training programs are designed to improve confidence levels, analytical thought, presentation delivery, communication skills, and technical know-how,” says Dr. Mahabaleshwarappa. At MVJCE, more than 160 hours of training and development sessions are integrated into the 4 years a student takes to acquire an Engineering

Higher Education Digest April 2020

degree. These sessions are designed with the flexibility to regularly check performance and modify future sessions according to need. Dr. Mahabaleshwarappa adds, “This continuous feedback and development process produces graduates and postgraduates of excellence. Combined with Engineering and Management specialization, these training and development programs make the student employment ready.” MVJCE also provides one-on-one counseling sessions for its students.

Over the last 5 years more than 200 companies have visited and recruited students from MVJCE. Some of our top recruiters include Tata Consultancy Services, HCL Technologies, Wipro, iGate, Eurofins, Nokia Solutions and Networks, Microsoft, Yahoo, IBM, SAP Labs, Mphasis and many more. In 2018, over 443 students were placed in as many as 300 companies and the highest packaged offered was Rs. 21 LPA by MuSigma. Dr. Mahabaleshwarappa explains, “Our constant interactions with organizations from different industries and across the country ensure that the student and the institute are always aware and knowledgeable of changing trends in the corporate world.” MVJCE’s placement division assists students with recruitments and creates opportunities through projects, seminars, guest faculty from various industries, internships and any other Industry-Institute Partnership of which the students can be a part.

“Our Industry Institute Partnership Cell provides opportunities for Internship, Field visits, Campus Placements and Projects,” states Dr. Mahabaleshwarappa.

Under this cell, MVJCE students have successfully

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Labs at MVJCE not only stimulate the senses of a learner but also give them a free hand to manifest their creativity and imaginations

completed projects with ISRO, DRDO, HAL, NAL and many more. “Students of ECE Department are certified by BSNL as Silver, Gold, and Platinum-certified Engineers. The consortium of Electronics Industries Karnataka (CLIK) and MVJCE entered into an MoU for internships and technical collaborations with SMEs for mutual technical needs,” adds Dr. Mahabaleshwarappa.

Offering a Cutting-Edge Research Platform The Research & Development Cell of MVJCE facilitates and encourages research culture among the faculty and students. Its prime role is to create contacts with the real world and promote research through a range of publications. “R&D Cell enables a congenial environment for technological development and monitors the research

Higher Education Digest April 2020

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activities of the college. It takes upon the responsibility of creating a workplace to attract the best talent and strives continuously in pooling of skills and internal resources, creating strategy, overcoming limitations, and makes the college proud to be amongst the best institutions around the globe,” explains Dr. Mahabaleshwarappa.

MVJCE’s R&D Cell aims to reach the vision and mission of the college and is functioning under the Chairmanship of Dr. V. Bhujanga Rao since April 2017.

“Under his able-guidance and advice, the college is able to submit research proposals for grants of in excess of two crores of rupees to different agencies like DST, DRDO, MNRE, AICTE, VTU, VGST, K-BITS, KSCST and many more in the last year. The publication statistics and citations are creditworthy. Obtaining patents is its one of the priorities,” shares Dr. Mahabaleshwarappa. MVJCE has shown its excellence of research in different fields of engineering and its faculty members have executed more than 30 sponsored projects in the last few years.

Apart from the Academics growth and contribution for which MVJCE has been established 35 years ago, there have been individual areas in which the College along with its students have striven to excel. For instance, MVJCE has collaborated with National Instruments for establishing a Centre of Excellence with a lab on LabVIEW. Students use this lab to develop projects and conduct research and analysis in collaboration with MVJCE Faculty members. “It’s an esteemed honor that 5 faculties and 5 students of our college have cleared the CLAD examination and are certified by the NI. Around eight FDP’s were conducted successfully by the certified faculties in association with NI Academy members. Six

Higher Education Digest April 2020

MVJCE believes in a holistic education that addresses intellectual, physical, emotional, spiritual, and social needs and capacities of students that help them become their best self in the service of society at large

batches of students were trained effectively on the Graphical Programming on LabVIEW,” claims Dr. Mahabaleshwarappa.

In addition to that, MVJCE has collaborated with M/s Robolab Technologies Pvt. Ltd and established Robotics and Industrial automation Research Centre in 2015. Under this center of excellence, College conducts hands-on training and workshops on robotics and automation in different levels. On the other side, more than 1000 students have undergone the Foundation Program (FP) of Infosys which trains entry-level engineers from heterogeneous backgrounds and disciplines to deliver world-class projects to global customers. Dr. Mahabaleshwarappa explains, “The core of the Infosys Campus Connect program is the Foundation Program (FP) that represents the Intellectual Property and experience of Infosys in training thousands of entry-level engineers from heterogeneous backgrounds and disciplines to deliver worldclass projects to global customers. The purpose of Campus connect FP courseware is to provide a unique set of teaching aids, consolidated training material to the college faculty to help them make students industry-ready.”

Over the past three decades, MVJCE has worked with organizations, communities, and industries across the country to push the limits of what technology can accomplish. Students and faculty members at MVJCE are not reluctant to go that extra mile if they can improve and fix some aspect of the world around them. “Our emphasis is on a curriculum that builds in knowledge gathering as well as higher-order thinking skills. With inputs from motivated and quality faculty, the academic performance of our students continues to set the benchmark for engineering education in Bangalore,” concludes Dr. Mahabaleshwarappa

Higher Education Digest April 2020

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ACADEMIC VIEW

What Do I Think as an Edu-preneur?

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Dr. Jitin Chadha, Founder and Director, Indian Institute of Art & Design and Indian School of Business & Finance

A

ccording to the National Sample Survey, of the 470 million people of working age in India, only 10 percent receive any kind of training at all. And according to an official skill gap analysis, well over 400 million people need to be up-skilled or re-skilled across 24 sectors by 2022. In comparison, the government is only able to train 3.1 million each year.

There are a number of skill development initiatives that have been started by various governments to empower the youth and build job availability. For instance, Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana, National Apprenticeship Training Scheme, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushal Yojana, National Urban Livelihoods Mission, and the National Rural Livelihoods Mission. The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship was created to ensure that India is “skill ready� for the 21st century. However, despite all these initiatives, there is still a lack of skilled manpower. Even though there are new schemes being launched every day, most of the skilling programmes are not updated as per industry demands and are ill-equipped to adapt to the dynamics of the global economic environment.

While the majority of the youth population in the country may be literate, it is severely unemployable. The UNDP India Skills Report 2018 stated that employability stood at just over 45 percent

Higher Education Digest April 2020

From times past knowledge has been synonymous to power

31 Dr. Jitin Chadha

A first-generation entrepreneur, Dr. Jitin Chadha is the Founder Director of Indian Institute of Art and Design and Indian School of Business and Finance. Dr. Chadha was awarded his Doctorate in Finance in 2011, in a grand ceremony chaired by the HRD Minister, Kapil Sibal and Prof. Dinesh Singh, Vice Chancellor, Delhi University.

Higher Education Digest April 2020

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Dr. Jitin Chadha

The mantra is simple – Think hard, study the market, research as much as possible

Higher Education Digest April 2020

in 2018. Alarmingly, the OECD Economic Survey: India 2017 claimed that more than 30 percent of Indians in the age group of 15-29 years are neither employed nor are pursuing any education and training. For India to grow to its potential in real terms, this Goliath of a workforce must be properly trained and upskilled to match up to the employment demands of the industry. The employability and skilling programmes need to train the youth on a broad spectrum of skills and not focus on a narrow frame. This way they can learn adaptability and flexibility and change along with the job profile.

Challenges for Academicians From times past knowledge has been synonymous to power. The academics were the receptacles of knowledge and therefore, had the power to shape the social, economic and political scenarios. Today, digitization has transformed the economy. Students now have access to world-class education and resources at their fingertips through online knowledge sharing platforms and are much more equipped to challenge their faculty/mentors with discussions and deliberations. Teaching has now moved away from mere “gyaan” dissemination to collaborative learning where students explore and experiment in their quest and faculty are the mentors who suggest various methods and means to achieve a particular learning outcome.

For academics and institutions in India, one of the major challenges is to calibrate themselves as learners and adapt themselves to the changing dynamics of education.

Outdated curriculum, rote learning and lack of quality research remain the chief hurdles in the way of Indian higher education institutions from reaching international standards of education.

Industry 4.0, Future Jobs and the Skills to Survive It is absolutely certain that repetitive jobs will be replaced by automation in the coming future. That trend has already begun. As Artificial Intelligence progresses, more machines will be trained better to take over the everyday jobs and even the ones that require sufficient amounts of human intelligence. We are already seeing the evidence across the world.

Throughout history, it has been prevalent that when one type of job is taken over by another, the human workforce has had to be upskilled and new jobs were created. For instance, in the early part of the 20th century, horse drawn carriage was still the mode of transport. The jobs were available for carpenters, ironsmiths, upholsters, horse owners, carriage makers, etc. By the mid of 20th century, cars had taken over the market and the jobs shifted during the industrial revolution to factory assembly line

jobs – assembly operators, fitters, etc. The process keeps repeating itself every few years or so.

In the current scenario, what’s certain is that graduates need to future-proof themselves by gaining an applicationoriented, industry-relevant education and constantly updating themselves with the latest trends - data science and analytics, machine learning, AI, being only a few of those trends. All jobs will require critical thinking and pragmatic problem-solving, therefore, educationists need to focus on creating decision-makers.

Information and shared resources will be the core of industry 4.0. An intricately connected and shared world, supported and enhanced by AI, will emerge. Physicality will not be the address that any industry will aim for.

Companies in the Silicon Valley will be interconnected and share resources with Bangalore, Korea, Japan, China, Rwanda and many more. This is already underway and will continue to be the way forward.

Basic education and skills as per the job description is the baseline for any role. However, today, as the startup culture rises and ‘hustle’ stands the buzzword, the focus is more on qualitative skills like critical thinking, entrepreneurial mindset, problem-solving, decisionmaking and excellent interpersonal and communication skills. The ability to comprehend business problems in real time and respond effectively and efficiently, knowledge of the product, a point of view backed by facts and figures, all these are much sought-after traits in the world of recruitment, be it in any industry or sector. Recruiters also look for the capacity to work collaboratively and adapt according to the changing needs of the business, which is why it is extremely important for the higher education programmes to create independent thinkers and problemsolvers than mere technical experts.

Being an Edu-preneur in Today’s Time I firmly follow the famous saying by Thomas H. Palmer, “If at first you don’t succeed, Try, try, try again.”

As an entrepreneur, I take inspiration from my peers who have transformed their respective fields of work through sheer perseverance without putting on a pompous show of success. The vision with which I became an edupreneur, bringing international standards of education to Indian students at an affordable cost and achieving excellence in Indian higher education system - it drives me to work harder.

I don’t deem failures as absolute setbacks. I consider them to be life’s unique lessons and something that nature has planned for us in advance. For the last 25-30 years, I have been skiing regularly and every year, during my ski program, even though everything has been planned to the

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minutest detail possible, more often than not we encounter changes and hurdles that challenge us. However, these challenges should be considered as an opportunity to change and move forward, not as hindrances. Opportunities should not make us complacent and hurdles should not make us flustered. If one can continue with their vision, while accepting hurdles and opportunities as nuances, success is assured.

Education policies need to be more focused on learning outcomes and teaching quality than the quantitative aspects like infrastructure

In my opinion, any successful business needs at the very outset a firm vision that the founders believe in religiously.

Apart from that, an entrepreneur needs to remember that it’s not a one-man show; for a successful business, there needs to be a high-quality team in place that is trusted and empowered to make decisions and works in tandem with

Higher Education Digest April 2020

the vision of the founder. The key thing to remember is that success doesn’t happen overnight, therefore, all the cliché terms that are associated with successful entrepreneurs perseverance, determination, passion, obstinance to make a difference, sacrifice - everything stands true.

Generating New Ideas to Redefine the Indian Education System The mantra is simple – Think hard, study the market, research as much as possible.

Education in India needs to witness a significant upgrade. As a nation, we seem to accept mediocrity easily. On the contrary, time and again, Indian has proven themselves to be tremendously creative, innovative and intelligent. Yet, our education system is stuck in the past while the rest of the world has moved a million paces ahead. Most of the world has experimented with education and have figured out that independent thinking, experimentation, exploration and problem solving needs to be inculcated in the student. India is caught in a time warp and is lagging. We have the demographic dividend which we need to mine now. Should we let this opportunity slip

by India will always remain a developing country.

Education policies need to be more focused on learning outcomes and teaching quality than the quantitative aspects like infrastructure. They also to be more open towards international collaborations and build a more conducive environment for prominent global higher education institutions to work with the Indian institutions.

To solve the problem of human capital in the shorter run, Indian institutions need to stand on the shoulders of their global counterparts that lead in delivering world-class education. This will significantly enhance the quality of teaching pedagogy we follow here and create industryready graduates.

My Advice to the Students It’s time that the present and the upcoming generation move away from rote learning and learn to ask questions.

As a student in school, we are still taught to stay mum than look stupid in front of our teachers and friends by asking questions. This thought process needs to change. Students need to learn to question the fundamental assumptions of the world and critically analyze what they are being taught in the name of education. The spirit of enquiry needs to be cultivated and nurtured if we want our youth to compete at a global stage. Students need to develop curiosity within them to challenge the conventional theories and trends and forge their way as independent thinkers. Times are changing, and the youth - the torchbearers - need to be on their toes. (As told to the Editor)

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Higher Education Digest April 2020

O

ne of the largest producers of engineers in the world, India’s impulse for creating centers of technical training came from its British Raj rulers.

India’s first engineering college, Thomason College, was established in 1847, with an aim to train Civil Engineer at Roorkee, Uttarakhand. By 1856, three colleges were opened, namely, the Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur, College of Engineering, Pune, and College of Engineering, Guindy.

During the boom of the IT industry in India, Engineering colleges mushroomed across the country. With updated curriculum, proper studentfaculty ratio, and strong linkages with the industry, Engineering Colleges are striving their best to make their students job-ready. With the Government of India implementing Phase III of the Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme (TEQIP), where the institutions are given financial support to improve their quality, the engineering colleges are gearing up to help their students face the cut-throat industry and secure their career.

Housing the third-largest education system in the world, now India is a hub of top engineering universities that impart top-quality education in various fields in engineering. Engineering is a popular stream of study among the youth of India.

Every year, lakhs of students appear for the JEE Main to get admission in the best engineering colleges.

With that in mind, we at the Higher Education Digest present to you the “50 Must-Watch Engineering Colleges in India”. Featuring these colleges, we aim to present their efforts in helping students step into the industry of their choice with ease and develop an educational ecosystem, by bringing efficiency in the current education system, to support our growing economy, and be recognized and commended by all.

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Higher Education Digest April 2020

University Name ACS College of Engineering

City

State

Bengaluru

Karnataka

Adi Shankara Institute of Engineering and Technology

Kalady

Kerala

Amity School of Engineering And Technology

Noida

Uttar Pradesh

Coimbatore

Tamil Nadu

Chennai

Tamil Nadu

Birla Institute of Technology

Mesra

Jharkhand

Birla Institute of Technology and Science

Pilani

Rajasthan

Bengaluru

Karnataka

Bhubaneswar

Odisha

Coimbatore Institute of Technology

Coimbatore

Tamil Nadu

Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering

Bengaluru

Karnataka

Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information and Communication Technology

Gandhinagar

Gujarat

Mumbai

Maharashtra

Pune

Maharashtra

Angamaly

Kerala

Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham University Bharath Institute of Higher Education and Research

BMS College of Engineering C. V. Raman Global University

Dwarkadas Jivanlal Sanghvi College of Engineering DY Patil College of Engineering Federal Institute of Science & Technology

Higher Education Digest April 2020

University Name Gandhi Institute of Technology and Management

City

State

Visakhapatnam

Andhra Pradesh

Coimbatore

Tamil Nadu

Ranchi

Jharkhand

Hyderabad

Telangana

Noida

Uttar Pradesh

Mysore

Karnataka

Vaddeswaram

Andhra Pradesh

Mumbai

Maharashtra

Bhubaneswar

Odisha

Coimbatore

Tamil Nadu

Lovely Professional University

Phagwara

Punjab

Manipal Institute of Technology

Manipal

Karnataka

MIT World Peace University

Pune

Maharashtra

MVJ College of Engineering

Bengaluru

Karnataka

New Horizon College of Engineering

Bangalore

Karnataka

Hindusthan Institute of Technology ICFAI University International Institute of Information Technology Jaypee Institute of Information Technology JSS Science and Technology University K L University K.J. Somaiya College of Engineering Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences

Higher Education Digest April 2020

University Name Nirma University

City

State

Ahmedabad

Gujarat

Bengaluru

Karnataka

Kochi

Kerala

Rajarajeswari College of Engineering

Bangalore

Karnataka

Ramaiah Institute of Technology

Bengaluru

Karnataka

RV College of Engineering

Bangalore

Karnataka

Nashik

Maharashtra

Thanjavur

Tamil Nadu

Chennai

Tamil Nadu

Pune

Maharashtra

PES University

Rajagiri School of Engineering & Technology

Sandip Institute of Technology & Research Center

SASTRA Deemed to be University

Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology

SB Patil College of Engineering

Higher Education Digest April 2020

University Name

City

State

Nanded

Maharashtra

Bhubaneswar

Odisha

SRM Institute of Science and Technology

Chennai

Tamil Nadu

SSN College of Engineering

Chennai

Tamil Nadu

The Institute of Engineering & Management

Kolkata

West Bengal

Thiruparankundram

Tamil Nadu

Dehradun

Uttarakhand

Vellore Institute of Technology

Vellore

Tamil Nadu

Vidyavardhaka College of Engineering

Mysore

Karnataka

Xavier Institute of Engineering

Mumbai

Maharashtra

SGGS Institute of Engineering and Technology

Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan (Deemed to be University)

Thiagarajar College of Engineering

University of Petroleum and Energy Studies

Higher Education Digest April 2020

ACS COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

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MITIGATING THE SKILLSHORTAGE OF INDIAN TECHIES

T

he technology is changing rapidly around the world.

However, the teaching in the tradition technical institutions in India have not evolved at the same pace to cater the needs of today’s industries. “Technology is changing day by day. It is high time that we need to update the teaching methodologies, so that skilled performance of the manpower improves to meet the Industry needs,” opines Dr. A. C. Shanmugam, Chairman, ACS College of Engineering.

It is true that we need to come with innovative education plan and make vocational training a part of mainstream education system and should be used as much as possible. Dr. Shanmugam adds, “We should also try to stop the loss of entire talented crowd to foreign countries by creating employment within the country so that employment aspirants do not have to go for and wide.”

