Crc Concept Paper Final

8/3/2019 Crc Concept Paper Final

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Concept Paper: Revision of UG curriculum 2011

Version: 1.0

1. Introduction

As part of the prevalent practice of reviewing UG curriculum once in every 10 years, the present concept

paper has been prepared based on the feedback from all stake holders and extensive analysis of the

current scenario and expected requirements.

The curriculum review committee has recognized the following challenges in the current revision process:

i. Very diverse

career

aspirations

of

graduating

students

ii. The increasing heterogeneity in student intake especially their analytical, language and

communication abilities.

iii. The changing nature of engineering education that is not only becoming more inter‐disciplinary in

nature but is also increasingly emphasizing innovation and entrepreneurship

iv. The objective to nurture and encourage good students and at the same time to provide suitable

support to the academically challenged students

v. The necessity to attract our under‐graduates to post‐graduate programmes including Ph.D.

Further, it is recognized that any solution that is proposed should pragmatically take into account the

constraints posed by the increased intake and current class sizes. Another constraint that has been

recognized is that very high IIT branding has ensured that a vast majority of undergraduate students

choose their disciplines based on JEE rank rather than on their inherent aptitude or interests. Basic degree

from IIT is considered as the stepping stone for a variety of career options.

Motivated by these observations, CRC has prepared a conceptual framework of the proposed

undergraduate programmes. The key theme has been to provide flexibility, time and space in the

curriculum so that students can get maximum benefit from their education in IIT Delhi. The proposed

curriculum makes

an

attempt

to

enable

the

students

to

add

maximum

value

to

their

own

programme

to

suit their interest and abilities.

However, detailed and exhaustive rules and regulations required for implementation of the conceptual

framework will be framed subsequently once the conceptual framework is finalised. In the subsequent

background section we present a summary of feedbacks obtained.



2. Background: Feedback

2.1 Summary of feed‐backs obtained through special DFB meetings held to discuss curriculum revision

• The Curriculum Review process should elucidate the three elements of education – knowledge

base, development of skill sets, and inculcation of values. • Engineering has become highly interdisciplinary. This calls for a strong and wide base in

fundamentals rather than very specialized training. Therefore, basic engineering courses should

be given higher emphasis. This will also enhance the analytical and problem solving skills among

the students. The ramifications on engineering education arising from the changing nature

of science and its interplay with engineering needs to be considered. Also, making large

number of OCs as part of all the programs has not worked very well. The open category

credits should be decreased together with an increase in the number of credits for courses in Basic

Sciences and Engineering Sciences so as to give the students a stronger foundation. • There should be a common set of courses, irrespective of the disciplines/programs, in the first

two/three semesters. This will also mean reduction of departmental core. The completion of thefirst year core basic science / engineering science requirements by the sixth semester

should be enforced.

• Another possibility is to have a larger basket of first-year common courses for the students to

choose from. This will allow some flexibility to the students in choosing the courses according to

their interests and strengths, while enforcing a basic common level foundation to all.

• The current credit requirements are too demanding and there is scope and need for reducing the

same.

• Increasing the HUSS component in the UG curriculum could be desirable, particularly in view of

the generic soft skills often required of our undergraduates by their prospective employers.

• The introductory HUSS course (HUN100) is not serving the intended purpose and its structure

may need to be revised.

• The current allotment method of HUSS courses, based on CGPA, year of enrollment and

availability, prevents students with a genuine interest in a subject to pursue it further. A

mechanism of pre-requisites should be created such that the availability of higher level courses

will be based on performance in lower level HUSS courses. Also, evening slots may be created

so that more students have a chance to take HUSS courses of their interest.

• Tutorials may be done away with except maybe at the first year level. Senior students are

sufficiently mature enough to take on the self-study component even without formal tutorial

hours. Tutorials do not contribute towards inculcating the culture of self learning among the

students.

• Exciting students is the most critical task of the curriculum. Hands-on experiences in the

laboratory and projects is crucial for this but our current approach to laboratory

classes/components and the state of our labs does not allow this. • Experimental skills among our students are extremely low. It is necessary to have a basic

engineering laboratory course common to all students.



• There is a need for inclusion of more research oriented courses in the programs, which may be

offered to meritorious students. A degree with some advanced standing may also be offered to

motivated and meritorious students willing to do additional credits. New programs or providing

flexibility in the existing programs such as Dual B.Tech, (B.Tech +M.Tech), (B.Tech + MS),

(B.Tech +MBA) are a move in the right direction.

• To cater for the diverse aspirations of the students, the concept of divisions (such as Mechanical

Sciences, Electrical Sciences, Chemical Sciences etc.) can be introduced. This will also result in

rationalization of courses and teaching load. • Rationalization of courses and teaching load can also be done by splitting up the full course into

modules, wherein some modules may be common to students from certain Departments while

some modules maybe made specific to different Departments. • The number of hours dedicated to academics should be no more than 12 hours per day.

Taking into consideration an average of two hours of off-classroom study for each hour

of lecture interaction, the per day lecture hours to should be not more than 4. • In the dual degree programs, students taking courses together with their MTP should be avoided.

This adversely affects the quality of output in the projects. • Due to the increased class strength in the recent years, Departments are finding it difficult

to secure enough industrial internship positions for all the students. • The curriculum should allow a framework wherein students (as part of their B. Tech. or M. Tech.

projects) could participate in longer duration projects in the industry. For this, they may be

required to stay and work at an industrial location. Mechanism for such activities, including credit

requirements and equivalences, needs to be evolved.

• Inter-departmental research projects should be encouraged and a framework for that should be

allowable in the new curriculum. Possibility of joint projects between HUSS and engineering

departments should be opened up (including a HUSS component in B.Tech projects).

• A number of students are not able to make the adjustment to IIT easily and their GPA

plummets in the 1st year. This has a domino effect on the academic performance of the

student. This problem could be solved if we could make the 1st year (or at least the 1st

semester) pass/fail only i.e. CGPA should be counted only from the 3rd semester

onwards.

