International Conference on Transformations in Engineering Education at Vidyavardhaka College of Engineering, Mysuru, India

The Vidyavardhaka College of Engineering (VVCE) and Indo Universal Collaboration for Engineering Education (IUCEE) have collaborated to host the six-day 10th International conference on "Transformations in Engineering Education for Sustainable Development (ICTIEE) from January 4 to 9".

This event has helped engineering teachers and students to network with educators from India and overseas and learn how to change engineering education.

The conference started with the Annual student forum on Sustainability Enquiry and Myth Busting. In the welcome speech, the Principal of VVCE Dr B Sadashivegowda emphasized that a focused initiative is the need of the hour to make our planet sustainable. P. Vishwanath, Secretary of Vidyavadhaka Sangha spoke about the need for clean water and Sanitation. The was facilitated by Prof Raju Dandu of Kansas State University and Prof Ranji Vaidyanathan of Oklahoma State University, as well as Bergis Driver, an associate member of the Institute of Town Planners of India.

A Mysuru city walkathon for Sustainable Planet Ideation and Model Development has been held starting from Mysore city palace premises to the VVCE campus. Thousands of students, teachers and delegates have participated.

Parallel workshops on a variety of subjects related to Engineering education and workshops are held to give participants a chance to network with and learn from International academic and business leaders like Prof Sohum Sohoni of the Milwaukee School of Engineering.

Speakers from academia and industry gave a variety of presentations on subjects related to engineering education, including leadership, emerging technologies, sustainability and reimagining the future of learning via effective teaching.

Eminent academics and figures including Prof SD Rajan of Arizona State University, Michael K J Willigan, ED&CEO of ABET in the US, MF Febin, Head of College Connect at L&T EduTech and Prof Roger Hadgraft of the University of Technology in Sydney are among the delegates. Inauguration of ICTIEE - 6th Jan, 2023

The Tenth International Conference on Transformations in Engineering Education for Sustainable Development (ICTIEE) - 2023 was inaugurated by Dr Vidyashankar S, Vice-Chancellor, Visveswaraya Technological University (VTU) along with the Conference General Chairs Dr Krishna Vedula, Executive Director, IUCEE and Dr B Sadashive Gowda, Principal, VVCE.

Dr Krishna Vedula set the context for the conference in his talk on outcome-based learning. His mantra "I am teaching, are they learning?" focused on introducing aspects of problem-based learning and design thinking, and sharing best practices in developing an ecosystem for improving the quality of engineering education. He remarked that the IUCEE family now encompassed 52 institutions with 10,000 faculty members and 2 Lakh students of which 1,000 faculty members have received IIEECP (IUCEE International Engineering Educators Certification Program) certification.

Dr Vidyashankar S, Vice Chancellor, VTU Belagavi, spoke on the transformations of engineering education and how it has brought about a dramatic change to meet the global challenges and deliver higher sustainable and knowledge-based development levels. From merely a chalk-and-board classroom engagement, teaching practices have moved to a platform where a holistic approach to engineering is being promoted. The current curriculum developments have moved from teacher-centric pedagogy methods to student-centric learning methods. Rapid advancement in technology and economic globalization necessitates education to be designed towards an Outcome-Based Education model. He emphasized that Karnataka is the first state in India to adopt the NEP-2020 proposed by Dr Kasthuri Rangan, former Chairman, of ISRO and his team to bring in a multi- and inter-disciplinary approach. He lauded the efforts of Dr B. Sadashive Gowda, Principal, VVCE and Dean (Faculty Affairs, VTU) for instituting training for teachers through online programs and courses for Outcome Based Modules.

An exhibition is also being held in which edTech companies such as Dassault Systems, MathWorks, Linquid Instruments, Ion Education, L&T EduTech and Vigyanlabs innovation are demonstrating education solutions. The student teams are also showcasing sustainability-based projects.

On January 7, Dr S. Lakshmivarahan of the University of Oklahoma, Dr Archana Mantri of Chitkara University in India, Dr Sundarshan Iyengar of IIT-Ropar and Dr Sushma Kulkarni of Rajarambapu Institute of Technology gave a brief keynote on teaching new technologies. There was also a tech paper presentation divided into other tracks. Technology-enhanced learning, engineering education for sustainable development and many more topics connected to teaching-learning, industry collaboration, entrepreneurship and innovation. Valedictory of ICITEE-2023

The Chief Guest for the closing ceremony and valedictory was Dr Rajeev Kumar, Member Secretary, AICTE, New Delhi and the function was presided by Gundappa Gowda, President, Vidyavardhaka Sangha (VVS), Mysuru. The Guests of Honor were Dr Michael Willigan, ED & CEO, ABET in the US, Dr Gopal Krishan Joshi, Executive Director, Karnataka State Higher Education Council, B. Shivalingappa, Vice-President, VVS, Er. P. Vishwanath, Secretary, VVS, Srishaila Ramannanavar, Treasurer, VVS and Dr Krishna Vedula, Executive Director, IUCEE.

The Chief Guest Dr Rajeev Kumar, Member Secretary, AICTE, New Delhi, said that he learnt what is best for technical education at this conference and invited IUCEE to help AICTE in formulating regulatory policies by providing recommendations. He said that the AICTE has changed itself from a regulator to a facilitator to empower around 10,000 institutes to provide quality education. He emphasized that Faculty members, Institutes and Students are the three factors that play a vital role in transforming engineering education. He called upon the faculty members to adapt to the changing environment and play the role of mentor along with the facilitator. Conference of this type will help the faculty members to accustom themselves to fast changing environment in teaching. He said AICTE has taken an initiative with NITTTR to train the teachers in which the faculty will complete carefully crafted 8 modules with 1 month of internship and 1 year of teaching under the mentorship of senior teachers. Around 40,000 teachers have already completed the course and there are still a large number of teachers who are yet to complete he said. He expressed the possibility of collaborating with IUCEE to skill up the teachers with training.

Dr Rajeev Kumar expressed his concerns over the lack of interest of students in core engineering to which the AICTE is trying to mitigate by introducing the concept of minors in Engineering. This has already shown positive results in the form of improved admissions in the core engineering this year. He also stressed on the role of institutions in implementing NEP-2020 in an effective manner. He urged the institutes to identify dynamic leaders who are ready to take decisions in academic matters.

Er. P. Vishwanath said in his address that this conference was truly international as delegates from all over the world participated. Gundappa Gowda, President, of Vidyavardhaka Sangha (VVS) in his presidential address urged the people to heed to the words of the experts on environmental protection issues. Dr Shobha Shankar, Dean Academics, VVCE and Organizing Chair of ICITEE-2023 proposed the vote of thanks.

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( With inputs from ANI )

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