Engineering Students In India Research Articles

The Effectiveness of a Strategy Training Course in Enhancing Language Skills of Indian Engineering Students

In the contemporary professional landscape, engineers are confronted with the dual imperative of not only excelling in the core subject expertise but also possessing linguistic competence to remain competitive in the global job market. The current employment scenario is marked by raise in demand but decline in the number of qualified professionals graduating from colleges. Graduates are now expected to embody the qualities of techno-managers, adept at multitasking in their roles. Relying solely on technical skills has proven inadequate for many individuals. Recognizing the evolving job market requirements, it became apparent that students must excel in communication, particularly English communication skills, to thrive professionally. Effective communication fosters the development of confidence, astuteness, and outward skills in students. Language acquisition is a lifelong, active process that commences at birth. Textbooks play a crucial role in achieving the objectives of a course, serving as prominent elements in the teaching process. Language learning, facilitated by learning strategies, involves a set of tactics individuals employ to take control of their learning processes. In today's educational landscape, teachers play a pivotal role in enhancing strategies in second or foreign language classrooms. Their responsibility extends to facilitating learning among students and making their thinking processes visible. Effectively teaching a second language (L2) requires educators to consider the unique needs and backgrounds of each learner. By doing so, they can employ methods that help students in utilizing strategies to enhance their L2 learning experience. This paper provides insights into the trailblazer learning strategies that augment the language skills repertoire.

Analysing ESL Proficiency and its Nexus with Higher Education: A Comprehensive Study on English Language Competency among Indian Engineering Students

This empirical study analyses the role played by Indian National Curriculum Framework and its instructional materials in imparting English language as in relevance with the academic achievement and career development of Indian engineering learners. This endeavour has been studied with an impartial assessment of ESL (English as a Second Language) proficiency among Indian engineering students, encompassing those from both regional and English-medium educational backgrounds. The study used random sampling method to identify 150 mechanical engineering students as its target papulation. It tested the English language proficiency of engineering students from both regional and English medium school backgrounds separately and compared the frequency and mean values of the results. The observations from the tests results (IELTS practice tests - Band Score) showed that students who were educated in an English-speaking environment fare somewhat better than their peers educated in a regional medium background. The outcome and findings from the result opines that ESL teaching and learning among students in regional medium schools in India has not attained its zenith. It is below par excellence when compared with English medium schools. This is owing to a curricular structure that does not appear to be suitable for India's diverse classrooms (Indian heterogeneous classrooms). Therefore, the researchers proposed a curriculum which is flexible, impartial, and capable of supporting all sorts of students’ educational needs by pairing with English language skills

Just world belief, religiosity, and attitudes towards homosexuality: a study of indian engineering students

Just world belief, religiosity, and attitudes towards homosexuality: a study of indian engineering students

An analysis of sustainability-driven entrepreneurial intentions among university students: the role of university support and SDG knowledge

PurposeThe study aims to shed light on the role of university support (US), environmental concern (EC) and Sustainable Development Goal knowledge (SDGK) in forming students' intention (SI) to engage in sustainability-driven entrepreneurship. The authors attempted to blend the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) and social cognitive career theory (SCCT) as a potentially useful theoretical base for sustainability-driven entrepreneurial intention (SDEI) development.Design/methodology/approachThe responses were collected from university students in India using a self-administered questionnaire. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and partial least squares structured equation modelling (PLS-SEM) are used to examine the data.FindingsThe university support strongly influences students' attitudes towards sustainable entrepreneurship (ATT) and outcome expectations (OEs). Also, the degree of understanding about SDGs among students was alarmingly low, which has crucial negative consequences for future SDG achievement.Practical implicationsThe findings of this study may assist academicians and environmental strategists in deciding the crucial factors influencing SI to start a sustainable business. The study highlights the importance of universities in promoting entrepreneurial sustainability decisions.Originality/valueThis research will add value to the prevailing literature in the area of sustainable entrepreneurship as it explores the effects of environmental concern, SDGK and the role of US on sustainable entrepreneurial intention (EI) among Indian engineering students.

