Tag: NEP2020

IIT Kharagpur introduces major curriculum reforms for UG students for the academic year 2024-25

In line with the spirit of National Educational Policy (NEP 2020), IIT Kharagpur introduced several path-breaking reforms in its UG programmes starting from the academic year 2024-25.

1. From the academic year 2024-25, admission to all UG programmes will be for 4-year, B.Tech and B.S levels only. The students will get an opportunity to opt for the 5-year dual degree programmes after 2nd or 3rd year of their study. Depending upon their suitability and interest, the students can choose a 5-year dual degree programme in his/her parent department or he/she can also choose the Interdisciplinary Dual Degree Programmes (IDDP) offered by several schools and centres of the Institute. This will also create interesting possibilities such as a B.S (Hons.) in Economics with M.Tech in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning or a B.Tech (Hons.) in Civil Engineering with M.Tech in Financial Engineering etc. These changes will facilitate the students to make informed choice after spending few semesters at IIT Kharagpur for Dual Degree, instead of making the choice before they join the institute.

2. The branch change option at the end of the first year for UG students admitted through JEE (Advanced) is abolished. This is done to reduce the level of stress some students undergo to secure higher grades for branch change and availability of the option. Less than 10% of the students manage to change their branch every year, leaving the remaining 90% students dejected who undergo depression, sometime resulting in serious mental health issues and poor performance in subsequent semesters. The announcement of this new measure has been overwhelmingly welcomed by the existing students as well.

3. The UG students taking admission in 2024 will have the option of earning simultaneously a “Double Major” along with the B.Tech (Hons.) or B.S (Hons.) degree in the departments in which they take admission. The “Double Major” programme will be offered by several departments. Depending upon their interest and aptitude, the students can register for “Double Major” in any discipline after 1st For example, a student pursuing B.Tech (Hons.) in Mechanical Engineering can opt for a “Double Major” in “Economics” or a student pursuing B.S (Hons.) in Physics can opt for a “Double Major” in “Electronics and Electrical Communications Engineering” or “Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning”.

4. IIT Kharagpur will also be introducing the Semester Away Program (SAP) for the undergraduate students from the academic year 2024-25. Under SAP, a UG student can spend one semester either in another reputed national or international institute or industry or research laboratories and earn full credits equivalent to the semester credits. If required, the UG students can also combine their mandatory summer internship of 8-weeks along with the semester long SAP program, thus getting an opportunity to spend almost 8 months in another reputed organization/industries anywhere in the world

5. In addition, the institute also offers the students the possibility of earning a “Minor” or a “Micro-Specialization” in many of the disciplines of their interest. Taking into account the rapid developments in “Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML)” and its huge potential for the nation, studying at least one AI/ML elective will be made mandatory for all the students along with several other electives being offered in areas such as Linguistics, Happiness and Well-Being, Indian Knowledge Systems, Performing Arts etc. The institute also encourages the UG students to attend national and international conferences of repute and make presentations of the research work that they do at IIT Kharagpur by supporting them financially and promoting the creativity of the students through establishment of several Innovation Labs, Do-It-Yourself centres, Tinkering Labs, Tech Clubs etc.

Prof. V K Tewari, Director, IIT Kharagpur remarked, “The Double Major programme is expected to attract a large number of brilliant students to pursue studies in an area of their interest apart from the basic programme in which they take admission. It is hoped that they can do this without much mental stress as they can complete their B.Tech (Hons.)/B.S (Hons.) programme along with Double Major in 4 to 5 years depending upon their course completion plan. Once the branch change is abolished, the first year curriculum need not be common across all branches, and the departments have the opportunity to introduce relevant, department-specific subjects from 1st year onwards. The students can also get exposure to top organizations in the world through SAP, while the organizations can utilize the talent of the exceptionally brilliant IIT students to solve the challenging problems of the organization/industries. Depending upon the nature of the host organization, the students also have an opportunity of getting Pre-Placement Offers (PPOs) from the organizations along with offers for master’s or doctoral research in national and international universities/institutes.