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ACS College of Engineering (ACSCE), an institution of academic excellence, was established in the year 2009 with a cherished desire to serve the cause of humanity through education. The institute provides highly Innovative, Skill Based University Affiliated Courses which accredit the Engineering aspirant students to get the right career break in the desired fields. “We not only provide quality education to the students but also groom them to face life with immense confidence. Our major focus is to empower students with second knowledge, wisdom, training both in the academic level and

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adequate care is taken to give every student an enjoyable well rounded and secure educational environment,” claims Dr. Shanmugam.

Affiliated to Visvesvaraya Technological University, Belagavi and has been approved by the All India Council of Technical Education, New Delhi, ACSCE offers technical education in a range of engineering disciplines including new age ones such as Aeronautical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering and Bio-Medical Engineering. “Our vision is to engineer the future of the nation by transforming the students to be technically skilled managers, innovative leaders and environmentally respective citizens. Here, we work with a mission to implement holistic approach in curriculum and pedagogy through Industry Integrated Interactions to meet the needs of Global Engineering Environment,” states Dr. Shanmugam.

The institute is managed by Moogamibigai Charitable and Educational Trust, which was founded in 1992 with the main objective of Promoting Higher Education in Karnataka. Various professional institutions like Medical, Dental, Nursing institutions and many more are functioning under the aegis of the Trust generally termed as RajaRajeswari Group of Institutions founded by the Chairman Dr. A. C. Shanmugam, B.A.LLB, FIMSA, FRCPS (Glasgow, UK). His pioneering vision and mission have contributed for the establishment of valued educational institutions.

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Preparing Future-Ready Students ACS College of Engineering is striving hard to prepare its students for Industry 4.0 and has taken several adequate measures to achieve it. The

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The college is located in a beautiful lush green landscape, free from polluted environment and excellent atmosphere and ambiance ideally suited for growth of the soul & mind.

Dr. A. C. Shanmugam, Chairman

institute has entered more than 32 MoU’s with ISRO, Intel, UC Berkeley, Bosch, Pongu Ventures and many more to enhance the skill of the students. Dr. Shanmugam says, “We devote more attention for encouraging innovation and creativity among students. For instance, our MoU with Pongu Ventures helps in motivating the students to become more innovative and creative.

We also have an Innovation Cell to take care of Innovation and creativity of students.” Recently, ACSCE held a Partners Meet by inviting CEO’s of 45 companies wherein 400 students were guided by the way of Startups, Placements, Internships, Projects, and so on. The institute also has an Entrepreneur Cell to motivate the students to start their own ventures and thus become job creator instead of job seeker.

“We stimulate our students by giving them practical exposure. In addition to that, our extremely high-quality academic rigor provides the tools and knowledge necessary to meet high aspirations of the students and parents and to achieve the goals set forth at the commencement of the program. In fact, we have dedicated career development like soft skills, leadership, development and event organization,” explains Dr. Shanmugam. ACSCE has a team of qualified and experienced faculty members, who bridge the gap between industry and Academic. They motivate the students to work at higher levels of their skills & abilities. Dr. Shanmugam shares, “We encourage faculty members by way of sponsoring them to various workshops, FDP’s and Technical Talks in order to enhance their teaching – learning methodology. Faculty members are also visiting industry to understand the latest trends.”

Recently, ACSCE hosted AICTE/MHRD’s Innovation Ambassador Training Program for SWRO organized by Institution Innovation Council and MHRD’s Innovation Cell.

Around 400+ faculty members were participated in this event from Karnataka, Kerala, Tamilnadu and Andhra institutions.

On the other side, the institute motivates its students to do the innovative project to meet the social needs and at present four projects have been filed for patenting on the name of ACS College of Engineering.

Dr. Shanmugam pinpoints, “At ACSCE, we follow several best practices in the education system such as face biometric attendance, mentoring system, centralized internal assessment test, sending SMS to the parent for students monitoring and many more.” Undoubtedly, ACSCE equips its students not only with the technical knowledge to enable them to meet the challenges of global standards but also integrates value education, environmental awareness and communication skills into its curriculum to mold the students as responsible citizens.

Today, the institute operates with many ambitious plans. “Our Mechanical Department is planning to enter into MoU with Toyota Kirloskar for Student Exchange Program. We will also be going for permanent affiliation from next academic year,” concludes Dr. Shanmugam.

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HINDUSTHAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

SHAPING THE INDUSTRY LEADERS OF TOMORROW 46

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ndustry 4.0 is ruled by AI-driven automation and exhaustive data points to drive automatic decision management in manufacturing technology.

This includes Autonomous Robots, Horizontal and vertical system integration, Artificial Intelligence, Data Analytics, Cloud Computing, Cognitive Computing, Additive Manufacturing and much more. Industry 4.0 requires a new kind of workers, i.e., ‘The Knowledge Workers’. Graduates are required to be prepared for both reflective and interdisciplinary skills. “As a technical institution and academicians, we should have a clear understanding that conventional job roles will be no more available”, says Dr. C Natarajan, Principal of Hindusthan Institute of Technology (HITECH).

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Being an autonomous institution, HITECH is prepared well in line with the industry needs, after discussing with the industry experts themselves. Introducing engineering courses with specializations like artificial intelligence, robotics, and industrial automation are added as a part of the curriculum, which is the need of the hour. “Our content delivery methodologies are well-planned and prepared to meet the cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains of the learners using smart 24x7 connected learning environment. Also, we conduct regular assessments to evaluate the core technical skills rather than the knowledge�, adds Dr. Natarajan

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Offering a Conducive Environment for Higher Learning Started in the year 2007, HITECH was instituted from the Hindusthan Educational and Charitable Trust (HECT), by Thiru. T.S.R. Khannaiyann, a great industrialist and philanthropist. The Secretary, Smt. Sarasuwathi Khannaiyann is the legend in the success story of Hindusthan Educational Institutions. Her multi skill personality, with administrative power has made her an icon among women in managing educational affairs. Dr.Priya Satish Prabhu, Joint Secretary of HCET, is an engineer with an MBA, is a pleasant and pleasing personality with high managerial skills. Her effort in empowering and employing the youth should be highly appreciated. As a young women icon, she leads the academics with confidence and courage.

Mr. K. Sakthivel, Trustee, graduated as an Engineer but turned as outstanding young administrator. He has created a revolution in Youth education. As an enthusiastic and energetic engineer, he has played a major role in muting the HECT. HITECH aims at producing knowledgeable, socially responsible, skilled, and competent citizens with real human values and abilities to know, to do and lead purposeful lives. “Approved by AICTE, New Delhi and affiliated to the Anna University, Chennai, we also hold Grade ‘A’ accreditation by NAAC and NBA for the courses we offer, along with a permanent affiliation with Anna University, Chennai for 5 departments. Also 3 of our departments namely Computer Science, Electronics and Communication and Physics are recognized Research Centre’s of Anna University. The college offers not only core engineering courses like Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering, Electronics

Higher Education Digest April 2020

and Communication engineering and Information technology, but also specialized engineering programmes like Aeronautical Engineering, Automobile Engineering, Pharmaceutical Technology, which is in high demand.

Also Post Graduate level courses such as Master of Engineering in Computer Science and VLSI and a Master’s course in Business Administration are also offered”, says Dr. Natarajan.

With well-furnished smart classrooms and state-ofthe-art laboratories, the campus of HITECH is WiFienabled and houses computer centres for their students.

Along with lush green lawns, playground, gym and indoor games facilities, HITECH has separate hostels for men and women with modern amenities. Dr. Natarajan

opines, “We not only believe in educating our students but also in grooming their characters with moral and ethical values, thus building the nation.”

HITECH provides ample facilities for the development of an integrated personality. With a fine library containing more than 30 thousand books and more than 500 national and international journals, the library is also digitalized, by holding IIT-NPTEL Video Library in it. “We emphasize transformational leadership, rather than directional leadership, aiming to establish new trends, introduce innovate training methodologies, and guide our students towards the road of success”, points out Dr. Natarajan.

Motivating faculty members and students to prioritize and utilize their efforts in terms of both academic and research activities, HITECH has provisioned the usage of the available infrastructure round the clock, by the faculty members, research scholars and students to carry out research activities.

Introducing a new paradigm towards flexible and high-quality learning, Virtual Interactive Learning is being introduced at HITECH. The custom-built smart classrooms leverage recording of lectures with annotations and are posted in the online learning platforms like Google Learning Applications. Keeping the learner’s flexible timings into consideration, online assessments are conducted and feedbacks are given to help them improve. “Through the Learning Management System in our campus, we obtain core data points and

Dr. C Natarajan, Principal Dr. C Natarajan obtained his B.E (Mech) from Vellore Engineering College, Vellore (Presently VIT) and M.E(Prod) from Government College of Technology, Coimbatore. He also completed his PhD research work in the area of Surface Machining from Anna university of Technology, Coimbatore in the year 2012. He has put in more than 22 years of teaching experience in Engineering Colleges in which 5 years as principal. Has published many papers in reputed Journals and Conferences and guided more than 60 B.E., Projects and 10 M.E., Thesis.

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optimize feedback, corrective measures and follow up activities”, adds Dr. Natarajan Maintaining a faculty-student ratio well above 1:15, HITECH also maintains a balanced cadre ratio. With 30 percent of them being PhD holders, the faculty members of the institution are qualified and maintain a good combination of research, academic, and industry interactions. “Through career up-gradation and incentives linked with the faculty updates, we drive our faculty members to take up mandatory MOOC courses, industry sabbaticals, and consultation works”, points out Dr Natarajan.

Apart from the academic curriculum, HITECH’s policy to provide value-based education and exhibit the hidden potential in students to empower them to approach life with optimism is equally important. Conveying revolutionary

Higher Education Digest April 2020

The educational programs in the Hitech emphasize the understanding of fundamental principles and prepare an individual for a lifetime of learning and professional growth

for the student innovators to exhibit their innovative ideas and proof of concepts which are validated by academicians and industrial experts which may further be improved as a product and startups. This forum actively organizes several mentoring sessions relating to prototype development, starting new ventures, and patenting new innovative ideas. “To improve creative output from students, many motivational sessions like Entrepreneur’s Life & Crossroad, Problem Solving/Design Thinking/Ideation Workshop/ Campus Hackathon are organized every quarter of the academic year. We encourage our students to have a Field/Exposure Visit to Design Centre/Makers’ Space/ Fab Lab/Prototype Lab etc.”, says Dr. Natarajan.

Industry interaction is the key to innovation, as it helps one understand the dynamic changes happening from time to time, overcome new challenges and meet the demands of the industry. With the core objective being to increase knowledge sharing and facilitating

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technical education, HITECH aims to inculcate great outlines of discipline through their dedicated staff, to help the students set global standards, making them technologically superior and ethically strong. “Our college is built on its traditions of innovation, problem-solving, and interdisciplinary collaborations to meet the changing needs of society. We focus on both education and discipline to achieve greater recognition for our effort”, says Dr. Natarajan.

Shaping Creativity and Innovation At HITECH, a dedicated forum for innovation and creativity actively conducts several events to nurture and exhibit innovation among students around the year. A Project Expo has been scheduled every year which serves as a platform

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research, collaborations with the industries can help students boost their career development to a great extent. HITECH has signed MoUs with leading industries like MAS Solar System, ICT Academy, Redhat India, Pratt & Whitney, Taneja Aerospace & Aviation, Aviation Technology, Twirltact Technologies, CSS Corp, Oracle, Salesforce and many more.

A centre of excellence is established and industrysponsored labs are being promoted at the departmental level at HITECH. Some of the collaborative laboratories are Drone Technology for Space Research Sponsored by Jet Aerospace Aviation Research Ltd, Regional Competency Training and Development Centre for Automobile Sponsored by Eicher Motors Ltd, Virtualization Laboratory, sponsored by VMWare, Data Science and Big Data Analytics Lab, sponsored by EMC, and Laboratories sponsored by Redhat India, Oracle, PLC, and SCADA, in association with Siemens and Genn automation, Embedded Systems in association with Texas Instruments, Hindusthan Centre for Applied Rural Technology (HICART), Automotive Fabrication Laboratory and many more.

At the faculty member level, mandatory industrial training and sabbaticals are encouraged to connect with the industry. Faculty members take up consultancy works and get themselves equipped with the current trends of the industry.

The volume of consultancy works, in collaboration with industries, taken by the faculty members is 36 and a net value of around 60 Lakhs.

For the students, summer internships with industries are made as a part of their credit system, to increase their interactions with the industry. The students undertake mini and final projects, which are selected based on the industry needs. Also, students are encouraged to pursue their final year projects in the industry.

Placements at HITECH HITECH is very diligent when it comes to placing their students in the industry. Starting with the placement training handled by a trained and dedicated team of in-campus corporate relations, students are provided with pre-placement training and online assessments for the same. Based on the feedbacks of the assessment, additional training will be given in their respective areas of improvement. More than 80% of the students who opted for this are placed in TCS, Infosys, Cognizant, Odessa Technologies, L&T, Eicher, Amazon, Zoho and many more. “Post-placement, our students opt for internships for 3 months in their respective firms. Along with this, periodic alumni meetings are conducted and their feedbacks are taken into consideration for students who have opted for placements�, points out Dr. Natarajan.

Establishing the best industrial network connections, the graduates of HITECH who have been placed in industries also take responsibility for maintaining the reputation of the

Higher Education Digest April 2020

At Hitech, students have a plethora of options to choose from as extracurricular activities

institution. “We have many industries, who repeatedly visit our institute in providing placement opportunities for students, because of their performance”, adds Dr. Natarajan.

Segregated at a micro level, the students, who aspire to be entrepreneurs, are identified based on their interests and attitude. The targeted students are then exposed to several kinds of activities, including special courses on entrepreneurship awareness camps on startups in incubation. “We give special recognition and support for those students who come up with the proof of principles”, says Dr. Natarajan.

Planning Ahead Intending to introduce new courses at UG and PG level in emerging areas of technology, HITECH is planning to develop faculty and student exchange and twinning programs with foreign universities. The institution is also talking about designing and developing a multidimensional research innovation ecosystem to nurture academia-industry collaboration. “we are planning to start incubation centers and promote more new-age entrepreneurs and young minds to transform their innovative ideas into viable business opportunities.”

Gaining real-time industry-oriented skills after they graduate, the students of HITECH possess the ability to address the societal problems by ethically applying to relevant technological stack. They nurture the habit of updating themselves throughout their life and emerge with the intellectual ability to work in a modern organization. The graduates of HITECH acquire a range of personal attributes such as commitment, energy, selfmotivation, self-management, flexibility and adaptability skills.

“We envision to pursue a philosophy of perpetual acquisition of knowledge. Our primary objective is to educate and prepare men and women for leadership in the industry, government, and educational institutions; to advance the knowledge base of the engineering professions, and to influence the future directions of engineering education and practice”, concludes Dr. Natarajan.

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GLOBAL EDUCATION INSIGHTS

The New Faces of Global Economic Studies Dr. Albin Erlanson, Lecturer, University of Essex

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n economics, as in any other field of study, we have only seen the beginning of the influence of data science. The amount of data available is growing exponentially and so are the computing tools we have at our hands available to analyze the data. Courses in programming and basic computer science are now often made compulsory in an economic degree. If anything, this trend will become even stronger in the future. Many universities now offer a joint degree between computer science and economics. Combining these two fields of studies provides a training that equips students for a world of data, AI, machine learning and other areas key for the future workplace.

Behavioral economics is not just a subfield of economics it is part of the core economics. Insights from behavioral theory, experiments and empirical work has changed economics and will continue to do so. The increased popularity across the world including India is not surprising: behavioral economics is answering questions we are all interested in understanding. It is also not separated from the rest of economics it is a part of it and builds and uses the framework already developed within economics.

Studying economics with a focus on behavioral economics makes it possible for a career in almost all fields that are usually associated with a traditional economics degree. Many private companies are looking for experts in how people react to product options and various marketing campaigns and having a training in behavioral economics provides many of the relevant tools. Another career option is in governmental agencies and organizations. They also need to know how people react and respond to various policies and programs.

There are whole teams with economists and behavioral scientists working on nudges, such as how to facilitate more well-informed pension investments.

Economic Studies in India and Abroad India is a large country with lots of students, many schools and a vast number of universities too. My general impression is that there are

Higher Education Digest April 2020

Behavioral economics is not just a subfield of economics it is part of the core economics

55 Dr. Albin Erlanson

Dr. Albin Erlanson is a Lecturer of Department of Economics at University of Essex, UK. He worked for three years as a researcher and lecturer at the leading business school Stockholm School of Economics as well. His areas of research include Mechanism Design, Matching, Auctions and Market Design.

Higher Education Digest April 2020

Studying economics with a focus on behavioral economics makes it possible for a career in almost all fields that are usually associated with a traditional economics degree

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many good schools that prepare Indian students very well for studying abroad. Students are especially strong in their analytical skills and they also have a good command of English. I believe that most students from good schools in India are more than well prepared to study abroad, and often they will be among the stronger students in the class. When it comes to universities, I think there are fewer number of very good places to study economics. The number of places offering good economic program is growing but compared to the number of good students in India I believe that there are not as many universities with a training that meets the quality of the student.

There are of course exceptions, and if a student is lucky enough to get a seat in one of these universities the economic training will be more than satisfactory.

Overall, I think most students are satisfied with their choice of studying abroad. There is of course a period of adjustment in the beginning but then most things fall in place. The method of instruction and the form of assessment is new for many students from India. There is in general less of focus on lectures and in class learning and more focus on independent learning both in groups and on your own with the support of the teachers. The

Higher Education Digest April 2020

same holds true for assessment there are less of traditional exams and more of a combination of term papers, presentations, assignments and traditional in class exams. This might be new for some students, but the adjustment and transition are usually quite smooth.

In Essex University, there are several resources there to facilitate and make the adjustment smoother. First, the lecturers are there first and foremost for the students and are easy to contact and meet. Then there is a structure at the university with support ranging from the career center, student union and other student groups, departmental staff and academic directors of the various programs. At Essex University, there is a generous scholarship for any student from India with sufficiently good academic standard. The amounts vary a bit depending on the academic standing of a student, but it is a significant amount and most students from India do get some scholarship.

Go for it! You will not regret it. Indian students are usually well trained and are among the stronger students in our classes at Essex. This opens doors to many interesting and rewarding career opportunities both abroad and in India.

