The Lost Art of Questioning – Reflections from DMET and 15 Years in Education

Prateek Khanna
Aug 13
5 min read

DISCLAIMER: DMET IS STILL AND WOULD ALWAYS BE THE BEST MARINE ENGINEERING COLLEGE IN THE WORLD.

I did my marine engineering from DMET — an institution that will always hold a special place in my heart. It wasn’t just about classrooms and textbooks; it was about discipline, resilience, friendships, and the unspoken camaraderie that only a batch of cadets can understand.

I’ll be the first to admit — I wasn’t the strongest student academically (I may be the dumbest of them all, but thanks to my batchmates for helping me get through college, from the bottom of my heart, 6322, 6324 (I am 6323, ha ha ha),6309, 6255, 6291, 6300, 6287, 6347, 6289, 6291, 6288, 6252, 6277, 6272, 6292, and many more. I should write from 6226 to 6375, I believe it took a whole batch to make sure I pass out in 4 years.

There were many times when my batchmates became my real teachers — explaining concepts late at night in the hostel, coaching me before orals, and sometimes (always, ha ha ha) even helping me scrape through exams.

Those sessions were gold: no judgment, no hierarchy — just the pure will to see each other succeed. (भाई को पास कराना ही है, चाहे कुछ भी हो।)

We also had faculty members who were truly exceptional — with a plethora of knowledge and real-world shipboard experience. Their technical mastery was inspiring.

But here’s the truth I’ve learned after spending over 15 years in education: students are the biggest stakeholders in the system. The purpose of teaching isn’t to prove how much we know — it’s to ensure that students learn, grow, and succeed.

A coach being able to run 100 meters in 9 seconds doesn’t make the student win gold. In the same way, a teacher being the master of a subject means little if that mastery doesn’t translate into student learning.

The real challenge — and the real pride — lies in explaining concepts with humility, creating an environment where students feel safe to question, and ensuring no one is left behind.

And this is where I believe DMET, like many institutions, could have been even better: by embedding the art of questioning into the very DNA of its teaching.

Why Questioning Matters – Especially in Engineering

Marine engineering is a field where you must go beyond memorisation. Systems are complex, interdependent, and often unpredictable. Questioning unlocks deeper understanding, encourages curiosity, and prepares engineers to handle real-world challenges at sea.

Note: Please pardon me if there are any mistakes in the examples I’ve shared.

Deeper Understanding: Instead of simply saying, “The efficiency of a marine diesel engine depends on the temperature difference between the heat source and sink,” an instructor might ask:“If we increase the exhaust gas temperature by 20°C, how will that affect engine efficiency — and why?”That “why” pushes students into deeper analysis.
Active Engagement: During a ship stability class, instead of stating, “Metacentric height determines stability,” a better question could be:“If a container ship is overloaded on deck but underloaded in the hold, what happens to GM and why?”
Better Learning Outcomes: The Education Endowment Foundation notes that effective questioning can accelerate learning by seven months in a single year.
In engineering, where each concept builds on the previous, that’s transformative.
Assessment Tool: On board, a chief engineer might ask, “Why do we pre-lube the engine before starting?” The answer shows not just procedural knowledge but understanding of lubrication, wear prevention, and safety.
Fostering Curiosity: Some of the best engineers I’ve met at sea and on land never stop asking “why” — whether it’s about a vibration pattern or corrosion in a heat exchanger. That habit begins in the classroom.

Where Questioning Falls Short

Even in technical education, questioning often fails to reach its potential:

Narrow Focus – Questions are used mainly to check recall (“What is the flash point of marine fuel oil?”) instead of exploring consequences (“If the flash point drops below 60°C, what hazards could occur?”).
One Right Answer Mindset – Many real-world marine engineering problems have multiple valid solutions, but rigid teaching methods can stifle that flexibility.
Low-Level Recall – Too many “state” or “list” questions, and not enough scenario-based problem-solving.
No Wait Time – In my DMET days, many questions were followed by an immediate call for an answer, leaving little thinking time.
Lack of Context – Without shipboard scenarios, classroom questions can feel disconnected from reality.

Strategies for Effective Questioning in Marine Engineering

Here’s how we can transform questioning from a formality into a core teaching skill:

1. Ask Higher-Order, Scenario-Based Questions

Recall-based: “What’s the purpose of a scavenge drain?”
Scenario-based: “If excessive oil is found in the scavenge drain, what could be the causes and how would you troubleshoot?”

2. Allow Wait Time

Give cadets 3–5 seconds for factual questions and up to 15 seconds for complex, open-ended ones.

3. Link Theory to Practice

Example: “Given P ∝ N³, if RPM drops by 10%, what happens to power and fuel consumption — and why would that matter in heavy weather?”

4. Encourage Peer Questioning

Let cadets challenge each other: “Why is bypassing the purifier risky?” Sometimes the explanation from a peer resonates more than the lecturer’s.

5. Prompt Reflection

After drydock: “If you were chief engineer, which three maintenance jobs would you prioritise before sailing, and why?”

6. Plan Questions with Purpose

Move from concept checks (“What is a steam drum?”) to applied problem-solving (“If boiler water conductivity is high, what’s your step-by-step action plan?”).

A Closing Reflection

Some of my most valuable lessons at DMET came from brilliant faculty members whose knowledge was ocean-deep — and from batchmates who stayed up with me the night before an exam explaining concepts I had struggled with for weeks. Both played a role in shaping me.

But as an educator (or someone who has worked alongside some of the best coaches and teachers across the globe) today, I believe the highest form of mastery is teaching with humility.

Not to showcase our speed or brilliance, but to transfer skill, understanding, and confidence to those learning from us.

Just like a coach’s own Olympic speed means little if the athlete can’t run their own race, a teacher’s subject mastery means little if students can’t apply it when it matters.

Why I’m Writing This Blog

I’m writing this not to criticise, but because I want the next generation of marine engineers from DMET to have an even better experience than we did.

Our teachers should be empowered with the best questioning techniques, our students should be encouraged to think fearlessly, and our classrooms should become spaces where curiosity thrives without judgment.

The only reason I say this — and the only reason I care so deeply — is because I want our college to remain the best. Always. Jai Hind

Jai Bharat Jai DMET

"Everyone who remembers his own education remembers teachers, not methods and techniques. The teacher is the heart of the educational system."