Blogging as an Integrative Technology to Improve Language Proficiency: An Investigative Study Among Engineering Students in India

Technology has become an inevitable part of learning these days and the popularity of blogs and web forums is increasing exponentially. The purpose of blogging is to encourage discussions on a particular topic or concept, thereby throwing more light on the point of discussion. These discussions generally focus on knowledge sharing and acquiring, but in a way, they help the participants and the readers to enhance their language skills like listening, reading, writing, grammar, and vocabulary both directly and indirectly. The present study consolidates the opinions of the researcher about the use of blogs as educational technology and the opinions of the learners about the role of blogs in their language learning aspects. The result shows that blogs have a considerable impact on one’s language proficiency.

Analysis of English Language Training for Engineering Students in India Using Fuzzy TOPSIS Method

Analysis of English Language Training for Engineering Students in India Using Fuzzy TOPSIS Method

A Study on Ameliorating Indian Engineering Students’ Communication Skills in Relation With CEFR

In the globalized world, English is known as the International language. The engineering professionals have to possess good communication skills to be successful in their career. Communication skills have become one of the employability skills in current scenario. The communication skills of today’s engineering professionals are considered to be in the beginner level (in Tamilnadu, India) in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) that is to test the ability of individual’s language proficiency. This may be due to the lack of interest in enriching the listening and speaking skills. This study focuses on enhancing the standard of the communication skills by improving the listening and speaking skills.

A campus start-up ecosystem for mechanical engineering students: Challenges, approaches, catalysts and solutions

Start-up ecosystems are emerging rapidly worldwide. The speed of technology innovation and the diversity of business ideas keep the start-up landscape in constant flux. While many emerging start-ups are in the areas of electronics and information sciences, the field of mechanical engineering has huge potential that has yet to be exploited. Today’s mechanical engineering students need to be well positioned to recognize and seize potential start-up opportunities. This study examines the involvement of Indian mechanical engineering students in campus start-ups and the challenges they face in nascent entrepreneurship. Structural equation modelling was applied to a sample of 396 final-year undergraduate mechanical engineering students from the APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University in Kerala. Data collection was achieved through a questionnaire developed on the basis of existing literature, feedback and market research. The findings highlight the currently prevailing barriers and best practices, and recommendations are derived for leveraging the nascent entrepreneurship potential of the mechanical engineering discipline. The negative effects of the barriers are positively moderated by the activities of campus-based entrepreneurship centres. The study results provide insights into the role of universities, higher education departments and government agencies in promoting a sustainable campus start-up culture through entrepreneurial learning.

An Empirical Study of Starting Salaries and Employment Trends of Engineering Students in India

This paper presents an empirical study of a recently compiled workforce analytics data-set modeling employment outcomes of Engineering students. The contributions reported in this paper won the data challenge of the ACM IKDD 2016 Conference on Data Science. Two problems are addressed - regression using heterogeneous information types and the extraction of insights/trends from data to make recommendations; these goals are supported by a range of visualizations. Whereas the data-set is specific to a nation, the underlying techniques and visualization methods are generally applicable. Gaussian processes are proposed to model and predict salary as a function of heterogeneous independent attributes. Key novelties the GP approach brings to the domain of understanding workforce analytics are (a) statistically sound notion of uncertainty of prediction that is data dependent, (b) automatic relevance determination of various independent attributes to the dependent variable (salary),(c) seamless incorporation of both numeric and string attributes within the same regression frame- work without dichotomization; specifically, string attributes include single-word or categorical (e.g. gender) or nominal attributes (e.g. college tier) or multi-word attributes (e.g. specialization) and (d) treatment of all data as being correlated towards making predictions. Insights from both predictive modeling approaches and data analysis were used to suggest factors, that if improved, might lead to better starting salaries for Engineering students. A range of visualization techniques were used to extract key employment patterns from the data.

