Introduction
Today, technology-based education is the foundation of the educational system. Technology has transformed how students learn and how teachers impart knowledge over time. Additionally, technology gives everyone the chance to study and be lifelong learners. Anyone who wants to increase their knowledge in a particular area of interest has a variety of platforms and possibilities to select from. One such venture is NPTEL. If you are interested in learning what is NPTEL, we have got you covered. In this article, you will learn about NTPEL in detail and what are its initiatives and more aspects about it. Read on to learn more.
What is NPTEL
When you read the acronym NPTEL, the first thing you might be wondering about is the NPTEL full form. NPTEL full form is National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning. NPTEL is a joint venture of both IIT and IISc. It was launched in the year 2003 and is funded by the Ministry of Education, Government of India.
The primary objective of NPTEL is to deliver quality education to people across the country. It also aims to provide curriculum-based video and web courses in order to improve the quality of engineering education offered in the nation. The venture makes this possible by offering free courses and making them accessible to everyone by bridging the digital divide. One of the key features of their courses is that it is open to everyone. NPTEL also offers certification programmes along with other courses.
NPTEL Courses
NPTEL courses encompass university-level science, technology, engineering, and mathematics subjects. The video-recorded classes around these courses are made accessible to everyone through their portal. The lectures are taken by members belonging to the IIT and IISc. This enables the distribution of quality learning content through the portal.
The standard curriculum published by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) serves as the foundation for the course curriculum for all of the course contents delivered by the NPTEL platform. Each course is covered in 40 or more hours of videos. The duration of courses varies from 10 to 11 weeks, depending on the curriculum. The course will be covering its elements of it in detail. These courses can be easily accessed through the official website of NPTEL. The additional details with regard to the courses of NPTEL are given below.
NPTEL Exams
All the courses offered by NPTEL are accessed free of cost. It is an important motivating factor that draws aspiring students to their courses. In addition to the learning recorded videos, pdf notes and other study materials, the students would have to complete the assignments to complete their courses. Even though the enrolment of NPTEL courses and accessibility of study resources are free, students would have to pay a nominal fee to attend the exams for the certification.
NPTEL Certificate Validity
The National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL) conducts an offline exam called the NPTEL Online Certification to award certificates for a variety of online courses. students who attend the course and complete the offline examination would receive a certificate. The students are eligible to receive the certificate if they have secured more than 40 marks in the assignment as well as the offline examination. The maximum score for both the assignment and examination is 100. E-verifiable certificates are made available for the candidates who have passed the examination through their portal.
The certification offers various opportunities for the learners and would boost the value of their resume. For people who are interested in a career transition or upscaling, these courses would be of great help and will help in the smooth transition of the process. These certificates can also be used for credit transfer to the educational institutions they are learning in. Hence, these courses contribute to the growth and development of students who are studying in different colleges.
Different Initiatives of NPTEL
There are different initiatives that are associated with NPTEL. Let us look at each of them individually.
Local Chapters
In order to ensure more participation of students in the initiative, SWAYAM-NPTEL was introduced. This local chapter will be available in colleges and a faculty member from the institution would be in charge of the NPTEL initiatives. The faculty who is the point of contact would keep track of students’ progress with regard to the courses they have chosen. Moreover, they will ensure that students are aware of the new developments in the NPTEL venture.
SWAYAM focuses to accentuate the importance of self-learning among students. They can choose a variety of courses available in the SWAYAM portal to expand their horizons. Students also have the provision to expand their knowledge in the subjects of their interests and outside of their learning course in college. Moreover, students can transfer the credits earned to their college scores which would be an added advantage for the students.
Collaboration with Industries
This is one of the crucial factors that add value to the courses offered by NPTEL. They are collaborating with industries to provide learners with an opportunity to acquire industry skills. In this way, they are bridging the skill gap that exists in the learners and equipping them with the skills and knowledge required to secure employment in the industry they wish to pursue.
This enables the learners an opportunity to explore the practical aspects of the courses they are learning and also help them to refine their skill sets. There are industry-specific courses available for the same purpose and this adds to the popularity of the courses.
Translation
This is one of the interesting initiatives of NPTEL that emphasizes the importance of students’ understanding of the course subjects. During their school years, most students learn in their regional languages and when they take up technical courses in college, it becomes hard for them to get acquainted and accustomed to the transition. Therefore, in order to ease the transition process, NPTEL offers a translation of learning content to ensure that the students understand what they are learning.
NPTEL has started to translate the learning content into 11 Indian languages to facilitate the learning process of the students. The reviewed content is made available for the students through their platform. In order to improve the quality of the content, the feedback from the learners is collected and thereby enhances its quality.
GATE Project
This initiative of NPTEL aids students in preparing for the GATE examination. They provide question solutions of previous year's question papers to help students understand the pattern of the examination and to make them understand the way they should face the examination. Moreover, through the solution videos, students are able to revise the topics and it improves the quality of their learning process.
These NPTEL lectures correspond to various GATE syllabus subjects. The video lectures are also available explaining the concepts included in the course curriculum.
NPTEL Internship
NPTEL provides the topper students with an opportunity to conduct in-depth research with professors from the esteemed IITs and IISc. This allows the students to work with the faculties and gain relevant knowledge and experience from it. Moreover, they also have the provision to gain a stipend for the internship based on the duration of their internship. The duration of the NPTEL internship varies from 2 to 10 weeks depending on the course.
This internship provides them with an opportunity to gain practical experience and would enhance the value of their resumes. Hence, like other initiatives of NPTEL, this assists students to enhance their skills and seek better opportunities.
In addition to the initiatives mentioned above, NPTEL also offers fee waiver support to students who do well in their studies. This would be a great motivation for the students to perform better and be consistent in terms of their hard work and dedication. Moreover, this venture also has come up with laboratory workshops to provide students with a hands-on learning experience. Besides, Employment Assessment and Training support and recruitment support is also been offered by the venture to equip students with the knowledge and skills to ace interviews by polishing their communication skills through different strategies. In this way, the employment quotient of the students would be maximized and enable them to land the job of their dreams.
Conclusion
The primary objective behind the NPTEL venture is to provide quality education to students across the country. They are given the opportunity to enroll for the courses that interest them and to widen their knowledge and skills. Through the NPTEL platform, students can access the learning content curated by the best faculties from the IIT and IISc free of cost. These kinds of initiatives remind us that there are no boundaries to learning if you have the right mind.
Suggested Read: Career Management and Progression (CMP)- A Walkthrough
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