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The Need for a Structured Approach to Teach Engineering–Some Preliminary Thoughts


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1 Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, NMAM Institute of Technology, Nitte – 574110. Karnataka, India
     

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Engineering education has seen lot of changes in the last fifty years. There has been a drastic change in the way engineering education is delivered today than it was before. In today's world, the emphasis is on 'outcomes', and we are supposed to follow the 'outcomes based education' (OBE). The accreditation methodology adopted by the National Board of Accreditation (NBA) is outcomes based, where the focus in on the student (learner), rather than the teacher. In this scenario, the approach to teach engineering also should undergo a change and accordingly, this paper provides some thoughts on the need to follow a structured approach to teach engineering. The formal training of teachers is very much essential, as teachers lack awareness about the need to follow a proper methodology when they teach their students. A two day workshop carried out at the authors' institution has provided some valuable feedback regarding the need for such a structured approach to teach engineering. Such kind of programs / courses will go a long way in improving the quality of teaching and make the teachers more oriented towards OBE.

Keywords

Teaching Engineering, Outcome Based Education.
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  • The Need for a Structured Approach to Teach Engineering–Some Preliminary Thoughts

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Authors

P. Srinivasa Pai
Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, NMAM Institute of Technology, Nitte – 574110. Karnataka, India
K. Subrahmanya Bhat
Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, NMAM Institute of Technology, Nitte – 574110. Karnataka, India
B. R. Shrinivasa Rao
Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, NMAM Institute of Technology, Nitte – 574110. Karnataka, India
Niranjan N. Chiplunkar
Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, NMAM Institute of Technology, Nitte – 574110. Karnataka, India

Abstract


Engineering education has seen lot of changes in the last fifty years. There has been a drastic change in the way engineering education is delivered today than it was before. In today's world, the emphasis is on 'outcomes', and we are supposed to follow the 'outcomes based education' (OBE). The accreditation methodology adopted by the National Board of Accreditation (NBA) is outcomes based, where the focus in on the student (learner), rather than the teacher. In this scenario, the approach to teach engineering also should undergo a change and accordingly, this paper provides some thoughts on the need to follow a structured approach to teach engineering. The formal training of teachers is very much essential, as teachers lack awareness about the need to follow a proper methodology when they teach their students. A two day workshop carried out at the authors' institution has provided some valuable feedback regarding the need for such a structured approach to teach engineering. Such kind of programs / courses will go a long way in improving the quality of teaching and make the teachers more oriented towards OBE.

Keywords


Teaching Engineering, Outcome Based Education.

References