Media Coverage:

Times of India Telegraph Times Now
Indian Express India Today The Hindu
Career 360 Digital Learning  Free Press Journal

Times of India

Inputs by: Prof. Maddali Ramgopal, Dean, FoEA & Prof. Arindam Basu, Vice-Chairman, JEE (Advanced), 2024
Email: deanfoea@iitkgp.ac.in; vcjee1@adm.iitkgp.ac.in

Edited By: Poulami Mondal, Digital & Creative Media Executive (Creative Writer)
Email: poulami.mondal@iitkgp.ac.in, media@iitkgp.ac.in, Ph. No.: +91-3222-282007

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IIT Kharagpur conducts a Press Conference on Strategic Implementation Initiatives undertaken by the Institute on NEP 2020

Under the aegis of commemorating the 3rd Anniversary of National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, IIT Kharagpur conducted a Press Conference on NEP 2020 on 24.07.2023 (Monday) at 11:00 am in Netaji Auditorium of the Institute. The press conference was chaired by Prof. V K Tewari, Director; Prof. Amit Patra, Deputy Director; Prof. M Ramgopal, Dean, FoEA and Shri Amit Jain, Registrar, IIT Kharagpur along with the senior Deans and Head of the Departments on the Strategic Implementation Initiatives on NEP 2020 undertaken at IIT Kharagpur.

IIT Kharagpur has reviewed and updated it curricula for UG Programmes for both the UG and the PG Programmes. During these revisions NEP 2020 has been kept in view and its visions incorporated into the programmes as appropriate in the context of the highly reputed technical and science education programmes of IIT Kharagpur. Some of the major strategic initiatives already undertaken by IIT Kharagpur, in the light of NEP 2020 has been a multidisciplinary research intensive university offering Science, Technology, Management and Law programmes. It is now initiating a new dimension of its multidisciplinarity by starting the MBBS programme in medicine at the B C Roy Institute of Medical Science and Technology. Education System in IIT Kharagpur always emphasised learning of humanities and other disciplines through electives. In the recent UG and PG curricula the choice of electives have been broadened enabling students to choose subjects from all over the institute. Further a new class of programmes called Interdisciplinary Dual Degree Programmes have been introduced in which a student can do a B. Tech and an M. Tech programme.

The UG programmes of IIT Kharagpur had 8 weeks of summer internship. This internship can now be extended to 8 months of research or industry internship for a student. Internship has also been proposed into the PG programme now. The Bachelor’s programme in Technology was already of 4 years. Now all Bachelor’s programmes in Science have also been converted to 4 year’s BS programmes. IIT Kharagpur has set up an International Student Office and is making all efforts to increase the admission of international students in its programmes. Each department will make strategic departmental Development Plans. On the basis of which department/centre/school will develop initiatives, assess their own progress, and reach the goals set therein, which could then become the basis for further funding from the Institute. To study Indian Languages, Art and Culture and quality research in the fields and its integration with engineering, science, humanity and social sciences research, the institute has also set up a Centre of Indian Knowledge System from which such initiative could be started for the interested students with support from the Ministry of Education.

The new 5 year BS-MS programmes offer options for an exit at the end of 4 years. It has also been recognised that students who have to leave for various personal reasons prematurely, from a UG programme after completing a substantial amount of credits shall benefit from an exit option that recognize the competencies gained by the student. Some other possible exit options are in discussion. Entry to UG and PG programmes at the IITs are through rigorous national level tests. It is generally felt that these need to be preserved to retain the standards of the IIT degrees. However, even with these there could be options for entry.

An Academic Bank of Credit shall be established which would digitally store the academic credits earned from various recognized Higher education Intuitions (HEIs) so that the degrees from an HEI can be awarded taking into account credits earned which would be undertaken under the national initiatives by the Ministry. IIT Kharagpur has contributed extensively to NPTEL which is now accepted for earning credits by several institutions of India which are also available globally. In the pandemic, IIT Kharagpur has conducted on-line classes for its own programmes extensively. IIT Kharagpur already has several initiatives for helping out economically deprived students at the national level under a Ministry of Education initiative.

Creation of an autonomous body National Educational Technology Forum (NETF) to provide a platform for the free exchange of ideas on the use of technology to enhance learning, assessment, planning, administration and appropriate integration of technology into all levels of education will be undertaken in the context of the NPTEL programmes and the Swayam platform established under NMEICT. All programmes, courses, curricula, and pedagogy across subjects, including those in-class, online, and in ODL modes as well as student support aims to achieve global standards of quality including its standardization and certification. Mechanism of the course/studies review in the department/centre/school on a regular basis by involving external and internal stakeholders/experts such as Industry, Alumni, Faculty, students, Academia, etc. are being strengthened through programmes like SPARK and GIAN. The new curricula emphasise on involvement of the Industry through projects and course participation.