(As told to the Editor)

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Higher Education Digest April 2020

ICFAI UNIVERSITY, JHARKHAND

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OFFERING QUALITY AND AFFORDABLE TECHNICAL EDUCATION TO THE MASSES

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ith more than 220 million students and 14 million teachers, India has a massive school education system. However, the number of students moving from school to college is not proportionate. For states like Jharkhand, access to higher and technical education has been a huge challenge, and the government alone cannot make the necessary infrastructure to mitigate it. One of the few private education institutions that came forward to help the state of Jharkhand is ICFAI University, a group that pioneered quality higher education in India for over 30 years, with its motto – Meritum Ethicus (Merit with Ethics).

“ICFAI University, Jharkhand is part of ICFAI Group. Our University was set up in Jharkhand with the objective of taking quality education to the doorsteps of the people of the state that cannot afford to pursue higher education

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in Metros,� says Prof. O R S Rao, Vice-Chancellor, ICFAI University, Jharkhand.

Today, ICFAI has a pan-India presence in 16 states, with three strategic institutional units, which include 11 ICFAI Universities, 6 IBS business schools, and Flexible Learning programmes. “At ICFAI University, Jharkhand, our vision is to be the best Valuesbased University in the Eastern Region, leveraging Research in areas, relevant to the Industry and the Society. One of our missions is to Groom students into Competent Professionals, With Values, by imparting requisite knowledge,

Higher Education Digest April 2020

skills, and character, through technology-enabled pedagogies,” adds Prof. Rao. The University currently offers Undergraduate, Postgraduate and Doctoral Programmes in Management and Bachelor’s programs in Engineering, Commerce, Law, Management, Science & Technology, and Diploma programmes in Technology (Polytechnic). In line with the local industry requirements in Jharkhand, the University has a focus on Mining Engineering and offers BTech and Polytechnic programs in Mining. All programmes offered by the University have contemporary curriculum, in-line with the latest developments in science, technology, and management and as per the changing requirements of the industry.

60 Prof. O R S Rao, Vice-Chancellor Prof. O R S Rao holds B.Tech from IIT, Madras, and MBA from NITIE, Mumbai.

He has over 45 years of blended experience (27 years in the industry and 18 years in academics and applied research). He has worked in senior roles in reputed organizations in India and overseas like HCL Technologies, NIIT, Cyient, GMR Group, and BHEL. Has been associated with the ICFAI group for the last 18 years.

Higher Education Digest April 2020

In Tune with the Industry 4.0 “Companies today have to spend a lot of time and money to train the new recruits to make them productive on the jobs. If it can be addressed effectively, it will save considerable cost to the company and at the same time, enhance the employability of the fresh graduates. Besides, it will enable India to grow its GDP at a higher rate of growth,” opines Prof. Rao. It is true that a large number of technical institutions in India have failed to train their students to be ready for the industry. Prof. Rao adds, “In order to prepare

Convocation of ICFAI University Jharkhand: 143 students graduated during 2019, which included 5 PhDs, 38 Post-graduates and 100 Graduates and Diploma holders.

61 our students for Industry 4.0, our University came out with Education 4.0, which is a learner-centric outcome-based education framework that consists of a tripod of curriculum, learning effectiveness and skill development.”

Every year, ICFAI University, Jharkhand analyses the technology landscape and updates curriculum to include the latest technologies like BlockChain, Artificial Intelligence, IoT, Cyber Security and inter-disciplinary industry domain practice areas like FinTech Mechatronics and many more. It is not just the students who get benefits from such modern curriculum. The University also focuses on training its faculty members, who are highly qualified with rich blend of experience in industry and academics, in the latest technologies. Prof. Rao states, “Programmes participated by our faculty members in the last six months include Artificial Intelligence, Block-Chain Modeling, Deployment of Technology in Pedagogy, Micro Teaching.” ICFAI University, Jharkhand increases the learning effectiveness by leveraging technology in teaching-learning-evaluation processes. At the University, MOOC courses to supplement classroom learning.

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“We impart hands-on skills to the students by way of industry Immersion programs like industry visits, live projects, Summer Internships and Industry Project for the entire last semester. Some students are involved in the consulting projects, taken up by the University,” shares Prof. Rao. In fact, intense Industry-Interface is critical to achieving the objectives of Industry 4.0. ICFAI University, Jharkhand has constituted an Industry Council, consisting of senior managers from the industry, who are involved in the entire cycle – from program structuring, curriculum formulation, ways of imparting industry-ready skills, evaluation and placement. The University has also signed Industry-Academia collaboration MoUs with reputed academic institutions including IIT, Bombay and IIT,

Higher Education Digest April 2020

Delhi, as well as with industrial organizations like Bosch, National Stock Exchange, Supreme Industries, Cyber Peace Foundation and many more.

Offering the Best Career Paths Career Planning and Development starts the first day the students join ICFA University, Jharkhand wherein they are briefed on career options and facilitated to decide their individual career pathways, based on their interests and personality. The University also has Soft Skills Lab, Personality Labs and Special Interest Clubs for the personality development of its students. “We publish a newsletter named i-Nowkri, which presents trends in the job market and how

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ICFAI University has several Workshops & Laboratories for the Engineering students at Faculty of Science & Technology, which include Physics Lab, Electronics Lab, Chemistry Lab, Electrical machines Lab, Fluid Mechanics and Hydraulics Labs, Robotics Lab and Mechanical Engineering workshops

students can gear up themselves to hone their skills. Our alumni, who are successful in their careers, also share their experiences and inspire our students,” says Prof. Rao. Today, several alumni are working in senior roles in reputed organizations like Amazon Web Services (in the US), TCS, Infosys, Cognizant, SBI, Asian Paints, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Mahindra and Mahindra, Tata Steel, Tata Motors and many more.

“Some of our students became successful entrepreneurs and provided employment to others. Indeed, we identify aspiring entrepreneurs as soon as the students join the University and they are mentored to do preparatory work, like market opportunity scan, identification of right business

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ICFAI University conducted blood donation camp in association with Red Cross Society of India, where as many as 50 students donated blood

opportunity, business plan preparation and many more well before they graduate,” pinpoints Prof.

Rao. The University guides and facilitates its students to come up with creative ideas and build innovative products out of them. They also provide project funding and motivates the students by giving awards of recognition. A few examples of innovation demonstrated by the students of ICFAI University, Jharkhand include Four-wheel transmission drive, Block-Chain based App for bus reservation, Mobile App for door delivery of medicine and many more. “We help our students in preparing business plans and facilitate in arranging for seed funding. Our alumni have ventured into the various businesses including Financial Advisory Services, KG School education, Real Estate, Tourism, Media, Software Development,

Higher Education Digest April 2020

CAD/CAM services and so on,” explains Prof. Rao. Today, every student of ICFAI University, Jharkhand comes out with a bunch of qualities they may not have had. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, People Management, Leadership, SelfConfidence, Empathetic, Ethical, and Caring for others and the Society are few to mention among them. As the University continues to offer an excellent education to the masses, the management has many ambitious plans. “We want to build an Incubation Centre and set up a Center-of-Excellence in inter-disciplinary areas like Mine Management and Digital Transformation of Industry. We will also be training rural school dropouts in the neighboring villages to make them employable,” concludes Prof. Rao.

Want to find Investor for your Startup?

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Higher Education Digest April 2020

INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE

The Degree is Just a Piece of Paper Held by Millions. How are You Going to Stand Out?

By Srinivasa Addepalli, Founder & CEO, GlobalGyan

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id you know that some of the largest companies in the world including Google, IBM, Bank of America and Apple do not use degrees as a pre-requisite to their hiring process? Gina Rommetty, CEO of IBM wrote a few years ago that, “As industries from manufacturing to agriculture are reshaped by data science and cloud computing, jobs are being created that demand new skills – which in turn requires new approaches to education, training and recruiting.” She further added that not all jobs may require a college degree and at least a third of IBM employees in the US do not have a traditional college degree.

Combine this with almost every survey that points out a majority of India’s 30 million students graduating from over 40,000 colleges are considered unemployable. It is not the lack of jobs that is worrying; it is the widening gap between what the graduates are capable of and what employers expect from the next generation of employees.

But we are not here to debate the value of college education itself, even though that is presenting itself as a crucial question for those who have to invest three to five years and huge sums of money at the start of their career.

Colleges can not only teach students the basics in a chosen area of interest, but also provide valuable all-round personal development along with life-long connections made with fellow students and faculty. At the same time, for most individuals, gainful employment is the primary goal of college. And it is this non-fulfilment of the degree’s role as an employment generator that we must debate.

Of the many reasons why college education has been unable to delivering what its ‘customers’ (employers) seek, let us examine two prominent ones:

Higher Education Digest April 2020

Effective communication is a deal breaker when it comes to recruitment and career progress

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Srinivasa Addepalli

Srinivasa Addepalli is the founder & CEO of GlobalGyan Academy which works with corporates and managers with leadership capability development services. He has been a visiting faculty in the strategy area at leading Indian b-schools including IIM Ahmedabad, NMIMS, TAPMI, IIM Nagpur, and IIT Hyderabad. Srini’s teaching is focused on the areas of business acumen

Higher Education Digest April 2020

For every graduate emerging from a college, there are millions of other graduates, with exactly the same knowledge and skills

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Srinivasa Addepalli

Higher Education Digest April 2020

Content Disconnect with Reality: By its nature, what is taught in the classroom lags what is being done in the practical world by a few years.

Many college courses that are offered today were designed decades ago and have not been updated with current usage scenarios. By the time, new topics are introduced in the curriculum and faculty (who are often disconnected from the industry) are prepared with new teaching content, it is too late. In the rapidly changing, disruptive business environment, this gap between what the market demands in terms of skills, and what the education system provides its learners is immense.

Uni-dimensional Learning: Another defining element of the (Indian) education system is its silo nature. Students are required to make choices at the high school level itself if they wish to pursue engineering, medicine, commerce or arts (amongst others) in later years. Apart from a few new ‘liberal arts’ colleges that encourage multi-disciplinary learning, a vast majority of our college system creates theoretical specialists in topics that, in the real world, don’t operate in isolation from each other. Professional development for youngsters should actually be more about learning to learn, building familiarity with the latest technologies, honing one’s people skills, networking with diverse natured people and communicating persuasively.

Too many minions with the same piece of paper: For every graduate emerging from a college, there are millions of other graduates, with exactly the same knowledge and skills.

And a certificate that is increasingly becoming irrelevant in the recruiters’ perspective.

So is there any way for a student to stand out in this skill market? Here are a few tips and tricks that youngsters can consider, to improve their chances of being hired into jobs that are worthy of the investments that they have made in their degree.

1) Tip: Foster a learning mindset The onus of learning and skill development is on you. Explore what is happening in the market and learn skills that are not yet popular or mainstream, find gaps that nobody is meeting today. This makes you a desirable candidate in the eyes of potential employers.

Trick: Take up certification courses in allied areas.

For example, if you want to be a writer, pursue a course in digital marketing, or you can learn design or page-making skills. The idea is to expand the possibilities of your role, with emerging skills that complement it.

2) Tip: Learn about new technologies Emerging technologies are rapidly changing the way we live. Become familiar with artificial intelligence, Internet of things, blockchain or new materials. It does not matter which role you seek; a working awareness of these new technologies can give you an edge during a job interview and in your work.

Trick: Most of these technology concepts can be learnt through immersive learning methods, many of which are free. For instance, you can learn the basics of coding purely through fun and engaging games.

3) Tip: Amp up your communication skills Effective communication is a deal breaker when it comes to recruitment and career progress. Whether you deal with your team, boss or a client, interpersonal skills are often more important than technical skills.

This is also an area which is extremely weak in our academic system, and therefore, a sure-shot way of standing out from others.

Trick: Brush up your communication skills, both verbal and written. You can look at online courses that can help you ace the art of making good presentations, email etiquette, and many more, but you have to find ways to apply it. Start a blog, write book or article summaries, make a class presentation. Learn by doing.

To sum up, what students have to possess is more than a generic stamp of approval. To be ready for a job or a future promotion, their skills must match what the employer seeks, conceptually as well as in application. Proactively crossing the thin line between knowing and doing early on, will help the next generation of talent stand out in the crowded market for talent.

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K J SOMAIYA COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

CREATING FUTURE READY ENGINEERS FOR THE 70

INDUSTRY

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he new phase of the Industrial Revolution, Industry 4.0 is mainly focused on interconnectivity, automation, machine learning, and real-time data. It has already become an integral part of everyone’s life and all phases of education and industry. An amalgamation of all basic branches of engineering to solve real-life problems, Industry 4.0 defines the automation and data exchange trend in manufacturing technologies.

Dr. Shubha Pandit, Principal of K J Somaiya College of Engineering, says, “Learning about Industry 4.0 should start in classrooms, where the students are taught and prepared for the ever-changing technological challenges once they graduate.”

Educational institutes must adapt to the rapidly evolving workenvironment and ensure that students have the theoretical and practical

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knowledge to meet the demands of the workforce.

Dr. Shubha points out, “We are offering exposure to project-based learning right from first year, where emphasis is on identification of problems, and devising technology solutions through collaborative learning.� The students of Somaiya Engineering College are given exposure various fields with the help of numerous interdisciplinary, audit and addon courses, apart from their regular curriculum.

Somaiya Engineering College organizes many sessions where the students get to interact with the alumni of the college, working in different sectors of the industry, which give the students an idea about

Higher Education Digest April 2020

Team ETA, a group of aspiring engineers of K J Somaiya College of Engineering to make India’s most fuel-efficient car, winning Shell Eco-Marathon

the current scenario of the industry, along with the various career and job opportunities of different branches. Dr. Shubha adds, “Through different courses, internships, projectbased learning, field visits, and expert lectures, we provide a variety of learning experiences, where concepts are taught to the students through simulations, models, peer learning, personalized adaptive learning.”

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Why K J Somaiaya College of Engineering?

Established in 1983, Somaiya Engineering College was started in the Somaiya Vidyavihar campus in Mumbai, with a welldefined vision, dedicated leadership, requisite infrastructure, and committed staff.

Appreciated and awarded grade ‘A’ in 1997 by the Government of Maharashtra, programmes in Somaiya Engineering College received its first accreditation from the National Board of Accreditation (NBA), in 1998, for three years and in 2003, 2005, 2009, 2014, and 2019, various programmes were accredited by NBA. Subsequently grade ‘A’ was awarded by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) in May 2017, for five years.

Somaiya Engineering College was conferred the autonomous status by the University of Mumbai from the academic year of 2014-15, for five years, and also in 201920 Somaiya Engineering College received an extension of autonomy for another five years, with recommendations from the University Grant Commission (UGC) and the Government of Maharashtra.

Somaiya Engineering College envisages of becoming a world-class Centre of Learning in the field of Engineering Sciences, where the knowledge is pursued along with human values of courage and compassion to produce engineers in the service of humanity. Dr. Shubha says, Students work hard in a team and use their skills to come up with solutions to different

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problems that they face. They are engaged in problemsolving, analytical ability, communication skills, logical thinking, and lifelong learning.”

As a constituent college of Somaiya Vidyavihar University (SVU), Somaiya Engineering College will enhance emphasis on student exposure to • A wide range of interdisciplinary courses like e-vehicle, Robotics, Machine leaning, Accountancy, Foreign languages, Internet of Things (IoT), etc.

• Opportunities such as internship of six-month duration and student exchange program in various universities of national or international repute.

• Lifelong learning skills such as working in teams, time planning, evaluating risks, making ethical decisions, with a human centric approach.

• Unparalleled learning experience with focus on project/ problem-based learning.

Somaiya Engineering College aims to be the leading institute of learning in the field of Engineering Sciences with a scholarly ambiance, an environment of diversity that encourages thought and expression, and benchmarking themselves with the best amongst their peers and attain excellence.

“Re-imagining assessment techniques, students are taught through open-ended experiments, case studies, team-working tasks, mini-projects, simulation projects, flipped classroom activities, developing products from projects and many more,” points out Dr. Shubha. Somaiya Engineering College students realize that they don’t just belong to a specific branch of engineering, they can implement their knowledge by solving real-life problems through interdisciplinary work and technological tools.

Today, Somaiya Engineering College develops all-round

engineers, not just in the technical aspects, but also in the organizational skills of the industry.

Advancing Education with Technology Keeping up with the technological advancements around the world, Somaiya Engineering College is using virtual laboratories, developed by IITs, for live demonstrations of experiments in laboratories and classrooms. These virtual laboratories are flexible when it comes to setting various parameters, taking different measurements, visualization, and animations, to help in understanding the experiments in a better way, which is not possible in the conventional laboratories.

Dr. Shubha shares, “Our students and faculty members are involved in developing the virtual laboratories. The Machine Learning Virtual Laboratory developed by us is made available online and ready to use for all.” The college faculty members have also developed the Learning Management System (LMS) that helps them in conducting academic-related activities, assessments, and feedback.

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Orion Racing India is a student run, non-profit racing team based in K. J. Somaiya College Of Engineering, Vidyavihar, Mumbai Somaiya Engineering College blends classroom teaching with online simulation, animation, and videos, where the students are given the task of designing solutions for simulating problems, as a part of continuous assessment.

Shaping the Leaders of Tomorrow Collaborating with industries helps universities give hands-on experience to their students. Somaiya Engineering College organizes field visits, expert lectures, offering internships, projects, live demonstrations, interactive and updated curriculum designs along with the revision to help the students gain the practical experience they need. Students get to work on many interdisciplinary research and projects in well-established industry-sponsored laboratories like CISCO networking, Texas Instruments, FESTO, BETiCOrthoCAD, and many more. Dr. Shubha says, “Experts from the industry evaluate the projects made by finalyear undergraduate and postgraduate students, giving them their feedback and insight about the expectations of the industry from them.” The students also get a chance to gain first-hand experience in the industry through semester-long internships in reputed industries.

Taking the industry world by a storm, with around 500 students uniquely placed in 2018-19 and 201920, the students of Somaiya engineering college have received job placements in many reputed multinational companies. Dr. Shubha points out, “An M.Tech Graduate in Mechanical Engineering was placed with CTC of 12.02 lacs/annum, and three students studying Bachelors in Computer Science and Information Technology were placed in Human Resocia (Japan) with CTC of 18.76 lacs/annum.” Overall 305 dream job offers (with pay

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packages above Rs. 5 Lacs per annum) have been made this year. As a result, while almost all the eligible students are placed successfully every year; few bright students also fetch multiple placements.

The track record of companies in recent years is overwhelming & yearly more than 75 companies visit K J Somaiya College of Engineering for campus recruitment for both UG as well as PG students.

