8/8/2016

HigherEducationinIndia|NotesofanEducator

HigherEducationinIndia
NotesofanEducator

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August6,
2016

About

WidentheEntranceCriteriainHigher
EducationInstitutions
jalote
Comment

EntranceTest,HigherEducation,IIITDelhi,Learning,Students

Itiswellestablishedthatgoodqualityhighereducationisthebestwaytoopendoors
toavarietyofopportunitiesthatiswhyworldoverstudentsvietogetintothebest
universitiesandcolleges.Duetothis,whileschooleducationismeanttolaythe
foundationforabroaddevelopmentoftheindividual,thesinglemostimportant
goalofschooleducationbecomesgettingadmissioninahighqualityhigher
educationinstitutions(HEI).
AdmissiontoourHEIsisbasedalmostexclusivelyonperformanceinexamsclass
XIIorentrancetest.Mostengineeringinstitutesadmitstudentsthroughentrance
test,thoughnowclassXIImarksarealsogivenweight,andmostuniversitieslike
DelhiUniversitygiveadmissionbasedonclassXIImarks(thoughhavesomeseats
forsportsetc).So,regardlessofwhateducationistsmayliketosee,students,
parents,andteachersalleventuallyaligntoasinglegoalasoutcomeofschool
educationdoingwellinclassXIIexamsandcompetitiveentrancetests.Asnothing
elsemattersforachievingtheimportantgoalofgettingintoahighqualityHEI,
otheraspectsofdevelopmentthattheschooleducationissupposedtoprovide,are
mostlyignored.
Asaresultofthisexclusivefocusonexams,astudentwhodoesinnovativeprojects
inschoolsdemonstratinginnatetalentandinterestforengineeringispreciselythe
onewhomaynotmakeittothebestengineeringinstitutionsashe/shewasted
timedoingtheseprojectstimewhichcouldhavebeenmoreoptimallyusedin
coachingclasses.Similarly,astudentwhodoesinternshipinsomecompanyand
writesareportontheeconomicsofasectorperhapstheidealcandidateforan
economicsprogrammaynotbeabletogetintoagoodeconomicsprogramas
otherswhospentallthetimepreparingforexamsgethighermarks.Similarly,
studentswhoengageinschooldebates,participateinsocialwork,sports,orother
activitiesthatcanbroadentheirdevelopmentandhorizons,areoftenata
disadvantageforgettingadmittedtoHEIsascomparedtothosewhospendtheir
timepreparingfortests.Thisunifocusonattaininghightestscoresalsoinevitably
leadstoshallowlearningstyleswhichmaximizeperformanceintestsbutprevent
deepunderstandingofsubjects.
Thisfocusonexamscannotbechangedjustbyexhortationorchangingthepattern
oftheexamorbemoaningthestateofaffairs.Wehavetosquarelyacceptthefact
thatthemostimportantgoalforastudentisindeedgettingadmissionintobest
colleges,andifwewantstudentstohavewiderdevelopmentinschools,wehaveto
widenthecriteriaforadmissiontoincludeachievementsandeffortsoutsidetests.
Onedirectapproachcanbetoassignsomemarks(say20outof100)for
achievementinothersphereswhiletheremaining80canremainbasedonresultsof
classXIIandentrancetest.Withthis,theproblemreducestodevelopingsound
proceduresforassigningmarksoutof20forachievementinotherspheres.Thiswill
beachallengebutnotonethatisunsurmountablePG/MBAprogramsorpublic
serviceexamsroutinelydothis,byhavinganinterviewandassigningsomeweightto
it.
IIITDelhihasbeenfollowinganotherapproachforthelastfewyearsforthis.In
IIITDelhi,foradmissioninBTechprogram,upto10bonusmarks(onabaseof
100)aregivenforachievementsinvariousspheres,throughapublishedcriteria.For
example,bonusmarksaregiventostudentswhoreachfinalstagesofvarious
Olympiads,participateinnationalschoolgames,haveChessFIDErating,getan
awardintheINSPIREorIGNITEprogram,winprizeinprogrammingcontests,have
ministryofculturesscholarshipfortalent,etc.Theprogramwasslowtostart,butin
theprevioustwobatches,over10%ofthestudentsadmittedareoneswhohave
receivedbonusmarks.
WehavealsodonesomeanalysisofhowthesestudentsperforminourInstitute.As
wehadanticipated,thefirstyearperformanceintheInstituteofthestudentswho
hadreceivedbonusmarkswassignificantlybetterthantheperformanceofstudents
withoutbonusmarks(theaverageCGPAwashigherbymorethan1.)Thisclearly

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demonstratedthatstudentswithbroaderbasearelikelytobebetterpreparedfor
highereducation.
MostUSuniversities,whilegivingaconsiderableweighttoSATscoresand
performanceinhighschool,considerahostofotherfactorsandachievementsfor
admission.Infact,intopuniversitiesitisnowknownthatjustgoodgradesandSAT
scoresarenotsufficient,andstudentsmustshowotherachievements.Thishugely
motivatesfamiliestodevelopotheraspectsofastudentspersonalitysports,
culture,socialwork,volunteering,etc.Ifwestartincorporatingachievementsand
contributionsinotherspheresinadmissiontomostofourtopHEIs,wemayalso
seeanincreaseinmotivationanddrivetoundertakesuchactivitiesinschoolthis
canonlybegoodforourstudentsandtheirdevelopment.

