ALTERNATIVE FOR STUDENT PROJECT WORK - UPDATE 12 JUNE 2008

A HONEST ALTERNATIVE
BUT
EFFECTIVE SUBSTITUTE
FOR
THE PREVAILING
COLLEGE FINAL YEAR STUDENTS’
PROJECT WORK SYSTEM














R.DHANASEKAR
Senior Lecturer & HOD i/c
SSM ITT & Polytechnic College
Komarapalayam-638183
A HONEST ALTERNATIVE BUT EFFECTIVE SUBSTITUTE FOR THE PREVAILING COLLEGE FINAL YEAR STUDENTS’ PROJECT WORK SYSTEM

Merits of the present system

In many streams of higher education (Arts, Science, Commerce, Engineering, Technology, Law, Management, Medical and para-medical etc.) at different levels (Diploma, Degree, Post-Graduation), the final year students project works are considered as the ideal vehicles to carry forward the artistic / scientific / engineering / Technical/Management concepts, hypothesizes and ideas of the young students into real life practical world.

True, they are a viable, affordable, easy but excellent medium to express the students’ creativity. They are the optimum interfaces between the dreamy world of academic activities and the competitive world of pragmatic technical implementations.

There are many exemplary project works illustrating the untapped, under utilized and often unappreciated capacity of the fertile minds. Some are recognized with honours, handsome cash rewards, popular awards and ready industrial/commercial acceptance too. A few are path breaking and received well deserved patents also.

By any yard stick, these project works are invariably helping the willing students (with the thirst for learning and experimentation) to hone their skills in team forming, networking, coordinating, cooperating, compromising, adjusting, wordsmithing, report writing etc. to the extent they are equipped.

On the other side of the academic spectrum also, the project work system provides a healthy and refreshing intellectual challenge to the innovative teachers who are ready to range beyond the beaten tracks of syllabus oriented teaching and learning process.
Both the students and the staff can very well happily apply their academic knowledge to the real life problems with a sense of purpose, fun and joy. They have nothing to loose and every thing to gain, even if only one of their ideas/initiatives works out well. By chance, if nothing works out as per their plan, then also they have gained, because they have learnt a lot from their failures.

Then, what is the need for and the rationale behind the proposed honest alternative/substitute?


The disease within

Having said all this and more, we must admit rather sadly, the actual number of projects which will come under the above category is a clear minority. The vast majority of the college final year projects are churned out/bought off from the so called project training centers, computer centers and study centers, which are mushrooming every year in all the cities, towns and villages too. It is an ancillary industry for the rapidly expanding education business sector. If one choose to read a project work, even on a cursory glance, the courageous reader is very likely to encounter numerous mistakes in terms of spellings, grammar, syntax, right from the title, synopsis, abstract to the conclusion and the findings. Even in the acknowledgment page more often than not, numerous mistakes are frequently found and they come up with a hefty price tag, (literally in monetary terms) in the guise of training, guiding, hands on experience and enormous time wasted in those shady joints, where young students are hanging out without any supervision. It gives them a ready excuse for avoiding classes. And the parents are also watching the happenings helplessly, without much choice at their disposal.
Why the students are opting for this expensive, humiliating and dishonest procedure?

Because, the plain fact is, a good number of our students (even as groups) are ill-equipped to identify, conceive, discuss, deliberate, execute and write an independent project report. Their vocabulary & word processing skills, sentence forming capability and proof reading expertise are poor. Simply put, it is beyond their intellectual capacity. Most of the staff members are also having the same handicap, as they themselves are the products of the very same existing system. Therefore, often they conveniently resort to outsourcing the project reports from the market, where the cost of these project reports are becoming less and less as the market is expanding rapidly. The only connection / relationship between the students and the project works is that they have paid for the project report in cash or, in worst cases, in kind. The teachers’ contribution is their permission to use their name and designation and all the more importantly their signature.

About the contents of many of the bought out projects, it is better not to speak about it. They are, in general, pirated, shop lifted, wantonly copied, perjuriously produced, plagiarized works of somebody’s initiative.

One may very well argue that the basic purpose of the project work system is to help the students to acquire the very skills which they are not possessing at present. Alas, it is a very tall order to be achieved in a short time. (All people can eat, walk and talk. But it is not realistic to expect every one to cook wonderfully, sing melodiously, dance gracefully and act playfully). As the do not have any honest alternative they are forced to become unwilling street smartness in totally dishonest plagiarism only. In putting the matter straight in plain words, we are compelling the students and the teachers to become corrupt and immoral in this project work system. To sum up, it is, at best a mockery of the academic exercise and at worst a tragedy-cum-intellectual dishonesty. But still, if we look at from the academically ill equipped student’s point of view, it is a cruelty inflicted upon the young mind. Likewise, the harassed, overloaded and helpless faculty perceives it as an avoidable punishment to be endured which is thrust upon them year after year after year.