• The number of students, who require out-of-classroom help related to the subjects taughtin the class, are on the rise. A Learning Centre manned by students to provide help

sessions to needy students could be a useful facility. • The curriculum should provide various kinds of exit options – exit from the program, exit

from the department, exit from the institute. • There is a lack of sensitivity among our students towards plagiarism and need for professional

ethics. This could be made part of the curriculum and students be sensitized at multiple points in



their academic programme about these matters and the importance of developing the highest

ethical standards in their work in IIT and later.

• There is a steep fall in the written and oral communication skills of students.

• The UG curriculum has strong linkages with the PG curriculum now. Therefore, a

parallel revision of the PG curriculum is also necessary.

2.2 Summary of Feedback obtained through Web based Survey

2.2.1 Feed‐back of Students

The feedback from students was sought on a wide range of issues covering overall assessment of the IIT

education, assessment of curriculum and other systemic issues. The response was received from 1952

students. The following distinct trends emerge from the feedback:

1. An

overwhelming

majority

of

the

respondents

(~

80%)

felt

that

their

overall

academic

experience at IIT Delhi has been positive, and that they have able to sustain or enhance their

analytical and critical thinking abilities during their stay at IIT. Above 90% of them felt that their

wider understanding of the world has increased during this time.

2. But, a very large number (~45%) felt that their motivation to be an engineer/scientist reduced

significantly since the time of entry, which is a concern for us.

3. While students do not seem have a major problem with the overall load, a majority of them,

however, felt that the number of contact hours is too high and the curriculum does not allow

exploration of interests nor does it promote creativity.

4. A large percentage of students (~45%) do not seem to appreciate the relevance of the first year

courses to the rest of their IIT education.

5. Students seem to be generally very positive about the open category courses with about 82%

believing that such courses lead to value addition to their educational experience.

6. There is a strong negative feeling among the students on the effectiveness of the practicals and

quality of equipment in the labs.

7. Over 68%

of

students

favoured

B.Tech

projects

across

departments

and

only

11%

opposed

it.

8. Only 30% students found more than half of the courses to be inspirational.

9. Most students (70%) feel that an increased interaction between teacher and students outside

the classrooms will enrich their educational experience.



2.2.2 Summary of Feedback from Alumni and Other Professionals

Feedback from the IITD alumni and other professionals was sought on their assessment of IITD

graduates, the IITD curriculum as well as teaching‐learning experiences at IITD for the Alumni. The

response

was

received

from

a

large

number

of

professionals

(more

than

100)

including

Alumni.

The

following distinct trends in their opinion emerge from the feedback:

1. Most of the professionals rated the performance of young IITD graduates on various parameters

such as overall competency, domain knowledge, performing engineering tasks, and learning ability

as good to excellent.

2. Above 60% believed that the thoroughness of domain knowledge of IITD graduates has remained

unchanged over the years or has improved.

3.

On

account

of

ethical

and

professional

conduct,

most

of

the

respondents

rated

IITD

graduates

as

good followed by average.

4. While above 75% of the professionals felt that the breadth and depth of knowledge provided by the

curriculum is adequate, about 70% believe that the curriculum is highly theoretical.

5. Most professionals preferred an increased duration of internship, maximum among them opting for

3 months.

6. A large majority of the alumni said that the scope for independent learning and creativity in the

curriculum is too little.

7. Majority of

the

alumni

believe

that,

to

promote

in

‐depth

learning,

the

number

of

lecture

courses

per

semester should not exceed 4‐5.

8. While 47% of the alumni felt that the total number of credits required for B.Tech. program should

be kept unchanged, another 25% felt it may be reduced slightly.

9. About 95% of the alumni opined that Major Project should remain as a core component. Also, most

of them felt the major project should be industry oriented and largely innovation based.

10. About 55% of them think that IITD prepare graduates to conduct themselves in an ethical and

professional manner in job quite well.

2.2.3 Summary of Feedback from Faculty

Feedback from individual faculty members was sought on a wide range of issues covering overall

philosophy, curriculum structure, evaluation and grading, program specific issues and academic

administrative issues (questionnaire attached in Appendix‐3). The response was received from 52 faculty



members, and most of them did not answer all questions. This number may be too low to conclude any

definite statistical trend of the opinion of our faculty body. In the sequel, we mention only those points

where some indication became apparent. It may be noted that feedback from faculty has also been

ascertained through special faculty board meetings of all departments, which are given earlier.

1. A number of faculty members have proposed to merge programs like ME1 & ME2 and EE1 & EE2 to

a single more general program by the respective departments.

2. Many favoured the idea of introducing new program types such as Dual B.Tech., and B.Tech +

Interdisciplinary M.Tech.

3. There are a number of suggestions to introduce Material Science and Engineering as a new B.Tech.

Program, and to offer Minor Area Program in this area.

4. Most of respondent faculty members felt that the minor area programs should be continued, but

with some

structural

changes.

The

core

may

be

made

more

flexible

by

including

a basket

of

courses

for the same. The minor area should be available to good students above a certain CGPA.

5. On the total number of credits for B.Tech., the suggestions mostly varied from 140 to 180, with

more inclination towards the higher number.

6. Most supported the idea of splitting up the overlapping courses into modules, wherein some

modules may be common to students from certain departments while some modules may be made

specific to different departments.

7. Majority of respondents is in favour of increasing the flexibility for movement across programs.

8. Most of those who responded favoured a uniform first year component for all programs.

9. The respondents favoured a reduction of maximum laboratory time from 4 hrs to 3 hrs for its

effective utilization. The 3 lab hours could still be counted as 2 credits.

10. Many felt that tutorials should be dropped from higher level courses to encourage self learning.

11. Faculty members seem to favour a smaller weightage on non‐test based evaluations for larger

classes and a higher weightage for smaller classes.

12. There is a general concern on the poor communication skills of the students. Suggestions to improve

it vary

from

a compulsory

summer

course

on

communication

skills

to

mandatory

10

‐15%

weightage

on presentations and report writing in each lecture course.