Reliability and Safety Engineering for Safety-Critical Systems in Computer Science: A Study Into the Mismatch Between Higher Education and Employment in Brazil and India

<italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Contribution:</i> This article details a systematic study to investigate knowledge that graduate students have about reliability and safety engineering (RSE), comparing it with industry expectations. <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Background:</i> Reliability and safety have always been the main focus while developing safety-critical systems (SCS). An interview study was conducted with engineering students in India and Brazil and with experienced practitioners to investigate a perceived mismatch between education and employment on knowledge related to RSE in SCS. <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Research Question:</i> How does student knowledge of RSE for SCS compare with industry expectations? What measures could be taken by institutes and universities providing computer engineering courses to better meet the expectations of industries regarding SCS? <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Methodology:</i> Interviews and discussions were conducted with 21 practitioners from ten different organizations to identify what expectations they hold for the students they recruit to develop SCS, as these SCS have high reliability and safety requirements. Interviews were conducted with graduate students of various engineering disciplines to assess their knowledge of RSE for SCS. Analyses were conducted to compare industry expectations with students’ knowledge. <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Findings:</i> Analyses indicated most graduate students do not have the range of knowledge regarding RSE that recruiters see as essential for the development of SCS. Hence, it is paramount to rethink computing curricula—to include RSE-related topics.

Sustaining Motivation of Engineering Students in India by Managing their Academic &amp; Affective Needs

In India, nearly 1 5 million students enrol in engineering programs in around 4000 colleges These students come from very diverse demographic, sociocultural and economic backgrounds Many of them are unable to successfully transition from school to the very demanding environment of engineering education because of poor levels of academic and emotional preparedness They become demotivated and disengaged which in turn, negatively impacts their academic performance The objective of this study is to investigate the reasons for demotivation and recommend possible solutions The study was conducted in three phases using multiple specially designed instruments In the first phase, Instrument 1 was administered to 349 students to establish the diversity in engineering student population Then, 79 students with low motivation and academic performance were identified using Instrument II Personal interviews were conducted using Instrument III with the identified low-performing subjects to get an insight into their learning and emotional needs Over an entire semester, well-planned interventions were provided to address the identified learning and emotional needs At the end of the semester, academic performance of the 79 subjects was re-recorded Due to sudden lockdown and transition to online instruction in the middle of the semester (because of COVID-19), separate data were collected for pre and post lock down periods Results obtained showed remarkable progress in both pre and post lockdown periods The paper concludes with a set of concrete recommendations for engineering institutions and faculty for effectively managing student motivation, building confidence and getting them ready for the highly competitive job market © 2021, Rajarambapu Institute Of Technology All rights reserved

Internet Addiction in Freshmen Engineering Students in India

Internet Addiction in Freshmen Engineering Students in India

Predicting the acceptance of UPI-based mobile payment system by using logistic regression and artificial neural networks: a study of Indian engineering students

Predicting the acceptance of UPI-based mobile payment system by using logistic regression and artificial neural networks: a study of Indian engineering students

Predicting the acceptance of UPI-based mobile payment system by using logistic regression and artificial neural networks: a study of Indian engineering students

Predicting the acceptance of UPI-based mobile payment system by using logistic regression and artificial neural networks: a study of Indian engineering students

Systematic research of e-learning platforms for solving challenges faced by Indian engineering students

PurposeAs educational institutes began to address the challenges posed by COVID-19, e-learning came to the foreground as the best bet left. This study is in quest of revealing engineering student's perceptions of the available e-learning platforms, thus surfacing the underlying bottlenecks. Further, it aims at providing solutions that would help enhance the e-learning experience not only in pandemic times but also in the long run.Design/methodology/approachThis holistic research begins with a comprehensive comparative study about the available e-learning platforms, followed by a primary data analysis through an online survey of 364 engineering students from various colleges and branches. The collected data was analyzed to detect bottlenecks in online learning and suggestions are given for solving some challenges.FindingsOn a five-point Likert scale, the available e-learning platforms garnered ratings ranging from 2.81 to 3.46. Google meet was the most preferred platform. However, with a net promoter score (NPS) of 30.36, Microsoft Teams emerged as the most satisfying platform. Technical shortcomings clubbed with psychological and biological factors were found to be taking a toll on e-learning.Research limitations/implicationsThis innovative research is based on the perceptions of engineering students hailing majorly from Indian cities, and hence, it may be having educational stream bias and geographical bias. The research could be further extended to cover rural areas and global trends in e-learning.Originality/valueThe research offers a thorough analysis of e-learning platforms, as seen through the lens of engineering students. Furthermore, the analysis does not constrain itself to the technicalities and thus proves to be an all-encompassing one, potent enough to surface critical issues marring the e-learning experience.