Stating the contours of this perennial problem is not very difficult but evolving an acceptable, efficient, purposeful and workable alternative needs a consultative, accommodative, practical approach among the academicians, students and other stake holders. If we could, and we must establish meaningful alternative, then it will result in a change for the better.

Modifications suggested to the present Project Work System
Let all of us be very clear that the current system of the project work be very well continued for the willing capable students and their interested faculty guides in the present format. The following modifications to improve the present system may kindly be considered depending on the circumstances prevailing at the individual institutions.

· Number of students per batch should be flexible.
· Practicing Experts should be invited to participate in the Project
Works in terms of time, kind or cash.
· Hands on / on site / in process analysis project works should be
encouraged.
As a warm-up exercise, to begin with, a part of the pre-final year vacation should be devoted for the viable project identification. (By this time, the most of the students acquire some basic knowledge of the subjects of their educational programme). A few titles should be submitted to the potential guide / or head of the department at the commencement of the pre-final semester. With the selected guide’s concurrence, one definite and final title should be fine tuned. An abstract of the project theme with action plans to do the project should be drawn-up and sent to the Project Monitoring Committee appointed by the examination authorities (Directorate’s of respective disciplines of education, Board of Studies, Universities, Professional Bodies/Societies etc.) for their approval. During the pre-final semester, sufficient time should be allocated to do the basic ground work, literature survey etc., for the project field work.

Follow up field work should be done during the pre-final semester vacation. During the final semester, sufficient time should be allocated to complete the project work at least one month before the viva-voce. A copy of the project report must be sent to the examination authorities and another copy to the External Examiner at least two weeks in advance of the viva-voce. For wider dissemination, by taking advantage of the spread of information technology, we should publish the project report in the examination authorities’ web-sites. It will help us in reducing if not eliminating the rampant plagiarism which is shamelessly happening now almost everywhere. It will also ensure the accountability of the mater presented by the student and the guide as well. Presently most of the printed project repots are gathering dust in the shelves of the libraries.

What is the proposed honest alternative to the present project work system?
We propose an alternative by way of faithful and actual recording of a diary / journal / file of observations of whatever happening around him by the student during the industrial visit / in plant training / trade fair visits / internships, etc. The place of visit may be any thing where some relevant activity is going on with reference to the main study programme of the student. Any manufacturing enterprise (Large, Medium and small) will give a lot of opportunity to observe and record. But we need not confine ourselves to manufacturing alone.
We can consider the following list of enterprises for this purpose; Municipal water pumping stations and water distribution networks, effluent treatment plants, construction Sites, Irrigation Facilities, Agriculture and Horticulture farms, Animals Husbandry farms, Poultries, Agro Engineering enterprises, Rice Mills, Oil Mills, Flour Mills, Wind Mills, Solar Energy installations, Bio –Gas units, Hydel and Thermal energy generators, Places of worship (temples, mosques, churches, ect.), Places of retreats, Bakeries, Hotels, Motels, Hospitals, Health Care Establishments, Hostels, News Paper offices, Radio & TV Stations, Book (print and electronic) Publishing Establishments, Check Post, Toll Gates, Telephone Exchanges, Cell Phone Operators, Cable/Satellite Broad casters, Distributors, Police/Military Units, Petrol / Diesel / LNG / CNG stations, Amusement Parks, Museums, Zoos, Planetariums, Aquariums, Wild Life Parks, Banks & Financial Institutions, Super Markets & Show Rooms, Automobile & Railway workshops, Electrical & mechanical service units, Cinema Theaters, Auditoriums, Railway Stations, Air & Sea Ports, Bus Terminuses, Boat jetties, Education & Training Organisations (other than the room), Movies / TV Serial production units, Sports and Games facilities, Stadiums, Swimming & Diving pools, Exhibition & Conversion centers, Festivals, Carnivals, Country fairs, Pilgrimages (Hajj, Kailash yathra, Vatican / Jerusalem trips) Scientific & Engineering Labs, Human, live stock & Goods Transporters etc., THIS LIST IS OF ILLUSTRATIVE NATURE ONLY, NOT EXHAUSTIVE

Even if it is an internship with a celebrity/ businessman/ scientist / technologist, it is all the more welcome. True to speck, the internship with a right person is extraordinarily valuable.