July26,
2016

FirstYearofCollegemaybeCritical
forSuccess
jalote
Comment

BTechProgram,HigherEducation,IIITDelhi,Learning,Students

Manyfacultyhaveobservedthatoftenperformanceofstudentsinlateryearsofa4
yearprogramissimilartotheperformanceachievedinthefirstyear.AtIIITDelhi
wedidsomeanalysisofstudentperformanceintheInstituteinvariousyearsand
relationshipbetweenthem.IIITDelhihasarigorousanddemandingeducation
program,asgoodasthebestinthecountry,andtaughtbyfacultywithqualifications
similartothoseoffacultyinestablishedIITs.Itsprogram,thoughsomewhat
differentandmoreinnovativethaninolderinstitutions,issimilartotheprograms
inIITsandtopuniversitiesacrosstheworldithasacommonfirstyearprogram,
corecoursesforthedisciplinedoneinafewsemestersafterthefirstyear,and
mostlyelectivesinfinalfewsemesters.Therefore,Isuspectthetrendsinour
analysismayholdforothersimilarautonomousinstitutionswhichhavehighquality
education.Someinterestingfindingsare:
Correlationbetweenperformanceinfirstsemesterandsecondsemesteris
over0.8.Inotherwords,formoststudents,performanceinsecondsemester
issimilartotheperformanceinthefirstsemester.
Theperformanceinanacademicyearisverystronglycorrelatedwith
performanceinthepreviousacademicyearagaincorrelationofmorethan
0.8.Inotherwords,performancein2ndyearhasastrongcorrelationwith
performancein1st,3rdyearperformanceishighlycorrelatedwith2nd,and
4thyearperformanceishighlycorrelatedwiththe3rd.
Beforediscussingwhatthesecorrelationsmaymean,itshouldbeemphasisedthat
thesearestatisticstheyapplyinageneralsenseandnottoanindividual.An
individualstudentsrecordmaynotfollowtheabovepatternatallsomeonemay
havehadabad1stsemester/year(duetoillness,lackofseriousness,)whocando
muchbetterlater.Andsomeonewhotakesfirstyearseriouslyandthenslacksoff,
willfindperformancefalling.
Whatdothesemeanforstudentsinageneralsense.Thedataseemstosuggestthat
thefirstsemesterandyearcanoftenbethemostdefiningyearofastudentscollege
education,andtheperformanceinfirstyearoftenreflectsthelevelatwhichthe
studentislikelytoperformacademicallyintherestofhis/herprogram.Firstyearof
theprogramiswhenthestudentsaresettlingintheirnewlifeatauniversity/college
withthefreedomandresponsibilitythatcomeswithitalifeverydifferentfrom
thatinschoolwhichisfarmorestructuredanddefinedbytheteachers,school
discipline,uniform,parentaloversight,etc.Itseemsthatthestudentsdefinetheir
approachtocollegelifeandacademicsinthefirstyearandoftendevelophabits,
discipline,andbalance(orlackofit)whichislikelytostaywiththemfortherestof
theprogram.
Asmentioned,whilethedatasuggeststhisformoststudent,itneednotapplytoall
students.Ifastudentmissesbuildingthedisciplineandbalanceinthefirstyear,but
realisesthefollyofhis/herwayslater(sayafterasemesterorayear),thisdata
shouldbetreatedasastatisticthatcanbeovercomebyputtingthedueeffortfor
makingupforthelackofeffortinthefirstsem/year,orbyrepeatingthefirstyear,
iftheuniversityallows.(InIIITDelhistudentswhodonotpasssomenumberof
coursesinthefirstyearhavetorepeatthefirstyear.Inthepastwehaveseenthat
therearesomecasesofstudentswhohavechangedtheirbehaviorafterrepeating
theyearandhavesuccessfullycompletedtheprogramwithgoodCGPA.)
Whatdoesthedatameanforacademicinstitutionsandadministrators?Oneclear
insightisthatfirstsemester(andthefirstyear)canbeextremelycriticaltoa
studentssuccessintheprogram.Therefore,tohelpstudentssucceedinthe
program,itisimportanttoprovidegoodsupporttothemintheirfirstsemester
(year)notjustforacademicsbutalsofordevelopinggoodhabitsanddiscipline.
Thisimpliesthatthesystemswehaveforlateryearstudents,maynotbewellsuited
forstudentsintheirfirstyear,whorequireclosermonitoringandmoresupportand
counselling.

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Toconclude,datasuggeststhatincomingstudentsshouldbeextracautiousandalert
whenstartingtheirhighereducationprogramwhileastudentmustexplorenew
ideas,buildnewbonds,trynewactivities,pursuenonacademicinterests,engagein
deepdiscussionsinthecanteen,etc,he/shemustnotlosesightofacademics,asthat
istheprimarypurposeofenteringauniversity.Studentsmustdevelopsoundhabits
andagooddisciplineandbalanceintheirfirstyearthehabitsanddiscipline
developedinfirstyearislikelytopersistthroughtherestoftheirprogramlaxityin
thefirstyearmaymakeithardertomakeupinlateryears.
AndforInstitutionsthedataclearlysuggeststhatspecialmeasuresmustbetakento
handlestudentsintheirfirstyeartheyarejusttransitioningfromschooltocollege
andsupportmustbeprovidedsotheycandevelopaproperbalanceanddisciplineto
handlecollegelife.(AtIIITDelhi,afewyearsagowestartedaoneweekinduction
programforthenewstudentswhereissueslikethisarediscussedwiththemby
counselors,seniorstudents,andotherprofessionals.Andwehavestartedaprogram
ofmonitoringfirstyearstudentsmorecarefullyinthekeycoursesandprovideextra
supportwhereneeded.)

June28,
2016

SelectingaCollegeforAdmission
jalote
BTechProgram,HigherEducation,Students,Uncategorized
Admission,CollegeSelection
Leaveacomment

Thisisadmissiontimeagainforhighereducation,andmoststudentshavemultiple
choicesofhighereducationalinstitutions(HEIscolleges,universities,institutes)
foradmission.Finally,ofcourse,thestudenthastogetadmittedinoneHEIand
studythere.Formoststudentsandtheirparents,thisisahardchoicewhichHEIto
chosefromthecolleges,universities,institutionswherethestudentcanget
admitted.Thisnotepointsoutsomeparametersthatcanbeusedforassessingan
HEI(oradepartment).
First,letusunderstandthattherearetwomainendgoalsofcollegeeducation.(i)
Education:gainingknowledgeandskillsforproductivecareers,and(ii)Selfgrowth:
developinginterests,friendships,associations,hobbies,etcwhichhelpinleadinga
happierandricherlife.AhighqualityHEIshouldprovidegoodsupportforboth.
ForassessingthecapabilityoftheHEIs,oroneofitsdepartments,todeliverhigh
qualityeducation,therearesomewellunderstoodparameters.Iamgivingsomeof
thekeyoneshere.ThesearetheparameterswhichIadviseparentsandstudentsto
lookatformakingadecision,andImyselfusedthemwhenmydaughterswere
seekingadmission.Importanceofmostoftheseisselfevident,andmanyofthese
arealsogivenintheWorldBankframeworkforWorldClassUniversities.
FacultyQualityandQualifications.Thisisundoubtedlythesinglemost
importantparameterthatdecidesthequalityofeducationinanHEI.World
over,thebestUniversitiesindeedhavethemostqualifiedfaculty.InIndia
also,youwillseethesamepatternplaceslikeIITs,IISc,someIIITs,some
ISERs,etc,whichareknowntobethebestplacesforeducation,havethemost
qualifiedfaculty.ByqualificationsoffacultyImeanhighestdegreeobtained
(PhD,Masters,orlesser),andfromwherethedegreewasearned.While
higherqualificationsareclearlydesiredinfaculty,thesecondfactorisalso
veryimportantanEngineeringinstitutethathasfacultywithPhDsfrom
reputeduniversitiesoftheworld,orfromplaceslikeIITs/IISc,clearlyhas
superiorfacultythanacollegethatmayhavePhDsfromotherinstitutions.
ThiscanbecheckedeasilyseewherethefacultyofestablishedIITshave
obtainedtheirPhDsfromyouwillseethattheyarefromtopInstitutesin
thecountry,orfromgoodinstitutionsoverseas.
FacultyStudentRatio.Thisisclearlythenextimportantparameteran
HEIwhichhaslowerF/Sratioislikelytobebetterforlearningandeducation,
asitallowsmorefacultytimeperstudentandonlywithmanageableratiocan
facultyspendtimewithstudentsforprojectsetc.InmanyUSuniversities,
about20:1isastandardratiothattheytrytomaintainsomelowerranked
universitiesmayhaveratiosashighas35:1ormore,andsomeoftheIvy
Leagueandothertopunivsmayhavelowerratios.InolderIITs,theratiois
about15:1.
Infrastructure.Thequalityofinfrastructureisanotherimportant
parameterclearlyforeducationdelivery,qualityofclasses,libraries,labs,
etc.isimportant.Butevenotherinfrastructurefacilitiesforfaculty,quality
ofstudenthostelsandfacilities,qualityofsportsandotherfacilitiesforextra
curricularactivities,etc.matterastheyhaveindirectimpactoneducation.
Qualityoftheacademicprogram.AllgoodHEIsspendalotoftime
designingtheirprograms.Firstimportantfactorhereisthestructureand
layoutoftheprogramthecoursestheprogramandthenatureandvariety,
andthedegreeofflexibilityitprovidestostudentstochosetheircourses.The
secondaspectisveryimportantandcanbeassessedbythenumberof
electivesastudentcantakeintheprogramandthenumberofchoicesoffered
forelectives.WeakerHEIswillhavefewerelectives,andfewerchoicesfor
them,aselectivesrequirealargerrangeofcoursestobetaught.

