Efforts on to take online Bsc Data Science course to global level, says IIT Madras Prof

The newly launched online BSc Programming and Data Science course of IIT Madras has become a hit as the first batch of 8,000 students from various educational backgrounds and working professionals are currently being trained under the programme.

Prof Devendra Jalihal

Planned in 2019 and scheduled for launch in March 2020, the first-of-its-kind course was finally introduced in June last year due to the pandemic-induced lockdown.

Shiksha talks to Prof Devendra Jalihal, Chairman, Centre for Continuing Education, IIT Madras, to know about the online degree course. Below are excerpts from the interview:

Q. How many online courses are offered by IIT-Madras?

A. We conduct many online courses. They come under different categories, the main one is the National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL). There are around 150 online courses that are offered free of cost by NPTEL every semester – a joint initiative by IITs and IISc. The idea is to reach tens of thousands of students in areas where students may not have good teachers.

Apart from this, IITM offers a completely online course – BSc degree in Programming and Data Science. Launched in August 2020, the course is fully funded by student fees and there are currently 8,000 students enrolled in this course.

Q. Can students from any background enrol in Bsc Data Science and Programming course?

A. Yes, students from any background, be it Arts, Commerce, Science, or Engineering, can apply for the course. Even working professionals can take up the online Bsc Data Science course

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Q. How can one get enrolled in this course? Is there any exam which a candidate needs to pass?

A. The applicant must have qualified Class 12 exams to be eligible to apply. He/she should have passed Class 10 with mathematics and English. We coach students for one month, after which we hold a qualifying exam based on the content of what was taught during one month. There are four subjects taught during this one month – English, Mathematics, Statistics and Computational Thinking and students have to get minimum qualifying marks in all four subjects, which is 50% for General category and suitable mark waivers for students from other categories. There is no ranking system or seat limitation. Whoever qualifies is eligible to join the programme. Also, the qualifying exam can be taken any number of times.

Q. What is the fee structure for online Bsc Data Science course at IIT Madras?

A. It is not fixed for every semester. It increases as you are promoted to the next semester. In total, for all six semesters put together, it is about Rs 2.42 lakh. This assumes that the candidate passes every semester without a hitch. It can be more if the candidate repeats some courses. Also, the candidates pay fee only for the courses they register to and not for a semester or a year. IITM is subsidising the fee for students in the income category of less than Rs 5 LPA and also for those belonging to SC/ST and PwD categories. Additionally, many companies are supporting students from economically weaker backgrounds through CSR grants.

Q. Are there any level or stages that a learner has to complete to get a degree/diploma in this course?

A. We have split the course into three levels – Foundation (firstyear), Diploma (2 years ) and Degree (3 years ) to make it flexible for students. In order to get a degree, students have to complete all three levels. At every stage, students have the freedom to exit from the course obtaining the relevant certificates. They can either complete the three-year degree or they can also exit after completing foundation or diploma level. If you are a working professional due to which you can’t devote much time to the course, you can take 5-6 years to complete all courses. Students can also pace their learning based on their time availability and other commitments and choose as many courses as they can handle in every term.

Q. Are there any international students who have enrolled in this course?

A. Many NRIs from the Gulf region have joined the BSc programme. Efforts are going on to take in international students and from wide geographical regions.

We have partnered with centres in Sharjhah, Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the UAE and in Jaffna and Colombo in Sri Lanka and in Singapore to facilitate conduct of proctored exams in person which are a vital component of the programme lending credibility to the certificates obtained. We have more than 100 students in UAE currently registered with us. We are looking to partner with more countries in the future and extend this programme to Europe and the US.

Q. How relevant are online courses compared with regular courses when it comes to the job market?

A. Online courses are meant for people who are trying to increase their skill levels and so is our BSc programme. It has been designed for people so that they can apply for jobs. The programme has just been launched, so we do not have any data on jobs. Also, we have been conducting online MTech programme for industries since 2017. All of our students who had enrolled in that course are working professionals.

The courses we offer online, be it NPTEL or the BSc or MTech, are designed such that only the content delivery and additional support given in terms of discussions and live support are online. The assessments which contribute and decide the actual grant of certification is based on exams given by the students in a proctored environment by appearing in person at designated centres. Hence, such programmes provide the right mix of flexibility (learn at your own pace and time from wherever you are), while still ensuring rigour in evaluation and hence lending credibility to the certification.

Q. Are there any practical classes in this course. How are you managing during the pandemic?

A. The BSc programme was so chosen as the first degree to be rolled out in the online mode as the programming and data science hands on requirements can be done completely online, be it creating computer applications or cracking large datasets using machine learning algorithms. For some NPTEL courses, we supplement theory courses with lab workshops which the candidates attend in person at various institutes (such as labs on organic/inorganic chemistry) or participate online in workshops such as drafting patents, computer aided drug design in Biotech Engineering, etc.

Q. What do you do to make this online programme quality-driven?

A. Lectures are delivered by the faculty members who are experts in the respective areas from top institutes ably supported by industry professionals who provide the real life perspective on the topics. Also, every course has a dedicated team of five or more “instructors”, who are again experts in the area and help the students by creating content (multitude of sample questions and tutorials) around the video lectures, clear doubts through the written forum or through live interactive sessions, which span more than 10 hours per course per week. Feedback is regularly sought from the learners about the content and delivery and changes are made based on this. All this ensures quality of content and delivery.

Q. Will this online degree be different from an on-campus degree?

A. There is no on-campus/regular BSc programme, but if we compare it with a regular degree, there is no difference, except for the mode of content delivery. The degree is equivalent to any degree offered by the institute.

Q. What does the future hold for online courses? Will these add value to students’ educational qualification?

A. Online is the way to go. There is a constant need to upskill. You can add a new dimension to your career with online learning. You can also choose flexible learning courses that allow you to handle your job and studies at the same time. You can always obtain expertise in an area of your interest and add value to your qualification.

Online degree can be done along with regular degrees being pursued in college so that in the same time frame, learners can have two degrees and even in two different domains so that they have a good breadth of knowledge apart from depth and possess multidisciplinary skills.

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