Along with providing job opportunities, Somaiya Engineering College houses an Entrepreneurship Cell, Bloombox, that provides a platform that motivates and educates students about entrepreneurship, encouraging them to come out with their business ideas and form global enterprises that are a combination of technology, vision, and business acumen. Bloombox aims to channelize efforts towards spreading knowledge and inculcating enthusiasm amongst the students by altering their perspective of a business, in a way that will be cherished and etched in their memories. They host activities that challenge the brightest of minds to

Dr. Shubha Pandit Dr. Shubha Pandit started her career as a Lecturer in Electrical Engineering way back in 1985 when she joined Sardar Patel College of Engineering, Andheri. Subsequently, she became the Professor and Head of the Electrical Engineering Department and then the Vice Principal of the college until she left the college in April 2012. Currently, she is the Principal of K J Somaiya College of Engineering Vidyavihar.

Dr. Shubha Pandit passed B. E. in Electrical Engineering from Pune University M. E. from Mumbai University and completed Ph. D. from IIT Bombay. She has co-authored a book on “Computational Methods in Large Sparse Power System Analysis” which is published by Kluwer Academic Publications, Norwell, U.S.A. Also, she is a professional Energy Auditor and undertakes Energy Audit assignments by which organizations can be helped in saving energy. She has delivered several guest lectures in many academic institutes as well as industries on Energy Efficiency.

push their capacity to ideate, drive their hunger to innovate and challenge their potential to create, like never before.

With an active Industry-Academic Interface, through which students get an opportunity for internships and fieldbased learning, Somaiya Engineering College offers inhouse internships during the student’s summer and winter breaks, to get the students involved in the research and development works. One such initiative headed by a Somaiya Engineering College alumni, Mr. Gaurang Shetty, is RiiDL, which encourages innovation and entrepreneurship among the youth. A lot of students from Somaiya Engineering College are volunteering from the college and working on projects to solve real problems through RiiDL. They have helped develop an automated chess board and weather monitoring system, which has been recognized at a global level. Somaiya

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Parvaah is the social initiative of K.J Somaiya College Of Engineering which deals with all the social causes of the society and helps the underprivileged section of the society

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Engineering College incubates its students and various start-ups initiated by them, giving their students the boost they need to kick start their career.

Encouraging Student Involvement The students of Somaiya Engineering College also get the opportunity to challenge themselves, through designing, building and testing energy-efficient cars, as a part of their megaprojects, by pushing the boundaries of what is technically possible. They also participate in various national contests like ROBOCON, Smart India Hackathons, Medical Device Hackathons and many other national and international competitions. Organizing various co-curricular and extra-curricular activities, Somaiya Engineering College encourages the students to participate in various national and international competitions. “Our students organize many technical and non-technical events through various societies and clubs for the rest of the college students to take part in. We also have a Student Council that heads all the extra-curricular

Higher Education Digest April 2020

activities including national-level sports competitions, technical, and cultural festivals,� shares Dr. Shubha.

For instance, Somaiya Engineering College has an established outreach centre for cyber awareness that has the students conducting cybersecurity awareness campaigns for students, staff, faculty members of the college, civil defence employees, Mantralaya staff and their family, hotel management students, hospital staff, government employees and many more. Facilities like infrastructure, flexible working hours, required funds, guidance from faculty members and experts, etc., are made available for the students. This has helped these students greatly in developing energy-efficient cars in mega projects and competitions like ETA, RedShift Racing, Onyx India, Orion Racing and many more.

Somaiya Engineering College understands the value of voicing your opinion for the right cause and hence has come up with a social initiative, Parvaah, that encourages students to participate in activities, taking up many critical social issues, that need to be addressed to the society at

large. So far, Parvaah has taken up various issues like women’s safety, Child Care, Beautification of the Ghatkopar Station and supporting the LGBTQ community.

With a state of the art infrastructure, the K. J. Somaiya College of Engineering campus possesses some of the finest outdoor fields and courts

Planning Ahead Somaiya Engineering College has already paved the roads they are planning to take in the future. Starting off with becoming a constituent institution of Somaiya Vidyavihar from the academic year 2020-2021, Somaiya Engineering College is also planning to start a few Industry-oriented Certificate Courses and Postgraduate Diploma programmes which will focus on the industrial requirement, that will be suitable for fresh graduates, working industry professionals, and candidates who don’t have a valid GATE score.

The college aspires to provide unparalleled learning experience through project-based learning (PBL), focusing on innovation and entrepreneurship Revamping the curriculum, with inputs from the industry experts, and promoting interdisciplinary courses to help faculty members bridge the gap between the academic and industry field is going to be implemented at Somaiya Engineering College too. To help students learn new things in a better way, the college is planning to improve the skill set of faculty members, through pedagogical learning and exposure to the industry field for them. Dr. Shubha adds, “The college is also planning on frequent collaborations and interactions with the Industry through sponsored labs, research centers, programs supported by companies, with the main focus on collaborative research.”.

Taking education to the next level, Somaiya Engineering College has been making the learning experience for their students as interactive and practical as possible. They are shaping the young minds of this generation to fit perfectly into the cutthroat industry. With their up-to-date curriculum and technologically interactive lessons, Somaiya Engineering College is helping their students to stand out among their competitors, and not to fumble, but confidently take on the big question, “What Next?”

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ACADEMIC VIEWS

Online Education: A Great Savior for Higher Education during Pandemic COVID-19

By Prof. PB Sharma, Vice-Chancellor, Amity University

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he nationwide lockdown due to Pandemic Covid-19 has initially thrown higher education in deep crisis but the universities and very many colleges in India have been able to adopt Online teaching from home. It is all the more gratifying that the young students have found Online Classes both interesting and greatly satisfying.

At Amity University the use of technology in education was already well integrated in our education innovations and almost the entire academic management was on IT savvy Amity Intranet *Amizone* that is the backbone of Amity academic and administrative e-governance.

Further, the Amity University has a long experience of online classes that were going on years for a great many African Countries live from its e-education studio at Amity University Noida.

The IT team of Amity has made excellent arrangements for conduction online classes in all its Amity Universities across India utilizing Microsoft Teams, Microsoft LMS, Zoom meetings of HoIs and faculty and also trained its faculty in all the Amity Universities for use of e-platforms and the LMS system.

This prior preparation came quite handy to smoothly switch over to conduct Online Classes from home, the minute the university was closed ever since March 14th.

Higher Education Digest April 2020

Young students have found online classes both interesting and greatly satisfying

79 Prof. PB Sharma

Pritam Babu Sharma is an Indian academician and Vice-Chancellor of Amity University, Gurgaon and ex Vice-Chancellor of Delhi Technological University. Currently, he is heading the Association of Indian Universities as the President. Sharma has a career spanning 44 years of experience in teaching and research, which includes 12 years at IIT Delhi, where he was a Professor of mechanical engineering before taking over as Principal of Delhi College of Engineering (now Delhi Technological University) in 1990. He led Delhi College of Engineering till 2009 and was then appointed the founder Vice-Chancellor of Delhi Technological University (DTU) when Delhi College of Engineering was upgraded to Delhi Technological University through Delhi Act 6 of 2009. He is also the founding ViceChancellor of Rajiv Gandhi Technical University, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.

Higher Education Digest April 2020

Prof. PB Sharma

80 The online classes have become a great savior for higher education in India during the present Pandemic Covid-19 Crisis

Higher Education Digest April 2020

As per the online reports being received from various institutions in Amity University Gurugram, the attendance of students in online classes is almost 90-95%, more so because of the attendance of students. The timely conduct of online classes as per schedule is automatically recorded thus and leaves no room for alteration later on.

The online classes have become a great savior for higher education in India during the present Pandemic Covid-19 Crisis and have paved the way for more effective integration of online and offline teaching-learning environment that the UGC and MHRD have been trying to create for some time.

Online Classes are also providing a great learning experience both for the students and the faculty. At Amity University Gurgaon, we have also asked our faculty to record as many classes as possible and thus create and upload online e-resources for further use by students.

As a Vice-Chancellor of AUH, I feel so satisfied that despite the threat of disruption of higher education caused by the Pandemic Covid-19 virus crisis our faculty has been able to cover fully even semester syllabi and also conduct Online tests for internal continuous assessment.

The challenge now is to prepare for Online Conduct of End Semester Examinations if the lockdown continues beyond the 21 days ending on April 14th.

I am also very happy to note that my fellow Vice-Chancellors across the country have taken up the task of keeping their academic activities going on online systems. For us besides the safety and protection from Pandemic Virus, the protection of the academic and professional interests of our students is of paramount importance.

I express my deep sense of gratitude to my Heads of Institutions and the learned faculty members for their excellent cooperation in making online teaching-learning environment so enriching and highly successful.

In line with the vision of the Founder President of Amity Education Group, Dr. Ashok K Chauhan, we are fully committed to empower each one of our students of Amity with the world quality education and research and innovation acumen and also to make our faculty deeply engaged in society and Industry relevant R&D.

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MANIPAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

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MAKING A BETTER WORLD THROUGH EDUCATION, RESEARCH AND INNOVATION

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tarted with Civil Engineering in 1957, Manipal Institute of Technology (MIT) today offers 17 BTech Programs, 4 MSc Programs, MCA Program, 25 PG Programs and Ph.D. in Engineering, Science, Humanities and Management. A completely residential and culturally diverse campus with students from across India, with a NIRF ranking of 43, MIT is placed among the top 1% technical institutes in the Country. “Along with the domainspecific knowledge, an engineering graduate is expected to have several skills including communication, leadership, teamwork, problem-solving, planning, motivation and enthusiasm, adaptability and flexibility, and ability to build relationships. All these mandates engineering education to be experiential, practical, relevant, and up

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to date. Four years of education in Manipal Institute of Technology attempts to mold its graduates in all these aspects,� says Dr. D Srikanth Rao, Director of Manipal Institute of Technology.

MIT’s past students have provided leadership in diverse sectors. It could be Mr. Satya Nadella, Mr. Rajeev Suri, providing leadership to global corporates such as Microsoft and Nokia respectively; it could be alumni achievers such as Mr. Faizal Kottikollon, Chairman, KEF Holdings, Sandeep Maini, Chairman, Maini Group who are contributing back to their Alma mater through alumni contributions; it could be Gautham Pai,

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Dr. Narasimha Bhat running world-class companies being here in Manipal through Manipal Technologies and Manipal Dot Net respectively; it could be academic leadership such as Dr. Pitchaiah Mandava, Professor of Neurology & Program Director, Vascular Neurology Fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, USA, Dr. K. Ganapathy Ayappa, Chair, Department of Chemical Engineering, IISc, Bangalore; it could be political leadership to the nation in the form of Mr. Ranjeet Deshmukh, Mr. Rajeev Chandrasekhar etc.; it could be Mr. K S Parag, Managing Director, FVC Inc, a leading new generation value added distributor operating mainly in UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, & Kenya; it could be leadership of Mr. M. Venkatesh as Managing Director of MRPL - a subsidiary of ONGC; it could be societal transformers like Mr. George Muthoot, Managing Director, The Muthoot Group; it could be Mr. Dhyanachandra, Mr. Tanai Sultania, Mr. Dhruv Ashta, recent achievers in UPSC – 2016; it could be startups of Mr. Vijay Varada, CEO and Co-Founder, Fracktal Works, Mr. Mayur Shetty, Founder & CEO, Blackfrog Technologies and Mr. Sarthak Paul, CEO, MMM. With a legacy of more than 60 years, MIT is ready to receive future talents and shape the future leader of society. “The admission is through merit, through an all India entrance test. Merit is also recognized in the form of Free-ship, Merit-cum-means scholarship, AICTE Tuition Fee Waiver Scheme, Scholarships for Academy of General Education Students (SAGES), and Kadambi Scholarship.

This ensures that financially weak, meritorious students are not deprived of an opportunity of studying at MIT,” shares Dr. Rao.

Higher Education Digest April 2020

Dr. D Srikanth Rao, Director Dr. Rao, a Professor of the Department of Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering, is an Alumnus of the Manipal Institute of Technology. He obtained his BE degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Mysore, in 1984; MTech and Ph.D. degrees from Manipal University in 1991 and 2009 respectively. After graduating from MIT, Manipal, he worked with M/s Hindustan Dorr-Oliver Ltd, a Stanford Oil Subsidiary.

Before taking charge as the Director of MITManipal, he was assigned the challenging responsibility of looking after the Admissions at Manipal University, Manipal, as its Director (Admissions). Before this, he had also served as the Joint Director of MIT, Manipal. Dr. Rao had been assigned the challenging task of being a part of the team for starting a new University at Jaipur - Manipal University Jaipur. He successfully coordinated the formative years of Manipal University Jaipur as its Founding Registrar.

Project MANAS, the official AI Robotics student team of MIT, is currently working towards building India’s first driverless car

Offering a Plethora of Learning Opportunities Even though major curriculum revision takes place once in 4 years at MIT, departments have freehand to introduce new courses (electives) as and when required with the approval from the Board of Studies and Senate. Before major curriculum revision, the institute arranges a curriculum conclave with participation from experts from academia, industry, institute faculty, and present student community to understand the perception of each stakeholder. They also give their feedback at various stages as part of DCC, BOS, and Senate. Dr. Rao explains, “We conduct regular academic audit through academic experts to evaluate the academic process.

We have renowned experts from Industry and Academia as Adjunct faculty who are also invited to give guest lectures.”

At MIT, along with a BTech degree, students can earn a minor specialization by taking a set of electives (Program Electives) from a given basket. They can also take any electives (Open Electives) offered from 24 sister institutes of Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE). “Presently, the 7th semester has only electives that allow students to go abroad for a semester and earn credits from there. Top performers have a chance to extend their stay for the 8th

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semester and carry out their mandatory internship. They may also be offered with a scholarship for higher studies with a shortened study period,” pinpoints Dr. Rao. In addition to that, MIT provides a free Coursera license for every student. Students can learn as many courses as possible based on their interests and motivation levels.

Dr. Rao adds, “They can earn as many as 12 credits by taking online courses. Through this, the system is giving an opportunity to the students to learn from the best of the best professors, anywhere in the world and be up to date with the new knowledge.”

The institute follows a continuous evaluation process.

Students are graded based on in-semester and endsemester evaluations, each with a weightage of 50 percent.

In-semester evaluation involves four quizzes of five marks each, which are open book type and two tests of 15 marks each, which is a part of multiple-choice type. “Students are provided with a formula table for the examination and tested for the attainment of higher cognitive levels.

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With all these processes, students are prepared to face the competitive exams and made industry-ready with the ability to solve engineering problems,” shares Dr. Rao. In order to achieve OBE, MIT classes are fitted with lecture capture modules and the examinations are conducted through E-pad.

Preparing for the Industry Readiness MIT’s academic calendar is designed such that, students get a summer vacation for almost three months. In this period, they are encouraged to do research or an industry internship, thus allowing them to connect the classroom learning with the research and industry practices. Thus, highly industrious students can undergo at least four internships during their study period at MIT. “Our 8th semester is fully dedicated to the internship. Students can do the internship in the industry they are selected for placement/internship or in any research organization in India or abroad, or any of the sister Institutes of MIT, or

they can decide to do it in college with guidance from any of the professor,” claims Dr. Rao. Experiential learning is the core of education at MIT. Students undertake at least six kinds of technical projects, thus making it truly experiential learning.

“We have minor projects as a part of a theory subject, which means students execute either a software or a hardware project for a theory subject as part of an assignment component. They can also execute hobby projects during their free time or in holidays,” shares Dr. Rao. MIT students carry out technical projects for competitions organized by hobby clubs such as IE, IEEE, Vedanth, Robotics, and Circuits; to participate in events organized by institutes of national repute.

They also get to implement technical projects for corporate challenges such as Hackathon (Smart India Hackathon, AngelHack Global Hackathon of Microsoft, Hackabout Hackathon of Philips); Innovation Challenge of TI; NI NIYANTRA; GE global innovation Challenge; GE Edison Challenge and many more.

Life of Innovators Inside MIT MIT is also famous for its numerous clubs driven by the students. Formula Manipal, Team Manipal Racing, AeroMIT, RoboManipal, Parikshit, Solar Mobil, Project Manas, Mars Rover Manipal, Thrust MIT, R.U.G.V.E.D Systems, DRONAID, MotoManipal, VISION, S.W.A.R.M, Robotics and Circuits, Team Combat Robotics, Project AUV, Cryptonite and LoopMIT are few to name among them. “Major project teams are interdisciplinary, having student representation from first to final year. In the process of getting into the team, and selecting the members to the team, students learn to face and conduct interviews,”

Mars Rover Manipal is a student team of engineering undergraduate students striving to explore and contribute to the field of robotics and its applications in interplanetary missions

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explains Dr. Rao. With the team size ranging from 25 to 50, students learn to work in a group. By working under tight schedules, they also learn to meet deadlines. Dr. Rao adds, “By submitting weekly progress reports, by presenting weekly progress and scheduling the task, they hone their documentation, presentation, and planning skills. To generate financial support, they need to sell their idea to possible sponsors. In the process, they learn marketing, budgeting, and accounting skills.”

Projects being innovative, MIT’s students’ club activities have seen many publications and start-ups coming out of these projects. MIT is also seeing more scope for publications and IPs. With these in mind, the institution has come up with a ‘Student Project Scrutiny Board (SPSB)’ where students can present their projects to the committee for the potential funding support, possible publications, and IPs. By looking at the potential benefits of these projects, MIT would house them in a fully furnished facility known as ‘Techshop.’ “We also encourage our students to partner with professors to work on research problems. With the revised curriculum, these works can also lead them to receive BTech honors.”

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Started off in early 2016 as a small group of rocket enthusiasts with the aim of promoting HighPower-Rocketry in India, thrustMIT aspires to spread knowledge, promote, foster and bring about technical innovations in the ingenious field of rocketry

MIT’s research areas are aligned with the thrust areas specified by the Government of India through its IMPRINT document. Students have the opportunity to work on live projects granted by DST, DRDO, BIRAC, Schneider, and many more. “For the students who are rich in ideas, there is an opportunity to discuss these ideas, in Idea Café. They can work on the refined ideas either in ‘Makers Space’ or in Innovation Center,” pinpoints Dr. Rao. On developing the prototype, MIT students are encouraged and supported for filing IP, write business plans, and apply for startup grants such as NIDHI-EIR. Interested budding entrepreneurs are also provided space either in the Technology Incubator (MUTBI) or in Bio-Incubator.

