Industrial exposure is crucial for lecturers
Dr Siva Kumar Sivanesan uses his seven years of experience working in the engineering industry as a catalyst for his lessons.
Armed with 15 years of experience as an educator, the Taylor’s University School of Computer Science & Engineering head teaches subjects such as Engineering Statics, Dynamics, Engineering Mathematics, Theory of Machines, Manufacturing Processes, and also supervises post-graduate students.
From witnessing the processes involved in employing technology that allows for efficient creation of systems and products, and being involved in the design, implementation and operation stages of manufacturing lines, to montioring the mass producing television sets, he has done it all.
“These served as a platform for me to witness real time implementation and application of science and technology. “Being able to describe in detail and channel the minds of young learners to align with industrial needs are among the many factors that have allowed me to create an environment that makes learning fun and thought provoking.”
Industrial exposure, he said, is crucial for those aspiring to enter academia, as it will serve as a platform to gauge the level of a student’s readiness in academic and interpersonal skills before they step into the real world.
It encapsulates the nurturing of soft skills such as effective communication, teamwork, and leadership qualities.
The teaching of soft skills to students can only be effectively executed, he believes, if a situation based on real time industry related challenges is carried out in the classroom.
“Academia serves as a platform for students to build and sustain the growth of knowledge, skills and attributes.
“When academia gets ‘too academic’, real world solutions mooted by learners from such an environment become vague and hard to perceive.
“Developing solutions for real world or industry challenges today require more rigorous analysis of norms and uncertainties which cannot be statistically calculated.”
Academia should remain academic intensive, he said, when the fundamentals underlying a certain concept is put forth.
However, it needs to widen its scope and include aspects such as emotional intelligence and soft skills.
At the time he left engineering for academia, Malaysia’s manufacturing sector was significantly impacted due to the rapid growth of trade globalisation.
Many countries manufactured products at lower costs while complying to strict quality requirements that grew rapidly.
“There were also swift changes in the production of display devices.
“These were among the catalysts for me to consider academia.
“But the main pull factor was my ability to teach and my passion to delve deeper into the application of science, focusing on the niche areas of Engineering,” he shared.