The vicious input-output cycle

While working on the plan to beef up the quality content at engineering and management colleges, I discovered a vicious cycle which many institutes have fallen atrap in .

This vicious cycle have multiple nodes and an endless loop that pass through it, well, almost.

I am putting down this cycle here which I also use aplenty while explaining to our clients on the creeping in factors of this cycle, how are they in particular affected by this cycle and most importantly – what is the way out?

I call this cycle, the “Input-Output Cycle”.

As the name suggest it builds upon the input and output functions of an education system when the factors in consideration is the student quality in specific.

Without further ado we get down to the model and understand how it can be applied.

When I say it’s a vicious cycle, It means that we may start from any node in the cycle and construct an endless loop with little to no difficulty.

I particularly believe the top-most node, Institute perception is the most relevant and constructive node to build the argument upon, however, the reader if free to tread his own path.

An institute perception is what prospective endorsers or peers conceive the institute’s potential, reputation, ability and most importantly credibility in their view. It is simply put, a representation of the institute in their thoughts.

A positive and progressive perception of an institute hence is of utmost importance to ensure that the institute is branded with the right perceptions and positioning in the minds of prospective student community that would make this institute up in future.

Obviously, a negative perception about the institute leads to an unfavourable quality input into the institute in terms of induction of new batches.

This quality of students can hardly be improved miraculously. An IT proverb “Garbage In Garbage Out” comes out as the most relevant phrase for the application. This more often than not, leads to a sub-standard batch quality of the passing out students in terms of the knowledge that they gather against what would be expected out of them when the rubber meets the road. Unfortunately, a major chunk of students also lags in the professional attitude which these days is turning out to be most important factor that companies look for in these young engineers and managers.

As anyone would guess such mismatch of the skills and abilities leads to unsatisfactory performance coupled with sour relationships between the employees and their supervisors and sometimes, unfortunately even between employers and the colleges which are represented on the floor by these young aspirants.

And if you haven’t lost the plot, you would understand that this bring a bad reputation to the institute and leads to an overall negative perception in the eyes of employers, prospective students and guardians.

The ill-effects continues to build upon the deteriorating quality of students and the cycle continues to plunge the institute deep down the blind alley of sub-standard campus knowledge quality.

Well, its time most colleges in this blind alley and the ones who are heading towards it, recognize and realize the challenge and work towards the solution, before its tool late.