Principal Forum
The session commenced at 10am, the master of ceremony was Dr Ashwini, by welcoming the Chief Guests and the execom members of IEEE. In order to start the session on a good note, we seeked the blessings of the Almighty through an invocation song followed by the lighting of the lamp by all dignitaries. Dr Aloknath De, Chair of IEEE Bangalore section welcomed the gathering. In his speech he mentioned that the event was not a conference but a top-notch gathering to discuss, deliberate on various topics regarding NEP and bring people together as one big family. This was the premiere addition and hopefully wish to continue by organising such events in order to change and improvise the alignment of the way events and activities are being conducted. IEEE Bangalore section is the 3rd largest, after Kerala and Beijing with 3,500 professionals, and 9,500 students in total who have always strived to be the best impact on people and have the quality. He says that Bangalore to him is “New India’s world valley”. This is the 46th year of the IEEE Bangalore section, and by the 50th year he us to be the most sustainable section. We have 45 technical societies ranging from communications, power electronics, robotics etc. We also celebrate non-technical events such as Environment Day, Women in Engineering etc to encourage more participation. To recapitulate he mentioned four important points:
Institutional Growth for the colleges
Students’ aspirations and career
Purpose of contribution as IEEE members
Channelise NEP activities by recognising them
The session commenced at 10am, the master of ceremony was Dr Ashwini, by welcoming the Chief Guests and the execom members of IEEE. In order to start the session on a good note, we seeked the blessings of the Almighty through an invocation song followed by the lighting of the lamp by all dignitaries. Dr Aloknath De, Chair of IEEE Bangalore section welcomed the gathering. In his speech he mentioned that the event was not a conference but a top-notch gathering to discuss, deliberate on various topics regarding NEP and bring people together as one big family. This was the premiere addition and hopefully wish to continue by organising such events in order to change and improvise the alignment of the way events and activities are being conducted. IEEE Bangalore section is the 3rd largest, after Kerala and Beijing with 3,500 professionals, and 9,500 students in total who have always strived to be the best impact on people and have the quality. He says that Bangalore to him is “New India’s world valley”. This is the 46th year of the IEEE Bangalore section, and by the 50th year he us to be the most sustainable section. We have 45 technical societies ranging from communications, power electronics, robotics etc. We also celebrate non-technical events such as Environment Day, Women in Engineering etc to encourage more participation. To recapitulate he mentioned four important points:
Institutional Growth for the colleges
Students’ aspirations and career
Purpose of contribution as IEEE members
Channelise NEP activities by recognising them
Anil Joseph Pinto, registrar of Christ university was invited to address the gathering. By bringing the Vice Chancellors, Principals and students of different institutions along with numerous industrialists it hints at a new curve India is taking with respect to education and as a society. He gave a brief introduction of Christ university by starting with its rich history, various courses being offered in different campuses which are spread across the country. The Engineering college was started in the year 2009 which is well-placed in the industry. He wishes that the efforts each member puts in bears good fruit and comes in fusion of all the years to come.
The main highlight of the session was-Deliberation of diverse perceptive on NEP and the role of IEEE in catalysing its implementation.
Panel 1 TOPIC- How do we recognise IEEE student branch activities through NEP 2020 adoption in academic institutes.
MODERATOR- Dr Suresh Jangamshetti
PANELISTS:
Prof. KK Raina, VC of MS Ramaiah University Applied sciences, Bangalore
Dr SY Kulkarni, Additional director in ECE, BNMIT, Bangalore
Dr N Kannan, Principal of Oxford College of engineering
Dr HB Balakrishna, Dean of Bangalore institute of technology
The moderator started by delivering an introductory speech and by welcoming all the panellists. IEEE has a vision and mission statement that is rendered to the interests of the community. Different societies consisting of core committee professionals that focuses on improving the technology and also publishing of journals, research papers, magazines and articles. The root of the different course are the basic knowledge sharing that happens in our classrooms which are latest, recent and fully equipped with quality faculty members. Technical skill which is enhanced in the laboratories and Analytical and Logical thinking which comes from design problems and internship. Project management- Minor & Major projects and organisational skills. All of the above are the core characteristics of an engineer. As part of the course if students visited rural places and discover the real problems faced by the people there and also come up with corresponding solutions rather than visiting an NGO simply to get a certificate ought to be avoided.
Questions posed to panel members by Dr Suresh:
#1 Does professional membership impact Teaching-learning activity of faculty members?
#2 Will participation in technical activities of IEEE enhance the quality of student projects?
#3 Accreditation bodies give weightage to professional societies. Do you agree?
#4 Professional membership is value addition to faculty and student career?