On the lines of Strategic Implementation Initiatives of IIT Kharagpur on NEP 2020, Prof. V K Tewari, Director, IIT Kharagpur remarked, “NEP 2020’s inclusion in the academic curriculum will generate more employment based on the entrepreneurship model of being an employer than an employee. With the multiple entry/exit policy, any student can take a break from their respective courses to gain industry experience and come back to continue his academic curriculum. Another facet that enhances the flexibility of NEP 2020 is the Short Term Certification Courses for developing Short-term and Long-term Training Programs to provide skilling, re-skilling and upskilling opportunities. Learning Science in your own language removes the barrier of language bias and creates inclusivity between culture and technology. This adds value to the Indian education system to improve the universalization of education from pre-school to secondary level with 100% Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in school education by 2030.”

Media Coverage:

PTI Times of India India Today
The Hindu Business Line Ananda Bazar Patrika (Online) News 18 (English)
News 18 Bangla CNBC TV Dainik Jagran (Online)
IBC24 The Bengal Post Career 360
Free Press Journal  KGP   Edex Live
Times Now  Mirchi9 Jagran Josh
ABP Hindi (Online) Digital Learning Republic World
Campus Varta The Live Nagpur Mint
Deccan Herald  Education Times

News 18 Facebook Page – https://www.facebook.com/watch/?extid=WA-UNK-UNK-UNK-AN_GK0T-GK1C&mibextid=2Rb1fB&v=303445562357956

                                                                           

   ABP (Print)                                                            Bartaman                                                                Dainik Jagran (Print)

 

                         

                         Coalfield Mirror                                                                                             Medinipur Times 

Edited By : Poulami Mondal, Digital & Creative Media Executive (Creative Writer)
Email: poulami.mondal@iitkgp.ac.in, media@iitkgp.ac.in, Ph. No.: +91-3222-282007

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Language Hubs for Assisted Learning

Can regional languages help students understand classroom lectures better? Prof. Virendra K Tewari, Director, IIT Kharagpur shares his views on setting up language hubs at technical institutes to assist students especially those from vernacular medium or facing difficulty in English communication.

In a recent briefing, the Union Education Ministry made an announcement to start technical education, especially for engineering courses, in mother tongue from the next academic year including shortlisting of a few IITs and NITs. Since the announcement of NEP 2020 with a thrust on regional languages, , speculations and debates were up for embracing regional languages in the Indian higher education system. As we progress further in the 21st century and pursue the aim to position ourselves as Vishwaguru, as often cited by our Shiksha Mantri ji Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, let language not be the barrier to learning.

Before we delve into the issue of multiple regional languages, let us remind ourselves, that across the globe, classroom teaching is pursued in a variety of regional languages, be it France or Germany or Russia or a country like China, which has over 300 languages and dialects with 8 of them being the major ones. It has been observed that the human mind is more receptive to communication in the language in which it is accustomed to thinking from childhood. In my four decades at IIT Kharagpur, initially, as a student, research scholar and later as a faculty member, our ‘teaching and learning’ has been in English in its entirety. The practice, I would say, continues regardless of the first language of the students and difficulties at their end in adopting to English as the primary communication language, thus disrupting the process of learning. But when explained in regional languages, especially mother tongue, grabbing the concepts or expression of the ideas by the students becomes fairly easy. This can be observed frequently in practical classes and labs where the lab instructors often form a close relationship with the students and communicate with them in the languages known by the former. Even some teachers adopt this approach outside the classroom.

Now it is to be contemplated how such practice can be institutionalized for IITs and NITs with a regionally diverse student population. In a world taking pride in the liberal thought process and individualized attention, the challenge of language as a barrier to the learning process needs to be critically reviewed. This would lead to the development of a policy framework for regional language education not only at schools but in higher education including technical education. The decision of the Ministry in this matter is highly laudable.