13. Faculty generally feels that the ideal teaching load is 2‐3 lecture courses per year with 8‐10 hrs per

week.



3. Recommendations about the Proposed Under‐graduate Curriculum

3.1 Key issues

In the

proposal

for

UG

curriculum

revision,

CRC

have

addressed

the

following

key

issues:

3.1.1 Academic Load

The curriculum introduced in 2003 was formulated with the expectation that each student would invest

about 54 hours/week for academic activities. This was based on the feedback from faculty, students and

alumni. Feedback obtained as part of the current curriculum revision process also indicates that current

expected academic load of 54 hours/week is adequate with ample opportunities for the students to

pursue other activities.

It was assumed in the previous concept papers (1992 and 2003), that each credit requires a minimum of 2

hrs of

academic

load

(including

contact

hours).

However,

with

the

increased

diversity

of

the

student

intake, CRC is of the opinion that depending upon the degree of preparedness a student may need to put

in different amount of time per week for earning each credit. Therefore, it is obvious that we cannot have

a uniform model of academic time budgeting for all students.. The effort required by students may range

from 2 hours per week to 3 hours per week. In case, a student needs to put in 3 hours, on an average, for

adequately preparing for each credit, then per semester he/she can earn no more than 18 credits; in 8

semester the student can earn maximum of 144 credits. On the other hand, if a student requires on an

average 2 hours effort for each credit, then he/she can earn 180 credits at the rate of 22.5 credits per

semester as per the existing model. Therefore, under the present circumstances, a key challenge of the

curriculum design is to create a flexible framework to enable students with different abilities to qualify for

the degree.

3.1.2 Flexibility in scope

We also have students joining IIT with different aspirations. Some of them would like to have B.Tech as

the stepping stone for career in diverse non‐technical fields like management, finance, administration,

etc. In the past, we have seen IITians professionally opting for journalism, film‐making, literature and

even politics. Some of them develop interest for areas which are not part of their parent discipline.

Another group of students want to pursue entrepreneurial path. Yet another group is seriously interested

to pursue research and development in their chosen field of interest. At the same time some students

pursuing technology

degree

would

also

like

to

have

adequate

exposure

to

intricacies

of

science

and

humanities. Some students excel in creative independent pursuits, while some others perform extremely

well in standard class‐room courses. This diversity of interests, capabilities and aspirations have added a

new dimension to the present curriculum review process. The new curriculum, in its structure and credit

distribution over different categories, has factored in this diversity of aspirations and interests along with

the ability (and consequences for time budgeting, as discussed above) of the students.



3.1.3 First‐year teaching

The first‐year curriculum is critical in many ways since it sets the stage for the remainder of the students’

academic experience. It builds the foundation for the rest of the curriculum, yet many students feel that

there is little connection between the first‐year courses and the remainder of the coursework. Therefore,

along with the basic science and engineering arts and science courses, it was felt that it is important to

have a course that exposes students to the essence of engineering while igniting their passion about the

world of science and technology. Lastly, a common curriculum in the first year will not only smoothen

departmental changes but also build community amongst the students.

3.2 Proposed B.Tech Degree Requirements

3.2.1 Credit Distribution

Motivated by these observations and feedback from different stake holders, CRC proposes following

credit distribution for the B.Tech Programme

Departmental Credits (Core + Elective): 60 – 70

(with at least 10 credits as electives)

Outside Department credits 65

Total 125‐135 credits

This total credit requirement is consistent with the time budget model for those students who require

about three

hours

of

academic

involvement

for

earning

each

credit.

In

this

model,

a student

will

need

to

do almost the same number of credits in departmental core and elective categories (without B.Tech

project, Design Course, Introduction to Programme, Colloquium, etc ) as in the 2003 curriculum. Also,

non‐departmental credit requirements (other than the open category credits) remain approximately

unchanged. In other words, if we consider that these components represent essential aspects of B.Tech

curriculum, a student who needs additional preparation for meeting academic demands of courses can

satisfy the minimum degree requirement by earning these credits. Further, individual programmes may

have different departmental credit requirements based on the breadth and scope of the degree, hence a

range from 60 to 70 credits have been provisioned. On an average a student will be required to complete

18 credits per semester. However, CRC strongly urges Departments to think differently rather than just

adopt the

existing

curriculum

Departmental credits will have following division

Departmental Requirement :60 ‐ 70 credits

Elective :10 credits minimum



Consistent with the philosophy of broad‐based B.Tech curriculum, this credit distribution model also

satisfies the basic philosophy of having 50% credits outside the parent discipline of the students.

3.2.2 Outside Department Requirement

The outside Departmental credits will have the following components:

Institute Requirement:

- Basic Sciences : 22 credits

- Engineering Arts and Science : 18 credits

- Humanities & Social Sciences : 15 credits

Programme Requirement

– linked Basic Sciences/EA/ES : 10 credits (maximum)

A. CRC

proposes,

consistent

with

the

core

philosophy

of

science

based

engineering

curriculum,

following

as a possible model of credit allocation for Basic science courses as core component of the degree

requirement:

1. Mathematics : 8 credits (distributed over two courses of 4 credits each)

2. Physics: 5 credits ( a course of 5 credits with a laboratory component of 2 credits)

3. Chemistry: 5 credits (a course of 5 credits with a laboratory component of 2 credits)

4. Biology: 4 credits ( a course of 4 credits with laboratory component of 1 credit)

These courses should be same for all programmes.

B. Similarly for Engineering Arts and Science following model is proposed:

1. Electrical Engineering Fundamentals (a course of 4 credits with lab component of at least 1 credit)

2. Computer Science Fundamentals (a course of 4 credits with lab component of at least 1 credit)

3. Fundamentals of Engineering Mechanics ( a course of 4 credits)

4. Engineering Drawing / Engineering Communication ( a course of 2 credits)

5. Product Realization/ Manufacturing (a course of 2 credits)

6. Environmental Studies (a course of 2 credits)

These courses should also be the same for all programmes. Typically, in the first year students will be

doing 36 common credits from Institute Core. Remaining credits of institute core will be done by the

students in the 3rd semester.

