Dr. Shekhar Pradhan, associate professor and department head of electrical engineering technology at Bluefield State College, was a featured presenter at the recent American Society for Engineering Education Spring Conference at the University of Detroit Mercy.
Pradhan's presentation, "Interrelation Between Continuous Improvement Plan and Industrial Advisory Board," described the partnership between the BSC Electrical Engineering Technology (EET) Department and the Electrical Engineering Technology Industrial Advisory Board in improving the EET courses. "My paper concentrates on the mutual benefits delivered to the College and to industry leaders who serve on our industrial advisory board," Pradhan noted.
The BSC EET department head noted that input from Industrial Advisory Board members can be considered as the College develops curriculum, introduces new courses and new projects, and acquires necessary hardware and software.
"Additionally, the students participating in the company-sponsored projects obtain 'real life' experiences," he observed. "We have found that as our curriculum is modified to develop career skills that are needed in industry, our students' marketability has grown quite a bit. Now, many firms are hiring our students before they graduate and are offering improved starting salaries. Our students choosing to pursue graduate-level education are also more successful gaining entry into the postgraduate programs of their choice," he summarized.
The curriculum enhancement with industry interaction, especially through the Industrial Advisory Board, is being conducted on a regular basis to reflect the needs of the students and the area industries, he summarized.
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