All of us know that the Institute is in a phase of growth and transformation. We need to strengthen further our longstanding reputation for excellence of our flagship First Degree (undergraduate) programs while giving special emphasis on expansion and enhancement of the Higher Degree and Ph.D. programs. We should ensure that these programs receive undivided attention with a clear focus on responsibilities, accountabilities, and expectations.

Recently 2 new divisions: Academic – Undergraduate Studies Division (AUGSD) and Academic – Graduate Studies Division (AGSRD) have been created. The functions of earlier divisions, viz. Academic Research (ARD), Academic and Resource Planning (ARPD), Academic Registration and Counseling (ARCD), and Instruction (ID) have been mapped into those of AUGSD and AGSRD.

AUGSD is responsible for the smooth running of the First Degree programmes. It coordinates the teaching-learning process at the FD level of the Institute. AUGSD oversees UG curriculum development & academic program review, review of existing undergraduate courses & offering of new courses, undergraduate research (FD Thesis) and project allotment, and student evaluation and assessment. AUGSD develops documents related to policy, implementation, and review; processing & implementing decisions taken on academic matters by the Senate at FD (UG) level, including curricula, courses offered, academic calendar, registration, examinations, grades, etc.

This Division will also facilitate efforts towards the development and implementation of FD programs and services that support students’ ability to purposefully craft educational plans based on an assessment of their values, abilities, aspirations, and career goals. Leading cross-campus initiatives and programs will be taken in collaboration with academic departments and will work closely with students to ensure that academic advising is closely coordinated with other support services. Thus, first-degree students can approach AUGSD for any issues or queries regarding their programme, registration, curriculum, course offerings, teaching-learning feedback, thesis, projects, graduation etc.

As an institution, we are committed to develop, disseminate, and preserve knowledge, and to work with others to bring this knowledge for the greatest benefit of our society. BITS is dedicated to providing its students with an education that combines rigorous academic study and the excitement of discovery in our vibrant campus. We always aim to get the best quality national and international students completely on merit, while giving them a conducive environment and infrastructure to fuel their curiosity, encourage creative thinking and improve their problem-solving skills. International students admissions scheme will be strengthened further through outreach initiatives among international candidates.

Our focus would be to ensure that FD program design and pedagogy meet overall academic objectives of BITS. We’ll review our FD curriculum in the coming time, and align them with the growth of the institute so that students can get the best-in-class and up-to-date, relevant curriculum that gives them an opportunity to discover and pursue their intellectual and personal passions. We’ll benchmark our programs/courses with the leading universities and we will also take experts’ opinions from both the academia and the industry while updating our curriculum, so that latest requirements can be met.

This semester, we have recorded the lectures of 15 courses that were delivered in two classrooms of LTC.  We’ll be sharing these lectures to respective registered students. Based on the feedback, we’ll initiate recording of lectures in more classrooms. We’ll also integrate best practices in curriculum, research, and teaching from global universities by leveraging existing partnerships. We’ll also examine how latest pedagogical methods such as massive open online course (MOOC) can be effectively used by identifying appropriate courses.

We’ll look into offering/introducing more degree and minor programs, especially in interdisciplinary areas at the FD level (such as Data Science, IoT, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene etc.) to create job opportunities for our students, along with more discipline electives/open elective courses in emerging areas in near future.

Though BITS has deep institute-industry linkage through its ‘Practice School’ and ‘Work Integrated and Learning Programmes, we will strengthen it further. Industry practitioners will be invited to deliver lectures in different courses so that the latest industry concepts can be brought into the classroom teaching to make our students job-ready. These courses/programs will be identified in phases. We’ll also involve industry practitioners in curriculum design to get their opinions in updating our curriculum depending on industry needs. In fact, we have been inviting experts both from industries and academia to get their input for enriching our course curriculum in the past also.

We have also streamlined the process of funding of First Degree Projects. The complete selection process was devised and a notification asking for applications from the students was issued in the first week of September. This time, we have received a total of 45 FD project proposals from different teams. Our committee has evaluated all the proposals and 36 proposals have been selected for funding. Selection letters were issued along with clear terms and conditions to all concerned FD Project team leaders, faculty advisors, and HoDs. All teams are working for their deliverables. We have also designed a new comprehensive examination booklet, and are working towards a clearer policy for selection and allotment of FD off-campus theses.

I urge the student community to participate actively in the teaching-learning process at BITS. They should not only interact with the faculty and staff members consistently in order to generate original ideas but also take initiative in inquiry-based active learning and peer mentoring so that the overall academic environment in the campus be further improved. They should attend classes regularly, identify problems and work toward comprehensive solutions. As members of BITS community, all of us should develop the ability and passion to work wisely, creatively, and effectively for the betterment of humankind.