Tamil Nadu

BIT to revamp curriculum

— PHOTO:M. GOVARTHAN.

All set for a makeover: B. Ramamoorthy, professor from IIT - Madras, addresses the faculty of Bannari Amman Institute of Technology, Sathyamangalam, about Curriculum revamp.

SATHYAMANGALAM: Bannari Amman Institute of Technology here is all to revamp its curriculum. The move follows the recent grant of autonomy status by the University Grants Commission.

Speaking to The Hindu on Saturday here, A. M. Natarajan, chief executive of the Institute, said the institution would revamp curriculum “keeping in mind the needs and expectations" of students, industry and the society. “The autonomy status has brought with it a good amount of freedom for the college management to introduce new subjects and offer old subjects in updated form." Dr. Natarajan said the Institute hoped to introduce ‘Introduction to Conceptual Design’ either in the first or second year to motivate the engineering students. “Student walks into engineering college with a lot of aspiration and the only subject that motivates or keeps the engineering dream alive is engineering drawing, which is at present offered in the first year. To further motivate the students, the Institute hopes to introduce the design subject, as all engineering disciplines has to do with design in one form or the other," he reasoned. “After all, design and drawing are termed the languages of engineers," he added.

B. Ramamoorthy, professor from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, said about five years ago the IIT-M had introduced the course only to see good results. "The subject would give shape to students’ engineering ideas."

Apart from a paper on design, the Institute also planned to offer papers on professional ethics, environmental studies, etc., said the chief executive.

The papers would be offered under the choice-based credit system format. To cope with the new academic structure, the Bannari Amman Institute of Technology would also bring down its student-faculty ratio from15:1 to 12:1, or even further down. And, the existing faculty would be encouraged to undertake summer programmes with industries, present papers at national and international forum and pursue research as well, said Dr. Natarajan. That would be in addition to students taking up industry problems as projects. To begin with the challenges in industries under the Bannari Amman Group of companies would be taken up. Plans were also on to rope in industrialists, big and small, and faculty from other institutes to offer courses, he added. The changes would be implemented from the ensuing academic year.

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