S. Vishnu Sharma
IIT Madras has launched ‘IITM School Connect’ program to help school students make informed choices about their Higher Education and Careers.
Towards this, Two Certificate Course Programs in ‘Data Science and Artificial Intelligence’ and ‘Electronic Systems’ are being offered for School Students.
Design
The courses have been designed by IIT Madras professors, with content specifically tailored for school students. These courses will be taught in the online mode and are aimed at providing hands-on career experience for Class XI and XII students.
These introductory courses are designed to provide students with insight into these fields, helping them make informed decisions about their higher education and career paths, say sources from IIT Madras.
Next Batch
The next batch will commence on 21st October 2024. Registrations for this batch has already commenced on 16th September 2024. Schools interested in partnering with IIT Madras can register through the following link – https://school-connect.study.iitm.ac.in/
Importance
Prof. Andrew Thangaraj, Chair, Centre for Outreach and Digital Education (CODE), IIT Madras highlighted the importance of the program to the development of students.
‘As India’s top institute, IIT Madras sees it as our social responsibility to help school students explore various career options at an early stage while they are still in school.’
Currently, we are offering two key courses — Data Science and AI and Electronic Systems; we are planning to introduce more such hands-on programs in the coming months, catering to a wider range of interests, said Prof Andrew of IIT Madras.
Duration
The courses will be for a duration of eight weeks. The initiative has already attracted substantial interest, with over 500 schools across India partnering with IIT Madras.
As many as 11,000 students across India have already been enrolled in the first batch. These certification programs are open to all Classes XI & XII students of partnered schools.
Program
Prof. Prathap Haridoss, Dean (Academic Courses), IIT Madras spoke about the program.
It is heartening to see school students independently building remotely-controlled robots, he said.
Students pursuing the Data Science course have engaged in hands-on projects, using datasets to extract meaningful insights. Courses such as these, expose the students to the various disciplines and help children identify their interests and strengths, said Prof Prathap of IIT Madras.
Benefit
Prof. Vignesh Muthuvijayan, Faculty Coordinator, BS Degree, IIT Madras highlighted the benefit for school students.
The response from schools and students has been overwhelmingly positive, said Prof Vignesh of IIT Madras.
‘We are thrilled to collaborate with schools nationwide to offer these short programs for school children.’
Children are naturally inquisitive, and it’s always a pleasure to interact with them as they come with a multitude of questions. Nurturing their curiosity is both fulfilling and essential for shaping their future, he said.
Key highlights
The Key Highlights of the certificate course programs include:
Ø Recorded lecture videos
Ø Hands-on training
Ø Live Interactions
Ø Assignments
Ø Computer-based assessment for certification
Young Minds
As India’s No. 1 institute, IIT Madras is committed to helping young minds make informed decisions about their higher education choices.
The Institute will be launching more short-term programs across various disciplines in the coming days, to introduce students to diverse fields of study.
These programs will offer a unique opportunity for your students to explore different career paths and gain practical insights into their future academic journeys.
About IIT Madras
Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM) was established in 1959 by the Government of India as an ‘Institute of National Importance.’ The activities of the Institute in various fields of Science and Technology are carried out in 18 academic departments and several advanced interdisciplinary research academic centres.
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The Institute offers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes leading to B.Tech., M.Sc., M.B.A., M.Tech., M.S., and Ph.D., degrees in a variety of specializations.