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Deliveryofacademics.Gettingagoodprogramonpaperisnottoohard
programsofthebestofHEIsareavailableontheinternet.Itis,ofcourse,the
deliveryoftheprogramthatmattersthemost.Qualityofdeliveryisdecided,
firstandforemost,bythequalityoffaculty.However,therearesomeother
indicatorse.g.thelevelandnatureofworkastudenthastodointhe
courses.Ifthestudenthastospendminimaleffortandthatismostlyaround
takingtests/exams,youcanbesurethatthedeliveryofcoursesisweak.
Gooddeliveryofcoursesrequiresstudentstoputineffortoutsidetheclass
inassignments,projects,labs,termpapers,presentations,etc.Learning
happenslargelywhenstudentsareaskedtoapplytheconceptscoveredin
lecturesintheassignments/labs/projectsLearningwithoutdueeffortisa
mytheffortandpracticeisessentialforlearninganddevelopingskills.
Administration,leadership,culture.Administrationandleadership
impacttheoverallfunctioninghugelygoodadministrationandleadership
willensurethattheHEIcontinuestoimproveandkeepaddressingissuesthat
maycomeup.Seriousnesswithwhichacademicsistaken,howstudentsare
supported,arestudentsfeedbackonprogramsandcoursestaken,etc.areall
importantculturalaspectsthathaveimpactonthequalityofeducation.
ForassessingthequalityofanHEIforsupportingselfdevelopment,oneshould
lookatthebreadthandflexibilityinthecurriculumdoesthecurriculum
includecoursesotherthanmainsubjectcourses,anddoesitprovideflexibilityand
choicetotakeavarietyofcoursesincludingthosethatmayhelpmoreinself
development.Forexample,onecanlookatiftherearecourseonhumanities,social
sciences,music,art,etc,andifitispossibleforstudentstodoindependentstudy,
independentprojects,etctopursuetheirinterests.Forstudentswhomaybe
interestedinresearch,oneshouldlookatifthereareprovisionsforUGstudentsto
undertakeresearch.
Otherimportantfactorsthataffecttheselfgrowthdimensionarethelevelofextra
curricularactivities(whichmaygetreflectedinthevarietyofstudentclubs),
infrastructure(thequalityofinfrastructuretosupporttheextracurricularactivities)
andsupport(e.g.istheresufficientbudget)forsuchactivities.
Whilethesearemainfactorsthataffectthequalityofeducation,anotherwayto
assessthequalityofeducationandoveralldevelopmentofstudentsistoexamine
whatthegraduatesoftheHEIdoaftergraduation,andhowwellthealumniofthe
HEIaredoing.Opportunitiesaftergraduationincludeplacementsafter
graduation(qualityofplacements,medianoffer,etc),highereducation
opportunities(howmanystudentsgettheseopportunitiesandwhere),and
entrepreneurship.
ThisnotefocusesonlyonassessingthequalityofanHEI.Choosingaprogramto
studyisadifferentissueitdependsonthestudentsaptitudeandcapability.Inan
earliernote,Ihaddiscussedthisissue.Ofcoursethecomplicationcomeswhenthe
twofactorschoosingtheHEIandtheprogramofstudyarecombined.Themost
commonquestionisIamgettingXinAbutamgettingYinBwhichoptionshould
Ichoose.Ingeneral,ifoneissurethatonewantstostudyXandisfairlysurethat
he/shehastheaptitudeforitalso,thenIwouldsaythatfindthebestHEIyoucan
getXin,andgostudyXinthatHEI.Theproblemgetsmorecomplexwhenthe
studentdoesnotknowwhathe/sheisinterestedinorhasaptitudeforIhave
discussedthisbrieflyinmyearliernote,thoughhavenogoodadvisetooffer.
Finally,IwouldendbysayingthatchoosingtheHEIforyourcollegeeducationisa
seriousdecision,andalotofpeopletrytoinfluenceitmostlytotrytoconvince
othersabouttheirownview/decision.IhavehadstudentswritelaterIwas
misguidedandItookadmissioninAasmanyofmyfriendsweretaking.butIfind
noacademicatmospherehere.canyoupleaseconsidermeforadmissionnow..
Youdontwanttobeinthissituation.So,Isuggestthatyoutakeinputsfromall
yourparents,friends,teachers,expertsbutbeawareofthebiasesthatareoften
thereinsuchsuggestions,andmakeupyourowndecisionbydoingyouranalysisof
theinformation/dataavailable.
ForinformationonIIITDelhi:OnBTechprogramsvisittheBTechprogramspage
forinformationonfaculty,visitthefacultypageforinformationonresearch,visit
theresearchpageforinformationaboutstudentlife,visitthispagemore
informationonstudentclubsisavailablehere.
Othernotesyoumaywanttolookatonthis:Articlecomparingvariousinstitutes,
andblogofProf.DheerajSanghi.

