Reimagining post-pandemic higher education, the IIT Guwahati way
After successfully hosting online and hybrid classes during the pandemic, IIT Guwahati is operating fully offline classes since the beginning of 2022-23 semester launching new courses
GUWAHATI : Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati has now resumed classes completely in physical mode with the July 2022-23 semester being conducted entirely offline from the beginning. More than 7,400 students are now attending classes in classrooms with the batch admitted during the pandemic attending full-semester classes in person for the first time.
After the COVID-19 pandemic had forced all classes to go online, IIT Guwahati was the first among IITs to bring back all students to campus and start offline classes back in March 2022 and presently all academic activities will be held offline beginning with the July 2022-23 semester. The current strength of students on campus stands at 2279 Male and 558 Female Undergraduate students, 1752 Male and 392 Female Postgraduate students and 1689 Male and 804 Female PhD students on the campus. Overall, around 24% of the students are female.
To ensure the safety of its students, the institute has all COVID-19 related precautions in place and is currently hosting a massive vaccine booster dose drive as well.
Lauding the entire institute’s efforts in going offline, Prof. T. G. Sitharam, Director, IIT Guwahati, said, “The campus is filled with zeal and enthusiasm again with the presence of students all across and the environment is full of life now. This will facilitate more intellectual interaction among the community and overall also benefit everyone, including the population that was dependent for their livelihoods on the IITG campus. I am grateful to everyone who made it possible for IIT Guwahati to go offline and return us to pre-pandemic normalcy.”
The post-pandemic changes made by IIT Guwahati to ensure the best experience for students include:
Ø Bigger basket of minor and open elective courses for students
Ø More activities by the students gymkhana
Ø Enhanced internships and interactive sessions with industry
Ø Encouraging innovation, entrepreneurship, skill development and start-up
The students are now getting to explore plethora of opportunities which they lacked during online classes. They are especially enthusiastic to pursue education on campus and interact with students from other parts of the country as well as around the world.
IIT Guwahati has also started several new academic courses from July 2022:
Ø MTech in Bioengineering from the Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering
Ø MTech in Biomedical Science and Engineering from the Jyoti and Bhupat Mehta School of Health Science and Technology
Ø MDes in Electronic Product Design from the Department of Design
Ø MDes in Electronic Packaging and Design from the Department of Design
Ø MS (R) in Polymer Science and Technology from the Centre for Sustainable Polymers
Ø MBA from the School of Business
Ø MA in Liberal Arts from the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences
Ø BTech programme in Energy Science and Engineering from the School of Energy Science and Engineering will commence in November 2022
Most notably, students and faculty of IIT Guwahati provided financial aid during the recent Assam floods, raising a significant amount to help the people of the region. The drones developed by IIT Guwahati students and start-ups also helped in the survey of the floods and in disaster relief such as food and medicine delivery.
Sharing his experience to be back on campus, Mr. Sarthak Saxena, Vice President, Students’ Gymkhana Council, IIT Guwahati, said, “It’s not the destination, rather it’s the journey that makes us who we are. At IIT Guwahati, the beauty of the campus and the excellent faculty provide an unparalleled atmosphere to develop new skills, meet new people and grow as a person. All of us are very happy that IIT Guwahati is now completely offline because we now get to experience so many things which we never could during online classes.”
Thanking the teaching staff at IIT Guwahati, Mr. Sarthak Saxena added, “We are thankful to all the Professors at IIT Guwahati as they make time to listen to the needs of the students and always offer a helping hand. It is an honour and a privilege to be a student at IIT Guwahati.”
IIT Guwahati will have over 8,700 students on the campus by November 2022 with an estimated 1,000 B. Tech freshers enrolling in this Institute of National Importance.
Ms. Ritika Choudhary, a third-year student in the Department of Electronics and Electrical Engineering, said, “From recognizing your classmates to spending time with your friends, from rushing to the lecture halls to walking down the beautiful paths on campus, the transition from online to offline has made everything so surreal. The new ambiance, the new schedule and the bittersweet moments together make for a wonderful experience.”
Ms. Neetu Jha, a first-year student pursuing a Master of Arts Degree from the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, said, “Studying offline was a dream, and now we see that dream coming true. It is more exciting and fun to learn offline, and we are already enjoying the offline classes and culture on this beautiful campus.”