New Freshman Year Courses
In the late evening of 31 July, an email from Registration & Counselling caught almost everyone by surprise. With registration less than twelve hours away, the course packages for the newly admitted first-year students had been completely overhauled—several courses were removed, revamped, or newly introduced. Accordingly, this article aims to shed some light on the recent developments.
BITS F101: Social Conduct
Offered for the first time under the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, this is a one-credit, entirely online course conducted through the Nalanda platform. Course material is uploaded weekly, with an assignment/quiz to be completed before a deadline. The grading follows a binary system, with an A grade awarded if all the weekly assignments are completed, and E otherwise.
BITS F111: Thermodynamics
This course appears in the registration packages for all students, with no changes to its structure or evaluation from previous years. Topics covered include thermodynamic properties, thermodynamic tables, engineering applications, laws of thermodynamics, and types of processes.
BIO F101: Introduction to Biological Sciences
This new course is essentially an amalgamation of two old courses—BIO F110: Biology Laboratory, and BIO F111: General Biology. The course handout suggests that the material and evaluation scheme remain largely unchanged. Topics include the properties of life, cellular biology, photosynthesis, genetics, biotechnology, and selected concepts from physiology. The laboratory component features experiments aligned with these areas, along with new additions such as bioinformatics.
BITS F103: Engineering Design and Prototype
This newly introduced four-credit course combines elements of two older ones—ME F112: Workshop Practice, and BITS F110: Engineering Graphics. It places a stronger emphasis on the practical evaluative component compared to other courses. Half the students will begin with prototyping practicals in the Workshop, while the other half will do Engineering Design using AutoCAD. The two groups are set to switch post the mid-semester examinations.
BITS F113: General Mathematics I
Designed for students admitted through the biology intake route of BITSAT, this foundational mathematics course is offered to Pharmacy (A5) and Environmental & Sustainability Engineering (AJ) students. Topics taught include set theory, permutations and combinations, series, conics, and an introduction to calculus.
BITS K101: Physical Well-Being and Creativity
Similar to the Social Conduct course, this course is a new offering. The registered students are divided into three batches, with each section meeting once a week on Monday, Wednesday, or Friday. Classes typically begin with a motivational speech, followed by physical exercises, and a few laps around the Gym Grounds.
CHEM F101: Fundamentals of Chemistry
Adapted from two former courses—CHEM F110: Chemistry Laboratory, and CHEM F111: General Chemistry—this course retains a similar structure and evaluation pattern. Topics include those of physical, inorganic, and organic chemistry, including quantum chemistry, types of spectroscopies, and reaction mechanisms. Laboratory experiments include experiments based on iodometry, the identification of organic compounds, and the determination of the pH curve.
CS F111: Computer Programming
A four-credit course on the fundamentals of computer science and programming, CS F111 maintains the course structure and evaluation scheme of previous years, with both theoretical and practical components.
EEE F111: Electrical Sciences
This course introduces students to the foundations of electrical engineering, covering Kirchhoff’s Laws, Thevenin’s and Norton’s Theorems, AC Analysis, Time Domain Analysis, and Field Effect Transistors. The coursework and evaluation scheme remain unchanged from previous semesters.
MATH F101: Multivariable Calculus
A restructured version of MATH F111: Mathematics I, this course features only slight changes in content. Notably, it introduces one of the first explicit attendance policies for tutorials; students attending at least 75% of classes receive full credit for attendance, while those below 45% receive none. With broader discussions on attendance policies currently underway, the permanence of this rule remains uncertain.
PHY F101: Oscillations and Waves
Adapted from PHY F111: Mechanics, Oscillations and Waves, and PHY F110: Physics Laboratory, this course excludes the portion about mechanics and some earlier experiments from the laboratory portion. It is a three-credit course, with reduced weightage for theoretical components (due to the removal of the mechanics portion), similar to CHEM F101 and BIO F101.
PHY F102: Introduction to Oscillations and Waves
This is a foundational physics course for students admitted through the Biology intake route of BITSAT, offered to Pharmacy (A5) and Environmental & Sustainability Engineering (AJ) students. The course content includes simple harmonic motion (SHM), forced oscillations, waves, properties of sound, interference of light, and diffraction.