June23,
2016

SummerSchoolatIIITDelhi
jalote

IIITDelhi,Learning,Students,Teaching,Uncategorized

1Comment

Thissummer,IIITDelhiorganiseda5weeksummerschoolforschoolstudents.I
attendedthevaledictorysession,andaskedthestudentswhathaveyoulearnedin

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thissummerschoolthatyouwilltakebacktoyourlivesafterthesummerschool.
Herearesomereplies(almostverbatim):
Weusedtobeafraidofgoingonstage,butnowweareconfidenttogoon
stageandperform
Welearnedtherightwaystoworkingroupsweshouldfirstlistenand
understandeveryonesapproach,knowthethoughtsoffellowgroup
membersandthenweshouldthinkhowtoworkwiththem,weshouldnot
imposeourthoughtonthemrightaway
Disciplineandpunctuality:weshouldalwaysrespecttimeandbedisciplined
Astudentshouldnothurryinlearningsomething,weshouldbefocused
towardsgettingsomethingbutshouldnotbeinhurrytogetthat
Weshouldhavepatienceandworkhardtowardsourgoalssometimeswe
makemistakesonlybecauseweareinhurry
Weshouldnotbeafraidtoparticipateincompetitions
Weshouldnotbeafraidtomakemistakes,weshouldlearnfromourmistakes
Weshouldnthesitateinaskingquestionsintheclassroom
Weshouldbefocusedtowardsourgoalspeoplewilltrytodistractus,butwe
shouldremainselfishtowardsourgoal.
Weshouldnotbedisheartenedbyourfailuresormistake,weshouldtake
prideinthatandgetmotivatedbythem
Weshouldnotdemotivateothers.
Youmaybeforgiventothinkthattheparticipantsofthesummerschoolarevery
seniorstudentsorscholarsandweretaughtbyeruditefacultytheseareindeed
wordsofwisdomthatareexpectedfrompeoplewithexperience.Buttheseare
statementsfrom1214yearsoldstudentsofclass89fromafewoftheneighboring
governmentschools!AndthesummerschoolwastaughtbyIIITDelhisstudent
volunteersmostoftheminfirstyearoftheirBTechprogram.
WhenIaskedthequestion,Ithoughtitwasahardquestionforkidsofthisage.And
Iaskedthemtothinkforafewminutesbeforeansweringhalfexpectingthatthey
willanswerbymentioningsomeknowledgeorskilltheyhadacquiredinthesummer
school.ButIwascompletelyfloored,andtouched,bywhatthesestudents,mostly
fromdisadvantagedfamilies,hadtosaythesearelessonsthatwe,inprivileged
institutions,canlearnfromthesestudents.
Inparticular,thelessonondisciplineandpunctuality,whichtheynotonly
articulatedbutalsofollowedintheirbehaviourmoststudentswouldcometothe
classbeforetimeafactourvolunteerspointedoutinamazementandsurprise.
Thisisclearlysomethingstudentsofpriveleagedinstitutions(mostlyfromwelloff
families)canlearnwhilethesestudentscameeagertolearnastheyhadgotaccess
tosomethingnice,incollegesanduniversities,eveninthetopinstitutions,weface
theproblemofstudentsnotattendingorcominglateinclass,andnotfollowingthe
basicdiscplineofputtingeffortfortheirlearning.Iguessmanyofthecollegegoing
students,astheyperhapesgotmostthingsinlifeeasilyprovidedbytheirfamilies,
feelthatevenknowledgeandskillswillcomeeasilywithoutdisciplineandeffort.
Alas,knowledgeandskills(andthingslikehealth)arecapabilitieswhicheventhe
richestpersonintheworldcangetonlybyhis/herowneffortresources/money
canatbestsmoothenorfacilitatetheprocess.
Nowsomebackground.Thissummerschoolwastheoutcomeofaprogramthatwe
hadlaunchedinIIITDelhiforhelpingstudentsingovernmentschoolsinour
neighborhoodusingstudentvolunteersfromourInstitute.Theprogramitselfwas
inspiredbytheeffortsoftheDelhiGovernmentforimprovingeducationin
governmentschoolsmanyacademiciansandthinkersbelievethatforimproving
educationandstudentdevelopmentinthecountry,improvingthequalityof
educationingovernmentschoolsisessential.AndwefeltthatanInstitutelikeIIIT
Delhicantrytocontributeinsmallwaystothis.
Intheprogram,teamsofstudentsvisitedafewschoolsonSaturdaysforafewhours
duringwhichtheyengagedwithstudentsofdifferentages.Theinteractionwas
aroundproblemsolving,generalknowledge,maths,communication,funactivities,
etc.bydesignitwasnotregularsubjectteaching.
Basedonexperienceofourstudentvolunteers,andtheirenthusiasm,wedecidedto
organizethissummerschool.Studentsfromabout10schoolswereinvitedforthis5
weekprogram(about4hourseveryday).AsetofstudentvolunteersfromIIIT
Delhiwasidentifiedtoworkwiththestudents.Itwasagreedthatthesummerschool
shouldbefunandaroundbuildingtheirconfidenceandsomeskills.Wefinally
decidedthatthesummerschoolwilldiscussconceptsfrommathsandscience,
personalitydevelopmentandcommunicationskills,computerskills,andgeneral
knowledgeintheprogram,besidesplayinggames.Atrainingprogramwasorganized
forthestudentvolunteersoftheprogram.Itiscompletelytothecreditofour
studentvolunteersandthestudentleadersoftheprogramthattheyensuredthat
theprogramsareinteractiveandfun.

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Manyofourstudentvolunteers(appx20fromfirstyear)alsousedittocomplete
theirCommunityWork(CW)requirementofgraduation.CWrequireseachstudent
tospendabout75hoursdoingcommunityworkitisarequirementforgraduation.
MostlystudentsworkwithvariousNGOsduringsummerforCWmanyofthem
teachinsomeprogramsrunbyvariousorganizations.Thissummer,oursummer
schoolbecameanotheroptionforCWandmanystudentstookitwithgusto,ledby
someseniorstudentswhoweredrivenbypurepassion.
SeeingwhatIsawasetofhappyandexcitedkidswhoarenotafraidtostandup
andtalkorgiveasmallspeechinthelecturehallofIIITDelhiIamconvincedthat
thisisaremarkableprogramwehaveinitiated.Whileitstartedasaprogramfor
givingbacktosociety,itisclearthatourstudentsandusalsogainedalotfromthis
IpersonallyfeelverysatisfiedwiththiscontributionofourInstituteandits
students.Andifsomeofthesestudents,usingtheconfidencetheyhavegainedand
aspirationsthatgotkindled,finallyendupininstituteslikeIITsorIIITDelhiit
willbetheclinchingproofofhowstudentsofInstitutionlikeourscancontribute,
withoutcompromisingtheirowngoalswhilealsoderivingadeepsenseof
satisfactioninseeingwhattheireffortscando.
LetmeendbyacknowledgingwithrespectthededicationofthestudentsfromIIIT
Delhiwhocoordinatedandranthisprogramwithcommitment,andownership.I
amsurethatwiththissuccess,andhappinessthataccrues,wewillhavenodifficulty
ingettingsupportfromourstudentsforcontinuingthisprogramincomingyears.I
alsohopethatthisprogrambecomesamodelwhichstudentsinother
Institutions/Collegesacrossthecountrycanusetoorganizesummerschoolsin
manymoreinstitutionsandcollegesofhighereducationacrossthestate/country.
Somephotosfromthesummerschoolcanbefoundinthispost.Anarticleonthisin
thenewspaperHindustancanbefoundhere.Astoryonthisisonoursite.