Adopting regional language in technical education is a necessary long-term goal requiring teachers proficient in undertaking classes in the vernacular medium along with English in addition to publishing textbooks and reference materials in regional languages. However, this transition can be facilitated with language assisted learning. Regional language hubs set up at technical institutes can bring together students requiring language aids. Depending upon the composition of students from various vernacular backgrounds or those facing a challenge in English communication, and the availability of teachers with regional language proficiency, these hubs can be structured. For example, at IIT Kharagpur we can have such a hub with an optional language-assisted learning focus on Bengali, Telugu and Hindi and even other languages such as Odia, Tamil etc. in some subject areas depending on the availability of teachers and choices by students who need language assistance in classroom teaching. To ensure students are not left out due to the lack of teachers with their preferred language expertise, we need to adopt technological aids. Audio translation aids have been in use at various organizations including the Indian Parliament, UN gatherings etc.

We can further take a step forward to AI-based hearing aids which can effectively translate engineering and scientific teaching communication in regional modes that can be understood by the students without much difficulty. In fact, we have already started working with AICTE towards AI-based multilingual translation of the learning resources of various engineering subjects.

While the seminal decision has been taken to start technical education in the mother tongue, it is time that we equip ourselves with facilities and processes to adapt to this new approach in our segment of the higher education system.

Media Coverage:

Hindustan Times Indian Express Times of India
Financial Express New Indian Express Economic Times
Dainik Bhaskar Dainik Jagran Navbharat Times
Lokmat Punjab Kesari Ei Samay
Business Standard Hindi ABP Education Times Now
Yahoo News The Week India Today
NDTV Outlook Republic World

Music, Science and Technology find concurrence in Academics at IIT Kharagpur

IIT Kharagpur launches Academy of Classical and Folk Arts in the spirit of NEP2020 to inculcate the spirit of innovation and inclusive learning
India Today Hindustan Times Times of India
Indian Express LiveMint Education Times
The New Indian Express CNBC TV 18 Times of India (PTI)
Dainik Jagran Dainik Bhaskar Amar Ujala
India Blooms The Tribune The Week        Outlook
Republic World The Telegraph NDTV

On the occasion of its 70th Foundation Day, IIT Kharagpur inaugurated the Academy of Classical and Folk Arts on August 18, 2020. A first in the IIT system, the Academy aims to nurture the creative talents of the IIT Kharagpur community through an immersion in music and fine arts. 

Watch e-Launch Video

The Academy will offer regular training on music, fine arts and other performing arts, and run micro-credit courses for students. Its global outreach programs, that will include MOOCs courses and live classes, will create opportunities for a wider dissemination of the creative liberty at the heart of Indian classical music. The Academy will also pursue collaborative research in science and technology interventions in Indian classical music and other art forms that will not only help preserve India’s rich heritage but also create new teaching-learning resources.

“The spirit of creativity, collaboration and collective well-being is ingrained in the teaching-learning of our traditional performing and creative art forms. Inspiring the present generation to learn creative arts will enable them to develop the faculties of concentration, coordination, confidence and creativity, which are catalysts for scientific excellence,” said Prof. Pallab Dasgupta, Professor-in-Charge of the Academy and Professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering.

The Academy is working in close collaboration with Padma Bhushan Pt. Ajoy Chakrabarty, Distinguished Professor and Mentor, who will grace the inauguration and conduct a unique workshop called “Sur-o-Srishti: The Science and Philosophy of making Indian Music” connecting the principles of learning music and rhythm with that of cultivating scientific innovation abilities.  

“India will reach the pinnacle of scientific and engineering eminence if the spirit of innovation is inculcated in the young minds,” said Pt. Chakrabarty. “The modern style of learning music, which I have been professing over the years with remarkable effect, is designed to inculcate the traits of experimentation and innovation in young minds, rather than blind imitation which has become prevalent not only in music but in most other forms of learning. There is no better place to bring about this change in the mindset than a top seat of learning like IIT Kharagpur.”

Pt. Chakrabarty is heading the ‘100 Ragas Initiative’ of the Academy. The initiative intends to formulate the deep structure of Indian ragas as semi-lexical languages by forging a connection of the creative arts with the cognitive sciences. 

“It is essential for an institute of national importance to focus on the holistic development of its students, staff and faculty. The Academy of Classical and Folk Arts is the first of its kind at IIT Kharagpur. This and other forthcoming academies such as the Academy of Leadership are designed to expand the mind set of our students from narrow individual academic competitors to versatile and creative social beings with the flair and confidence of excelling in innovation and technology leadership. We are privileged to have an eminent musician in the form of Pt. Ajoy Chakraborty by our side as a Distinguished professor and mentor of this academy. With him by our side, we are happy to officially launch the academy,” said Prof. V K Tewari, Director, IIT Kharagpur. 

