the heads of engineering colleges have very important roles like developing industry-specific curricula, training the faculty in interdisciplinary research, developing outstanding knowledge capital, and collaborating with research organizatios.

1. ROLE OF HEADS OF INDIAN
ENGINEERING COLLEGES IN
IMPLEMENTING DIGITAL
TECHNOLOGY BASED PROGRAMS
THANIKACHALAM.V., B.E., M.TECH., PH.D., M.S., FIE., FIGS.,
FFIUCEE
FORMER PROFESSOR AND HOD., CIA,
NITTTR, CHENNAI

2. Need for Research
• The digital revolution is accelerating every day.
• Advances in automation, the digitization of information, unprecedented access
to data and democratization of knowledge are transforming every sector of
Indian economy.
• The government of India has initiated the use of digital technology.
• Indian universities have to foster entrepreneurship, encourage collaboration
with the industry, promoting diversity and inclusion and exploring the nexus of
technology and society.

3. Objectives of Research
• To identify barriers in aligning the Indian Universities for their digital future
• To identify the emerging roles of the university leaders in utilizing digital
technology like analytics, IoT, Cloud Computing, Mobile and Cognitive
Technology based Educational Programs.
• To suggest a transformation process of Indian Engineering Education.

4. Research Methodology
• Naturalistic evaluation process developed by Guba has been adopted for this
research.
• A group of forty one senior faculty from 16 engineering colleges have been
commissioned to analyze the impact of digital technology, barriers in developing
new innovative programs, proposing new postgraduate programs to implement
various them.
• They are from various branches of engineering and they offer postgraduate
programs.
• Four Quality Circles have been formed and each group selected one issue for
deliberation.

5. Quality Circles
• The participants have chosen their own groups voluntarily
• The leaders of the groups emerged naturally
• Suggestions are first welcomed from the members
• No evaluation was done in the beginning until all suggestions were exhausted.
• No criticism was passed in the beginning
• Later each suggestion has been analyzed
• The leader has reviewed all the suggestions and got input from the members

6. Outcomes of the Groups
• Barriers for Aligning the Indian Engineering
Universities for Digital Future:
• Lack of Policies for Developing the Faculty, Generating Internal Resources,
getting the Approval from AICTE for the Innovative Programs and
Collaboration with High-tech Industries.

7. Emerging Roles of the University Leaders
• Emerging roles of the university leaders in Utilizing Digital Technologies like
Artificial Intelligence, IoT, Cloud Computing, Mobile based Applications, and
Cognitive based Technologies are as follows:
• Constant assessment of growth of programs
• Getting approval from AICTE
• Getting funds for establishing new programs
• Focused faculty development
• Planned networking with the industry
• Offering innovative courses

8. Transformation Process of Indian Engineering
Education
• Develop interdisciplinary research programs in IoT, AI, Machine
Learning and Cloud based Computing.
• Establish an Artificial Intelligence Research Lab to tackle the
issues of piracy, Cyber Security and development of new
algorithms that facilitate robots to master skills via trial and
error.
• Undertake research in AI decision systems to address the
challenges inherent.

9. Discussion
• The development proposals need a lot of support from AICTE, MHRD, DST and
the university.
• This further demands funds for faculty development and collaboration with
industry.
• The colleges have to develop many MOOCs in the digital technology to meet the
demands of lifelong learning.
• The blended courses are to be approved to complete the prescribed programs in
engineering.

10. Conclusion
• State Technical Universities, Deemed Universities and Autonomous colleges
have to formulate strategic planning to modernize their computing labs,
training their faculties and introduce many up to date programs in AI, Cloud
Computing, Analytics, and collaborate with key industries.
• They need sufficient funds, approval for innovative programs and ready to
collaborate with fast-growing industries with sponsored research and
development projects.