April26,
2016

CurrentApproachestoTeachingCannot
DeliverHighQualityEducation
jalote
Comment

HigherEducation,IIITDelhi,Learning,Teaching,Uncategorized

Letmestartthisnotewithasimpleassertion:educationisaboutlearningby
students,wherelearningincludesnotonlyknowledgeandunderstandingofa
varietyofconceptsandphenomenon,butalsodevelopmentofhigherorderskills
andcapabilitiesforapplyingknowledgeforproblemsolving.(Forthosewhowantto
godeeper,learningcanbeclassifiedusingBloomstaxonomy,revisedversionof
whichhastheselevels:Remember,Understand,Apply,Analyze,Evaluate,CreateIn
mystatement,Ihavecombinedthelowertwolevelsinknowledgeand
understandingandhigherorderfourlevelsapply,analyze,evaluate,andcreate
intoskillsandcapabilities).
Letmealsoupfrontstatemyopinion,whichIamsurewillnotgodownwellwith
many:ourapproachtoeducation,eveninmanyofthetopplaces,ismostlygeared
towardsdevelopingknowledgeandunderstandingwithlittleemphasison
developingskillsandcapabilities.Hencethetitleofthisarticle.
Ourcurrentapproachtoeducationinalmostallinstitutionstakeateachingoriented
viewforacoursethesyllabusisdefinedasalistoftopicstobecovered,and
duringthesemester,instructorsgivelecturestocoverthetopics,inwhichthe
instructorwillexplainthetopic/conceptsandmaydosomeexamples.Good
institutionswillensurethatthetopicsarecovered,thenotsogoodonesmaynot
evenensurethis.InthebetterInstitutes,theremaybelabsandassignments,though
oftenthefinalgradesdependlargelyonexams.Thisteachingorientedapproachto
educationcanatmostdelivermediocreeducationhighqualityeducationisnot
possible.Thereareafewreasonswhyitisso.
First,whenalistoftopicsisthecoursedesign,thenentirethoughtprocessesis
aboutcoveringthematerial,andintheclass,atbest,theinstructorwillexplainthe
topic/conceptsandmaydosomeexamples.Itisnowwellestablishedthatstudents
mindisnotlikeavesselinwhichinformationorconceptscanbepouredthrough
lecturinglearningisaconstructiveactivityandastudentlearnsonlybywhata
studentherselfdoesandthinks.Inaneducationstylewherelecturingistheprimary
methodofteaching,followedbysomeexamstotesttheunderstanding,thefocus
willmostlybeonknowledgeandunderstanding.Thisapproachdoesnotrender
itselftodevelopmentofskillsandcapabilities,forwhichfarmorepractice
(assignments,labs,projects,)bystudentsundercarefulsupervisionandfeedback
isneeded.Asexams,bytheirverynature,cantestmostlyconceptsand
understanding(atworsttheymayjusttestforfactualknowledge),thiscycleof
lecturingandexamscanleadtolearningatthelowerlevelsofBloomshierarchy,but
doesnothelpdevelopthehigherlevelsskillsandcapabilitiesthatarethehallmark
ofhighqualityeducation.
Tomovetowardshigherqualityeducationwhichdevelopsnotonlydeep
understandingofacquiredknowledgebutalsodevelopmentofskills/capabilitiesof

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applyingtheknowledge,itisnecessarytomovetowardslearnercentriceducation,
asisbeingdoneinmostdevelopedcountries,andasismandatedbytheWashington
Accord.
Thelearnercentricapproachhasthreekeyaspects.First,foracourselearning
outcomeshavetobedefined,notintermsoflistoftopics,butintermsofknowledge
andskillsthatthestudentshouldhaveatthecompletionofthecourse.Second,the
coursesyllabusanddesignhastosuchthatitcandeliverthelearningobjectivethe
lecturesontopicshavetobesupportedbysuitableexercisesandprojectswith
properandcriticalfeedbacktoallowpracticewhichcanhelpdevelopskills,asthey
cannotbedevelopedinalecturetheatre.Finally,thegradegiventoastudentmust
bebasedonanassessmentofhowwellthestudenthasfulfilledthelearning
outcomes.So,ifalearningoutcomesaysthatattheendofthecoursethestudent
willhavetheabilitytosolveproblemsusingx,y,z,thenthismustbeassessed
directly.
Ofcourse,designingthecourseinthismannerinitselfdoesnotleadtobetter
learning.Thiscoursedesignhastobedeliveredbycompetentfacultyachallenge
formanyuniversitiesandcollegeswhosimplydonthavecompetentfaculty.Those
institutionswhohavegoodfaculty,however,cantransformtheireducationfrom
teachingorientedapproachtolearnercentricapproach,whichcanleadtohuge
improvementinqualityofeducation.Itmaybeadded,thatthistypeofapproachis
whataccreditationlooksfor.
AtIIITDelhi,wefollowalearnercentricapproachforeachcoursetherearepost
conditionswhichstatewhatthestudentsknowsandcandoattheendofthecourse.
Thecoursedesignincludestheassignments/projectsthataretobegiventodeliver
thepostconditionsparticularlyaboutskilldevelopment,andinfinalgrades,weight
isassignedtoperformanceinassignmentsandprojects.
Intheend,letmeaddthatthislistoftopicsapproachhasworkedreasonablywell
inthepastinsomeofthetopinstitutions.Thiswassoasthesetopinstituteswere
verysmallwithlowstudenttofacultyratioandhadaverygoodfacultythis
allowedfacultytodevelopsomeskillsandcapabilitiesthroughpersonalmentoring
andoversight.Thisapproachcannotworknowastheskillsandcapabilitiesneeded
arefarmorecomplexandoftenchange,andthescaleofeducationissignificantly
largernow.Theserequireasystematicapproachastheearliermentorshipbased
approachcannotscaleup.

