Amidst the pandemic which led to a number of hurdles, the first batch of 82 students graduated from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Goa. IIT Goa had become operational in 2016 and the pandemic brought with it many obstacles to be defeated, just as the institution’s first BTech batch was nearing the completion of the program.
B K Mishra, the Director said that IIT Goa senate approved allotment of ‘P’ grade to low performing students during the 2019-2020 academic year so that they could improve their performance post-pandemic.
Mishra stated that IIT Goa had to complete its Spring 2020 semester online, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “As a precautionary measure, all students were asked to vacate the hostel by March 19. By March 24, all classes started in online mode. Various modes of online teaching were used to conduct classes and the majority of the students participated in all online classes.”
However, some of the institute’s students residing in remote areas faced internet connectivity issues.
The director said that to help such students, IIT-Goa sent DVDs of teaching notes by post. Different modes of examinations such as open book examination, online viva, online tests, and assignments were followed for evaluation purpose. “Due to all these efforts, the first batch of IIT-Goa graduated on time in July 2020. These students are now able to join their jobs or postgraduate programs,” the director added.
He mentioned that the special ‘P’ grades translate into ‘notionally pass’. Allotting this grade was felt necessary to help low performing students. With this grade, students can improve their performance as well as the grade after the pandemic comes to an end. He further added that the regular academic calendar was also modified in order to offer more time for teaching and to conduct online examinations.
Mishra further said that IIT Goa is going to introduce a new course named LAMP-Learning to Achieve Multidisciplinary Perspectives. The course is project-based and will encourage students, to interact more with the community around them to build the project. “The course will also make students more socially sensitive and adept at understanding and analyzing contemporary issues of social relevance”
The broad themes for the projects in the course would be derived from the sustainable development goals outlined by the UN.
“I personally believe that our students should take a holistic approach to learn engineering and science involving cooperation among fellow students rather than competition, and this course is a step to inculcating this value,” Mishra said.