Today, the MIT campus is perpetually in motion. On all the working days, students have classes either in the morning half or in the afternoon. They can spend the rest of the time for all-round personality development. It could be learning languages such as German, French, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Kannada, Sanskrit. It could be learning through MOOC platforms such as Coursera, Udemy or Swayam. They can also be a part of more than 80 cultural and technical clubs or be a part of major student projects. Students can prepare themselves for a semester abroad program, work on research topics under the guidance of a professor, or any other available avenues for personal development. Who doesn’t want to be a part of such a great institution of learning? “Come, by partnering with Manipal, let us bring name and fame to self, family, Manipal, your State and the Nation,” urges Dr. Rao.

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RAJARAJESWARI COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

PREPARING INDUSTRYCOMPETENT ENGINEERS 90

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ith the advent of Industry 4.0, there is an ever-growing need to upgrade the skills according to the latest technologies.

However, many industry leaders claim that Indian students - though highly educated - do not have the skills required to survive in this digital economy. Emerging as one of the best self-financing engineering colleges in Karnataka, RajaRajeswari College of Engineering (RRCE) has striven hard to make a dent in the Indian technical education system by preparing students for the future. The institute is working with a vision of the future of India, to bring about progressive changes in science, engineering and technology, which will bring progress and prosperity to our country.

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“We are convinced that “Character is the crown and glory of life”. We believe in quality education, progress through discipline, knowledge through devotion and satisfaction through service to the student community.

We are dedicated to meet the challenges of the new millennium in the field of technical higher education so as to make our country a highly industrialized and healthy modern nation,” opines Dr. A. C. Shanmugam, Chairman of RajaRajeswari College of Engineering. Established in 2006, RRCE was started by Moogambigai Charitable and Educational Trust, which was founded by the Chairman, Dr. A. C. Shanmugam. The Trust was started in

Higher Education Digest March April 2020

1992, to provide quality professional education at an affordable cost to deserving students, irrespective of their caste, creed, or religion. Today, it runs eight institutions of excellence in Bangalore, RRCE is being one among them.

RRCE aims to consistently strive for academic excellence to become one of the leading institutions in the field of Engineering, to produce competent and ethically sound manpower for the benefit of the industry, society, nation, and the global environment. “Through collaborative research work, industry interactions, skill development, and value-added programs, we strive to achieve greater heights,” adds Dr. Shanmugam.

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Creating Industry-Ready Leaders Enhancing student skills through extra-curricular programs offered by the college, RRCE also provided virtual reality services to train the students. Also, the institution prepares perspective planning documents, which are evaluated by experts and drawn from industry and premier institutions like IISc, NIT, ISRO and many more. “With the best resources, we are preparing our students for Industry 4.0 and placing them across industries around the world,” quips Dr. Shanmugam.

More than 90 companies visiting each year, in which 10+ companies are offering a pay package of above 5 Lakhs per annum, RRCE Placement Records stands best as per ranking. With industry interactions, pre-joining,

Higher Education Digest April 2020

Dr. A. C. Shanmugam, Chairman

RRCE’s library provides ample space for students and teachers with comfortable seating arrangements along with digital library & reprographics section

and alumni activities, the students are well updated with the current happenings in the industry. “Along with conducting pool drives in the campus, we have also initiated finishing school programs for skill-based training”, adds Dr. Shanmugam.

RRCE also conducts Training and Development Programmes for their students and faculty members in a phased manner. Many high profile companies like SRITDubai, Capgemini, TCS, HP, Siemens, Robert Bosch, L&T Infotech, IBM, KPMG, Microland, Infosys Technologies, SONATA Software, Spica Software Services, Tech Mahindra, PARK Controls & Communications, SUBEX, HCL Infosystems, eCentric, TCi Technologies, Alpha9Marine solutions, visit and conduct Placement activities regularly.

Companies are hungry for ideas and talent and through collaborations with RRCE, these companies get a chance to see the students in action with the actual technologies, intellectual properties to commercialize these ideas. The students also get a chance to get placed in companies that have partnered with, that are vying for graduates who have the pulse for emerging markets. Dr. Dr. Shanmugam says, “In order to equip the students to meet the corporate expectations, an exclusive vertical called “Centre for Testing & Data Sciences” (CTDS) is established in the college. CTDS organizes various activities to enrich the students’ competencies on various domains. Experts from industries are mentoring the students to hone their skills. “The students also get a chance to be mentored by the industry professionals, which helps them gain the skills and expertise they need, long before they become employees.”

On the other side, RRCE has a total number of 50 Ph.D. holders and 60 pursuing their Ph.D. under the talented faculty members of RRCE. Along with good communication skills, the faculty members are dedicated, knowledgeable, as well as cooperative. Their research potential with proven records of high-quality research has helped them in publishing patents, books, and receive funding from various organizations like AICTE, VGST, and SERB. “Updating their knowledge through NPTEL, SWAYAM, MOOCS, NITTR, AICTE – Training & Learning (ATAL) Academy, Academia, and Courser, our faculty members encourage our students towards research projects, GATE, national and international events,” says Dr. Shanmugam.

Paving the path to the Industry The students of RRCE are motivated and encouraged to take new standards for their improvement and to develop a growth mindset. The institute has systematic and

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effective strategies for strengthening students including routine student orientation, conducting weekly tests, motivating them to do innovative things, mini projects to get hands-on experience, participate in activities.

The CTDS Cell of RRCE conducts mentoring sessions regularly in addition to activities and routine placement training. The students are given challenging questions to solve, conducting special classes for slow learners are some of the special facilities at RRCE to stimulate students to work harder and focus on their career and pursuits.

RRCE also houses an Entrepreneurship Development Cell (EDC) that conducts workshops and success stories of major entrepreneurs in and around Bangalore. These interactions are conducted to bring out the entrepreneurial skills of the students. “Students are mentored to carry out market survey and analysis, strengths, weakness, opportunities and challenges before starting their business in their particular area of focus,” says Dr. Shanmugam.

The alumni members of RRCE have come up with many start-up ventures like Technospacio Tech Solution, Siddhi Group, Tech Centrix, Maruti Visuals, Develophowto, Sainox Technologies, Enginomatic Technologies, and Studwall.

“We persuade our students that they are up for the challenge and cross the psychological barriers for

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deeper learning by giving them practical experience and establishing positive thoughts, fortifying the students with a belief that regular practice, hard work enhance their academic ability, mentoring regularly to understand their strength and weakness and providing a solution to their problem,” states Dr. Shanmugam. RRCE aims to bridge the gap between the industry and academia, by signing MoUs with Industries and International Universities like University Technology Petronas, Malaysia. Apart from MoU’s, following Centres of Excellence in the upcoming technologies are established - Centre of Excellence on IoT- Internet of Things, Centre of Excellence on Wireless Sensor Networks, Centre of Excellence on Altair – Hyperworks.

Today, along with universal human values and professional ethics, the graduates of RRCE are taught to be logical thinkers, team leaders, innovators, good communicators, and proficient in programming languages, making them ready to step into the industrial workforce.

Aspiring to attain an autonomous status, RRCE is keen on accomplishing the center of excellence in recent technologies. “Apart from encouraging entrepreneurship through Innovation and Incubation Council, we are also aiming to attain the ABET Accreditation and strengthen our R&D through international and national funded agencies,” concludes Dr. Shanmugam.

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INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE

Why Millennials and ‘Gen Z’ Fear Climate Change More Than Anything Else?

Shalini Singh, Chief – Corporate Communications and Sustainability, Tata Power

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nergy conservation is the need of the hour. It is important for us to conserve energy since we have very limited quantity of nonrenewable resources available with us. It has been estimated that nearly 25,000 MW can be saved by implementing end-use energy efficiency and demand side management measures throughout India.

Efficient use of energy and its conservation assumes even greater importance in view of the fact that one unit of energy saved at the consumption level reduces the need for fresh capacity creation by 2 times to 2.5 times. The economic development of a country is often closely linked to its consumption of energy. Although India ranks sixth in the world as far as total energy consumption is concerned, it still needs much more energy to keep pace with its development objectives. India’s energy intensity per unit of GDP is higher as compared to Japan, U.S.A. and Asia by 3.7 times, 1.55 times and 1.47 times respectively. This indicates inefficient use of energy but also substantial scope for energy savings. Albeit the world is expiring a paradigm shift towards renewable energy, 65-70 percent of energy is still consumed for fossil fuels. Therefore, conservation of energy is imperative for further sustenance and to combat the daunting challenge of climate change.

India’s energy needs are met by 65 percent of fossil fuel-based generation. In 2007, Mumbai faced power shortage of 150MW & hence Club Enerji was launched to sensitize people on energy conservation to reduce wastage & stall new capacities based on fossil fuel. Club Enerji, is our energy and resource conservation initiative which focuses on bringing about a first-hand realization of the energy crisis and scarcity of natural resources in the country. Currently, we are in the 12th year and have been leading the change through this initiative when it comes to devising campaigns that promote a responsible advocacy amongst future generation.

Higher Education Digest April 2020

According to Deloitte Survey ‘19, Climate Change is the top concern for both Millennials & GenZ (29%)

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Shalini Singh

Shalini Singh is an integrated Communication Professional with 20 years of experience in the industries such as Power, IT, Telecom & Textiles & Garments.

She is the Chief-Corporate Communications and Sustainability at Tata Power.

She is a trustee on the board of Tata Power Community Development Trust & a Woman Director & board member on Tata Power’s subsidiaries. Shalini has been heading Corporate Communications at Tata Power since October 2004 with a lead responsibility for External & Internal Communications.

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According to Deloitte Survey ‘19, Climate Change is the top concern for both Millennials & GenZ (29%).

Tata Power through Club Enerji wants you reach out to the ‘reflex generation’ of tomorrow to engage in ‘microactivism’. The upcoming campaigns will revolve around ‘Reverse Parenting & Mentoring’ where children engage with society to raise awareness on saving energy, reducing carbon footprint & sustainable living. They will form the Energy Brigade comprising of Energy Champions, Energy Mentors & Energy Ambassadors to further chain reaction & make it a self-sustained movement. We will optimally use our School networks and digital platforms to amplify the message of conserving the environment. We plan to partner with various like-minded institutes that advocates the dire need of combating climate change and conserving the environment.

When it comes to conservation of energy and resources, I believe that there are various simple and cost effective methods such as lowering your energy consumption, reducing wastage and losses, increasing efficiency through technological upgrades and so on which can be easily implemented. A lower energy consumption not only reduces the impact on the environment but is also a proverbial winwin situation for everyone. In fact, making even a few small lifestyle changes in daily consumption patterns at home can potentially result in big financial savings. I believe that children form the Energy Brigade comprising of Energy Champions, Energy Mentors and Energy Ambassadors to further chain reaction and make it a self-sustained movement.

I believe that it is imperative to recognizing the immense value that schools and school children can bring to the initiative of energy conservation and take due consideration of this urgent need of conserving energy. In my experience, spreading the message of energy conservation through the active participation of children helps in sensitizing the larger network of grownups, families to combat climate change.

Our Campaigns Starting with 12 schools in Mumbai in 2007, Club Enerji has now reached more than 533 schools nationwide, sensitizing over 19.34 million participants and saving more than 29.8 million units of energy till now. Since then the initiative has grown with the support of students, principals, teachers, parents and partners spread across the country. Today, it has emerged as a successful model year ahead of it becoming a global movement. We recently launched “I have the power” campaign. Through this campaign, we aim to promote the core message of opting for environmentally friendly means of consuming energy by highlighting Tata Power’s range of smart and sustainable solutions and services like Solar Rooftop, EV Charging and Solar Micro-grids that Tata

Higher Education Digest April 2020

Shalini Singh

A lower energy consumption not only reduces the impact on the environment but is also a proverbial win-win situation for everyone

Power now offers to its customers. This campaign has been curated and designed to educate our stakeholders about the various new offerings of Tata Power along with the benefits attached to it on a personal & global level. The objective behind this campaign is to inspire Millennials and ‘Gen Z’ generations to build a sustainable India and make a difference by contributing to a cleaner tomorrow.

We have undertaken an innovative approach to promote the campaign through influencer marketing on new age media platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat, and Quora etc. Through this approach, Tata Power aims to connect with the millennials to convert them into conscious citizens. The three - phased campaign will also include digital, ATL & BTL mediums such as Radio Advertising and Out-of-Home (OOH) to communicate the value of its unique offerings to enlightened and evolved citizens.

We have roped in our Indian Cricket player Shardul Thakur as a brand ambassador who epitomizes Tata Power’s values of hard-work, commitment, honesty and success. He will be change- agent in our new endeavours and will be a part of all the messaging that takes place in respect to this campaign!

Through geo-targeting, the campaign will also make its way into 30 major Indian cities such as Vizag, Madurai, Coimbatore, Mangalore, Mysore, Belgaum, Chennai, Panjim, Cochin, Trivandrum, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Nashik, Kolhapur, Lucknow, Agra, Ahmednagar, Amritsar, Gurugram, Delhi, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Bhopal, Gandhinagar, Indore, Ranchi, Jaipur, Kolkata, Gwalior and Kharagpur.

Tata Power has been leading the change through its energy and resource conservation initiative ‘Club Enerji’ when it comes to devising campaigns that promote a responsible advocacy amongst future generation. Over the years, we have established a center of excellence and helped address climate change through various brand properties like Club Enerji, Club enerji since 11 years is advocating simple energy saving and resource conserving tips to make a considerable tips to make a difference in protecting the environment.

We have done various campaigns like, “Switch off 2 Switch On” that focuses on the need to conserve electricity by switching off appliances when not in use. The second leg of this campaign was, “I CAN” wherein we roped in kids to imbibe the idea of how everyone has the power to make a difference.

With our ongoing ‘I have the Power’ campaign we look to promote the use of sustainable and green solutions. To add impetus to the core communication thought, we have roped in Mr. Shardul Thakur, member of Indian Cricket team as a brand ambassador to create awareness about the Company’s foray into sustainable and green solutions and inspire Millennials and ‘Gen Z’ generations to build a sustainable India & make a difference by contributing to a cleaner tomorrow. (As told to the Editor)

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SANDIP INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY AND RESEARCH

DEFINING THE SUCCESS OF INDIA’S ENGINEERING ASPIRANTS 100

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nemployment is one of the major problems a lot of engineering graduates in India are facing today. With the advancement of technology, industries are expecting engineers to have an extravagant skillset.

Although, when the academic approach is taken into consideration, it is not sufficient to meet the needs desired by the industry, which has resulted in the industry spending their resources on training the fresh engineering graduates by imparting the knowledge they expect them to have.

The academic approach doesn’t complete the requirement the industry desires in the complete sense. So, it has now become mandatory to fill the gap between the needs of the Institute and Industry. According to the statistics of state-wise job availability,

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Maharashtra has the highest demand for jobs (19.72 percent), followed by Delhi NCR (16.99 percent), Karnataka (16.03 percent) and Tamil Nadu (9.80 percent). Considering the experience of most of the recruiters, industries are looking for personnel with leading roles in cloud computing, IT services, and quality management. The industry has also changed its approach towards hiring individuals, as they are looking for skilled people that are equipped with the current trends.

Sandip Foundation, considering this need, acts as a bridge that will fill the Industry-Academia Gap. Changing the face of the Indian Education System, Sandip

Higher Education Digest April 2020

Dr. Sanjay Trambak Gandhe, Principal Professor of Electronics and Communication

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Engineering at Sandip Institute of Technology and Research Center, Dr. Sanjay has obtained his B.E. (Electronics Engineering) from Govt. College of Engineering, Amravati, and M.Tech. (Automatic Controls & Robotics) from M.S. University, Baroda. He received his Ph.D. in Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering from Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology, Nagpur. He has been an Executive Council Member of Sandip University, Nashik.

Dr. Sanjay Gandhe has published 55 research papers in various international and national journals and conferences. He is an active reviewer and editorial member of IEEE Transactions on Dependable and Secure Computing. He has reviewed research papers of many International Conferences including IEEE conferences.

Higher Education Digest April 2020

Sandip Institute of Technology and Research is located in the scenic, eco-friendly and conductive-to-study campus with the best infrastructure, passionate and competent faculty, and well-rounded curriculum

Institute of Technology and Research Centre (SITRC) is striving to make education more industry-oriented and student-friendly.

“We work towards a single goal, i.e., our students attain the best quality of education possible to transform them into employable professionals by the end of their journey with us”, says Dr. Sanjay Trambak Gandhe, Principal of SITRC. One of the top engineering colleges in Nashik, Maharashtra, SITRC was established in 2008 and is approved by All India Council for Technical Education, New Delhi Government of India and affiliated to Savitribai Phule University of Pune. The Institute is accredited A Grade by NAAC with 3.11 CGPA. An ambiance that stimulates intellectual thinking and academic proceedings, SITRC has invested in providing facilities to students in terms of laboratories, equipment, library books, sports, transportation and everything it takes to create an excellent environment for learning.

Dr. Sanjay points out, “With aesthetic buildings, splendid lawns, spacious sports grounds, and lush greenery, we aim to provide an environment that is conducive for the teaching-learning process.”

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Spread across 225 acres, the Campus of SITRC houses facilities like the state-of-the-art labs, spacious classrooms (with Audio-Video teaching aids), mess with hygienic food, ultra-modern hostel, college canteen, and health care center, to cater to all the necessities of the student and the staff.

Enhancing the Acquired Skills With Dr. Sanjay Gandhe recognized as a Senior Member

by The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) for Personal and Professional Commitment to the Advancement of Technology in 2017, SITRC houses a community of competent and skilled people with high individual gains and industry retains. “We encourage our faculty members to pursue research, consultancy, innovation and entrepreneurship activities in the context of globalization�, says Dr. Sanjay Gandhe.

Higher Education Digest April 2020

SITR promotes innovation and entrepreneurship by converting and translating technology ideas and innovation in various disciplines of science and engineering into products, processes and services for commercial exploitation and the benefit of community

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Bringing in funded research projects and assignments to nurture the research attitude among the faculty members, SITRC motivates and supports them to participate in conferences, seminars, STTPs, workshops and many more. Dr. Sanjay Gandhe adds, “Through qualification upgradation, skill development, and behavioural improvement, we aide our faculty members to strengthen their skills. We identify and map out the elemental and inherent skills of the faculty members for productive outcomes like product development, research activities, administration, and consultancies.�

Shaping the Industry Leaders of Tomorrow SITRC is focused on promoting academic-based entrepreneurship, by aligning with various time to time government policies viz. DST, AICTE, and MSME. With that in mind, a Technology Business Incubator was established, where start-ups are nurtured through Prototyping Support, Accelerator Program, Professional Services, Incubation, and Seed

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SITR helps its students to develop a mesmerizing personality for choosing a perfect career by giving an opportunity to work on live projects, which enables them to get exposed to real Industrial problems

Higher Education Digest April 2020

Funding. SITRC catalyses and promotes the development of Science and Technology-based enterprises to promote employment opportunities in innovative areas. Dr. Sanjay shars, “Connections with various incubation facilities like KVIC, LBI, SINE IITB, and Tata Innovations DISQ, we focus on areas like Agricultural Development, Rural Development viz. Smart Village, Women Hygiene and Sanitation, Interdisciplinary Research, Energy and Environment-friendly solutions, Food Processing through Technology, Innovation Enrichment, etc., through brainstorming sessions and capacity building efforts.”

