Engineering Education has undergone many conceptual changes since its establishment as a discipline of serious study, innovation and research after the industrial revolution. In the “Nineteenth” centuries, the emphasis was on innovation and personal ingenuity. The education and training in this period were “HOW” dominated, and the efficacy of education and training depended largely on the personal skill of the trainers in operating, manipulating and developing new machines and gadgets. The “Twentieth” century brought in an attitude of scientific analysis involving engineering systems and education became more “WHY” dominated more since based. Knowledge of “Know-why” is better than merely knowledge of “know-how” has became the catchword. Innovations were still important, but problem solving became more and more science driven. The “Twenty-first” century is threatening to be dominated by information processing and management practices. Education and training will not worry about “WHY” but “WHY NOT” and “HOW BEST” This century. I feel will visualize the infusion of technology into engineering. Today technological society is synonymous with a tinkering culture, where every individual has basic technical skills and can take care of simple things like replacing a fuse, fixing a leaking top, changing a tyre in the car, repairing a bicycle, changing the gasket in the pressure cooker etc. R&D can emerge only out of competitive tinkering. Scince also innovations come in shapes and sizes. It’s the application that gives innovation it’s meaning. While mentioning the future, it would be unwise to neglect the present. I feel our engineering education system is facing a number of challenges and hardships, be it trained faculty, curriculum design, quality system assurance, lab facilities up gradation, resource crises or management transformation, which need identification and steps for alleviation., Greater focus on imparting skills and knowledge rather than assessment methodology, Explore the strengthen institute-industry interaction, Upgrade institute into top-class research academia . I feel the prospects of an Engineer’s Education training is as profoundly practical as it is Profoundly Theoretical that will embrace cultivation of Human Qualities as will enable Engineers to meet. Men as well as Matter. The future is promising and let us make a joint endeavous to mould the institute enriched with a long tradition and scientific achievements into a temple of learning, widening the horizons of science and technology in service to the community and society. Dr. Atul Upadhyay |
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