The Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT B) , has reworked its first-year curricula to make these more relevant and less “stressful”. In the backdrop of the recent campus incident of a first-year student dying by suicide, the institute will soon do the same for the second year and release the new “lighter” version of the academic plan soon. And, plans are being drawn up to lighten the curricula even further for the freshmen entering in 2023.
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The institute has made the introductory year’s curriculum less technical by introducing courses such as entrepreneurship, design, programmes from the humanities, right from the start. Also, the total overall credits of the B Tech programme have been reduced. The decision was taken based on the Kishore Chatterjee Committee report.
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“We realised it was time to change when we saw that students were less motivated to pursue courses in the branches that they were allotted (based on their entrance exam ranks),” said a faculty member. “So while we reduced the overall credit for the entire BTech programme, we now offer a lot more flexibility to students to pick programmes from other branches or departments. The fallout was that students could pick courses they enjoyed more and we would see more excitement and motivation to study, and hence less stress on the campus.”
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While the overall framework is ready, the details for the second year would be out soon. And as the same batch moves up, they will benefit from the new changes every year. The idea is that we want students to enjoy what they are studying and pick courses that they feel will be of use later in life,” said a dean.
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In a communication to students on Saturday, director Subhasis Chaudhuri said, “We are also working towards changes in our UG curriculum, starting with the batch of 2022, to make it more relevant and motivating to students, and to reduce some of the stress.”
Speaking about the untimely death of Darshan Solanki, he said, “We have been taking multiple steps over the years to support and protect the mental health of our students. We have an active student mentor programme, which reaches out to all new students. We are working actively to create an inclusive campus where all students feel at home.”
Meanwhile, the institute has started an internal investigation into Solanki’s death. The panel is headed by professor Nand Kishore, and includes SC/ST student cell members, including both faculty and students, some of the student mentor coordinators and the in-charge chief medical officer of the campus hospital. On Sunday evening, students will participate in a candle march rally at the IITB campus to express their solidarity over Solanki’s death.
Bhalchandra Mungekar, former Mumbai University VC and former member of the Planning Commission, visited the institute and met the director. He also visited the Powai police station and told TOI that Solanki’s death needed careful examination and the matter was “complicated”. Source: Times of India