SITRC hosts guest lectures, interactive workshops, colloquiums, brainstorming sessions for the students along with the members of the industry, outside experts, eminent personalities regularly for the students. The students and faculties also get a chance to take part in industry training, orientation courses, industrial visits quite frequently. “We emphasize Industry-based project development activities for students with an aim to make them more aware of the industry culture and bridge the gap between the students and industry by training them with cutting-edge technology”, adds Dr. Sanjay Gandhe . Conducting industrial exhibitions to highlight the research facilities and expertise available with them,

SITRC associates and invites professionals from the industry in developing the curriculum, for their opinions and feedback to update it from time to time.

Providing students with continuing education opportunities, short-term programs, and training needs of the industry, SITRC promotes revenuegenerating activities like Testing, Calibration, Consultancy, and R&D, for the students to a hands-on experience. “We assess the scientific and technological scenario/happenings in India and abroad periodically to translate its findings into action for taking up future R&D work.� quips Dr. Sanjay Gandhe. SITRC has its Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Cell (IEDC), that is dedicated to handling the entrepreneurial activities in the college. Supported by NEB, DST, GoI, IEDC offers different types of well-recognized courses to develop entrepreneurial competencies amongst young innovators.

Brainstorming about society and industrial problems to find commercially viable ideas, the students get a chance to connect with different mentors related to Technical, Business, and, Legal

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Domains. The ideas submitted by the students are scrutinized by the Domain and Business Experts. Connecting Sandip Foundation’s IP Cell to protect innovation, IEDC provides mentoring and financial support for participating in various Business Pitch Competitions, Crowd Funding, and National / International Entrepreneur’s Summit. Dr. Sanjay Gandhe adds, “The students also get a chance for simulation of forming start-ups and following legal aspects. The students get a chance to mold various Industrial Standards so that developed prototype will enter into the market with maintaining sustainability.”

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Striving for Progress and Perfection The modern infrastructure, an exemplary set of dedicated teaching professionals and the exhilarating atmosphere of the SITRC has helped its students in reaching enviable heights in intellectual development and help them achieve their future endeavours. To impart training, SITRC has a team of individuals with in-depth knowledge and industrial experience in the latest technical fields. “Our sole purpose is to develop high-quality technical personnel with sound knowledge on basic engineering, and managerial principles who are able to adapt themselves to the everchanging business environment along with the highest ethical and moral values”, says Dr. Sanjay Gandhe.

SITRC’s aim behind all the co-curricular and extra-curricular activities is to provide an impetus for young minds to explore other possibilities while they pursue their individual disciplines. The institute believes that education should not be bound, only then the students will reach their pinnacle of talent and passion. “Focusing on raising efficient, confident and highly knowledgeable engineers, managers and entrepreneurs with global thinking and a futuristic mindset, we give our students the power to dream, aspire, and soar towards what they define as success”, concludes Dr. Sanjay Gandhe

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Higher Education Digest April 2020

STARTUP CHAT

Protecting People through ‘Socialpreneurship’ 110

Vishal Saurav, Founder & CEO, Xboom Utilities, is a young entrepreneur originally from Ranchi who left his job as a software engineer to pursue his dream of becoming a change-maker in the society and started his own startup venture ‘Xboom’. In an exclusive interaction with the Higher Education Digest, Saurav talks about the importance of incorporating Women’s self-defense classes/sessions as a part of the curriculum, his entrepreneurship journey, and gives some valuable suggestions to the budding entrepreneurs.

• As your startup provides safety and security devices, what is your opinion on the importance for institutions to incorporate Women’s self-defense classes/sessions as a part of the curriculum?

In the ancient days physical wellness and self-defense techniques had been very much an indispensable part of the curriculum. However, sadly, we stopped it a few hundred years ago. But, with the change in time, it has become essential once again to include women’s self-defense classes.

Our society is going through a major shift where more and more women are going out of their homes for education or work. Sadly, a large part of the society still doesn’t have respect for girls and women stepping out which often leads to heinous incidences. With the number of crimes against women increasing alarmingly, expecting the police or relatives to come and protect our women is not enough. It is time Indian women learnt to be their own saviors in times of need. Hence, including selfdefense in the curriculum from a very early age is the need of the hour.

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There is not a single person in this world who hasn’t seen failure

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Vishal Saurav

Vishal Saurav is a B. Tech in Electrical & Electronics Engineering graduate from Dayanand Sagar College, Bangalore. On March 2015 He established Xboom, is a one-stop platform that provides safety and security devices across categories ranging from Women’s safety, home safety, personal safety, vehicle safety to defense. His aim in life is to establish a safe society for people especially women and through his work he aims to bring a change in the life of the general public.

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For any business or startup to be successful they need to first identify and then address the problems that the large population of the masses faces in day to day life

Vishal Saurav

Higher Education Digest April 2020

• What are the biggest concerns you hear from parents in India regarding the security of their kids? As the founders of Xboom Utilities, how do you help them overcome that?

Most of the time, it’s the kids who go out without informing the parents. Many of the kids don’t understand the vulnerability and threats that keep lurking. By ignoring their parent’s instructions, they just tend to exercise and enjoy their independence. This gives unintended invitations to danger and creates a lot of tension for their parents. We have a lot of products which can help overcome these problems. For example, a GPS tracker that can help parents be aware of the whereabouts of their children when they are not around.

• What is your opinion about the Indian startup ecosystem and talent available here?

Indian Startup ecosystem holds tremendous potential, but we need to enhance the support system for the startups by building stronger incubation centers and accelerators to help achieve business excellence. The brain drain that occurs every year is a cause of big concern.

We should concentrate more on retaining the talents and give them enough opportunities so that they can have the confidence to start their venture. There are few schemes like “Make in India”, “Skill India” that are getting applause from many people but many more such schemes need to come so that people get the perception.

Even for the existing schemes, there’s a need for additional attention and significance given from the government’s side. Additionally, every individual as well as organization must ensure a continuous reskilling and/or upskilling efforts to stay abreast with the highly progressive corporate and technology environment.

• The first half of the last decade saw a surge in the number of startups in India. Do you think the numbers have come down in the second half of the last decade? What are the challenges for young Indian entrepreneurs in 2020?

Startup culture came as a wave in the first half of the last decade. Many of the startups that just wanted to be a part of being beneficiary

of VC funds had to close their venture because of non-funding. Government startup schemes also didn’t turn out to be as helpful as they were expected to have been. Also, whenever something new happens, we get a lot of buzzes, but things settle down soon and people who are genuinely trying to stay in the market struggle to get the ventures running.

The quintessential challenges an awareness and adoption amongst the consumers, still continue to persist. However, the rapidly changing technology and business landscape has ushered as a new challenge today for both new and existing star-ups. Hence, entrepreneurs need to match up to the market standards and try harder to stay ahead in the race by equipping themselves with more advanced technologies and strategies. Other challenges like getting financial support or tax benefits are a hurdle the newly blooming entrepreneurs have to face; however, the road becomes less bumpy once they have settled in.

• While digital education has the capability to change the educational landscape, how can it be used to make more entrepreneurs in the country?

The world runs on digital today. With the increased internet and digital penetration within the country’s geographies and demographics, imparting education through digital media serves a multitude of problem areas. From making education accessible to all, to creating more opportunities for online content creators, from skilling people in advanced technologies from the remotest parts of the nation to solving the quintessential question of education infrastructure and lack of adequate educational institutional, online education can address all at the same time. Just by connecting more educational content creators we can provide opportunities for entrepreneurs to aggregate all the content creators for designated areas.

Moreover, they can spread the quality educational content in remote areas where quality education is still a dream. This also means, a scope for education startups to bloom and flourish along with technology startups who can lend the tech solutions. This can also lead to an increase in the number of entrepreneurs produced, even in smaller cities and towns.

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• As an entrepreneur, what is it that motivates and drives you? How do you handle failures?

There is nothing more satisfying in life than seeing people saving their life. When we see how our products and services are helping people saving their life and dignity, we get the biggest motivation. We wouldn’t have grown this much if we had only profit in mind. The aim is always to make India a safer place for women as well as men and seeing people appreciating our efforts is a big motivating factor.

There is not a single person in this world who hasn’t seen failure. In any venture, we face challenges. I also had faced a lot of challenges and seen failures, but failures are a part of success. We just need to be sure that we learn from it and never repeat the same mistakes that lead us to failure. It doesn’t mean that we can’t fail again. The important thing is how we learn from it and move on.

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• In one word, describe your life as an entrepreneur.

Innovator and Socialpreneur. As an entrepreneur, I always think about how I can make new products that help the masses or improve on existing products so that they can be more effective. I always aim to solve problems that people face in day to day life which if taken care of they could achieve the mental peace they deserve.

• What do you put your success down to?

Success will taste like a failure if there is no one to share with. When I started my venture, there were a lot of risks. My family gave me complete support and told me to go ahead with my ideas.

My friends have always been there to give me mental support whenever I feel low. My family and friends are with me in all thick and thins and I can proudly say that they are behind my success.

• What would you say are the key elements for starting and running a successful business?

For any business or startup to be successful they need to first identify and then address the

Higher Education Digest April 2020

problems that the large population of the masses faces in day to day life. The intensity of the problem also needs to be checked.

The solution offered by the startup must innovatively solve the problem. It has to be user friendly, easily accessible and affordable for its consumers. The analysis of these is very important. Also, one has to remember that setbacks are a part of life. You should “Never Give Up”, as it’s all about how soon you can bounce back of the adversities that were thrown at you.

• Who inspires you?

Nature is one, from which I draw my inspiration.

• At Xboom Utilities, how do you generate new ideas?

Just by being updated of the new technological breakthroughs and keeping our minds open to creativity. We know that revolutionary ideas click and change the world, but one must remember most of the thing we use today is not just that idea, but how the idea is developed into the end product or service.

We need to think positively, a bit out of the box, a bit solution-oriented and there we will have new ideas. I never think any idea is a bad one. I analyze it and give it a thought before rejecting or accepting it.

• What advice would you give to student entrepreneurs who are starting out?

Put your idea to test before you start by creating a pilot project. Understand the customer’s need and their viewpoints on your solution. This can give you some of the most valuable insights which need to be implemented in your startup.

Create an efficient business model that can generate handsome revenue without being dependent on venture capitalists. Also remember, you may not see the desired profit initially but do not lose hope. Most of the startups close down within a couple of years thinking that they are not in business. You should plan your strategy and put your effort and I assure you success will be knocking on the door in no time.

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S B PATIL COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

REVAMPING ENGINEERING EDUCATION 116

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eyond technical skills, educational institutions also have a crucial role in ensuring soft skills, such as critical thinking, problem-solving, leadership skills and lifelong learning, are integrated across all programs, so that graduates can cope with rapid changes in the industry and take charge of their learning. “We adopt technologies to enhance the processes, the competencies required by graduates and professionals to emphasize complex problem solving, the ability to lead teams made up of humans and machines and to have a solid foundation in ICT and data analytics to make informed business decisions quickly�, says Dr. Pravin D. Nemade, Principal of SB Patil College of Engineering (SBPCOE).

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SBPCOE aims to provide students with the experience and readiness for them to be integrated into the workforce, such as real-world employer projects, industry advisory boards, workshops, industry-led competitions, short courses and internships, where graduates gam some experience and insights on how to deal with the current challenges when they enter the workforce.

Some of the high-tech industry partners that SBPCOE is currently working with on these initiatives are Almighty-Auto, Ancillary, Pavin Cables, Capital Via, and Parametrics.

One of the best-emerging institutes in the University of Pune, SBPCOE was established in 2009 with a 40 acres

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The institute emphasizes more on practical learning where students are groomed in all the areas of growth

campus. The college is ISO-2015 certified and accredited by NAAC as well. Based in Indapur, SBPCOE houses the state-of-the-art infrastructure and trained faculty members, to provide quality education to all their students. “Our unique and exhaustive curriculum, which includes imparting of knowledge and hands-on experience, has equipped our students to measure up the to the industry’s expectations and achieve the set goals”, adds Dr. Pravin. Envisioning to be the fountainhead of novel ideas and innovations in technology and science, SBPCOE is set out to create academic excellence, impart value-based education, collaborate with industries and research institutions intending to disseminate knowledge among the masses for socio-economic development for the society.

Entering Industry 4.0 The trend of collaborations with the industries and universities has increased the need for innovation in today’s business environment and intensified the ambition of policymakers to commercialize academic knowledge. Collaboration between firms has been an increasingly important issue for some decades and researchers have devoted considerable effort to find the determinants of their success.

Higher Education Digest April 2020

Ankita Harshvardhan Patil, Trustee Vice President, SPVP She studied at St. Anne’s High School Colaba, Mumbai and St. Joseph’s High School, Pune. She studied BBA ( Bachelor in Business Administration) at Symbiosis Center for Management Studies, Symbiosis International

“We have taken tremendous endeavors for encouraging our students as well as graduates to collaborate with the industry through innovative projects, sponsorship projects, championship programs, and national level IIT Events”, points out Dr. Pravin.

The faculty members of SBPCOE visit various industries for studying innovations of industries every year, which indirectly helps students of the new technological world and is always ready to welcome industry stalwarts by organizing various seminars, workshops, guest lectures, and IndustryInstitute Interaction sessions. The rate of internationalization is growing rapidly, with unhindered communication channels and inexpensive travel. Universities across the world are already seeking to make the most of the possibilities this presents by forming global partnerships and fostering relationships with other institutions.

The ability to scrutinize, debate, and share experience are essential for academic and scientific accomplishment.

Constructively challenging accepted opinions and ideas is central to their development, and international collaborations help to facilitate this. “As far as International Institutions are concerned, we motivate our students for International Paper presentation competition, Higher study (Ph.D.) programs, and many other such events where students can showcase their skills and talents. The last batch placements crossed a century and some placed for good package above 4LPA.”, says Dr. Pravin.

University, Pune. In 2015, she studied Sustainable Finance and Investments at Harvard University.

She also pursued Masters in Strategic Management At London School of Economics.

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Dr. Pravin D Nemade, Principal

Currently serving as the Principal in S B Patil College of Engineering, Dr. Pravin D Nemade has completed his bachelors and masters in Civil Engineering, along with his P.Hd from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay. Recipient of several awards, Dr. Pravin has 28 years of teaching experience in the field of Engineering. Geotechnical Engineering, Environmental Geotechnics, Watershed Development, Green Buildings, Construction Management, Water Resource Engineering and Transportation Engineering are some of his areas of interest.

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Preparing Futuristic Engineers Entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial individuals are the central components of 21st-century societies and organizations because they can precede themselves, other people, their businesses or places of employment and even the economies and societies in which they live.

SBPCOE develops entrepreneurs, to help them support the society in all aspects. Equipping their students with the latest technologies and keeping them up to date with the industry requirements, SBPCOE has been using spoken tutorials of IIT Bombay, and using online learning portals like NPTEL, SWAYAM, Udemy, and Coursera, as add-on courses every year.

On talking about placements, Dr. Pravin says, “Approximately 85% of Engineering Graduates of S B Patil receive campus placement in renowned industry.

While placing this 85 % of students a choice is kept for students to choose a core or non-core company”. In the rising entrepreneurial economy, Institutes are playing a major job in the development of innovation through the startup and entrepreneurial environment in employees, students on the campus. Keeping this view in mind, SBPCOE has established a Startup & Innovation cell and EDC cell on the campus. Diverse activities have been organized under these cells with the help of well-groomed and well-educated faculties members of this cell, who takes care of the student’s requirement and growth.

At SBPCOE, entrepreneurship is encouraged through Annual startup competitions with prize money, student business incubator, a technology incubator, advertising program to promote successful alumni entrepreneurs,

Higher Education Digest April 2020

internship and career fairs, to connect startups with students. “We provide an environment to the faculties and students to groom their new ideas innovatively and continuously. The IPR cell takes care of the students and faculties who want to register their innovative ideas under one roof by giving the training about IPR, its necessity, process to perform this”, adds Dr. Pravin.

Success in Industry begins in the classroom, where students must learn to be prepared for the ever-changing technological challenges they will face upon graduation.

Educational institutions must adapt themselves to the rapidly evolving work environment and ensure students have the theoretical and practical knowledge to meet the demands of a demanding workforce. Recognizing the tech skills gap, SBPCOE is making tie-up with industries and thereby, gain access to the tools, systems, and programs companies use in the market, helping institutions promote real-world education and have a road map that ensures the right disciplines are being taught to empower tomorrow’s engineers. “Preparing engineers to lead a workforce that is diligent and attentive, We are helping our students cope with the rapid advancements in technologies and devices and push the boundaries of communication further than ever before”, concludes Dr. Pravin.

In the outbreak of COVID- 19 every staff member of SBPCOE is conducting online lectures provided PPT of all subjects, Assignments, MCQ, guiding students for their seminar, project work, publication in journals and resolving the difficulties. This platform also helps the institute to keep students healthy by providing them exercise/motivational videos, articles and so on.

....In Pursuit of Academic Excellence MGM University

(Estd.by govt. of Maha. Act-xxvi of 2019) Aurangabad.

121 MGM Institute of health Sciences

( Deemed University, U/s 3 of UGC Act, 1956 ), Mumbai.

Higher Education Digest April 2020

SHRI GURU GOBIND SINGHJI INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY

WHERE EDUCATION MEETS INNOVATIVE 122

TECHNOLOGY

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he world is currently witnessing the fourth industrial revolution, better known as “Industry 4.0” where the ‘actual’ and the ‘virtual’ world are to be seamlessly connected. Industry 4.0 is focused on creating smart factories, smart industries, intelligent industries, and smart manufacturing. Giving rise to cyber-physical production systems with intelligence, Industry 4.0 has necessitated traditional manufacturing processes to undergo a huge transformation. This has led to a change in the way companies approach manufacturing and changed the requirement of skill set among the job seekers.

The skills which are important today will cease to be so in the future and the workforce will be expected to possess new skills in

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the domain of information technology, data analytics, machine vision, Internet of Things, and many more. A higher percentage of the jobs will give importance to cognitive abilities and system skills over physical abilities while defining core work-related skill sets.