#5 Industry interaction is vital for technical education. Do you agree?
Prof. KK Raina-
As students we have always had an urge to publish in IEEE and gain recognition amongst the prestigious learners who create knowledge for others. The objective of individual societies is not only enhancing the membership but to also become better members of society and attain professional background. As a teacher reading various articles that are published in the website gives an impact fullness to the reader with the change in technology which can be shared with the students and thus create a great influence and learning atmosphere. Everything in Academia revolves around 2 major components i.e Teacher and the student. The role of the corporate workers is to bring the thought process to the society whereas as teachers we create human resource for them. We see many people remarking that 94% of graduate engineers are without a job, this can be refined by providing the holistic knowledge and by giving opportunities though IEEE in order to gain experience from platform interaction. I t is our duty as faculty members to keep count of the students who are part of different societies and to encourage others to enrol in the same in order to harness the best out of it.
Dr SY Kulkarni-
An important aspect of NEP is to enhance the gross enrolment ratio (GR) which is currently around 27% and to improvise it to 50% or greater by 2035. Higher education should be made more interesting, useful and career-oriented with the help of professional bodies and networks by providing and adding information in strengthening and making it more resourceful to encourage students to opt for the same. For instance, if a student is interested in a specific field, he can subscribe for that particular society’s membership and gain expertise within a short span of time. As an institution it is essential to bridge the gap between the students and the industrialists which is possible through the professional networks. Every student has to be a member of any society which should be a mandate because it deals with professional programmes where knowledge and experience sharing takes place. Taking higher education to different levels and adding dimension is possible by incorporating professional bodies in our education system. Compared to other countries, the professional bodies in India are yet to reach a level wherein they too can be involved in assessing and accrediting institutions. For example: IEEE being an institute of engineers can be very useful in doing so.
Dr HB Balakrishna:
We teach fundamentals of education and not the practical applications as to where to implement it.
Internship should be done in association with the industry wherein appropriate training is given. In order for the student to be a good engineer few components should be discovered which is to be inculcated in the Teaching-Learning process. Through direct and indirect attainments, a student’s capability can be evaluated and correct guidance can be practised. We should compel students to improve their resume by participating in club/professional activities, paper presentations which clearly identifies the areas of interest and can help them enhance in that field. Industry interaction is vital for technical education either for a student or a professor only then can we be in par with the recent developments. In order to improve the universal human values, NEP is being implanted to encourage the values in graduate engineers regarding their practices, ethics etc.
Dr N Kannan-
Yes, it’s definitely beneficial for students and teachers by being members of professional societies. By attending such forums, it helps in being aware of the global competition and be equipped with necessary qualities. Unlike older times we have multidisciplinary activities being conducted i.e project competitions. For example, In the oxford college of engineering 2 devices were designed. First being the bite-force device, which was designed in collaboration with the dental college and the other one being the Palm-device which checks the pressure of the palm in collaboration with the students from physiotherapy. Thus, participation in technical activities of IEEE enhance the quality of student projects. By publishing articles/research papers in IEEE, you become aware of the global standard and also receive constructional criticism which helps you to meet the expectations of the industries.
Questions:
Dr Aloknath De – How to recognise activities such as NCC, NSS etc and to convert into a point system which the AICTE has permitted which can be assessed in terms of grades and not the CGPA?
Prof. KK Raina:
We are very flexible system as of now, an important factor that NEP advocates. It is a good intention for students especially who are average in studies to acquire more weightage to his resume. Marks make a difference but it is a pulling force whereas the professional competencies should also be nurtured in these societies.
Dr SY Kulkarni:
It is a good idea considering the recent curriculum revision most of the autonomous colleges have made a provision of 10-12 credits other than the regular courses to bring in the self-study component into the system students are encouraged to take up various online courses as part of self-study and to prepare them for life-long learning. The recent addition to the curriculum is that if the students are able to publish in the IEEE conferences, they get credits for that as well provided the papers/articles should have relevance to the society and deal with environment.
Gautham, Student from MIT Bangalore – There is a decline of interest in core engineering branches, how would the latest developments in IEEE or other professional bodies help raise the interest of students in taking up such courses rather than opting it as a minor/open elective courses?
Dr HB Balakrishna- It is already present in the current education system. A student from one particular course can choose from other course for their internships or combined projects, it is not a mandate that he/she should choose from the same. The only issue is the respective faculty need assistance, skill development, appropriate training and then implementation can take place.
Dr SY Kulkarni- The only thing lacking is the curriculum done in these courses is not being presented to the outside world and most of the student are unaware of this. In another 2 years the glory of the core engineering course such as Civil, Mechanical, Electrical etc is going to shoot, provided restructuring of the programmes are required. The future of engineering is going to be multidisciplinary so that each student has the nuances of different subjects.