C. CRC proposes to allocate 15 credits (minimum, e.g. 3 courses of 4 credits and 1 course of 3 credits) for

Humanities and Social Sciences Courses. These courses should be organised into logically coherent



baskets. Course offering must enable students to do well‐balanced mix of courses based upon their choice

and pre‐requisites so that he/she gets a comprehensive exposure to different aspects of Humanities and

Social Sciences as an essential component of Engineering Education.

D. CRC also recognises that there would be programme specific requirements of Basic Sciences and

Engineering Arts

and

Science

Courses.

In

order

to

accommodate

these

requirements

additional

10

credits

have been allocated for departments to specify programme specific requirements in addition to the

institute requirement.

E. CRC recommends that a course on Materials should be an integral component of the B.Tech/Dual

Degree curriculum. However, this course must be tailored differently for meeting requirements of

different programmes. Hence, a course on Materials, in a programme specific fashion should form part of

this 10 credits requirement. Departments may make suggestions about content of the course which can

meet requirements of their programme.

F. Depending

on

the

departmental

curricular

requirement,

students

can

also

be

given

the

option

of

doing

one or two electives in Basic Sciences and Engineering Arts and Science categories to meet the

requirement of this programme specific 10 credits. For example, B.Tech (EE) may require students to do (i)

a course on Probability and Stochastic processes (may be 4 credits) and (ii) a course on Material Science

(may be 3 credits) and (iii) an elective from a list prescribed by the department.

3.2.3 Non‐grade Core Requirement

In addition, CRC proposes additional non‐grade units as core requirements for the undergraduate degree.

CRC proposes that these units can be earned through a combination of formal academic activity and

informal co‐curricular or extra‐curricular activities. To‐day students actively participate in co‐curricular

and extra‐curricular activities. Feedbacks from alumni and students have indicated that these aspects of

campus life have also helped all round personality development. CRC in order to integrate formal

academics with informal outside class‐room learning experience proposes in the following a new

mechanism for earning these units. Obviously, in order to earn these units, a student will need to involve

himself/herself into activities beyond 54 hours/week. However, since the total credit requirement is less

than 18x8 = 144 a student will have free time slots available within this 54 hours per week. CRC assumes

that activities planned for these components will not require differential preparation time for different

students. Hence, for earning 1 unit a student will be involved for not more than 2 hour per week. In order

to meet time requirements for these components, a student will also make use of remaining 30

hours/week available to him (under the assumption that weakly 12x7=84 hours are available to a

student) for other activities. Hence, these units will be counted in a different way and will not be

considered as part of formal academic requirements.

Following components of Non‐grade units (core) have been proposed:

1. Introduction to the Engineering & Programme : 02



2. Language and Writing Skill : 02

3. NCC/NSO/NSS : 02

4. Professional ethics & Social Responsibilities : 02

5. Communication skill/seminar : 02

6. Design/Practical experience : 05

Total

: 15

These 15 units will be core requirement for all the programmes. In summary, B.Tech degree requirement

will be, therefore, 130‐140 credits + 15 non‐graded units.

A student will need to earn these 15 units over the complete duration of the programme with special

considerations and requirements for each component. A student will need to get an S grade to earn these

credits. Incomplete performance in such components will be indicated by Z grade.

A. Introduction to the Engineering & Programme

All students

will

be

required

to

undergo

exercises

in

the

first

year,

spanning

over

two

semesters,

for

earning these units. These may involve listening to lectures, developing project reports based upon self ‐

study, visit to laboratories (in and outside the institute) and industry, executing simple scientific or

engineering projects. A detailed framework for such a course has been presented subsequently. Student's

involvement will not be more than two hours per week.

B. Language and Writing skill

All students will be required to undergo exercises in the first year, spanning over two semesters. These

exercises will be designed to impart language skills ‐ enhancing their ability of listening comprehension,

reading and writing in English. Further, students will be exposed to principles of English grammar and

nuances of technical writing. Textual material and lectures will focus on the relationship between

Engineering and Humanities and Social Sciences. These exercises will be tailored according to the

background of the students. The background of the students will be assessed through a test to be

conducted at the beginning of the semester. These exercises can be organized either during normal

academic hours or outside. A student can be prescribed self learning exercises or additional practice

sessions during vacations as requirement for his/her S grade. Student's involvement, during regular

semester, will not be more than two hours per week.

C. NCC/NSO/NSS

NCC/NSO/NSS will form part of core requirement of the degree. Students will be required to earn 2 units

from these activities. These are notional credits. The faculty coordinator will devise a scheme for awarding

these credits. Currently followed requirement of 100 hours, translates to 2 units (14x4x2) distributed

approximately over two semesters. However, in the proposed curriculum, a student will be allowed to

earn these credits over the entire duration of the under‐graduate programme and can make use of

his/her participation in sports and social welfare activities for earning these credits.



D. Professional Ethics and Social Responsibility

There is increasing consensus worldwide that engineering ethics needs to be incorporated into the

engineering curriculum

to

provide

students

exposure

to

the

kind

of

professional

ethical

dilemmas

they

might face on an individual basis as well as the larger ethical aspects of technology development. As

succinctly noted in a well‐known essay by Harris and colleagues, "Engineering ethics [are] professional

ethics, as opposed to personal morality...and sets the standards for professional practice." Case‐study

based approaches are often used for illustration and discussion of engineering ethics and such material

could be presented in a stand‐alone fashion or integrated into existing courses (or both). We suggest a

combination of these approaches supplemented by other materials/discussion forum to ensure that IITD

graduates ethical engineers.

Workshops, discussions/debates will be organised to sensitize students about Professional Ethics and

Social Responsibility.

Use

of

theatre

‐in

‐education

will

be

explored

for

achieving

the

same.