April18,
2016

HighCostofQualityEducationandWho
PaysforIt
jalote

Uncategorized

CommentsOff

Asweallknow,feesinIITshasbeenincreasedtoRs2Lac/year,thoughthe
committeehadrecommendedafeeofRs3Lac/year.EvenatRs3Lac,thefeewould
havecoveredperhapsabouthalfoftheactualcostperstudentofrunninganIIT.
Highqualityhighereducationisactuallyexpensive.Letusunderstandwhyitisso.In
mostareasthatchangerapidly,likeengineeringandsciences,highqualityeducation
isonlypossibleininstitutesthathaveastrongfocusonresearch.Thereasonis
simplewithoutengagementinresearch,thefacultyislikelytogetoutdated,
leadingtoitseducationbecomingoutdated.Thiscorrelationcanbeempirically
observedaswellacrosstheworldthebestplacesfortechnicaleducationarealso
theInstitutionsthatarerankedthehighestinresearch.
Withnewpayscalesof7thpaycommission,thedirectoverallcostperfacultywill
averagemorethanRs20LacperyearinInstituteslikeIITs.Asinsuchresearch
focusedinstitutionsthestudenttofacultyratiomaybeabout10:1orlesserfor
BTechstudents(theoverallratiowillbemuchhigherassuchinstituteshaveahigh
numberofPGstudentswhopayminimalfee).Thismeans,justtocoverthecostof
faculty,thefeewillneedtobeaboutRs2Lacperyearperstudent.Andinaresearch
focusedinstitution,asithastoinvestinlabs,library,travelsupport,PGprograms,
etc.thecostoffacultyisaround1/3rdofthetotalexpenditure.Thismeansthatthe
overallcostofeducationperBTechstudentisaboutRs6Lacperyear.
(Itshouldbenotedthatinmanyprivatecollegeswhichonlyfocusonteaching,the
costsaresignificantlylower.TheiraveragecostperfacultyislessthanhalfofanIIT,
theBTechstudentfacultyratioistwiceormore,andastheydonotinvestin
researchtheirfacultycostsaretwothirdsormoreoftheexpenses.Thesetranslate
tothecostperstudentofRs75Kperyear.)
Theburningquestionofcurrenttimesiswhopaysforthishighcostofhighquality
highereducation.Afewdecadesago,globallyitwasacceptedthathighereducation
ispublicgoodi.e.itisintheinterestofthesociety/nationtohavepeoplegofor
highereducationandthatthesocietywillbenefitfrommorepeoplewithhigher
education.Withthisunderstandingthathighereducationispublicgood,worldover,
includingIndia,highereducationwashighlysubsidizedbytheGovernment.

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Todaythescenarioisdifferent.Highereducationisincreasinglybeingseenas
privategood,i.e.theindividualswhogethighereducationarethelargest
beneficiariesofit.Thisempiricallyalsoholdspeoplewithhighereducation
generallyearnmore,andpeoplewhogethighqualityeducationfromtop
institutionsoftenearnsubstantiallymore.Ifhighereducationisprivategood,then
itfollowsthattheindividualshouldpayitscost,atleastmostofit.Dueto
this,governmentsubsidyforhighereducationhasbeenreducinginmanydeveloped
countrieslikeUS(wheremoststateuniversitieshaveseenasteadydeclinein
governmentsupport),UK(wherefeewereraisedsubstantially,despitehueandcry,
afewyearsago),Australia,etc.
Thisargumentthatqualityhighereducationisaprivategoodandhenceshouldbe
paidforbythebeneficiaryisslowlycomingtoIndiaalso.ButinIndia,ashigher
educationisthetickettoindividualupwardmobility,itisimperativethatthis
opportunityisnotdeniedtothosewhocannotaffordtopaythecost.
Therefore,thereisaneedformodelsforfinancingsoastoensurethataccessto
highereducationisavailabletoall,yettheindividualswhobenefitthemostpayfor
it,whenpossible.
Clearlysubsidyisnottheanswerforprovidingaccess,asitsubsidizescostsforall,
evenforthosewhocaneasilyaffordit,frompublicfunds.Also,asgrossenrollment
ratioincreases,andthedemandsonGovernmentfundsincreaseforotherpublic
goodsandservices,itwillbecomeincreasinglyharderfortheGovernmenttoafford
orjustifysubsidyofhighereducation.
Onepossibilityisthatstudentpays,buteasyaccesstoeducationloansisavailable.
EducationloansarealreadywidelyavailableinIndia,andsomeGovernmentslike
theDelhiGovernment,havemadetheaccesstotheseloanseveneasierbybecoming
theguarantorforsuchloans.
However,educationloansarestillexpensiveandnotallstudentscanaffordit,
particularlyifthejobprospectsaftereducationarenotverybright,asisoftenthe
case.Recently,mycolleagueandfriendM.BalakrishnanandIwroteanopinion
pieceinIndianExpressonanalternativetoeducationloansforpayingforthehigh
costwhichisfairerinmanyways.Intheproposedscheme,apartofthefeeforthe
studentisdeferred,andthestudentpaysforitafterhe/shegraduates,withthe
conditionthatthepaymentislimitedtosomepercentageofhis/hersalaryforafew
years.Thisinnovativeschemereducestheneedforloan,andconvertsittopayment
whichisdoneafterthestudentisinemploymentandtheamountisdependenton
thepayingcapacityofthestudent.
Thereisstillneedinthecountryforschemestoensurethataccessisnotdenied,
whilenotsubsidizingeducationforall.Towardsthis,thereisastrongargumentto
supportincomelinkedfeewaivers,inwhichstudentswhosefamiliescanafford,pay
thefullfee,whilepartialfeewaiversaregiventostudentswhosefamiliescannot
affordthehighcost.(InUSthisapproachisoftenreferredtoasneedblind
admissions.)Implementingsuchschemesisbecomingfarmorefeasiblenowwith
betterreportingandtrackingofincomesandlinkingofassetswithAadhaar,PAN,
etc
IIITDelhihasbeenoperatingsuchaschemeformanyyears.Whilethefeehasbeen
keptclosetoactualcostastheInstitutehastobecomeselfsustainingonoperational
expenses.forensuringaccesstoitshighqualityeducation,IIITDelhihasincome
linkedpartialfeewaiverschemewhichprovidesfor100%,50%,and25%waiverfor
studentsfromfamilieswithdifferentlevelsofincome.Recently,theGovernmentof
Delhihasagreedtocoverthissubsidy,allowingtheInstitutetowidenthisprogram
andcontinueit.Thisinnovativemodel,nowbackedwithGovernmentsupport,
providesagoodbalancebetweenchargingtherealcostofeducationandensuring
accesstoall.
Ibelievethereisneedtoevolvemoreinnovativemethodstoensureaccesstoall,
whileminimizingsubsidywherenotneeded.

March12,
2016

UsingOnlineCoursesforCreditin
DegreePrograms
jalote

Uncategorized

Leaveacomment

Overthelastfewyears,wellknownexpertsfromtopuniversitiesacrosstheworld
havebeenofferingonlinecoursesthroughplatformslikeCourseraandEdX.These
coursesclearlyofferhighqualityinstructionatverylittle(orzero)cost.However,
theiruseinprovidingqualityeducation,particularlytostudentsenrolledinsome
degreeprogram,hasbeenminimalinIndia.Inthisnote,Iamsharingsome
experienceatIIITDelhiinhowweleveragetheseforimprovingoureducation.I
understandthatIIITDelhimaybeoneofthefew(only?)institutionsinthecountry
usingtheserichresource.