It is very important to understand what changes Industry 4.0 will bring in the current manufacturing setup, what the new tasks that an employee would have to do will be, how it is going to be different from what he or she has been doing and what additional skills would be required to carry out those tasks successfully.

The role of Engineering Institutes, in particular, is to create manpower

Higher Education Digest March April 2020

Dr. Y.V. Joshi, Director Dr. Y. V. Joshi completed Bachelor of Electronics Engineering in 1986, Masters of Electronics Engineering

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in 1991 (both from SGGS Institute of Engineering and Technology, Vishnupuri, Nanded) and a Ph.D. in 1998 (from IIT, Delhi). He is member of IEEE, Fellow of Institution of Engineers (India), Fellow of IETE (India) and a life member of ISTE. Before joining as Director on 23-Apr-2018, he was working as Professor of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering at SGGS Institute of Engineering from July 2001. Prior to this he was Assistant Professor (1993 to 2001) and Lecturer (1986 to 1993) at the same department. His subjects of interest include Signals and systems, Digital Signal Processing, Adaptive Signal Processing, Modern Digital Design using Verilog, VLSI Design, and many more. Dr. Joshi has also worked as Director, Walchand College of Engineering, Sangli (a Govt aided institute) from 2009 to 2013. Dr. Joshi has so far guided 11 PhD candidates and more than 50 MTech dissertations. He published more than 40 International Journal papers and more than 50 National and international conference papers. He also visited countries like Singapore, Malaysia, Dubai, China, Hongkong, USA, UK for various academic collaborations and activities. He recently participated in LEAP programme of PMMMNMTT, MHRD at IIT Kharagpur and University of Cambridge.

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that takes initiatives and be proactive with good communication skills, Problem-solving aptitude, and risk-taking. “We are trying our best to evolve a mechanism to facilitate proactive students to take up higher-level challenges and solve problems, reactive students to become proactive and inactive to transform in proactive mode”, says Dr. Y. V. Joshi, Director of Shri Guru Gobind Singhji Institute of Engineering and Technology (SGGSIET).

With the motto, “Educating Human Power for Technological Excellence”, SGGSIET was Established by the Government of Maharashtra in 1981. In 2004, the institute was granted a fully autonomous status, which was extended twice. Recently, UGC has extended SGGSIET’s autonomous status up to 2021-22. Aiming to promote sustainable industrialization for developing appropriate technologies, SGGSIET

Central Computing Facility of the college has over 150 desktop machines and three Servers with the state of the art configuration to cater the need of software development and programming aims to disseminate knowledge by offering worldclass education and contributing to the national wealth through innovation.

Spread across 46 acres in Vishnupur, Nanded, SGGSIET eco-friendly green campus is equipped with very good infrastructure facilities and equipment for overall academic development. The institute also houses a Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship Cell (TIEC), to nurture the technical ideas and sharpen their minds towards entrepreneurship.

Providing smart classrooms, laboratories, housing facilities for the students and wi-fi all over the campus, SGGSIET aims to make their campus a safe haven for its students.

SGGSIET is one of the very few State Government aided Institutions in the state to attain the Autonomous State in 2004, which has also been extended up to 2021-22 by UGC. The institute is also accredited by NAAC with B++ grade (CGPA 2.91) in Feb 2020. “We are filing an appeal and are hopeful of getting the grade A with CGPA >3.0�, says Dr. Joshi.

With special facilities for research in the areas of cuttingedge technology, the institute has a strict academic principle and adheres to the academic calendar, which has resulted in a constant good placement record since 2014. Along with industry sponsored laboratories and centres, SGGSEIT also has a Research Symposium to nurture a research attitude and motivation for higher studies among students.

A Perfect Blend of Technology and Education Making students aware of what are the main opportunities/ risks for the use of Industry 4.0 technologies, students get

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to attend industry personnel expert talks to gain knowledge of the latest technology used by industry. SGGSIET conducts workshops and training programs under TEQIP/Center of Excellence, to enhance the technical abilities of their staff and students.

The institute also offers Summer Internship Programs to teach the students about the recent trends and technology requirements of the industry. These internship programs especially focus on “Idea to Product”, so that students become more product-oriented, instead of just theory or research. “Also, During the final year of B.Tech, the students can join any organization or company for 4-6 months as interns, whereas M.Tech students can intern for 1 year. This is a part of their project work that gives them a chance to work on live industry projects”, adds Dr. Joshi.

Starting a policy for Incubation for Startup, SGGSIET also promotes lateral incubation, where established organizations can open their R&D centers on campus. “We have introduced an innovative Engineering Exploration Laboratory in the curriculum of First Year to foster hunger to innovate and be creative. This has opened up the minds of young talent. They are participating in National events and winning prizes in the first year of engineering”, quips Dr. Joshi. The alumni of SGGSIET has its fair share of contribution in the development of the institute through SGGS Engineers’ Alumni Association. They conduct

SGGS Hostel life provides conducive atmosphere for the overall personality development of the students

training sessions along with contributing as adjunct faculty too. SGGSIET also conducts Skill/Personality Development Programs with an aim to develop the students professionally, personally, and socially.

The students and faculty of SGGSIET learn through MOOC portals like NPTEL, and SWAYAM, to encourage Virtual Interactive Learning Programs among them. The students are also allowed to enroll for NPTEL courses and exams, where the credits they earn in the course is considered equivalent to the course credits given by the institute. All the classrooms of SGGSIET are equipped with projectors, PA systems, the Internet, and Smart Boards are being used for this purpose. The campus is Wi-Fi enabled and has 1288 PCs with internet connectivity.

The computer laboratories are open for more than 16 hours for the students. “We have conducted 4 joint conferences and has organized 9 National and 3 International Conferences in the last 5 years,” says Dr. Joshi.

Higher Education Digest April 2020

Stepping into Industry 4.0 In the last few years, institute has signed MoUs with Industries, Industry Associations, Incubation Centers, and Universities/Institutes for various collaborative activities like Emerson EPASS laboratory, Atal Incubation CentreRambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini, John Deere India Pvt Ltd, Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology, Sandriver Technologies, Expert Global Solutions, and many more.

“We have also set up a Patent Cell where students and faculty members are encouraged to file patents of their intellectual property. We also organize workshops for them to make them aware of patenting and IPR”, adds Dr. Joshi SGGSIET has set up an “Innovation Laboratory”, a tinkering laboratory open for the students 24x7, where they are free to experiment. Along with this, the institute also has a “Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship Centre” (TIEC), where potential ideas are further experimented with a prototype and incubation. The whole process is monitored by a team of students and faculty members who are interested. To encourage innovation and creativity among students, SGGSIET identifies and appoints one expert coordinator – an entrepreneur and innovator in Nanded with more than 30 years of experience for the students to interact and take their insights on their projects.

“Going beyond research, the institute focuses on working together as a team for developing multi-disciplinary technical solutions and product design”, says Dr. Joshi The institute carries out many activities for students to encourage innovative thinking like Pragya, a National

Level Technical fest, Design Thinking Workshops, Smart India Hackathons, Robocons, Talks by Industry Experts, Workshops and Training Programs. As a result, the students have bagged many prizes and good results in various technical events. Dr. Joshi adds, “Our students also enroll and manage clubs like Robotics for Next Generation (RNXG), Institute’s Innovation Council (IIC), Voice Clubs, Bhaskaracharya Maths Club, MTrix, and Praveg.”

SGGSIET had also organized an international conference on Technological Advances in Climate-Smart Agriculture and Sustainability in collaboration with CUNY-CREST Institute, The City University of New York- USA, and Institute of Global Agriculture and Technology Transfer (IGATT), Colorado, USA. SGGSIET has MoUs with industry organizations and incubation centers like Nashik Industries Manufacturing Association (NIMA), Chamber of Marathwada Industries and Agriculture (CMIA), Marathwada Accelerator for Growth and Incubation Council (MAGIC), Atal Incubation Centre-Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini (AIC-RMP), Endress + Hauser Flowtec, SAI Technology USA, Theia New Consultancy LLP, Solace Cogen, John Deere Indi, LAURUS Infosystems, and Expert Global Solutions. “Many of our students, who have undergone these internships, have also got placed in big companies like Intel, TCS, Seagate, Cognizant, SocTronics, Sankalp Semiconductors, HCL, Raja Software Labs, Techprimelabs, and many more”, adds Dr. Joshi. Companies like SAI Technologies, Mentor Inc, Emerson Process Automation, Endress+Hauser have

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128 donated software, hardware and recruited our students in their organization.

Major recruiters like TATA Consultancy Services, Siemens, HCL, Reliance, Johnson Controls, Darkhorse Digital and many more, SGGSIET’s students get placed in well-known MNCs, which act as a steppingstone in their next phase of life. In the academic year 20182019, 252 students were recruited from SGGSIET from major MNCs. Promoting Student Development With introduction of 3-week induction programme on Universal Human Values (Jeevan Vidya) suggested by AICTE, SGGSIET has also started common courses like Business Analytics, Project Management, English for Technical Paper Writing, and Research Methodology at IPR and PG Level for all their branches. Along with reforms in Examination procedures and co-curricular activities, the institute is providing financial support for students who are presenting papers in recognised international conferences during their course in SGGSIET. More than 50 Experienced Adjunct faculty from Industries and academia supporting strengthening of academics etc, SGGSIET also has MoUs with Industry Associations like

Higher Education Digest April 2020

CMIA (MAGIC), Aurangabad and NIMA, Nashik for project internships and incubation.

Paving the road ahead SGGSIET is all prepped to face the technological advances in the coming times. With an aim to develop skilled manpower in the developing era of Industry 4.0, SGGSIET is going to develop its Robot Training Centre with the District Administration’s support. More than 1 crore has been sanctioned to set up an advanced robot training center under a special scheme of innovative projects. Building a space required for incubation, the institute is planning to allocate more space for imparting co-curricular and extracurricular activities on campus by the end of 2020.

The institute is also planning to start liberal learning courses in the areas of student’s interest, along with reducing the credit requirement as per ABET guidelines in the coming academic years. Planning to inculcate project-based learning in many courses to promote kinesthetic learners, Dr. Joshi concludes, “Our students graduate with sound technical knowledge. Our institute shapes our innovative students to become sincere, honest, ethical and hardworking engineering with unmatchable communication and soft skills.”

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Higher Education Digest April 2020

INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE

Robotic Labs to Make Students Job-Ready in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

By Venkata Dinesh P, Associate Product Manager, Next Education India

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oday, in the age of the fourth industrial revolution, most of the innovative technologies cater to the field of computer science. Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT) and blockchain have been recognized as the most transformative technologies which will not only affect the workplace but also our way of life. In this fast-growing environment, people need to evolve equally fast. Thus, skills like computer fluency, adaptability to change, problem-solving skills and high EQ have become essential for success.

Realizing the need to keep up with the demands of the tech world and make the students ready to take on a future where robots are expected to become a part of life, schools are taking extra efforts and incorporating subjects such as coding and robotics in their curriculum.

While schools are gradually turning into hubs of innovation, the attitude and skills of learners need to be like the innovators of tomorrow and facilitators need suitable tools to harness those skills.

Robotics, the learning stimulator Many governments across the globe have already recognized the importance of robotics in the classroom. Thus, the global education system has begun to create programmes and laws to incorporate them into the public education system. The idea behind such actions is not only teaching students the basics of robotics but also opening a whole new world of exciting opportunities for them that they would not have access to otherwise.

Robots are hugely popular among children. According to reports, in the year 2018, four out of the 20 bestselling toys on Amazon shopping website were robots, robotics kits and electronic circuitry kits. So it should come as no surprise if the K–12 education sector incorporates robotics in the curriculum to pique students’ interest in science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics.

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Children these days find robots intriguing

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Venkata Dinesh P

Dinesh has 9 years of experience in the Education Industry. He holds a Masters degree in Computer Systems Engineering from London and a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. His passion is to build user experience products and likes to explore Artificial Intelligence in education.

Higher Education Digest April 2020

According to ‘Markets and markets’, schools spent $164.5 million on robotics products and curricula in 2018 and this figure is expected to grow annually by 28%, reaching $640.5 million by 2023. So, it is clear that the significance of robotics is growing in the global academic sphere.

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Demand for robotics in education As the post-millennial generations are more exposed to different technological devices from a tender age, they tend to be extremely inquisitive about technology and computational discoveries. So, if learners are introduced to the basics of robotics and programming languages from an early age, it can help to stimulate their creativity and satisfy their curiosity.

Children these days find robots intriguing. The movements of a robot, the method of controlling the movements as well as the whole programming behind running a robot are the significant areas where learners pay undivided attention. In a workshop organised by Next Education India Private Limited, which was solely about robotics, students from different age groups were introduced to two robots named MeeBo and PyBo. Their excitement was evident when they saw MeeBo move. They were eager to learn the programming behind those movements and gradually learnt it.

Benefits of introducing robotics in the curriculum Robotics labs benefit students hugely and prepare them for a prospective AI future. It hones multiple skills among students. They are: • 21st-Century Skills Robotics labs hone 21st-century skills of critical thinking, creativity, collaboration and communication skills among learners through different activities.

• Perseverance Creating and programming robots is challenging.

Working through complicated situations helps students develop a strong and determined attitude which is crucial for any technological or scientific activity.

• Teamwork Robotics incorporates a range of skills, and thus promotes a learning environment for people with different talents. If properly harnessed, it promotes collaboration.

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• Interdisciplinary Learning Robotics labs provide students with an opportunity to learn programming in a tangible way. Robots can be integrated with other STEM subjects, thus making the course of learning interdisciplinary in nature.

• Application of Knowledge When students program physical robots, it becomes easier for them to understand the intricacies and capabilities of robots. They learn the skills needed to create precise and accurate instructions and also have fun doing so.

Robotics in India Though robotics is being deployed in academics globally, the situation in India is quite different. Our country is at a nascent stage in terms of embracing technology. According to a global report, there are only three robots per 10,000 employees in India, which is not enough to support the country’s industrial growth.

To change this scenario and foster creativity, curiosity and imagination in young students, the Government of India has established Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs) in schools across the country. ATL aims to inculcate such skills in students as design mindset, computational thinking, adaptive learning and physical computing. Under this initiative, students gain exposure by working with tools and equipment to understand the concepts of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and participate in hands-on activities pertaining to science, electronics, robotics, sensors, computers, etc.

Incorporating robotics in the K–12 curriculum allows students to understand the STEM subjects and concepts better, thereby building a strong foundation for learning and making them future-ready in the age of AI. The rapid advancement of technologies such as AI, machine learning and robotics has impacted several industries along with the education sector. A recent report by IBM and Burning Glass has shown that the opportunities for data and analytics skills will increase by 364,000 to 2,720,000 in 2020. This means that the demand for AI-skilled workers is growing rapidly. The scenario of robotics is no different. The time is not far when robots will be a part of our daily life, solving complex problems. However, creating those robots requires human intelligence. People well versed with programming and technical skills are required to design robots to transform the future. So, it is imperative to introduce Robotics labs to the students of today.

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VIDYAVARDHAKA COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

AN AUTONOMOUS COLLEGE OF 134

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idyavardhaka College of Engineering (VVCE), Mysuru, popularly referred as VVCE, is one of the prestigious engineering colleges established in 1997

by Vidyavardhaka Sangha, Mysore which was established in 1949 by great visionaries viz., Sri K Puttaswamy and Sri Sahukar Channaiah. VVCE has grown in leaps and bounds since its inception. VVCE has achieved a distinction as one of the best technical and management education centers in Karnataka. VVCE is affiliated to Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU), Belagavi with autonomous status from academic year 2020-21, Approved by AICTE, New Delhi and recognized by Government of Karnataka.

VVCE functions through its Board of Governors constituted as per

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AICTE guidelines. The college is situated in the western part of the Heritage city of Mysuru, on an elevated sprawling campus of 23 acres.

The Institute has been accredited by National Assessment & Accreditation Council (NAAC) with an ‘A’ Grade and by National Board of Accreditation (NBA), New Delhi. Also, the Institute has Silver rating by QS – I Guage which speaks volumes about the quality of education VVCE provides to its students. The college has an annual intake of 780 students for undergraduate courses in 6 disciplines, viz., Electronics & Communication Engineering, Computer Science & Engineering, Mechanical

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Engineering, Information Science & Engineering, Electrical & Electronics Engineering and Civil Engineering. Further, a new course - Computer Science & Engineering in AI & ML with an additional intake of 60 students is being introduced from the academic year 2020 – 21. Besides the seven UG courses, VVCE offers the following three Post graduate programs viz., Master of Business Administration (MBA), M.Tech in Machine Design and M.Tech in Computer Science & Engineering. In addition, VVCE has set up research centers in 9 departments to promote research activities in frontier areas and to offer M.Sc (Engineering) by research and doctoral programs.

The growth of any educational institute depends on the quality of Faculty and Infrastructure. VVCE is blessed with excellent infrastructure and well qualified, experienced and committed faculty members who have great passion towards their profession. VVCE provides a highly conducive teaching

VVCE has excellent infrastructure coupled with qualified and passionate faculty team to provide a perfect learning ambiance

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and learning environment. The learning environment includes technical seminars, group projects, monthly distinguished lectures, industry visits, entrepreneurial trainings, group discussions, technical fests, project exhibitions besides conventional teaching.

Industry academia advisory board has been constituted to guide each program to move in the right direction to achieve vision of the Institution and to collaborate with industry for mutual benefits. VVCE has seen many milestones heralding all round development of the College. Each classroom is fitted with LCD projectors and CCTV surveillance. Lecture capture provision is provided in all classrooms for overall improvement of faculty as well as sharing of lecture videos to students for better understanding. VVCE has set up VVCE TBI [Technology Business Incubation] department to provide incubating facility for budding engineers under the guidance and support from industry and consultant. VVCE received many prestigious awards including the Excellent Engineering College under VTU for 2016. VVCE has several studentled clubs for holistic personality development of every

student, more than 20 clubs are being run by students in the campus. The training and placement department prepares students to be Industry ready. As a testimony, the placements of our students in reputed companies have been increasing year-on-year with a highest placement offer of Rs. 14.5 lakhs per annum.

VVCE students bagged 10 University ranks with 4 gold medals in core disciplines in AY 2018-19. Faculty members and students of CSE, ISE, ECE depts. recently conducted national level hackathon events in the campus in which VVCE team won the first place with cash prize and goodies from Industry sponsors. Mechanical Engineering dept. conducted an International conference on recent trends in Mechanical Engineering & Management. The University Innovation Fellows program with Stanford University, USA has been started for the benefit of our students and faculty members.