NRCVE,

BSW

and Student Counseling Cell are expected to be involved in these activities. Like NCC/NSS/NSO a faculty

coordinator will be appointed for Professional Ethics. This course will be also associated with a notional 2

units implying total involvement of about 100 hours. Involvement of students in these activities, to be

held outside regular class hours, will be monitored by the coordinator for awarding the S grade. Any act of

plagiarism and unfair practice in the examination reported against the student will require him/her to

undergo additional exercises to qualify for the S grade. A student can earn an S grade in Professional

ethics through his involvement in these activities over first three years of his stay in the institute.

E. Communication Skills

Communication skills is an essential requirement for a modern engineer. CRC proposes to allocate 2 units

for exercises in communication skill. Instead of colloquium, CRC proposes that departments introduce a

set of topic specific seminar courses for students (for example ‐ EEN401 ‐ Seminar on Embedded Systems

‐ 1 unit). These courses will be elective, offered in each semester. These seminar sessions will be held for

two hours per week. Multiple such courses can run in parallel. These seminars will also be open for all.

These seminars can be scheduled outside office hours. Students need to register for at least one such course in his/her parent department for earning one unit. Further, students can earn remaining one unit through any one of the following means

1. By successfully undergoing Communication Skill course/workshop organized as an activity

approved by DUGS

2. By documentary evidence of excellence in debating and/or writing as certified by faculty in‐

charge of these activities.

3. By participating in course seminars of regular courses; for example regular L courses can have

optional seminar component (e.g EEL707 Multimedia Systems can have optional seminar component of 1

unit.).

4. Registering and completing an additional seminar course offered by any department or centre.



A student will be required to earn these credits in their 3rd and/or 4th year.

D. Design Experience

CRC proposes to encourage students to involve themselves into different technical and engineering

projects during

their

stay

in

the

institute

to

earn

the

design

experience

units.

CRC

hopes

that

opportunity

to a student to earn this Design Experience units in an informal setting also will usher in processes and

mechanisms that will support the spirit of innovation and creativity among students. CRC recommends

the following means through which a student can earn design experience units:

1. Participating in design activities linked to courses;

2. Participating in co‐curricular design/project activities;

3. Internship in an industry/research lab including research projects at IIT Delhi

CRC proposes that while designing a regular course, other than the LTP structure, departments can clearly

indicate Design Load of a course. A regular course can have maximum of 2 unit of Design Load. This would

typically correspond

to

projects/exercises

to

be

executed

by

the

students

on

their

own,

under

the

supervision of the course coordinators. A faculty, based on the academic capability/performance of the

student, can permit him to opt for Design Load in his/her course. This may encourage academically

inclined students to take up interesting challenges as part of course work

A student can claim Design Experience credits through sustained and substantive innovative work as part

of recognized co‐curricular activities. Faculty in charge of these activities will certify the Design Units

earned through this process. This will also cover projects undertaken at the Innovation Centre.

There has been a feedback from both faculty and students, that undergraduate students should get

actively involved in the research projects at IIT Delhi. In order to create an enabling mechanism, CRC has

recommended that the students will also have the opportunity to participate in research projects at IIT

Delhi (outside regular curricular work) in summer and regular semesters to earn Design Experience Units.

A successful summer internship in an industry/research laboratory of 40 days will enable a student to earn

2 units of Design Experience. On the other hand, a student can opt for an internship with an

industry/research organisation for 120 days to earn 5 credits of design experience. It would require

departmental faculty supervisors of internships to certify that work done during internship is worthy of

requisite uniits of design experience.

Obviously, summer internship with industry will no longer be an integral core requirement for the degree.

A student can earn Design Experience Units through industrial/research internships once he/she has

earned 70 credits.

A student may finish academic credits at the rate of 18 credits per semester and spend additional 120

days for industrial internship to earn 5 Design Experience credits ‐ internship over extended period will



also enhance the student's employability. This facility can also be used by the student to explore

innovative and challenging projects in an industry or research organisation.

3.3 Capability Linked Opportunities for Undergraduate Students

Students demonstrating superior academic performance and better capability obviously requires less than

3 hours as preparation time for earning each credit. These students must be encouraged to take

additional credits in a disciplined fashion so that they can add more value to their B.Tech degree.

A student who clears all first year credit requirements (36 credits) with CGPA 7 and above will be

permitted to register for additional credits from 3rd semester onwards. A student will be permitted to

register up to 26 credits per semester provided

(i) The student has cleared all courses for which the student has registered so far and

(ii) His/her CGPA is 7 or above

In case,

a student

does

not

meet

this

requirement

but

has

cleared

20xN

credits,

where

N

is

the

total

number of semesters spent, then he/she can register up to a maximum of 23 credits.

A student registering for 26 credits in each semester can complete additional 48 credits (8 credits x 6

semester) maximum. A student registering for 23 credits in each semester can complete additional 30

credits maximum. Hence, it will be feasible for a student, who is performing reasonably, to do additional

courses and add value to his/her degree depending on his choice.

Students can make use of these additional credits in two blocks of 20 credits to opt for

1. Minor/Interdisciplinary Area Specialisation

2. Departmental Honours/Specialisation

A student based up on his/her performance and interest can choose either one or both. Successful

completion of minor area credits and/or departmental honours/specialisation will be indicated on the

degree.

A student may not opt for either of the two but can do additional credits through open choice of courses.

In case a student cannot meet requirements of a minor area or departmental honours/ specialisation,

additional credits earned by the student over and above his/her degree requirement will be used for

DGPA calculation and will be indicated on his transcript.

A. Departmental Honours/Specialisation

Departments can design one or more baskets of departmental courses of 20 credits for offering

Departmental honours/specialisation. A department may offer more than one specialisation. Typically,

departments offering multiple B.Tech programmes can chose to offer one B.Tech programme with option

of multiple departmental specialisations corresponding to the different B.Tech programmes being run



now. CRC strongly urges departments to offer a single B.Tech programme with the option of multiple

areas of departmental specialisation.

CRC suggests that the departmental honours/specialisation baskets may include a project course of 6 to 8

credits. Departments are free to design organisation of courses for departmental specialisation.

