Students are more likely to retain information if lessons are brought to life. Being immersed in information and being involved in visual and practical experiences will help students ‘remember, learn and understand’ subjects. Keeping this philosophy in mind, a two week workshop was designed in collaboration with Ms. Maria from the University at Politecnica De Valencia (UPV) of Spain, around the practical applications of corrugated paper. The idea was to give a hands-on experience to students about exploring the properties of paper for furniture application.

To explore the potential of this idea and to lay the groundwork for future industrial collaboration, Ms. Ruchita Patel, Ms. Timcy Mehta, Mr. Paras Parmar and I visited the director of Shreerangam Packaging Pvt. Ltd, Mr. Kiritbhai Patel in Kadi, Gujarat. He was kind enough to sponsor the entire workshop and supply UID with the materials that our students could use. Students were
given a practical exposure wherein, they could utilize their theoretical knowledge of paper gained through classroom sessions. Students, working in groups, were able to make full size working models of tables, stools, chairs etc. – taking full advantage of the in-house workshops and machinery at UID. They were exposed to developing skills in communicating concepts with practical
implementation of ideas.

To the student’s delight we had an agreement with the sponsor wherein they claimed manufacturing rights over the prototypes the students developed. To boost the morale of the
students, we also organized an exhibition of the student’s work at the end of the workshop. Their work was well appreciated and we also received orders and bookings for selected pieces. This helped sow the seeds of entrepreneurial aspirations in our students.

Industrial visits are an integral part of our student’s learning. This successful exhibition was also fruitful to students, as they also visited the factory in Kadi as an extension
of our industrial collaboration.

Exhibition of student’s work

Author:
Gautam Patel, Adjunct Faculty, School of Interior Design, Unitedworld Institute of Design (UID)

Disclaimer: The opinions / views expressed in this article are solely of the author in his / her individual capacity. They do not purport to reflect the opinions and/or views of the College and/or University or its members.