Corona is a deadly virus. It is transmissible, contagious and fatal, or debilitating on some people.
It is said previous pandemics bought untold miseries. Each of the pandemics must have also impacted several businesses, industries and governments.
The Corona [Covid-19] pandemic is surely going to bring high impact changes in our lives. Herein, I attempt to analyse and assess the impact of Corona, on Engineering Institutions. Some of the changes are new, and some are waiting to happen and due to this pandemic will happen quickly and sonner.
Here are the many positive effects of Corona on educational institutions.
It has brought in a quick realization that Online Training and Teaching are possible and here to stay. So, teaching community as a whole has started giving it a serious thought and this is a big positive.
To migrate to a successful and beneficial online teaching model, presentation skills, articulation are very important and a digital asset program can greatly help colleges to accelerate their online teaching strategy.
The next big positive is college managements realising that they have a huge opportunity if they convert the online teaching technology to their benefit.
As more number of students can be taught using online teaching techniques per semester, admitting more students becomes a possibility. However, colleges have to become hybrid campuses to leverage this huge opportunity.
Hybrid campuses are campuses which offer more value to students than simply classrooms and teachers. They offer excellent thrust area focus, digital skills training, pre incubation facility for doing projects, tech event conceptualising and conducting task based learning environment, corporate entreprenuer mentoring, and importantly hands-on skills along with existing academic training.
The third and most important positives of Corona is the importance of data/information. The Corona transmission has been understood widely and deeply in every society of the world across all strata rich, poor, and everyone else. This has happened due to the seamless generation and movement of data.
Educational institutions and other institutions have to master the art of create and transmission of data to the right entities. The right data, useful for people is the key. Every institution, whether a manufacturing firm, or a research institution, or a govt. institution or an educational institution has to have data (digital) strategy.
The fourth important positive of the lockdown is that attendence will lose its value. No more, attendence tracking. If a student likes to attend a teacher’s class he will or he will skip if he is not comfortable. Lets him choose the service. Just like a product, we take it if we like it. This will change quite a few things.
As theory moves online, projects will come to the forefront. In such a scenario, a well equipped pre-incubation space becomes vital.
I am happy to note that many colleges are moving to create very large pre incubation space. In fact, a well equipped Pre-Incubation is the second of my major suggestions for higher NIRF. Mentoring is going to be the key deciding factor for success of projects.
Sixth, research or employment orientation of students will be decided quite early, maybe as early as first year. In fact, colleges can help students to decide on this aspect and use this in their marketing. Thus will happen as parents will become more aware of the need to be earning oriented and will decide quite early how to guide their wards towards gainful employment. The aspect of money will become all the more important as we .recover from the Corona or Covid-19 onslaught on economy.
Seventh, as smaller colleges race to stay in the race to avoid slipping into oblivion, inter disciplinary institution tie ups and synergy opportunity institutional tie ups, will become popular. Some colleges are already doing it. To make such initiatives successful and result in high ROI, thrust areas will be the game changer at departmental level.
Eighth, colleges managements will have to undertake a massive overhaul of faculty orientation. From being simply teachers they have to be transformed into change agents for students and key factor for this is going to be informed of the latest trends their subject of specialisation.
Ninth, becoming autonomous will become extremely important. More and more colleges will opt for this. Which will eventually lead to a even playing field.
Colleges which wisely select their thrust areas will leverage the autonomous status to quickly climb up NIRF ranks.
Finally, online jobs will increase exponentially. Educational institutions have to train their students to undertake online jobs. Two key factors for success in implementing this training is researching capability of students and digital expression. The digital asset initiative for faculty will go a long way in enabling faculty train students on digital expression.
Unfortunately, we will all also see further closure or sell out of colleges. Most of the fringe colleges will close down. I know atleast three colleges which are seriously considering alternative options – they will mostly likely be nudged by Corona to take a decision. It is widey beleived and obvious more such institutions are out there and they will have to get their act together or go the other way. Which is good a thing, for all the stakeholders.