Departments may decide to indicate some of the courses in the specialisation basket as core. If a

department includes

a 3 or

4 credit

project

course

in

the

set

of

Core

courses

for

the

B.Tech

programme,

then project course in the departmental specialisation can be continuation of the core project.

B. Minor/Interdisciplinary area of Specialisation

Departments and/or Centres and/or Schools can offer Minor area or Inter‐disciplinary specialization as

per currently approved provisions. In addition to the existing rules, CRC suggests that a minor area/ inter‐

disciplinary area can have a set of courses (instead of one or two fixed core courses) out of which one or

two must be done as core requirement of the programme.

It is

desirable

that

cross

departmental

linkages

in

various

activities

and

even

emerging

areas

must

be

consolidated in the form of minor areas as well as inter‐disciplinary areas. Success of minor/inter‐

disciplinary area specialisation scheme will depend on the availability of a large number of interesting and

useful options to the students. Departments, Centres, Schools and Inter‐disciplinary research groups

should feel motivated to offer such programmes for benefit of the students as well as for the growth of

newer areas of innovative technology. In order to facilitate and streamline the process of introduction of

minor/inter‐disciplinary specialisations, CRC recommends that senate approves a special committee for

recommending proposals for introduction as well as termination of minor/ inter‐disciplinary areas to the

senate for its consideration so that such proposals need not go through the time consuming process of

approvals through individual faculty boards of departments and centres. Further, CRC recommends that

such programmes should receive institutional support in terms of finance and space, if neccessary.

C. Further, if interested, eligible students will be able to also opt for B.S programmes as dual degree

option, instead of minor area or departmental specialisation. Details are described later.

3.4 Dual Degree

CRC has proposed, based upon feedbacks obtained from different sources and careful analysis of current

challenges and demands of industry and academic research, frameworks for defining a wide variety of

dual degree programmes. Departments and Centres on their own or in collaboration with others can

decide to adapt these frameworks for defining new programmes or re‐model existing programmes. Some

of these programmes can be offered as option to JEE entry students. However, CRC strongly feels that

dual degree programmes, ideally, should be available as options to our under‐graduates which they can

exercise based upon their motivation at the appropriate juncture of their academic career.



The proposed framework of Dual degree programmes involving combination of an UG and PG degree is

expected to be used by the departments and centres to create mechanisms to attract our UGs to join and

complete post‐graduate programmes in fast‐track mode consuming less time (for e.g. M.Tech./M.S in one

additional year instead of two). CRC recommends sustained effort on the part of the faculty to popularise

such programmes. CRC invites additional suggestions which can further incentivize this migration process.

3.4.1 Dual Degree (B.Tech + M.Tech)

Departments can offer dual degree programmes (B.Tech + M.Tech) for JEE entry students. Dual degree

students will need to complete additional 36 credits in the fifth year. Out of 36 credits, minimum of 18

credits is expected to be core and will be the major project (6 credits in 1st semester and 12 credits in the

second semester). Departments will suggest structure of remaining credits. Dual degree requirement

should be built upon departmental honours/specialisation credits. Relevant departmental specialisation

will be a mandatory requirement for the dual degree student. A dual degree student will not be doing a

project course

as

part

of

departmental

specialisation.

Instead

the

student

will

do

additional

regular

courses specified as part of departmental specialisation.

CRC suggests the requirement of 36 credits for the additional two PG semesters because for earning each

PG credit a student will be expected to invest at least 3 hrs of preparation time per credit per week

(including contact hours).

If a student fails to qualify for departmental specialisation with CGPA 7.5 or above, he/she will be

expected to exit with only B.Tech degree (with departmental specialisation, if he qualifies for the same).

Failure to earn Dual Degree will be indicated in the degree and transcript.

A B.Tech student, while pursuing departmental honours/specialisation can opt for the dual degree and

continue for the same provided he completes departmental honours/specialisation with CGPA 7.5 or

above.

3.4.2 5‐yr Integrated M.Tech

CRC proposes to discontinue with the 5‐year integrated M.Tech programme for the sake of uniformity in

the structure of the PG programmes. Further, integrated M.Tech programme does not provide an

interface to naturally built the programme on the foundation of a relevant under‐graduate programme. It

also does not provide an exit option for non‐performing students.



3.4.3 Dual Degree (B.Tech + M.Tech in any Specialisation by Choice at the end of third year)

A student capable of doing additional credits with CGPA 7.5 or more can apply at the end of 6th semester

for joining any approved M.Tech programme (2 yr or Dual Degree) in a discipline for which he is eligible on

the basis of his B.Tech programme and minor/interdisciplinary area or departmental specialisation he/she

is pursuing.

The

student

has

to

qualify

for

minor

area

or

departmental

specialisation

to

become

eligible

for the dual degree. Departments will notify additional eligibility conditions, if any. If admitted the student

can earn M.Tech degree by doing additional 36 credits which will include a 18 credit project. The student

will not be required to do any project under minor/interdisciplinary area. DRC/CRC will approve the

course plan for the M.Tech degree for an approved specialisation of the department/centre in a student

specific fashion based on his/her background.

3.4.4 Dual Degree (B.Tech + M.S(R))

A student

capable

of

doing

additional

credits

with

CGPA

7.5

or

more

can

apply

at

the

end

of

6th

semester

for joining any M.S (research) programme in a discipline for which he is eligible on the basis of her/his

B.Tech programme and minor/interdisciplinary area or departmental specialisation he/she is pursuing.

Courses done under minor/inter disciplinary area or departmental specialisation will be mandatory

requirement. The student must complete minor/inter‐disciplinary area with CGPA 7.5 to become eligible

for the M.S degree. Departments will notify additional eligibility conditions. If admitted the student can

earn M.S (research) degree by doing additional 36 credits which will include 30 credits of the research

project spanning over 3 semesters (8th, 9th and 10th semesters) so that a student will be eligible to get

B.Tech + MS(R) in 5 years.