Dr Madhukar- The line of communication with students is quite poor, students are often unaware of their responsibilities. The solution to this is to create awareness about the programmes and to be part of different societies.
Dr Suresh : At Basaveshwar College of engineering, Bagalkot with the experience and exposure with the industrialists, by taking the liberty of autonomy, at the EEE department IEEE PES Bangalore Chapter was accepted as the professional society of the department. It is known that the professional IEEE membership is expensive, hence the implementation of salary deduction in installments came into existence. Activity points for students in IEEE every year —
Members – 4 points
Volunteers – 5 points
Office bearer – 8 points
Chair – 10 points
This encourages students to participate and also acquire a certificate which is given at the end of the year. A webinar series with the alumnus students i.e., the final year students is regularly conducted so that there can be a lot of learning and exploring different projects which is very beneficial to the students.
With this the moderator ended the discussion on a high note by giving a brief summary of the topics and was also very grateful for the opportunity given to him.
Dr Ashwini invited Dr Aloknath De and Dr Shivareddy to give away the token of appreciation for the panelists and the moderator
————————————–END OF PANEL 1————————————————
After a short tea break and a group photograph everyone were excited about the next panel discussion.
PANEL 2 TOPIC- How can IEEE activities be oriented for a deeper implementation of NEP 2020.
MODERATOR- Dr Aloknath De
PANELISTS:
Dr Subramanya
Dr Puttaraju
Dr Nagaraj
Dr Iven Jose
The moderator asked the panellists to a give a brief summary on the vision of their respective institutions.
He presented the levers of the recent AGM SECSOC which deals with the vitality of the sections and the societies;
Activities focusing on student-centric programs
The importance of engineering and higher education conducive to increase the GR
Organizing Professional conferences and being part of the network
Supporting and funding quality projects.
As part of a professional body, it is necessary to conduct regular sessions for stress management, counselling and cultural building for all the members.
Follow the words – Live the Talk
Dr Puttaraju –
The 2nd best thing to happen to India after Independence is the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) and NEP. We have always compared ourselves Nationally and gained recognition whereas globally we are afraid to because of the high competition. Shifting of programmes, giving out presentations, understanding the infrastructure of the industry, upgrading knowledge on the digital technologies are some of the important factors which are the basic building blocks of an engineer.
Dr Subramanya:
Develop Leadership skills from IEEE by participating in various events and also in organising some of them. Applying for International Ranking to understand the standard of the institution and to rectify the major and minor errors in the system. To give more importance to Competence and excellence centres, focusing on developing the quality of the faculty members in non-areas of technology. Figure out ways to make Gen Z more listening oriented and to channelise their energy for far more greater things. The above statements are the main points to be worked on and implemented for the next 5 years.
Dr Nagaraj:
To promote interdisciplinary centres such as organising industrial visits, research and development etc., Industry and academicians should work hand in hand in order to reach their expectations and provide more job opportunities to students. Conducting one on one classes with the industries to gain more knowledge and infrastructure of the companies and to be better equipped. For institutions to comprise of Industry established laboratories, international conferences and webinars. To promote the Career development Cell (CDC). One main issue faced in our country is the lack of trust in each other which disturbs the flow of the entire system. It is good to have feedbacks from students either rolled out by forms or by direct communication and to have self- appraising or analysing sessions every semester. While assessing students there should be a 360-degree evaluation of the individual student’s performance. To maintain cultural diversity, exchange programmes are essential so as to be in constant touch with other customs and to be secular in nature. There is a separate course for social service learning which helps students to understand various issues faced by people in the rural areas and address them by coming up with excellent solution.
Dr Iven Jose:
As an institution we must provide a good satisfaction quotient and a differential factor which attracts many people and broadens the spectrum on a whole. The work of engineers is intertwined with every aspect of society; therefore, students are expected to be responsible and give back to the society is one main factor that should be focused. There is a need to have quality faculties in the institution to enhance the knowledge of the students. One factor that Christ (Deemed to be University) follows is to make students inventors and innovators. A lot of case studies have been done regarding the same wherein students have invented devices and come up with different ways to help the downtrodden. We have one of the best lab infrastructures i.e., E-Mobility, centre of excellence and consequent projects have designed. As engineers we need to have a brief knowledge about other streams as well and hence, we have included Minors and Honours in the programmes. One of the most difficult and beneficial courses is the CIMA (Chartered Institution of Management Accountants) which boost your resume.
This session was terminated by Dr Madhukar and Dr Suresh to present the token of appreciation followed by Dr Shivareddy rendering the vote of thanks
