Vuca in Engineering Education: Enhancement of Faculty Competency For Capacity Building

Abstract

Abstract The world is changing at a very fast pace- in terms of culture, education, complexities of societal needs and demands. The educator with his past learning cannot match the expectations of the millennials. The VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity) in Engineering Education has to be observed, studied, analysed and reformed and that too very soon. Higher Education is unable to evolve in pace with the technological developments, global economics, and digital transformations. Global networking has shrunk the world and established inter-connectedness breaking barriers of language, geography, societal cultures, and perceptions. However such rapid changes have not impacted Engineering Education much. Academicians prophecies about attributes that an engineer should possess are turning volatile. This uncertainty leads to unemployed engineers. The chaos has emerged with various levels of complexities. With under-skilled employees, the future of the Engineers and Engineering Education looks bleak and ambiguous. Jack of all trades will have more employable possibilities than the Master of a particular skill. The faculty who teach the 21st Century Learner therefore must make a conscious, intentional choice to enhance his competencies to prepare students for the future. This study emphasizes the need to reawaken our educational policies and teaching-learning pedagogy. Certain learning strategies like flipped learning, project-based learning, problem-based learning will adapt the andragogic method. The teaching trends will be metamorphosed and establish good networking for inter/transdisciplinary research. Case studies and scenario building will churn in opportunities for the students to communicate, collaborate, critically think, and be creative. The empowered faculty will have his multi-skilled students placed well, the student will be industry ready and the industry will have the employee come along with his 21st Century skill set. The beneficiaries: the school, university, teacher now a facilitator, the student and the community at large will build not only a sustainable future but a thriving one too!