Integrating the circular economy into engineering programs in India: A study of students’ familiarity with the concept

Human production and consumption activities are depleting the earth’s resources faster than they are being replenished. The Global Footprint network estimates “Earth Overshoot Day 2020” (the day the use of natural resources during the year crosses the regeneration capacity for the year) to be 22 August. A shift from linear to circular economy (CE) practices offers an alternative approach that favors environmental conservation, integrating economic growth with environmental protection. While it is important to educate engineering students about sustainable models, environmental education is mandatory in India and a 6-month module introduces various concepts in all university programs. This article examines the extent of familiarity of Indian engineering students with the concept of a circular economy. A two-phase methodology was used, with 148 students of a National Institute of Technology participating in the study. In Phase 1, which focused on the students’ awareness of the CE, it was found that only a third were familiar with the concept. In Phase 2 the students, after having had the concept explained to them, identified possible barriers to incorporating it into the syllabus. The implications of integrating the concept with the syllabus are discussed.

Academic, Family, and Peer Influence on Entrepreneurial Intention of Engineering Students

The purpose of this article is to contribute to the research literature on entrepreneurial intention (EI) of engineering students in an emerging economy. Through the lens of Ajzen’s theory of planned behavior (TPB), we investigate the influence of academic curriculum, institutional support, family, and peer effects in fostering an intent to be self-employed among Indian engineering students. Data collected from 210 final-year engineering students were tested using partial least squares structural equation modeling method. The antecedents of the TPB, namely, attitude toward entrepreneurship (ATE), subjective norms (SN), and perceived behavioral control (PBC), demonstrated a favorable influence on EI. Whereas the regular academic curriculum seemed to have a negative influence on ATE, institutional support showed a positive effect. Both curriculum and academic support were found to have no significant impact on either PBC or SN. However, both family and peer influence revealed a strong positive relationship with all the antecedents of EI.

English Communication Skills and the Needs of Engineering Students

English language is both a lingua franca and a library language in India. It plays a predominant role in Indian higher education, particularly for engineering education. English language is crucial for engineering students not only for academic excellence but also for career advancement. English for engineering students is a platform, where they could share feelings, exchange ideas and interact with each other to better their academic standards and careers progression. English, a widely spoken language in the world, is more important for Indian engineering students as they are expected to work anywhere in and out of India, where English is a medium of communication in the workplace.

Prevalence of internet addiction and factors associated with it in Indian engineering students - A cross sectional study

Prevalence of internet addiction and factors associated with it in Indian engineering students - A cross sectional study

Professional Communication Skills in English for Non-native English Speaking Engineers: Challenges and a Proposed Teaching Framework

Communicating effectively in English does not come naturally to undergraduate engineering students in India and presumably everywhere where English is not the first language or the mother tongue. In India, English is used as official language in most of the states. It is also the medium of instruction in most educational institutes. Teaching methods and objectives to be achieved while imparting knowledge of English language mainly focus on ability of students to reproduce the learned facts in written form in the examination. Focus on the oral communication and development of English as a medium to share and express original ideas is not really observed at school or university level. Employers worldwide have acknowledged that the conventional engineering curriculum that is focused on imparting technical knowledge has proved to be inadequate in equipping engineers with the adequate employability skills. The objective of this paper is to present a framework for design, teaching and evaluation of a course on communication skills/professional communication for engineering students. A proposed pedagogical framework has been discussed and illustrated as appendices. Guidelines regarding improving communication skills have been made keeping in mind that rather than emphasizing upon incorporating a course on communication skills in the engineering education, communication should be made an integral part of the curriculum