3.4.4.1 Special Case (B.Tech + Ph.D)

A student admitted for a M.S degree can also be considered as a candidate admitted for Ph.D. Perhaps, a

better student can be given the option even to register for a Ph.D degree. The requirements of M.S can be

considered as the requirement of the student's comprehensive. The student may be permitted to

continue and complete Ph.D requirement in minimum two additional semesters. Typically, a student will

be expected to complete Ph.D after four additional semesters. Effectively, the student will be in a position

to meet the needs of his doctoral work, in 4+2 or 4+3 years at most. The possibility of obtaining a Ph.D

degree in less time may motivate students to join. In case, a student likes to discontinue, he/she can exit

with M.S after B.Tech, provided he(she) has cleared the requirement.

Obviously, this proposal requires further discussions and deliberations at the appropriate level.

3.4.5 Dual Degree (B.Tech + MBA)

A student capable of doing additional credits with CGPA 7.5 or more can apply for joining MBA

programme provided the student is a pursuing a minor area in Management. Department can notify the



eligibility conditions and the number of vacancies available. Effectively, after B.Tech a student will be

eligible to earn MBA with a B.Tech degree by doing additional 60 credits ( 20cr in minor area and 40

additional credits) and spending five years.

4.0 Recommendations about Proposed B.S Programmes

CRC proposes a framework for introducing 8‐semester B.S programme in Basic sciences for JEE‐entry

students following a similar model of that of B.Tech programme. This will enable basic science

departments to re‐visit their undergraduate programmes. Currently, IISc Bangalore, IIT Kanpur, IIT Madras

are offering similar programes. Basic structure will be the following:

1. Departmental credits :60 ‐ 70 (minimum 10 credits of electives)

2. Outside Department Credits :65

The outside departmental credits will have following structure:

Institute Requirement:

- Basic Sciences : 22 credits

- Engineering Arts and Science : 18 credits

- Humanities & Social Sciences : 15 credits

Programme Requirement

– Linked Basic Sciences : :10 credits (maximum) (exclusively for B.S programme)

A. CRC

proposes

following

as

a possible

model

of

credit

allocation

for

Basic

science

courses

as

core

component of the degree requirement:

1. Mathematics : 8 credits (distributed over two courses of 4 credits each)

2. Physics: 5 credits ( a course of 5 credits with a laboratory component of 2 credits)

3. Chemistry: 5 credits (a course of 5 credits with a laboratory component of 2 credits)

4. Biology: 4 credits ( a course of 4 credits with laboratory component of 1 credit)

These courses should be same for all programmes.

B. Similarly

for

Engineering

Arts

and

Science

following

model

is

proposed:

1. Electrical Engineering Fundamentals (a course of 4 credits with lab component of at least 1 credit)

2. Computer Science Fundamentals (a course of 4 credits with lab component of at least 1 credit)

3. Fundamentals of Engineering Mechanics ( a course of 4 credits)

4. Engineering Drawing / Engineering Communication ( a course of 2 credits)

5. Product Realization/ Manufacturing (a course of 2 credits)



6. Environmental Studies (a course of 2 credits)

These courses should also be the same for all programmes.

Additional 10 credits of basic sciences courses will be a programme specific requirement for the B.S

degree.

B.S Degree will also include non‐grade credit requirements as specified for the B.Tech programme.

Further, departments will offer baskets of 20 credits for departmental honours/specialisation, which an

academically capable student may opt for.

4.1 Dual Degree (B.S + B.Tech)

CRC opined that, if the academic system provide an option for meritorious students registered for B.S

degree to

pursue

B.Tech

degree

concurrently

and

vice

‐versa,

exploiting

harmony

and

overlap

between

sister departments , then more value addition can happen for the output. Interdisciplinary training of

these students with strong fundamentals in science and engineering will make them uniquely suited for

challenging technical career. CRC identified some possible pairings for B.S + B.Tech dual degree:

- B.Tech (Chemical Engg.) + BS (Chemical sciences)

- B.Tech (Electrical Engg..) + BS (Physics/ Maths)

- B.Tech (Computer Science & Engg.) + BS (Mathematics)

- B.Tech (Mechanical Engg.) + BS (Material Science)

- B.Tech(Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering) + BS (Biological Sciences)

B.S + B.Tech dual degree is expected to be completed within a four year period; will be permitted to

extend to fifth year under special circumstances (e.g a student opting for honours/specialisation in at least

one of the degree).

The student will need to earn between 40‐50 credits for the second Major. Courses required for the

second major will be defined by the departments taking into account overlap between courses (DC and

DE) of sister departments.

If a student is eligible to take additional credits up to 26 credits, then he/she can opt for the B.S ‐ B.Tech

dual degree at the end of second semester (earliest) and do additional credits. Obviously, these students

will not register for minor/interdisciplinary or departmental specialization, if they want to complete the

requirement within four years.



4.2 Dual Degree (B.S + M.Tech/M.S(R))

The provisions for defining dual degree for B.S students (B.S + M.Tech/M.S(R)) will be as per provisions

defined for the B.Tech programmes. Considerations outlined in earlier sections (3.4.1 to 3.4.4) will be

applicable for B.S programmes as well.

5.0 Other Recommendations

5.1 Laboratory Courses

The Committee took cognizance of the fact that feed‐back obtained from students as well as alumni have

indicated the low effectiveness of many laboratory courses. CRC identified some of the reasons for this to

be (i) sub‐optimal utilization of funds (especially PLN03 grant) for modernisation of laboratory

infrastructure (ii) attitude of many faculty members towards laboratory courses as ‘extra’ teaching load

(iii) inadequacies in the design of the experiments. The Committee felt that proper credits must be given to faculty members designing laboratory courses and conducting lab sessions in an effective fashion. Also,

there should be clear differentiation between demonstration experiments, lecture‐linked experiments

and projects where the student uses his/her classroom‐acquired knowledge to design an experiment or

do something new. CRC recommends that each laboratory must include an opportunity for the students

to design experiment to find out things on their own.

5.2 B.Tech Project

CRC recommends that departments can include a 4 credit project course as a core component of the

departmental credit. This course can be followed by a 6‐8 credit project course for the students pursuing

departmental specialisation. This structuring will enable faculty to interact closely with academically

inclined students in guiding their projects.