Thus, VVCE continues to innovate itself to be relevant and up to date to continue to be a leading institute in technical and management education in Karnataka, India.

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GLOBAL EDUCATION INSIGHTS

What it Takes to be a ResearchIntensive University Ronan Hodson, Regional Manager for South Asia and Sub- Saharan Africa, Trinity College Dublin

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igher education in India is generally very good, and Indian students are widely acknowledged as being talented and hardworking. It was two main challenges. Firstly, there are too few institutions to provide the number of college places the country needs. The second challenge is around generic skills and employability – something we take very seriously at Trinity College Dublin.

Feedback from academics, both in India and internationally, as well as from employers, is that while graduates of Indian institutions are technically strong, they often fall when it comes to “soft skills”, such as communication, teamwork and leadership. It is crucial that graduates acquire these skills at university. There are ways to develop soft skills through formal curricula, using modern teaching methodologies emphasizing teamwork, self-directed learning and research. But just as effective is informal learning through extra- and co-curricular activity.

Universities must ensure students have the facilities, but also the time and energy to organize their own activity outside of the lab and lecture hall. Whether it’s sport, art, debate, charity or whatever, student-led activity provides opportunities for graduates to develop as individuals, as citizens and as professionals, while providing stress relief, social connection and, most importantly of all, fun.

For many years now, Trinity College Dublin has striven to make our graduates “global citizens”. This includes the hope that they will be conscientious and open-minded in all aspects of their lives, but of course also means that our graduates should be able to adapt to work

Higher Education Digest April 2020

Trinity College Dublin has striven to make our graduates ‘global citizens’

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Ronan Hodson

Ronan Hodson is the Trinity’s Regional Manager for South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. He is a graduate of Trinity with a bachelor’s degree in Experimental Physics and a master’s by research in NanoPhysics. Ronan has been with Trinity’s Office of Global Relations since its formation in 2012, working primarily on student recruitment from India, South East Asia and the Middle East. He is deeply involved in the extra-curricular life of the University and works extensively with Trinity’s rich community of student societies.

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At Trinity, if you come to study any discipline, we can guarantee that you will be taught by some of our most prominent research professors in that area, who will be among the leaders of their fields internationally

cultures and professional environments in any global context. One of the best ways of achieving this is for students to avail of transnational education opportunities and student mobility.

Currently, 30 percent of Trinity students spend a part of their degree in a university outside of Ireland, and we aim to increase this to 50 percent in the next few years.

Being at the Forefront of Research Put simply, all academic staff at Trinity teach. This is not the case in all high-ranking universities, where often the senior academics only engage in research, while the education of undergraduates and masters students is left to “teaching staff”. At Trinity, if you come to study any discipline, we can guarantee that you will be taught by some of

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our most prominent research professors in that area, who will be among the leaders of their fields internationally.

In addition, all Trinity students will engage in their own research. All taught programmes include a Capstone Project, which usually takes from 4 to 6 months of the programme, during which students are individually supervised by a professor while undertaking a major research project leading to a thesis. This guarantees that our graduates are capable of managing and completing a substantial, complex academic project, and that they gain experience in highlevel, cutting-edge research.

Offering a Smooth Transition Students are understandably nervous about moving to an unfamiliar city for an extended period. It is a brave thing to do, and at Trinity we appreciate that. Trinity is lucky to be in the heart of Dublin, capital city of one of the safest countries in the world. Dublin is also ranked as one of the friendliest cities in the world. Many, many Indian students have told me how the warm attitude of Irish people made the challenging transition to life in a new city more comfortable.

In addition to this, Trinity has a range of professional support services in place to ensure that our international students take the maximum benefit from their time in Ireland. Combined with an unparalleled, vibrant community of studentled extra-curricular organizations – including a huge and highly energetic Indian Society – the experience is generally very positive, and often life-changing.

My Advice to the Indian Students Find the course that suits you best. Many institutions offer similar courses, but there will be subtle differences that may change your experience of the programme or the career outcomes after graduation. There will always be staff, either international office staff or academic staff, who will be able to explain in detail what the course offers.

Make sure you choose a university with a strong, varied extra-curricular community.

Look at its student societies and sports clubs, its student politics and publications. If it looks like the campus is a fun place to be, that’s a very good sign. (As told to the Editor)

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XAVIER INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING

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ecent history has made exponential leaps, and what was recently postmodern appears now to be ancient, and the digital advances, to tackle problems in any scientific field, are so quick and broad that they make institutions, like Xavier Institute of Engineering (XIE), nervous about the future. The resultant uneasiness is accompanied by demographic, cultural, economic, and political changes, too many to mention; the world no longer seen as a spread of continents but as a global village. But, though XIE finds it difficult to keep up with the developments, it is very confident about the future, for it is well moored in the past. It is embedded in the Jesuit traditions that sprang up in the early 16th century, and towards the end of it they were already known as the “School Masters of Europe.� They founded elitist schools and universities in European capitals and major cities,

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like the College Louis-Le-Grand in Paris which counted among its students: Moliere, Voltaire, Marquis de Sade, Robespierre, Diderot, Baudelaire and Victor Hugo.

The Jesuits in India, till very recently, just like other non-Governmental educationists, were limited to schools and University Colleges of Arts and Sciences, due to the stranglehold of the Government on higher educations. In other countries the Jesuits in their universities catered to almost all academic subjects, with degrees ranging from baccalaureates to doctorates, and these from astrophysics to seismology. As elsewhere, the Indian Jesuits were quick to discern the times,

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and make opportunities to benefit the people, mainly because trade, manufacture, and money supply had much improved in the country. Their motto, AMDG (Latin acronym: “for the greater glory of God”) challenged them to enter new fields of higher education, and they could do that with confidence after the Manmohan Singh year. Greater freedom in management and better financial practices allowed for better security, better quality in the Arts and Science programmes, and even a plunge into Engineering.

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XIE: The Sprouting of the Seed What we have to appreciate is the multiplicity of factors that have driven institutions like XIE to stride over from the Industrial Age to the Information Age in which, as before, the basic skills and knowledge are in language, mathematics, physical and social sciences, but now must also include Electronics and Computer engineering. In these times nearly all business is conducted in terms scarcely understood by most people: app, web, portal, podcast, virtual, cloud, Augmented and Virtual realities, IoT, AI. Indispensable, therefore, is computer literacy. How is it that in India, what was already well simmering in the mid-’70s and came to the boil in the ’90s, took so long to be felt by, for example, St Xavier’s College, Mumbai, that, later, gave birth to XIE? In 1937 XIE started off, unbelievably, as a Technical Institute for Radio and Cinema (X-Tech) on its premises. Soon after WW II, with the gradual diminishing of colonial power, and the need to facilitate

Higher Education Digest April 2020

Inaugrating XIE GAIT Lab, which is sponsored by Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Engineering Center, Marquette University USA

out to the poor, the marginalized, and those who live at the periphery; all of these were left out of consideration for entry into the elite professions like the medical, law, and engineering. What was unimaginable barely 15 years ago, when the stress was on education in the local language even for the rich, was the sudden clamor for education in English, not only from the moneyed class, but even from the poor villagers who saw no future for their children, unless they were competent in English and computers in order to get jobs in local factories and offices. Many naturally talented students found it very difficult to get into industrial and financial institutions for lack of higher education, and it was their need that forced the XIE authorities to cater to the needs of the economically deprived students. The poorer students of X-Tech, for instance, who had grades equal to or even better than the others, were entitled to proceed to the second year of engineering for a BE degree, but could not because of the lack of funds. It was the goading of inspiration coming from the zeal of those who founded X-Tech that motivated them to launch a regular Engineering College on the campus so that Faith could actually be practiced with Justice. trade, the Technical Institute was called upon by maritime interests to set up courses especially for radio officers. The increasing demands for them made it transfer to a larger property in Mahim, Mumbai, in the late ’60s, where it settled down nicely, only to be unsettled by the digital revolution.

In all fields, not only maritime, computers and electronics could not be evaded, and the Technical Institute which, to extend itself, had to cut itself off from most of its original roots, had become what it now is, XIE. It is affiliated to Mumbai University, approved by the All India Council for Technical Education, and recognized by the Directorate of Technical Education; it grants Bachelor Degrees in Electronics & Telecommunications, Information Technology and Computer Engineering; and to keep itself updated it cannot but provide courses or develop skills in the specialties of Python, Block Chain Technology, Big Data Hadoop, Embedded Systems, IoE, and AI. XIE is only being gently but effectively moved by its vision or goal: to attain “the joy of excellence in the world of high technology,” and the hopes that it now has for the future are not likely to be disappointed.

Indian Jesuits are nationalists and patriotic, but their roots are also universal, and they are much influenced by what their brethren in other parts of the world think and do. Their motto is now “Faith that does Justice,” which stresses reaching

The Seed Planted Wide The words in the maxim, “doing Faith through Justice,” when applied to conditions in Mumbai, are given body by XIE which wants the poor to be taken to a higher standard of living, and it has accomplished what was expected, and in ways that were certainly novel. XIE is involved with the University of Sanata Dharma, Indonesia, in setting up windmills with a new technology to enable coastal villages to have day-long power. XIE has collaborated with Marquette University, USA, to set up a Gait Lab in its premises for gait analysis of children affected by cerebral palsy and

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146 Xavier Institute of Engineering receiving Education Leadership Award from ABP News Network

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club foot. In collaboration with some European Jesuit institutions XIE is working on solar energy and power devices. Environmental cogency has impelled many XIE students to take up engineering projects related to solar-energy, bio-gas, wind mills, water management, drip irrigation, and soil erosion prevention. Because of these projects the students do not require to be lectured to about the environmental problems of the world.

XIE is affiliated to International Association of Jesuit Engineering Schools who’s Deans or Directors meet to dialogue and exchange news of technological developments. XIE has the good fortune of having a good rapport between staff and students, and the ratio between them is 1:15. The capacious classrooms are allowed to contain no more than 65 students each, and the laboratories have state of the art equipment.

It has an excellent Library, and a Centre of Excellence which also fosters entrepreneurial cells. Xavier Centre for Advanced Learning (XCAL) is grooming the future Civil Servants of our country. Xavier Centre of Excellence is to train the students in Industry 4.0 which is committed to AI, Augmented and Virtual Reality, and IoT. Outside professionals are invited to conduct special courses on the latest technologies.

XIE has 875 engineering students with three branches to choose from: Computer Engineering, Information Technology, Electronics & Telecommunications. The Management and faculty meet often to share experiences and to advance networking. There are, therefore, efforts to have common contents for orientation programmes and for regular classroom curricula. There are also Staff and student exchanges for workshops and seminars, combined training for Staff, and collaboration for students’ internship and placement programmes.

There is now a special partnership fostered with the School of Engineering of the Santa Clara University in California, USA. Some have already come over from there to conduct small workshops on robotics, microcontrollers and embedded systems.

The chief goal of XIE is to provide quality education in IT, Computers, Electronics, engineering.

But it would fail in its mission if it were not absorbed by students required to be wholesome beings, able to relate easily to what is transcendental or divine and to whatever is human in all its intriguing variety and complexity. “Educating the Whole Person’ is the Jesuit motto of education. From the very beginning the purpose was not only to train minds and fill them with information, but also direct them to a high idealism, sharpening minds to do away with superstitions and

religious fundamentalism, and bringing to realization that the divine is attained by taking care of nature and of everything that is human. It can be said that XIE is driven by the 4 Cs: Competence, Conscience, Commitment, and Compassion. Groups of students go regularly to use or share their skills with children in rural Ashram schools.

For personal development three festivals are organized every year: Transmission for technical achievements, Spandan for cultural expressions, and SparX for sporting activities, and all these are also patronized by non-XIE engineering students. Besides, XIE hosts workshops and seminars on sustainability, produces TEDx talks, has Mock UN deliberations, and also has Summer Programmes at ICAM (France) and Sophia University, Japan. It is no wonder that a beeline to recruit XIE students is made by Industries and Corporations like Reliance JIO, L&T Infotech, Capgemini, Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services, Accenture, Cognizant, Mahindra Tech, and NSEIT. And XIE alumni have set up their own companies like E-nexus, GDIZ, Oreon Web Solutions, Scintillate, Bytes, Qubelinks, and Tejas Cyber Solutions.

The Harvest Of particular pride is that high science is brought down to serve common people in need of medical and other help. Holy Family Hospital in Bandra required XIE to equip it with the necessary software for the efficient running of their medical facilities. XIE also provided iTV goggles for the Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research, and Education in Cancer (ACTREC) in Kharghar, Navi Mumbai; with them patients can now read their own breathing levels while undergoing radiation therapy. It also setup a FM station which uses 87.4 MHz for children’s benefit in Dharavi, Asia’s biggest slum. The crème de la crème of XIE’s attempts to be of service to people is the Gait Lab, which is a collaborative effort with Dr Gerald Harris, the Director of Orthopaedic Rehabilitation Engineering Centre, Marquette University. It was to be expected that it would be attached to a hospital or medical college but, because of the engineering involved and the meeting

together of doctors, engineers, and physiotherapists, it was made to have its home on the XIE campus.

Analysis is done on gait movements in children affected by cerebral palsydiplegia, hemiphlegia, neuro-muscular deficiency, osteogensisimperfecta, idiopathic in-toeing, and club foot. Analysis has already been done for over seventy children with these deformities, and it and the treatment is absolutely free for low income families.

These attempts to use high technology for those in dire need are much in keeping with XIE’s philosophy that more can be done for God only by doing more for human beings. And because of the speed of new developments, there has to be always, what Italians would call, an aggiornamento, a constant updating. XIE is the only engineering college in India to have a gait lab.

XIE promotes sustainability. The entire XIE is run on solar power and it has invited Dr. Yohanes Lukiyanto of Sanata Dharma University, to conduct a workshop on windmills. It is to be noted that XIE received Green Mission Award from ONP Solar Pvt Ltd for the two consecutive years, 2019 and 2020.

Of late, XIE and St Xavier’s College are jointly responsible for XCAL to train students holistically, not merely academically, and to foster their natural instinct for social outreach and for nation building.

XCAL has been set up to provide what is lacking. It is bound to have success, like preventing “brain-drain” from the country and making it economically sound and socially empowering. Among other things, XCAL will do research and conduct seminars on Software Ethics, Blockchain Technology and Data Analytics. To make the students street smart, quick and sure in decision making, XCAL will also use a “brain-gym” that does brain exercises through puzzles and quizzes, and solving problems of mathematics, logic, and plain human life.

It does not matter if time is linear or circular for, as in the past, XIE has comfortably moved along in either, for its tradition is founded on rock, and its future is guided by the spirit that moved its original founders, one that finds the divine in all things, and lives and labours for the common good.

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INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE

How to Maintain a Balance While Preparing for Boards and Entrance Exams?

by Vivek Jain, Chief Business Officer, Shiksha.com

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his time of the year is full of anxiety and pressure for most of the students in the country. For 12th class students, the stress of the coming board examinations along with entrance tests always keeps them on an edge. However, during moments of pressure, students require calmness of mind. Timely planning, guidance from parents and teachers, can help the millennials determine how fruitful life they would live in the coming years.

How different are Board exams and competitive tests?

Managing studies of both board exams and competitive tests is undeniably a challenging task as the difficulty level and depth of the syllabus of the two sets of exams are quite different. Hence, there is a need to balance preparation for both and handle the heaviness and apprehension that students experience from them.

Board examinations are set keeping in mind the capability of an average student following a defined syllabus and books. However, competitive exams focus on identifying the best and test the acumen of a student with intricate and tricky questions. Entrance tests check the logical aptitude and reasoning capability of the students and train them in a healthy competitive spirit to pursue top colleges across the country.

Planning strategies to ace both exam level Prepare a regular timetable and a systematic revision plan since the beginning. The timetable and revision plan should be formulated in a way that the coursework for both exams is covered with an equal focus on theory and practical. Apart from studies, it is also important that students take time for relaxation and other activities. This is not a wastage of time, rather improves memory power and boosts accuracy.

Begin with mock analysis as soon as the syllabus is over. These self-evaluations will identify topics taking the maximum and least time

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Everybody has a unique style of learning and should focus on what is best for them

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Vivek Jain

Vivek Jain, Chief Business Officer, Shiksha.com and Naukri FastForward, is an MBA in Finance & Marketing from IIM, Bangalore and a B.Tech in Electrical Engineering from IIT, Delhi.

Proven leader in the online space, Vivek is spearheading Team Shiksha towards the next phase of growth and profitability, with an aim to make it the default platform for prospective students to research and decide about careers and colleges related to higher education in India or abroad.

Higher Education Digest April 2020

The timetable and revision plan should be formulated in a way that the coursework for both exams is covered with an equal focus on theory and practical

Vivek Jain

150 and will also help find out areas where considering the question is more important than framing the answer.

Aspiring students should also map the topics that are common to both the board and entrance exams and solve them first. This will cover the syllabus faster and result in positive outcomes from both the exams when time is really short. Also, try to read through chapters that will be covered in class and coaching institutes before they begin with it.Plenty of time should be dedicated to practicing and revising the weaker sections of every subject, learning and rectifying from the mistakes arising during assessments.

Remaining focused after boards is essential. If a student becomes relaxed after board exams and loses motivation to carry on, it may impact performance in the competitive tests. Very long breaks after boards can affect efficiency and to bring back the flow and concentration level to the same degree. Even though you go for breaks, keep pushing the limit once the study regime resumes.

Tips to deal with ups and downs Plan preparation techniques that are personally suitable.

Avoid following the bandwagon blindly by comparing yourself with classmates. Everybody has a unique style

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of learning and should focus on what is best for them.

Some students prefer to take up questions or topics that they find hardest first and solve the easy ones in the end.

This can help boost confidence and accuracy.

Students should prioritize their objectives.

Understand what your goal is- whether boards or entrance exams or both; and start putting effort in that manner.

Once it is clear, a lot of time is saved with better planning and execution. Focus on how to solve any problem rather than what type of questions will be given. Solve question banks to understand the pattern of the paper and how to attempt it. Numerous practice sessions help scoring well in the final exam.

Concentrate on the quality of preparation. Hours only count when it brings results. It is not crucial to know for how long a student had studied, but how much effort could be churned out from those hours. It is also advisable that appearing candidates must maintain calmness as much as possible. Avoid any last-minute new topic study or studying the whole night before the exam.

A proper sleeping pattern of at least four to six hours and activities such as yoga and meditation will boost health. Balance of mind and body can improve the overall performance of students manifold.

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