11 Motivating the Student

8/14/2019 11 Motivating the Student

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MOTIVATING THE STUDENT


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MOTIVATING THE STUDENT TO WORK UP TO FULLPOTENTIAL FOR SUCCESS IN ENGINEERING STUDY

1 INTRODUCTION

We arent born knowing how to be effective.We learn how. We learn from our parents,from our teachers, from our peers, and from

supervisors and mentors. We learn fromworkshops and seminars, from reading books,from trial and error.

Developing our effectiveness is a life long

process. When we join an organization as a

professional, we generally receive lots of help.The organization benefits if we are effective

and so it takes steps to ensure that we are.


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Industry executives are well aware that newengineering graduates have a long way to go before

they can earn their salary. New engineering hiresare thus provided with the formal training, on- the job training, close supervision, progressively morechallenging assignments and time to mature.

If new engineering graduates need orientation,training, monitoring and time to mature to beeffective, how is it that as engineering educators weexpect our students to know how to go about the taskof engineering study the day they arrive?

Strangely, when new students (or, in fact, newfaculty) join the engineering college, they are leftprimarily on their own to figure out how to be

effective and successful.


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Engineering colleges seem to be more interested inevaluating their newest members (students/ new

faculty) than in doing things to ensure that theybecome effective and successful.

Within engineering education, this Sink or Swimapproach is not working.

Many of the engineering students who graduate failto work up to their full potential.

The good news, however, is that the process of

engineering education initiated recently a shift fromthe Sink or Swim paradigm to one of StudentDevelopment. The first year engineering curriculumis slightly revised with the primary goal of enhancingstudent success.


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2 KEYS TO SUCCESS IN ENGINEERING STUDY

What makes the difference?

One student with seemingly limited ability andpoor initial preparation succeeds in gettingmeritorious engineering degree. Another student with outstanding ability and excellentpreparation fails. How can that happen? Whatare the keys to success in engineering study?

Three primary factors differentiatesuccessful engineering students fromthose who fail.

Determination(Most Important)

Effort

Approach

Dont give up!

Work hard

Work smart


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3 DETERMINATION

Determination means having an unwaveringcommitment to the goal of graduating meritoriouslyin engineering (Firmness of purpose) To persisteven in the face of adversity. People who succeedare people who when they get knocked down bysome adversity, they get up; whereas, people who

fail are people who when they get knocked down,they stay down.

The most likely reason you will fail to do well inengineering study is that you have difficulty with

subjects or with teachers or a personal problem, arelationship problem, or a health problem. You willencounter some adversity and use it as a reason(an excuse) for failing to do well.


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Examples of Negative Thoughts and the resultingNon-productive Actions.

Negative Thought Non-Productive Action

Im so far behind, I dont getanything out of my teacherslectures.

Cut class

I learn better by studying bymyself.

Spend time studying alone andnot able to follow thoroughly

Subject is too hard; I just cant doit.

Procrastinate; put off studying

Teachers dont seem to want tohelp me. They make me feelstupid.

Avoid seeking help from teachersoutside of class

I dont like having my life run asper a prepared plan.

Waste time by not schedulingyour time

I dont have time for studentorganizations.

Avoid participation in studentorganizations

Im not good at writing and dont

like doing it.

Avoid opportunities to develop

writing skills.


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And how do you keep adversity from stoppingyou?

How can you keep failures from discouragingyou?

The age - old saying:

We learn more from failures than wedo from our successes.


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Learning to Overcome Adversity:

The four Commandments for you topersist even in the face of adversity are:

You must be willing to risk failureYou must passionately hate failure.Persistence is a necessity, just as thewillingness to acknowledge defeat andmove on.

A measure of your potential to succeedis how you handle adversity.

Believe in yourself. You can do it!


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4 EFFORT

The relative importance of Ability and Effort wasperhaps best put up by the famous Americaninventor Thomas Edison:

Genius is one percent InspirationAnd ninetynine percent Perspiration

Do you believe that people succeed because of their ability (a natural quality that you have nocontrol over; that some people have it and other people dont)?

It is a self defeating belief. It can provide youwith a rationale to accept failure in yourself.

Or, do you believe that people succeed because of their effort? This belief is empowering becausethe amount of effort you put in is in your directcontrol. You can choose to put in more effort andin doing so reap greater success.


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Effort is both Time and Energy:

Poor academic performance can usually be tracedto insufficient effort.

There are two distinct components to the effort youdevote to your studies time and energy.

Analogy: Distance Traveled = speed(rate) X time

Completing a specific task requires that you devoteenergy or mental power and spend time on the taskif you want to be both effective and efficient.

Accomplishing an academic task will require you todevote adequate time and to focus your energy andmental power.

Your success in the study of engineering is to agreat extent in your control.


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5 APPROACH:

Although some tasks will depend solely on effort,your effectiveness and efficiency in accomplishingmost tasks will depend on both effort andapproach.

In other words, success in engineering studyrequires not only that you work harder, but alsothat you work smarter.

Become a Master Student:

You realize that to become a Master of any play, youneed to spend time both playing and learning more

about the game through reading, taking lessons, or watch experts play.

