HEIs hold online/offline talks for the awareness but your faculty n’ students instead need hands-on with these technologies. A talk however powerful on AI, AR, ML, Blockchain and Data Analytics etc. is bound to fail in engaging students. It might still work to a degree with your faculty, but surely not with your students.
Students are far smarter than we think. They hate awareness sessions, being little use to them. If they need, they can easily Google or access YouTube and get all of that stuff. Institutes must understand their minds and needs. They are conscious of the fact that when employers embark upon campus for hiring, they would grill them on their subject fundamentals and hands-on abilities and the level of competency necessary to apply their knowledge and skills to solve simple problems, and surely, NOT a general awareness. It is like someone requiring you to cross a jungle with a Tiger (man-eater) restlessly prowling. He gives you a quick information on the Tiger, the route, the way to stealthily cross the jungle and also tells you to fire a rifle shot, if attacked but doesn’t teach how to load the shot, take an aim and press the trigger.
As a Business Head of a MNC, I know, how my teams used to operate in HEIs for hiring the right talent. Subsequently, as a teacher to the IAS and IRS officers at NIFM, I delivered 70 to 80% of my teaching by hands-on field projects and case studies.
It is fine to hold talks and a short seminar on subjects related to cross-cutting issues, life skills, soft skills, teaching methodologies, teaching tools, accreditation, OBE processes, research methodologies, writing of research proposal, IP, patents etc. but perhaps NOT on technologies which demand compelling hands-on workshops and short courses ranging from 15 days to a few months.
These are my personal views. Well, if someone differs; by all means, please go ahead your way 🙂
Prof JR Sharma-the Mentor
