S. Vishnu Sharma
IIT Roorkee will be the centre of attraction 28 July 2023 when it is going to conduct its graduation day. A total of 1916 students will receive their degrees. Dattatri Salagame, CEO, President and Managing Director of Bosch Global Software Technologies (BGSW) will be the Chief Guest for the ceremony.
Chairman of Board of Governors B V R Mohan Reddy will be chairing the graduation day ceremony. IIT Roorkee which is a 176 year old premier Institute has been leading the technical education in the country.
IIT Roorkee is also in the fore front while implementation of the National education policy (NEP) 2020. The institute has recently revised its undergraduate curriculum aligned with the NEP 2020 and aims to keep pace with the global aspirations of the students.
It is also in the process of updating its Masters curriculum. The institute is rolling out the new UG curriculum starting with the new UG students who are joining the institute on August 01, 2023.
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With emphasis on skill development and entrepreneurship, the new curriculum provides multi-disciplinary and holistic education opportunities to the students in a highly flexible framework as envisaged under the National education policy (NEP) 2020.
STEPS
The curriculum revision philosophy was based on ‘STEPS’ (Science, Technology, Entrepreneurship, Project-based education and Societal connect). Accordingly, while the institute is offering its students mandatory courses in the cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence, it is also teaching the students course on ‘Indian Knowledge System’ and connecting the students with the society through the ‘Community Outreach’ course, say sources from IIT Roorkee.
Part of the celebration
As the nation is celebrating its three years of successful implementation of the National Education Policy 2020, the institute boasts of being part of the celebration by creating an education system rooted in the Indian ethos that contributes to transforming India.
The futuristic curriculum, which was designed through a long and rigorous consultation process and brainstorming sessions with experts and stakeholders, has been seen as a model framework in the technical education system in India while implementing the NEP 2020, say sources from IIT Roorkee.
New curriculum
In the new curriculum, the students in all programs will be studying courses on Soft Skills, Tinkering and Mentoring, Data Science, Indian Knowledge System (IKS), Environmental Science and Sustainability (ESSC), Community Outreach (CORE), apart from Physics, Mathematics and Computer Programming, say sources from IIT Roorkee.
While project-based learning has been one of the hallmarks of the new curriculum, the institute also enables the students to develop vocational skills in collaboration with Industry as emphasized in the NEP 2020.
IIT Roorkee has created provisions for Credit Transfer from other institutes of repute, a Semester Exchange program for UG, Masters & PhD students, and Joint & Dual Degree Programmes with global partners.
Ample opportunities
In the spirit of the NEP 2020, IIT Roorkee has created ample opportunities for interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary education. The institute offers minor specialization and Integrated Dual Degree (IDD) programs across the disciplines.
Thus, a mechanical engineering student can earn a minor specialization in economics. Similarly, multiple departments in the institute jointly offer single program creating an ecosystem for the students to learn from multiple areas being in a single platform, say sources from IIT Roorkee.
The institute also offers Joint Degree and Dual Degree programs with institutes of repute outside the country.
Inclusive environment
IIT Roorkee nurtures an inclusive environment for all, irrespective of caste, creed, gender, nationality etc. In order to foster the same, the institute has created various innovative schemes in academics such as ‘SAKUNTALA’ (Scheme for Aspirants of Knowledge Under Talent Advancement) Fellowship in Ph.D., ‘Golden Girl’ in Masters & Ph.D., application fee waiver for female candidates & supernumerary seat for female and international candidates.
The institute has also developed a robust Exit Policy in the spirit of the NEP and has implemented National Academic Depository (NAD).
Dean of Academic Affairs
Prof. Apurbba Kumar Sharma, Dean of Academic Affairs, announced that the number of graduating students to receive Bachelor’s Degrees is 1,076, 686 students will receive their Masters’ Degree, and 154 students will be conferred PhD degrees.
Director of IIT Roorkee
Prof. K K Pant, Director of IIT Roorkee will give the welcome address and present the Director’s report at the convocation. Professor Pant shared examples of how they seized opportunities and exploited the worst to extract the best. He said,”Developing some control over how and what you think is part of learning.
A sense of direction and passion are essential to steering through the life. The institute is proud to contribute to the pool of extremely talented work force of the future who will, in turn, contribute to changing the society, he said.
He further added that he is very optimistic about the outcome of the adoption of the NEP 2020. Prof. Pant expressed that the quickly changing employment landscape and the global ecosystem demand a shift in how education is approached.
Instead of solely focusing on the content, he stressed on the importance of teaching students to think critically and solve problems, fostering creativity and multidisciplinary approach, and encouraging innovation in the face of new challenges and opportunities, said director of IIT Roorkee.
About IIT Roorkee
IIT Roorkee is an institute of national importance imparting higher education in engineering, sciences, management, architecture and planning, and humanities and social sciences. Since its establishment in 1847, IIT Roorkee has played a vital role in providing technical human resources and know-how to the country.