Concept

Practice School-II, of five and a half months duration, carrying twenty units credit, is operated round the year, from July to December and January to June. This facilitates a continuous stream of well-prepared students to work on developmental projects in industry.

Since the students participate in and contribute to live projects, they are supported by a stipend and/or other facilities such as accommodation, travel reimbursement, etc.

Aim

PS-II is directed towards providing an opportunity to students to experience the world of work, by participating in live projects in industry, even before they graduate. Apart from the academic benefits, this also serves to hone their problem solving skills, and build team spirit, initiative, and leadership skills, which makes the eventual transition to the professional world smoother and better.

Methodology

After a brief orientation, the students are involved directly in addressing the predefined problems (generally of multidisciplinary nature) of the host organization. The students are encouraged to work independently, under the technical guidance of a professional expert and the general guidance of the faculty. They are periodically required to defend the technical aspects of their work through written and oral presentations. Emphasis is laid on the importance of teamwork, development of leadership qualities, and the need for effective time management.

Planning Process

The first step in the planning process is to prepare the list of students who are to register in PS-II in each of the two sessions of the subsequent academic year. Interested dual degree students are likely to be permitted to pursue two semesters of PS-II. Higher Degree student may pursue PS in place of Dissertaion. The next step is to ensure that an adequate number of suitable projects are available from the various organizations (existing and new) to comfortably accommodate all the students. The off-campus faculty member’s role is crucial in this part of the process. Another task is to prepare a profile of each student, containing personal data, academic credentials, skills, extra-curricular interests, etc.

Allotment Process

The Problem Bank is a list of assignments from the various organizations, with details of skills and knowledge required. Facilty Chart contains the details of stipend and other support provided by the organizations. These details are made available to the students. Based on this information, the students submit their preferences for the various projects and organizations. The allotment of students is done by matching the project requirements with students’ profiles, keeping the preferences and the merit of the students in view.