To become a master student you must not only play thegame- i.e., be a student - you must also devote time andenergy in acquiring the necessary academic and non-academic skills, attitude and approach (soft skills).


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What is required to acquire a meritoriousB.Tech. Degree?

You must develop a high level of commitment and motivation so you arewilling to make necessary choices andpersonal scarifies.

You must learn how the educational systemworks and learn how to be effective as astudent.

Learning to be efficient and effective at the

task of studying engineering will haveenormous payoffs for you. Not only will itenhance your success as a student, it willprovide you with skills you need to be

effective as a practising professionalengineer.


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6 MODELS FOR ASSESSING YOUR ENGINEERINGEDUCATION

One most positive and unique aspect of your Engineering

Education is that you are working for yourself to prepareyourself for your future.

Consider the Saying.

No deposit (=investment), no return

Your education will represent a tremendous deposit inyour future. Your return will be in direct relation to whatyou put in.

Whenever you make a conscious choice to avoid learning,growing or developing, you are not getting away withsomething you are working against yourself!


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Enhancing the quality of your Education:

Three models (= frameworks) from which toview and derive the best from your engineering education are presented.

The models will assist you in answeringsuch important questions as :

What is the purpose of engineering education?

What should I know when I graduate?

How do I know if I am getting an excellenteducation?

How can I enhance the quality of education?

Will I have the knowledge and skills to get mydream job?


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Self -Evaluation & Self Development :

These models are useful for self-evaluationand development.

You measure yourself against each aspecton a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being high).

In areas you feel you are strong, just keepdoing what you have been doing.

In areas you feel you need to improve,

map out a plan for self-improvement.


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One engineering programme may emphasise proficiency intechnology, whereas another may require every student toacquire learn how to learn skill or cooperative educationexperience working in industry.

A set of ten attributes combining inputs from students,faculty and industry representatives:

1. Problem Solving (The ability to identify and define a

problem, develop and evaluate alternative solutions,and effect one or more designs to solve the problem)

2. Technical skill (A broad and in-depth technicalbackground).

3. Communication skills (Effectiveness incommunicating ideas).

4. Mathematics/Science proficiency (A fundamentalunderstanding of mathematics, physical, life andsocial sciences).


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1. Ethics and professionalism (High professional andethical standards).

2. Open Mind/Positive Attitude (A mature, responsible andopen mind with positive attitude towards life).

3. Computer literacy (The ability to use computers for communication analysis and design).

4. Motivation to continue learning (The motivation andcapability to continue the learning experience).

5. Business Management Practices ( A knowledge of business strategies and management practices.

6. World Affairs and Cultures ( An appreciation for andunderstanding of world affairs and cultures).


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Relative Importance of these Attributes as ranked bystudents, faculty and Industry Reps:

Rank

Students Faculty Industry Reps

1 Problem Solving Problem Solving Problem Solving

2 ComputerLiteracy Math/ScienceProficiency CommunicationSkills3 Math/Science

ProficiencyCommunicationSkills

Ethics andProfessionalism

4 CommunicationSkills

Technical skills OpenMind/PositiveAttitude5 Technical skills Motivation to

Continue LearningMath/ScienceProficiency

6 Motivation toContinue Learning

Ethics andProfessionalism

Technical skills

7 OpenMind/PositiveAttitude

Open Mind/PositiveAttitude

Motivation toContinueLearning8 Business

ManagementPractices

Computer Literacy BusinessManagementPractices9 Ethics and

ProfessionalismWorld Affairs andCultures

ComputerLiteracy

10. World Affairs andCultures

BusinessManagementPractices

World Affairsand Cultures

The most important attribute as recognized by all thecategories is Problem Solving.

Greatest gap between the view of Students and Industry:

Ethics and professionalism ranked #3 by Industry and # 9b students.


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8 EMPLOYMENT MODEL The single most reason you have chosen to study

Engineering is the availability of jobs.

In view of this, you need to consider what factors areimportant to employers and work to develop yourself inthese areas. Employers look for the recruits with thefollowing qualifications:

1. Personal qualifications including maturity, initiative,enthusiasm, poise, communication skills, appearance,and the ability to work with people (attributes: 1, 3, 5 &6)

2. Scholastic qualifications as shown by percentage of marks / grades (attributes: 2, 4)

3. Specialized courses and industry training (attributes:2,7)

4. Experience in campus activities, especially participationand leadership in curricular and extracurricular life

(attributes: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 & 10)


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The amount of Physical and Psychological

Energy that the Student devotes to the Academic &Co-academic Experiences.

Five measures of Student Involvement:

1. Time and energy devoted to studying

2. Time spent on campus

3. Participation in student organizations

4. Interaction with faculty members

5. Interaction with other students

Definition of Student Involvement :


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Involved Student:

An involved student is one who devotesconsiderable energy to studying, spends a lot of time on campus, participates actively in studentorganizations, and interacts frequently with facultymembers and other students.

Uninvolved Student:An uninvolved student may neglect studies, spendlittle time on campus, abstain from extracurricular activities, and have little contact with faculty

members or other students. Which of these statements best describes you? In this way, you can assess the quality of the education

you are receiving Increasing your level of involvement and hence

enhancing the quality of your education is up to you

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11 Motivating the Student