“The activities of the academy will bring new colors into the life of the IIT Kharagpur community. We launch the Academy on the auspicious occasion of the Foundation Day, and look forward to exciting events from the academy. We are very happy that Pt. Ajoy Chakraborty has very kindly agreed to deliver a lecture demonstration on a very apt topic, where he will explain why learning music can help in developing the necessary traits for scientific innovation,” said Prof. S K Bhattacharyya, Deputy Director.

The Academy is closely supported by IIT Kharagpur’s distinguished alumni, including Mr. Arjun Malhotra, Dr. Kiran Seth, members of the IIT Kharagpur Foundation, USA, and more recently Mr. Mukund Padmanabhan.

Talking about the Academy’s vision, Mr. Malhotra said, “In today’s world innovation is driven by individuals or teams who have access to both the left side and right side of their brains.” 

Over the years IIT Kharagpur, besides producing great engineers and Managers has produced a number of outstanding individuals who have excelled in the arts and the humanities – people like Kiran Seth of SPIC-MACAY, Harish Hande and many others. There are many more who, if they had the right stimulation when at IIT Kharagpur, would probably have gone and done much better in what they have achieved. By having an academy of music and arts in the Institute we not only archive and save our cultural heritage, but enable those young minds to look at issues in a more holistic way and hopefully, provide better answers and solutions to our problems.”

Centre Information: Prof. Pallab Dasgupta, pallab@cse.iitkgp.ac.in

Institute Related: Prof. B N Singh, registrar@hijli.iitkgp.ac.in; 

Media Outreach: Shreyoshi Ghosh, shreyoshi@adm.iitkgp.ac.in; 

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IIT KGP Director Speaks on NEP

On Higher Education

A day of celebration as an educationist as we welcome the National Education Policy (#NEP2020) announced by Dr.Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, Hon’ble Minister, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India. The policy has substantial elements for the higher education sector. The key among them is setting up the National Research Foundation to foster research culture and removal of MPhil which has been witnessing a downward trend in offering research career opportunities hence fewer number of takers.

Emphasis on Interdisciplinary and Humanities Education at IITs

Another area I must mention is the thrust on multidisciplinary education including more of Humanities and Social Sciences at the IITs. While the older IITs have a strong presence in this sector, this would strengthen the holistic academic needs of new generation IITs. At IIT Kharagpur we are already offering microspecializations, micro-credits and research programs that are typically interdisciplinary. We have specialized centres in these areas, to name a few are the Rekhi Centre for Science of Happiness, the Academy for Classical and Folk Arts, our law school which is the first-of-its-kind focusing on Intellectual Property. We will be glad to work with new IITs in these areas.

Democratization of School Education

What excited me most is the School Education Policy. It has come after almost four decades and with much democratization of pre-primary, primary and middle school education. The emphasis on primary education in regional languages and the introduction of Sanskrit, following the three-language formula, will turn out to be a great boon to the people of the country, especially in the rural areas. In several European universities, Sanskrit is being explored as a coveted academic discipline.

German universities have delved into Sanskrit learning to conduct research on the scientific heritage of the Vedas, Upanishads and other ancient Indian scriptures such as Baudhāyana sūtras (800 BCE) which contains mathematical principles of square roots, Pythagorean theorem, geometric principles etc. or Pingala’s misrau cha (400 BCE) which is usually identified as the Fibonacci number series and works on advanced Mathematics, Physics, Astronomy, Chemistry, Metallurgy and much more. India in this 21st century has still much left to look back and explore our hidden wealth. Endowing our student community with an evolved language like Sanskrit will help shape a rational thought process among school-going children.

The regional and Sanskrit language education will also enable our student community to grow strong indigenous roots and learn from the resources of our rich heritage while training in computer programming will upskill them to dive for more opportunities as the 21st century progresses.

Education through the National Digital Library of India

The National Digital Library of India developed by IIT Kharagpur as an initiative of MHRD has much to offer towards this new policy. It can give a significant impetus to pre-primary, primary, middle school and high school education through incorporating not only educational resources but also developing online education pedagogy and outreach programmes facilitating rural students. It can further provide resources for the education of the elderly to make them more equipped for Digital India.