Self-Directed Learning: Need of the Hour in Technical Education

  •   Fri, Nov 22 2024
  •   By Dr R G D'Souza

November 22, 2024 

"The future belongs to a different kind of person with a different kind of mind: artists, inventors, storytellers-creative and holistic "right-brain" thinkers whose abilities mark the fault line between who gets ahead and who doesn't.”

This observation by Daniel Pink author of “The Whole New Mind”, makes us to ponder on anew way of thinking about a future that's already here. Backed by strong evidence, the author outlines the six fundamental human abilities or senses which are absolute essentials for professional success and personal fulfilment namely Design, Story, Symphony, Empathy, Play and Meaning that have become essential in this new era.

With advances in futuristic technology in general and access to information with ease, many engineering graduates/aspirants are becoming overly reliant on external sources of information and assistance, rather than honing their ability to figure things out independently. This over reliance on technology for thinking using machines and solving problems and providing solutions based on trained models must be critically evaluated and importance of human abilities with complementary technological tools should be emphasised to equip future engineers with the skills they need to succeed.

Engineers living in a technologically advanced era must be able to think critically, persistently and independently in order to be hired for challenging positions in the industry and succeed in the workplace. The importance of possessing problem-solving skills for an engineering graduate cannot be overstated, especially in light of the disruption that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is causing in the job market. It’s true that engineers who wereinvolved in performing repetitive tasks or data-driven decision-making, are now pushed out by AI and automation technologies. Engineers are succeeding in areas were AI has not been able to solve tasks involving skills like creativity, critical thinking, and the ability to figure things out on one's own.

Creative thinking and problem solving are the abilities to generate and implement novel and new ideas in any domain leading to innovation, which are essential for tackling complex challenges, adapting to changing environments and creating new efficient technologies. In a study published in the Journal of Engineering Education, it was found that students who were encouraged to persist in the face of challenges and to seek out information on their own, rather than relying on their professors or peers, demonstrated higher levels of problem-solving ability. Research has shown that persistence and self-directed learning are critical for developing problem-solving skills.

Self-directed learning can boost creativity and innovation skills by pushing learners to investigate new topics, perspectives, and approaches that spark curiosity and imagination. Experimenting with different tools, techniques, and strategies can also foster divergent and convergent thinking. Additionally, taking risks, making mistakes, learning from feedback, collaborating with others, sharing insights, and applying learning to real-world situations can empower learners with a growth mindset and resilience.A study published in the International Journal of Engineering Education, found that students trained in self-directed learning strategies could better transfer their problem-solving skills to real-world engineering problems.  

These findings highlight the importance of a shift in approach to engineering education, away from a reliance on external sources of information and towards a focus on self-directed learning and persistence. It is vital that engineering students are taught to embrace the challenges that come with figuring things out on their own, and that they are given the tools and resources they need to do so effectively. Its high time that our engineering curriculum takes a holistic approach to technical education and training. Curriculum and pedagogy should be committed to ensure that engineering graduates have the tools and resources to become self-reliant problem solvers.

 

 

 
By Dr R G D'Souza
To submit your article / poem / short story to Daijiworld, please email it to news@daijiworld.com mentioning 'Article/poem submission for daijiworld' in the subject line. Please note the following:

  • The article / poem / short story should be original and previously unpublished in other websites except in the personal blog of the author. We will cross-check the originality of the article, and if found to be copied from another source in whole or in parts without appropriate acknowledgment, the submission will be rejected.
  • The author of the poem / article / short story should include a brief self-introduction limited to 500 characters and his/her recent picture (optional). Pictures relevant to the article may also be sent (optional), provided they are not bound by copyright. Travelogues should be sent along with relevant pictures not sourced from the Internet. Travelogues without relevant pictures will be rejected.
  • In case of a short story / article, the write-up should be at least one-and-a-half pages in word document in Times New Roman font 12 (or, about 700-800 words). Contributors are requested to keep their write-ups limited to a maximum of four pages. Longer write-ups may be sent in parts to publish in installments. Each installment should be sent within a week of the previous installment. A single poem sent for publication should be at least 3/4th of a page in length. Multiple short poems may be submitted for single publication.
  • All submissions should be in Microsoft Word format or text file. Pictures should not be larger than 1000 pixels in width, and of good resolution. Pictures should be attached separately in the mail and may be numbered if the author wants them to be placed in order.
  • Submission of the article / poem / short story does not automatically entail that it would be published. Daijiworld editors will examine each submission and decide on its acceptance/rejection purely based on merit.
  • Daijiworld reserves the right to edit the submission if necessary for grammar and spelling, without compromising on the author's tone and message.
  • Daijiworld reserves the right to reject submissions without prior notice. Mails/calls on the status of the submission will not be entertained. Contributors are requested to be patient.
  • The article / poem / short story should not be targeted directly or indirectly at any individual/group/community. Daijiworld will not assume responsibility for factual errors in the submission.
  • Once accepted, the article / poem / short story will be published as and when we have space. Publication may take up to four weeks from the date of submission of the write-up, depending on the number of submissions we receive. No author will be published twice in succession or twice within a fortnight.
  • Time-bound articles (example, on Mother's Day) should be sent at least a week in advance. Please specify the occasion as well as the date on which you would like it published while sending the write-up.

Comment on this article

  • R Dsouza, Bantwal

    Fri, Nov 22 2024

    1) How can this "self-directed learning" be implemented? At home, in school, or in engineering education? At what level? 2) A more practical approach would be to have "open-ended" solutions to engineering education, instead of "self-directed" learning. Reason being that the real world solutions are NOT unique -- multitude of solutions exist! That is education -- what to do with information. For example, optimize a beam under uncertain loads and uncertain material properties subject to weight constraints. This would require creativity and knowledge from basic courses in Mechanics. Different students will come up with different solutions.


Leave a Comment

Title: Self-Directed Learning: Need of the Hour in Technical Education



You have 2000 characters left.

Disclaimer:

Please write your correct name and email address. Kindly do not post any personal, abusive, defamatory, infringing, obscene, indecent, discriminatory or unlawful or similar comments. Daijiworld.com will not be responsible for any defamatory message posted under this article.

Please note that sending false messages to insult, defame, intimidate, mislead or deceive people or to intentionally cause public disorder is punishable under law. It is obligatory on Daijiworld to provide the IP address and other details of senders of such comments, to the authority concerned upon request.

Hence, sending offensive comments using daijiworld will be purely at your own risk, and in no way will Daijiworld.com be held responsible.