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OnlineCoursesforCredit
Itbecameapparenttousthatdespitelimitationsineducationinvariousinstitutions,
studentssimpledonotgoandlearnfromthebestusingthefreecourseonlya
fewdedicatedstudentsusethem(andtheseareprobablytheonesthatdontneed
muchhelpanyway).Itisnowcleartomosteducationiststhatwhileenrolledina
degreeprograms,studentsarenotabletogoandusethesecoursesforthesakeof
betterlearning,astheystudylargelyforgettingcreditstocounttowardsgraduation.
TheAcademicSenateofIIITDelhidecidedthattheInstitutemustleveragethetop
classcoursesbeingofferedbygloballyrenownedprofessorsthroughthese
recognizedplatformsforaugmentingourelectiveofferings,therebymakingawider
varietyofchoicesavailabletostudentsfortheirelectivecourses.Toenablethis,the
Senateaddedaprovisionforstudentstoearnupto8credits(equaltoabout2full
loadcourse)throughapprovedonlinecourses.
Interestingly,evenafterenablingregulationforearningcredits,wedidnotfindtoo
manystudenttakers.Werealizedthatstudentswerenotabletoplansuitablyto
incorporatetheseonlinecoursesintheirprogram.
Wethendecidedtostructurethisbetterandintegrateitinouracademicplanning.
Thiswedidbyidentifyingonlinecoursesthatarebeingtaughtduringoursemester
(i.e.thosewhichstartedandendedwithinoursemester),andthenofferthemto
studentslikeotherregularcoursesoftheInstitute.Thatis,thestudentscanregister
forthemaspartoftheirregularregistrationforthesemester.Wetookinputsfrom
studentsonwhichonlinecoursestooffer.
Thisworked.Inprevioustwosemesterswehaveoffered3onlinecourseseach,and
thissemesterweareofferingabout8courses.Coursesvaryfromtechnology
orientedtomusicappreciation.Theenrollmentineachcoursevariesfromafewto
about40.

AdministeringOnlineCourses
Administeringonlinecoursesalsorequiredsomethought.First,forassigningcredits
toanonlinecourse,welookedatthetotalestimatedeffortineachapprovedcourse
andthenassignedcreditsbasedonourinternalguidelineofhowmucheffortis
expectedforacourse.E.g.most810weeksdurationcoursesaregiven2credits,as
theestimatedeffortofabout5060hoursiscommensurateforthe2creditscourse
atIIITDelhi.Courseswherethetotaleffortislesserthanrequired,additionalwork
intheformofcasestudyorprojectwasgiven.(AfullcourseinIIITDelhiisfor4
credits,withanexpectedworkloadofabout10hrs/week.)
AcourseintheInstitutemusthaveanInstructor,whoisresponsibleforfinally
submittingthegradesfortheenrolledstudents.AnditistheInstructors
responsibilitytoensurethatInstituteguidelinesarebeingfollowed.Forthis,wedid
thefollowing:
AnInstructorisassignedforalltheonlinecoursesbeingofferedinthe
semester.Foreachcourse,anaccountisopenedintheLearningManagement
System(weusealocallydevelopedLMSBackpack),throughwhich
announcementsaremade,andrequiredsubmissionsaredone.
ForeachonlinecourseaTAisalsoassigned,whoisrequiredtoenrolinthe
onlinecourseanddothecoursethisensuresthatTAknowswhatis
happeninginthecourse,andcanadvisetheinstructor,andcollectsuitable
datafromtheonlinecoursefromenrolledstudents.
TheTAconnectswiththeenrolledstudentsonceevery2weeksforacourseto
reviewprogressofstudents.Eachenrolledstudentsubmitsaformtoshow
thatthestudentisattendinglecturesanddoingtheassignments.TheTAs
meettheInstructorregularlytobriefabouttheprogressofthecourses.
Forcoursesthatdonothavesufficientwork,additionalwork(informofcase
study,assignment,project,)maybeassignedbytheInstructortoensurethat
thereissufficientloadandlearningforthecredits.

Grading
TheSenatedecidedthatinthesecourses,asafullfledgedassessmentisnotfeasible,
thegradewillbeS/X(satisfactoryorunsatisfactory).Evenforthis,itwasagreed
thattheInstitutemustdoduediligencetoensurethatstudentsarelearning.
WithSorXgrades,theproblemofgradinggotsimplifiedsomewhat.Forgivingan
S,thefollowingcriteriaisused.AstudentgetsanSgradeifhe/she:(1)haslistened
toallofthelectures,(ii)hasdonealltheassignments,(iii)hastakenalltheexams
anddonewell,(iv)hasdoneanyextraassignmentassigned,and(v)whenpossible,
getacertificateofcompletionfromtheonlinecourse(thiswillbeusefulforthe
studentotherwisealso).
Toimplementtheabovepolicy,thefollowingisbeingdone:

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Attendance:Thisischeckedbylookingatrecordofstudenthaving
submittedthenongradedquizzesgivenattheendofthelectures,orthein
lecturequizzes(orthetickthatappearsifastudentattendsalecture).As
thisdataisnotalwaysavailable,thestudentisalsorequiredtosubmitashort
summaryofthetitleofthelecturesineachweek,andasmalldescriptionof
whatwascovered.
Assignments:Theonlineplatformprovidesrecordofsubmissionof
assignmentsthiscanbeused.StudentsshowtherecordofthistotheTA.
Exams:Therecordsfortheseareavailablefromtheonlinecoursestudents
arerequiredtosubmitthesetotheTA.
Extraassignment:Easytocheckasthisisinternalandoutsidethe
platform.Reportorsoftwareorotherformofdeliverableisusedtocheck.
Certificate:Ifacertificateofcompletionisprovidedbytheonlinecourse,
thenthestudenthastosubmitittotheTA.

ExperienceSoFar
Oftheapproximately75studentswhohavecompletedthesecourses(another100
arecurrentlyenrolled)only1hasgotanXgrade.Thatis,notonlyhavetherest
completedthecourse,buthavecompleteditreasonablywellasensuredbythe
processdescribedabove.Thisisquiteremarkablewhencomparedtothecompletion
ratesgenerallypublishedforsuchcourses(lessthan15%)evenforpaid
courses/certificatesthecompletionratesaresignificantlylesser.
Thestudentfeedbackinthesecoursesispositiveandavastmajorityfeelthatthe
coursewasveryuseful(scoreof4outof5),andmostfeltthatthecoursegave
themanexperiencesimilartoorbetterthanaregularcourse.
Studentsarequiteexcitedaboutthepossibilityofdoingthesecoursesforcreditsas
partoftheirprogramasitallowsthemawholerangeofcoursesthatareotherwise
notavailabletothem.Wearealsoseeingagrowthofnondisciplinecourses,which
studentstakeasopenelectivecredits.

