OBJECTIVES
Our B-Tech final-year students take classes for first-year polytechnic students, over and above the classes taken by their faculty. By this practice, we aim to improve their knowledge, communication skills, and self-respect. IIET provides remuneration per hour to motivate our students. By earning this way they will get self-satisfaction and it also helps to motivate diploma students to take B-Tech courses. Earn while you learn is a gesture to allow college-going students to become self-dependent. This is a helpful concept to the many of students whose parents are not able to pay the fees of students because of their low income.
CONTEXT
Earn while you learn not only fulfills the requirements but also gives a lot of confidence to the students and makes them efficient. While working students may get the experience of work that will create a lot of opportunities for them in the future. When someone works he will be disciplined and dedicated. Working develops students’ confidence and practical knowledge. Nowadays industry requires skilled employees who have practical knowledge as they can implement their knowledge to solve problems. Earning while learning gives exposure to the students to develop their capabilities and skills that will be useful once they join the industry. The other difficulty that we faced was the adjustment of working hours. So finally, we have decided to arrange one hour per week without affecting both the diploma and B-Tech programs. It is always said that you learn in depth before standing in front of the audience. So, our students don’t study only for the sake of examinations.
THE PRACTICE
Our integrated campus enables the implementation of this practice very easily. We have two polytechnic colleges under our management. We can implement practice at both polytechnics at Cherukunnam and Nellikuzhy. B.Tech students have been assigned subjects as per their academic performances. Each department allowed one hour to accommodate the timetable for every class. Students are offered a remuneration of 150 Rs per hour. A college jeep is arranged for the B.Tech students traveling to the Cherukunnam Polytechnic for the class. The classes are being monitored by both the faculty members and suggestions are given to them for improvement. B.Tech students typically teach subjects or topics that align with their academic disciplines. This specialization ensures that they can offer in-depth knowledge and practical insights to polytechnic students. There is often a structured curriculum or syllabus that both B.Tech and polytechnic students follow. B.Tech students teach specific modules or units within this curriculum, ensuring that they cover relevant material. B.Tech students often adopt interactive teaching methods. This may include lectures, practical demonstrations, group discussions, and hands-on activities. The aim is to make learning engaging and practical. The age and educational proximity of B.Tech students to polytechnic students creates a comfortable peer learning environment. These fosters open communication and allow polytechnic students to ask questions without hesitation. B.Tech students emphasize the real-world application of concepts. They share their own experiences, industry insights, and case studies to demonstrate how theoretical knowledge can be used in practical scenarios. B.Tech students often provide mentorship and guidance to polytechnic students. They may offer advice on career paths, higher education options, and overall personal development. Classes conducted by B.Tech students are often scheduled to accommodate both their coursework and the availability of polytechnic students. This flexibility ensures that learning remains accessible. In addition to helping polytechnic students, B.Tech students gain teaching experience, reinforce their understanding of the subject matter, and develop essential soft skills like communication and leadership. Polytechnic students benefit from exposure to higher-level concepts, a supportive learning environment, and the opportunity to interact with peers who have successfully progressed to B.Tech programs. In conclusion, the practice of B.Tech students taking classes in polytechnic institutions is a collaborative approach that enriches the educational experience for both parties. It promotes knowledge sharing, practical learning, and peer mentorship while bridging the gap between diploma-level and higher technical education. This practice embodies the spirit of cooperation and community within the educational system.
EVIDENCE OF SUCCESS
This practice has benefitted many of our students to earn money without going for a part-time job. It helps students to improve their attendance percentage along with their academic performance. We have circulated feedback forms to ensure their valuable opinion. We got a positive response from all the students. Through this practice, they have improved their communication skills. It helps the students to get a good placement at the time of placement drive. This practice helps some students to realize their passion for teaching. Students study the subject with a greater depth that helps them to understand the fundamental concepts more clearly, it also helps them for self-learning and collaborative learning. Success can also be measured by assessing the depth of understanding of the subject matter. If polytechnic students demonstrate a stronger grasp of concepts and an ability to apply knowledge in real-world scenarios, this indicates a positive outcome. Another measure of success is an increase in the number of polytechnic students who decide to pursue higher education, including B.Tech programs, as a result of their exposure to B.Tech students as mentors and educators. In summary, the success of B.Tech students teaching polytechnic students can be evidenced through a combination of academic performance, student feedback, career outcomes, and the overall impact on the educational community.
PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED
We have faced some difficulties in implementing this practice. In the beginning, some students haven’t shown interest in this practice. Not all B.Tech students may be equally motivated to teach, and some may view it as an additional burden rather than an opportunity for personal growth and contribution. Later they joined this practice by seeing the earnings of the other students. We need to give reference books to students but it wasn’t enough in our library. So we need to buy some more books for that collection. We have distributed those books to enable the students in their preparation for their class. In the beginning, they faced some mockery behavior from the polytechnic students and later they achieved their respect. Additionally, continuous evaluation and feedback mechanisms can help improve the effectiveness of this teaching approach.