Scaling Quality Education Beyond Campus | NPTEL to BS Degree | Prof. Andrew T., IIT Madras
Episode Summary
For many of us, IIT Madras and its courses and faculty are accessible only to those who achieve those high JEE cut-off scores and gain admission into one of the IITM courses. But did you know that for 25 years now, IIT Madras course lectures have been accessible online to those who are interested in learning?
Today’s episode is especially about everything that happens at IIT Madras for people who did not join a graduate or postgraduate degree in IIT Madras. The NPTEL program, which has been running for 25 years now, and the new BS degree program that is making education accessible to everyone.
Watch as Amrut sits with our guest Professor Andrew Thangaraj to discuss everything about the NPTEL program, the CODE umbrella, the BS Degree program and its impact and why education should not be limited only to a certain carefully chosen set of people. If you have ever wondered if there was a way you could be a part of IIT Madras without doing an Engineering degree, this episode is a must watch.
Amrut’s Comment
Key Highlights
[00:01:41] Introduction: Research areas and teaching subjects
[00:03:44] Information Theory: Key concepts of source coding and channel coding
[00:05:53] Electrical Engineering: Interesting courses and specializations
[00:08:22] EEE, ECE and now EE: Is there any difference?
[00:12:31] Electrical Engineering in IIT Madras is Hard: Misconception or truth?
[00:15:26] Democratizing Higher Technical Education: How did the NPTEL program begin?
[00:19:01] NPTEL Certification: Why add proctored exams?
[00:22:45] Swayam: Mainstreaming MOOC for credit transfer
[00:26:20] India’s Largest EdTech: The story of how it came to be
[00:33:27] IITM BS Degree Program: Making education accessible to everyone
[00:34:52] The Structure of the BS Degree Program: New model explained
[00:41:07] Affordability and Quality: Impact of the BS Degree
[00:43:20] Real Impact Stories: BS is an opportunity for something better
[00:48:02] More BS Degrees: Potential for additional degrees in the BS Program?
[00:50:12] IIT’s Unique Position: Decades of experience and thinking through the details
[00:52:21] Engineering Physics vs Electrical Engineering: What’s the difference?
[00:54:20] Student Life at IIT Madras: Professor Andrew’s memories
[00:56:13] CODE: Programs for people outside IIT Madras campus
[00:57:57] BS vs B.Sc: What is the difference?
Institutions mentioned
People mentioned
[00:15:53] Professor MS Ananth and Professor Mangal Sundar proposed the NTPEL programme 25 years ago.
[00:24:23] Professor Prathap Haridoss and Professor Bharati worked closely with Professor Andrew on NPTEL.
[00:33:35] Professor G Venkatesh suggested that the new degree should be an Undergraduate degree.
[00:34:04] Professor Bhaskar Ramamurthi supported the BS Degree program.
Companies mentioned
[00:02:27] Shannon’s Information Theory is a mathematical framework for understanding and quantifying information developed by Claude Shannon in the mid-20th century.
[00:16:09] NPTEL stands for National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning. It is an online certification.
[00:18:26] MOOC is Massive Open Online Course. They are free online courses available for anyone to enroll.
[00:22:33] IIT Madras runs the Government’s SWAYAM portal for free online education.
[00:56:13] CODE stands for Centre for Outreach and Digital Education
Professor Andrew Thangaraj is a professor of Electrical Engineering at IIT Madras and an IIT Madras alumnus. He completed his Ph.D from Georgia University. He has been involved with the NPTEL program since 2011 and was instrumental in the introduction of the certification aspect of the program. He is also the co-ordinator of the BS Degree program at IIT Madras and the Chair of the CODE program at IIT Madras. He is running, as Amrut says, one of the earliest and most successful EduTech programs.
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