As long as she/he has something to observe and record, it will result in real learning.
How it can be implemented?

Let the observation record be a hand written work (preferably in black ink on a good quality white paper so that photocopying is easy) done on the field by the students individually. If it is bi-lingual (mother tongue as well as Medium of Instruction), it is all the more better. No need to insist on grammatical accuracy of the sentences, so that the student can write without hesitation and express what he/she observes truthfully.


We can programme our students to spend a predetermined minimum number of days at chosen organizations to record their observations in a prescribed format on allocated dates. This format which is enclosed herewith may not fit all, therefore, it can be modified / changed / adopted as per the requirements of the individuals, institutions and organizations.

It will improve the functional orientation of the students. It will keep them observant about what is currently happening in the real world. Above all, it is relevant to the ground realities in the field practical work. Therefore, what the student is observing, he/she is documenting easily and faithfully in the predetermined format with ample possibilities to record the special items, if any, in whatever format the student chooses.

As he/she need not lie, one can hopefully and positively expect honesty and truth.




R.DHANASEKAR
Senior Lecturer & HOD i/c
SSM ITT & Polytechnic College
Komarapalayam-638183

Suggested format for recording the observations during
in-plant Training / Industrial Visit / Internship





Photograph of the studentName of the student :
Year and branch of study :
Register Number of the student :
Name and address of the Institution :
Staff Advisor’s name and designation:
Address of the student :



S.No.
Questionnaire
Data
1.
Name and address of the organisation /
work site / event:
(Enclose a brief description about the location - not more than one page)

2.
Day & Date of visit

3.
Time in:

4.
Time out:

5.
Name and Designation of the person(s) with whom the student interacted:

6.
Products / Services / Activities

7.
Output of the organisation
Per shift
Per Day
Per Week
Per Month
Per Annum
Inputs for the organisation
Per shift
Per Day
Per Week
Per Month
Per Annum

8.
Man power details (for larger organization – section wise breakup)
· Total Number of persons working
· Men
· Women
· Categories






(This page maybe Multiple copied to record about individual machineries / processes)
9.
Machinery / process description


Number of machines

Input

Output


Machinery manufacturer’s name & address.


Cost of purchase


Date / Year of purchase


Manpower required to operate the machine / process and the details of specific skills required to operate


Noise


Vibration


Heat


Maintenance procedure


Safety precautions adopted


Whether the student has studied about the machine / process during his study.


Whether, it is included in the forthcoming study period.


How many machines are idle? How long?
& Why? (Enclose in a separate sheet)


Energy consumption details
Types of fuel
Quantity consumed per unit time
Cost of fuel
Source of fuel

10.
Financial details



· Investment


· Operational Expenditure


· Manpower Cost


· Profit / Loss


11.
Layout of the work place / Shop Floor
(To be enclosed as appendix – I)


12.
Work flow diagram
(To be enclosed as appendix – II)


13.
Details regarding Safety and security
Emergency exits
Number and place of fire extinguishers
alarm bells
smoke and fire alarms
Sand buckets
First aid boxes
Access to medical care


14.
Facts about Pollution Control & Ecology Conservation
Number of trees
Greenery
Landscaping


How the waste is disposed off,
When
where
why
Cost
Waste re-usage details
Water sources


15.
Amenities
Drinking water
Canteen Facilities
Rest and recreation facilities
Sanitation
Transportation
Residences


16.
Standard certifications:
ISO 9000
ISO 14000
SA 8000
OHSA 18000
ISO-27000
Any other


17.
Awards / Prizes Won


18.
Physical location of the site in a Hand drawn map
(To be enclosed as appendix – III)


19.
Photographs of the student’s visit to the industry
(To be enclosed as appendix – IV)


20.
Information leaflets from the organization
(To be enclosed as appendix – V)


21.
During the period of stay of the student in the organization, Is there any specific, noteworthy event happened?


22.
What she/he likes in the organization most?


23.
What she/he does not like in the organization most?


24.
What she/he wants to change immediately?


25.
What she/he feels to change gradually?


26.
What are his/her ideas to improve the atmosphere prevailing in that organization?


27.
What facilities he/she feels to be done?


28.
In which area, he/she feels to take up some improvement / development activity utilizing his / her institute’s knowledge, skills and expertise?


29.
The opinion about the student by the organization’s contact person(s) with whom the student interacted during his/her stay in the organization.
(If possible get it in the form of a letter, so that a copy of the same may be enclosed)






30.
Any other details.











Note
1. If possible & feasible problem identification, diagnosis and solution can be considered even at the micro levels.
2. Faculty may also visit the organization for better institute industry interaction.