Saturday, September 22, 2018

Maharashtra colleges to start robotics course designed by IIT

MUMBAI: The state government will for the first time help colleges start placement-oriented courses in cyber security, artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, product design, among others. Autonomous colleges can offer these interdisciplinary subjects as electives in their curriculum, while others can launch them as value-added courses.
Also, an impact study will be done for the first time to understand benefits of the courses on campus placements.

The state will conduct a baseline study on campus placements in some colleges this year to understand average salaries drawn, kind of skill sets required by industries and other details. The data will be compared with placement reports at those colleges a year after the courses’ introduction, to understand the impact, said Meeta Rajiv Lochan, the state’s project director for Rashtriya Uchchatar Shikshan Abhiyan (RUSA).
The tailor-made courses of 70-300 hours will be offered to students from second and third year of undergraduate programmes. The state has organised workshops in specialised job-oriented courses for engineering and pharmacy colleges, along with arts, science and commerce colleges. “Companies spend a lot in retraining fresh graduates. These courses will increase the efficiency of placements. AI and deep learning will be pervasive in future. All job profiles will require deep learning and machine learning at some level. It is being used in humanities too,” said Priyanka Sharma from Nirma University. She added that industries have started conversational AI too.  
For students from computer science background, the AI course will span over 75-80 hours, but for those from arts and commerce backgrounds, colleges may have to include 75-80 hours more to train students in basic applied mathematics. The robotics programme, open for science and engineering colleges, will require a little investment in a lab, said Kavi Arya, professor, IIT-B. The institute is helping setting up labs across colleges in the country under a central government initiative. Another resource person who attended the workshop said colleges can choose modules. “They can add or delete topics. Nasscom has designed qualification packs for 11 topics. Cyber security and network security will generate hundreds of jobs on campuses,” she said.

St Xavier’s College plans to offer robotics and geographical information system (GIS). Principal-designate Rajendra Shinde said they may modify course content and offer them as electives. The college will also look at courses such as capital market for commerce (night shift) students. HR College has shortlisted cyber security and GIS. “Since our college is not autonomous, we will have to offer them as value-added courses. Students will have to attend courses and lectures. We will work out modalities soon,” said principal Parag Thakker.
Source:THE TIMES OF INDIA - August,2018