Objective of the core B.Tech project will be to train students so that they can handle a reasonably scoped

developmental work from conceptualisation to design and implementation as a team effort.

5.3 First Year Courses

CRC recommends that First year courses should be common for all programmes. It recommends that in

first year, a student will be registering for not more than 18 credits per semester (other than non‐grade

credits). Detailed scheduling of courses will be worked out after finalisation of the course plan.

5.3.1 Introduction to Engineering and Programme

CRC decided to recommend a modification of the current Introduction to the Programme Course to an

"Introduction to Engineering & Programme" course to be conducted spanning across two semesters.

Main aim of this course will be to enhance technological literacy among the first year students and

gradually introduce their own programme.



Accordingly this course should:

⇒ relate in a direct manner to the student’s day‐to‐day lives

⇒ provide a broad overview of the tenets of engineering (i.e., synthesis, integration, design, build)

that lead to solutions for real‐world problems through the design of devices or systems that

meet certain needs through specific performance characteristics

⇒ provide an

exposure

to

various

disciplines

of

science

and

engineering

and

their

interconnections

(and the interaction of technology with society)

Some examples which can be used in the course are

Topic Tech/engineering issues Society issues

iPod

CS/EE: Data compression for music

Phys: Displays

EE: Device miniaturization

ME: Product design

Intellectual property/music

sharing

Human interface

Toyota Prius

ME: Automobile design

EE/ME: Hybrid control systems

Phys: Batteries

Chem: Air pollution/climate change

Climate change

Local air pollution

Resource conservation/energy

efficiency

Ultrasound

CS/EE: Image processing

Phys: Imaging

Bio: Biomaterials/tissues

ME: Fluid mechanics/waves

Bioethics/genetic screening

Health

This would form the first part of the course which will be conducted in an interdisciplinary fashion.

The second part of the course which is expected to be conducted in the second semester will familiarize

the students

with

their

own

programme.

This

may

involve

visit

to

departmental

laboratories,

industries,

interaction with faculty, simple experiments/projects.

This course is also expected to expose students with the relationship of Science, Technology and Society.

CRC suggests that a detailed course manual for this course should be produced so that this course can be

conducted in a standardised fashion across departments.



5.3.2 Pedagogical Issues

CRC would like to make following recommendations about first year teaching

1. Course coordinators

for

first

year

courses

should

be

preferably

a faculty

who

is

interested

in

teaching first year courses. It should not be allocated through a roaster process. Faculty

handling first year courses effectively should receive special recognition and encouragement.

2. The course coordinator should be given the freedom of choosing his team of teachers and TAs

from a given pool in consultation with the Head.

3. The section teachers, tutorial teachers and TAs should have a meeting in the beginning of the

semester and at regular intervals to keep everybody on the same page.

4. Use of technology for large classes: Use of Tablet PCs is really helpful for large classes. It solves

the problem of visibility of blackboard writing and also the lectures can be saved and uploaded

after the class.

Biometric devices

can

be

used

to

record

attendance

in

large

classes.

Clickers

can

be

used

for

taking quizzes.

5. A graded question paper is helpful for ranking the students better. Also, sometimes, a question

can actually guide the student towards the solution, and this way, a student may be able to

solve an apparently difficulty problem and have the joy of learning even during exam.

6. It may be a good idea to fork out a separate mode of non‐exam component (different sets of

assignments etc.) to cater for students of different abilities.

7. Help sessions by TAs may be more effective in informal setting such as in Ex‐Hall or in hostels.

5.4 Core Design Course

CRC

recognises

importance

of

the

design

experience

and

practice

as

integral

part

of

engineering

curriculum. It has proposed a new scheme for earning design experience units. Given this new

formulation, CRC recommends that departments may or may not continue with the design course in 4th

or 5th semester as a core requirement.

5.5 Evaluation and Grading

Since, in recent past there has been extensive debate on the evaluation scheme, CRC recommends

continuation of the senate approved evaluation scheme of two minors and one major with total

weightage of these examination linked components not to exceed 80%. Faculty can devise other

components for the remaining 20%.

CRC recommends that the evaluation process should assess students based on their understanding of the

subject and their ability to apply the learnt concept.

The basic grading scheme and the grading philosophy remains unchanged.



5.6 Course Structure

CRC proposes to continue with the current course categorisation and the course numbering scheme based

upon pre‐requisites with suitable update of the requirements after formulation of the detailed curriculum.

All courses for non‐grade requirement will have xyNuvw format (i.e course category ‐N ‐ non‐graded).

Tutorials in a course provide opportunity for the students to clarify their doubts and learn problem solving

through application of concepts under the guidance of instructors through intimate interactions. At a

senior level, through self study and occasional interaction with TA's and course coordinator a student is

expected to acquire such skill. such Hence, CRC would like to propose discontinuation of tutorial

component for courses at higher level ‐ 300 level or above. This can be replaced by office hours by faculty

and/or TA during which they will be available for clarifying doubts of the students.

Further, it is expected that each course will explicitly indicate how many design experience or

communication skill units (other than credits) a student can earn from the course, if he(she) opts and is

permitted for

a design

project

or

a seminar

in

the

course.

Once new courses are formulated, we need to explore mechanisms for management of courses which will

have overlap across departments so that faculty load can be optimized.

5.7 TA Utilisation

CRC proposes that TA's should be utilised effectively in UG courses as per the currently approved

guidelines. Further, performance of TA's should be formally linked to continuation/disbursement of their

assistantship. CRC requests BPGS to formulate measures so that TA's can be more effectively utilised.

6. Conclusion

CRC has proposed a conceptual framework for under‐graduate programmes. It expects that through

debates and discussions these proposals will be refined. Departmental feedback about acceptability of

different proposals will be factored in to create a more detailed and complete recommendation about

the UG curriculum. CRC also suggests a re‐look at the PG curriculum so that changes can implemented in

an integrated and comprehensive fashion.

Documents

Crc Concept Paper Final