Structural Diversity of Campus Environments in Higher Technical Institutes: A Study on Undergraduate Students of Indian Institute(S) Technology and National Institute(S) Technology

Abstract

The state of diversity at campus environments of Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT’s) and National Institutes of Technology (NIT’s) for a variety of reasons has stifled to embrace on vivacity of adaptation. The undergraduate four-year B.Tech engineering students of higher technical institutions of Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT’s) and National Institutes of Technology (NIT’s) aptly adjust and not sneeringly adapt to the established mechanisms of their campuses. The structural components of student diversity within each campus have a closure of differences existing on perceptive sub-environments of academic, social, physical – psychological and institutional environments operating within one whole of campus environment. This multitudinous nature of functioning of sub-environments has often bigoted by superficial numeric entity of expenditures alone in the sphere of higher education which immaculately threatens the virtual being of the powerful stakeholder – the student. The experiences of students in higher education is rote defined by semester, curriculum and grades achieved. The value–added perception that moulds up the student is intercepted by time spent ardently at campus environment. Thus the way students’ role has been defined in higher education relies on challenges versus the changes students face to counter their beliefs which have often remained estranged to be identified at campuses. This motivates the study to embed students’ individual experiences towards student satisfaction. The research envisages methodology of explanatory sequential mixed method research with deductive reasoning in the first phase of quantitative research that adopts probability sampling techniques of cluster, systematic and simple random sampling. The second phase of qualitative case study research enfolds inductive reasoning with non-probability sampling techniques of purposive and judgemental sampling. In enlisting the required information for quantitative data from the institutes’ questionnaires were administered. This data was tabulated and analysed quantitatively using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) followed with discriminant analysis and independent – t tests. Qualitatively a case study approach with semi structured interviews at one of the institutes were conducted and analysed using open, axial and hierarchical coding. The findings suggest that structural component of student adaptability to campus environments differ among the sub environments towards student satisfaction. This makes it vital to value structural diversity among students as it’s an interplay of heterogeneous group functioning in a perceived homogeneous campus environment. Further institutional commitment to diversity is encouraging having diversified effects not only on individual outcomes but also campus environment which furtherreinforces the benefits associated with diversity. Therefore, it is recommended to emphasise diversity in higher education policies with diversity management penetrating all areas of institutional life of a student. Moreover, diversity aspects remain less observed in Indian universities where there are variations in degree of intensity of campus adaptability at Indian higher technical educational institutions of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT’s) and National Institute of Technology (NIT’s). Consequently, there is a need to claim the continuing importance of affirmative action on diversity management in multicultural context by colleges and universities in India that could act as means of fostering students’ academic, social, physical – psychological and institutional growth across faculty – staff and other diversifications. Finally, the research asserts that engagement with diversity not only supports social justice, but also prepares students, faculty, staff, parents, government and society at large for ethical wellbeing in an interconnected world. Therefore, the study concludes by recommending that regular annual campus environment surveys at higher technical educational institutions could foster a new avenue for introspection on higher education to gather momentum on the less emphasised aspect of student satisfaction.