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Civil Engineering Education In Making India A Knowledge Society
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Prof I V Murali Krishna
Ph D (IISc), FIE, MIEEE
Centre for Spatial Information Technology
JNT University-Hyderabad 500028
Fax 040-339 7648
E mail- iyyanki@icorg.org
Web:www.icorg.org
Introduction
The growing need for efficient use of the earth's resources of land, air, water and raw materials as well as for efficient design, analysis and maintenance of civil structures requires a better insight in the spatial and temporal patterns of resources and activities. As such the present day society needs civil engineering education capable of providing such an insight. Added to this need, it can be noted that during the last ten years or so, after the technological revolution of the 80's, civil engineering education has apparently started having its share of "identity crisis" but also faces unique challenges. In the digital era, Civil Engineering, as other disciplines, faces a paradigm shift. We may advocate that the new paradigm constitutes only a state in the transition process and by no means can serve as a long-term solution. In this background what is the current scenario. What are the real issues and gaps?
The external parameters for our education today are liberalization, globalization and privatization. The internal one is enabling our students to cultivate and display their potential abilities in engineering and technology that cannot be easily done within the constraints of the formal curricular framework. These abilities are significant coefficients of academic excellence in the equation between education on the one hand and career launch on the other hand. We have to keep track of national and global trends beyond the confines of the laboratories of civil engineering. We have to reorient our students to the emerging trends in IT itself. The availability of very high resolution remote sensing satellite data and GIS and terrain visualization software packages have given scope for addition of spatial dimension to Information technology. Added to this the announcement by
US President Mr. Bill Clinton on 1st May 2000 about the removal of selective availability of US launched Global positioning system satellite data. The decision to discontinue selective availability is the latest measure in an ongoing effort to make GPS more responsive to civil commercial users worldwide. And the ultimate challenge is to transform the civil engineer to an IT enabled Civil engineer. The main problem lies in identification of obsolescence of curriculum. The rigidity of the curricula in our university system is in sharp contrast to the fluidity and volatility of the job market.
What ails Civil Engineering Education?
Is Information Technology, the only satisfying and rewarding profession for engineering and management graduates to-day. Considering high starting salary, overseas travel, better quality of life, flexible timings and informal work environment- it is very difficult to make the conventional engineering job as interesting as an IT profession. Therefore a conventional engineer always looks for a chance to switch to careers in the IT field. The industries, educational institutions, financial and funding bodies and in short the entire governance are shifting their focus. This is essentially to reap the benefits of this technological revolution, but by doing so the damage created to other professions is not understood. Therefore, it appears, as a country we are shifting our focus. It may be impossible to undo what has been done by that time. If all students take IT career what happens to the requirement of domain experts. This will have serious impact after a decade or so. So what are the real issues?
Few Issues
The conventional Civil engineering has 5 seemingly overlapping areas / diversifications, namely,
- Water Resources engineering,
- Transportation,
- Surveying,
- Structural engineering and
- Environmental engineering.