The Higher Education Review

Watan Kumar Dudani always dreamt of setting up his own business. However, he felt that there is more need to acquire thorough knowledge and skills sets that would enable him to achieve the dream of starting his own business known as Futore Ventures while still working with multinational corporations such as Mu Sigma and Novartis Healthcare. "The knowledge and the skills that are imparted at Dr. D. Y. Patil Institute of Engineering and Technology (DYPIET) have molded me into a professional that I am today." says Dudani.

Dr. P. D. Patil, Hon. Chairman of Dr. D. Y. Patil Vidya Pratishthan Society, Pune, believes in the importance of ensuring that our students are industry ready. To build this acumen in the students and to help them achieve their potential, DYPIET has always felt the need to take constant feedback from the students says Dr. R. K. Jain. The feedback taken from the students is on the curriculum along with their personal inputs on what they would like to have over and above the curriculum. Dudani mentions that due to the student centric approach of the institute, he was able to get guidance and advice from the faculty at DYPIET. This helped him to achieve knowledge which improved his skills as an analyst and allowed him to reach his goal of starting his own venture.

Effectively Using Outcome Based Education

Apart from taking feedback from the students, DYPIET has initiated Outcome Based Education in order to ensure professional and quality learning. "Having clarity on the subjects that are being taught, students are able to assimilate more knowledge and effectively use it in their professional life," says Dr. Jain.

He also adds, "By being a part of the Academic Council at the Savitribai Phule Pune University, I have been able to perk up the curriculum which allows us to fruitfully utilize Outcome Based Education."

Students at DYPIET are trained using different pedagogies and ICT. One of the pedagogy that is used at the institute is to let the students learn a specific topic and ask one of them to present it in class which is later followed by a discussion. "Through this pedagogy, the students are able to understand and learn more rapidly. All the students in my class were able to learn at an exponential pace which has helped us perform well in our exams and furthermore apply the same knowledge in our professional lives," says Dudani.

Faculty training is Extremely Necessary

At DYPIET, the management ensures that the junior faculty members undergo training to become effective educators. Simultaneously, the junior and middle level faculty members are exposed to the industry in order to understand the gaps that are present between what is taught and what needs to be taught. "Through Faculty-Industry Interaction, there has been a drastic improvement in the way faculty communicates the knowledge that they have gained, to the students and this has received positive feedback from the students," says Dr. Jain. The institute has also signed up for the Wipro Mission 10x and has also ensured that all of its faculty members attended the training provided thus enhancing their teaching skills and awareness. "The institute has a well operated mentor system that constantly provides us with the support and guidance that we seek in both our professional and personal lives," says Dudani.

Promoting Focus on Research and Industry Tie-ups

With the increase in the importance of research, DYPIET is constantly encouraging its faculty members to take up more research activities which in turn reflect the growth of institution. Over the past few years, the number of faculty members pursuing their doctoral studies has

increased which has helped the institute in bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and its practical applications. In order to increase the research work the institution has procured state-of-the-art equipment for the laboratories.

DYPIET has signed various MoUs with the industry in order to provide industry ready professionals and entrepreneurs. Students of the institute are provided training by various organizations like IBM and Microsoft to improve their skill sets. Johnson and Control, an international automation company has also setup a training center worth Rs.10 lakhs to train the students and faculty, subsequently many of the students are absorbed by the company as employees.

The institution has been able to make a positive impact on the industries and has been competent to get its students placed with companies such as Tech Mahindra, Johnson and Control, Oracle, L&T, L&T Infotech, Synechron, Mphasis, Bosch and others. While all the eligible departments are accredited by NBA, the institute hopes to acquire NAAC accreditation and further achieve the Washington Accord accreditation. "We are in the process of signing our first foreign collaboration MoUs and will strive to offer our students the best quality of education," concludes Dr. Jain.

Dr. RK Jain

Dr. R K Jain is the Principal of Dr. D. Y. Patil Institute of Engineering and Technology and a Professor of Civil Engineering. He has obtained his M.E. in Civil Engineering from University of Pune and a Ph. D in Engineering from Rajiv Gandhi Proudyogiki Vishwavidyalaya, Madhya Pradesh. He has more than 25 years of teaching experience and has authored several technical books in the field of Civil Engineering. He has also published more than 55 technical papers on various topics at national and international journals, seminars and conferences.