SomeChallenges
Themainchallengecurrentlyisthatasweareofferingthesecoursesaspartofour
offeringsforasemester,theonlinecoursesmustbecontainedwithinthesemester.
I.e.thestartdateandenddateshouldbewithin(approximatelywecanadjusta
little)thesemestersstartandenddate.Thislimitsthesetofcoursesthatcanbe
offered.Themodelofallowingacohorttostartacourseasandwhendesired,and
endafterthespecifiedduration,andstillhavealltheassignmentsandassessments
available,canrelievethis.Similarly,selfpacedcourses,providedtheyhaveallthe
assignmentsandtests,canalsorelievethisproblem.
Wehavefoundthattocheckourcriteriaforgrading,recordsprovidedbytheonline
coursesoftenfallshort.Thefocusofthecourseprovidersseemtobeon
certificationandeffortsarebeingmadetomakethemreliable.However,foruse
withinschemeslikeours,morethancertification,someotherrecordstocapture
studentsprogresscanbeveryhelpful.Ithinktheycanbeveryeasilyincorporatedin
theplatforms.Inparticular,goodrecordsofstudentsattendancecanhelp(e.g.
whetherthestudentfullysawthelecture,howmuchtimethestudentspentoneach
lecture,).Improvedrecordsforassignmentsandtests/examswillalsohelp.
Finally,suggestionsforassignmentsorprojectsforfurther/higher/enhanced
learningcanalsohelpInstituteslikeours,andstudentswhowanttogobeyondthe
minimum.

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January
5,2011

EarlyDaysReflectionsofSome
FacultyMembers
jalote

IIITDelhi

Leaveacomment

VikramGoyal
IjoinedIIITDelhiinthelastweekofOctober2008.Iwasthefirstfacultytojoin
afterourdirectorProf.Pankaj.AtthefirsttimewhenIcametoIIITDwithhimfirst
semestersmidtermexamsweregoing.Duetomyjoiningbeingduringmid
semestertimeIwasaskedbyPankajtohelpthecourseinstructorofIntroductionto
Programmingcourseinconductinglabs,whichwereusedtobeheldinoneofthe
labsofCSEdept.ofNSITcollege.Thatgavemethechancetointeractwithourfirst
batchofstudents.Ifoundthemreallyenthusiastic.
WhenIcametotransitcampusofIIITD(topflooroflibrarybuildinginNSIT
college),Ifoundthattherewereonlytworoomsandabigemptyspaceatthatfloor.
OneroomwasforthestaffpeopleandoneroomforourDirector.Yes,ourDirector
hadaroom.Whichhehappilyofferedtosharewithmeandwithothertwofaculty
memberswhoweresupposedtojoinwithin10daysDr.AstridandDr.Veena.He
askedthestafftoputthreemoretablesandchairsinthesameroom.Ofcoursethen
theissuewashowtoarrangethesetablesintheroomsothateveryonecandotheir
workcomfortablywithoutdisturbingtheother.Thatwassortedoutfinally
whenVeenajoinedaftertryingmanydifferentoptions.Ienjoyedthosemomentsa
lotasIhadgottenachancetointeractwiththreeseniorfaculties.Idonotthinkany
fresherfacultyhadeverhadachancetosharearoomwithdirectorinhis/herlife.
VeenaBansal
IjoinedIIITDon23rdDec,2008whenDelhiwascoveredwiththickfog.Iarrivedat
7AMandthereachedtheguesthouseinthevehiclearrangedbytheinstitute.The
institutewasjustaboutwindingitsveryfirstsemester.Ireachedtheinstitute
around10AManddiscoveredthatwearefourstrongfacultyAstrid,Vikram,
myself,andtheDirector(Pankaj).Thefirstsemesterwasrunwithwiththehelpof
NSITfacultywhocouldtakeIIITDclassesonlyafterregularworkinghoursearly
morningorlateafternoon.

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Wehadnoclassrooms,nolabsandnolibrary.OurclassesusedtoruninNSIT
classrooms,weusedtheirlabsandwepurchasedandsharedbooks.Thestudents
hadnoengagementduringthedayandtheinstituteexpectedthemtoutilizethetime
instudying.Ilookedatthestudentprofilewhichwasveryimpressive.Someofthem
hadadmissionsinotherNITs.IaskedmyselfwhatmadethemjoinIIITDover
establishedgoodinstitutes.IonlyhadonefactortobankonProf.PJalote,
foundingdirectorofIIITD.
On5Jan2009,oursecondsemesterbegan.Inthemeantime,ourclassroomsand
facultyofficesgotready.Wehadtomoveoutofdirectorsofficeitwasfunsharing
office.Hisofficewasgrandandthefacultyofficesweresmaller(notsmall).Wehad
ourpickeachoneofushaddifferentparameterswhenweselectedouroffices.Iwas
lookingforaviewandAstridwaslookingforspace.IfoundanofficefromwhereI
couldseeDelhiMetrogobythatviewisnowgonebecauseofthefacultylounge
builtontheothersideofthecorridor.Wehadtooffer5courseswecoveredthree
courses(AstridtaughtTheoryofcomputation,ItaughtDataStructuresand
Algorithms,SystemsManagementwascoordinatedbyVikramandlectureswere
takenoverthenetworkbyaguestfacultyfromIITKwhovisitedIIITDevery2
weeks),andtwoothercoursesweretaughtbyNSITfacultyaconsiderable
improvementfromtheprevioussemester!Bythethirdsemester,whenwehad
anotherbatchandmanymorecoursestoteach,wewereteachingallbutafewour
courses.
AstridKiehn
ThoughIhadntthoughtaboutitbeforeIjoined,Iwassurprisedthatmanyofthe
issueswehadtodealwithinitiallyarosefromIIITDnothavingitsowncampus,
studentshavingnoseniorsandtheirdifficultiesofadaptingtoasystemof
continuousevaluation.ThefirstsemesterhadmainlybeenhandledbyNSITfaculty,
whichleftstudentswithlotsoffreetimeastheirinstructorscouldonlyteachthem
beforeandafterNSITclasshours.Duringthatsemestersomeofthemdeveloped
habitswhichwerenotthatdesirablefromourpointofview.Settingtheculture
rightwasthusoneofthemostusedphrasesinearlydaysinthefaculty.
Inthebeginning,everythingwasunderdiscussion.Classtimings,theopeningof
labsatnight,pooltabletimings,whichclubstostart,holidaystobecelebratedor
not,whoissittingwhere,whatkindoffurnituretobuy,teatobeservedbystaffor
preparedbyfaculty,studentsbeinglockedupinhostelrooms(mindtheIndian
bolt),avarietyoftopicsIhadntimaginedbefore.Sincewewereonlyfew,wecould
easilygatherandmakedecisionswhereverwehappenedtobe.
Whatwasunusualforatechnicalinstitutionwastheinitialgenderratioofthe
instructors.AndifstudentshadanissuetheywouldfirstinteractwithVeenaorme.
AsaresultstudentsaccustomedthemselvestoaddressingfacultyasMaam.So
differentfrommyexperienceatIITDelhiwherestudentsfrequentlystartedtalking
tomebySir,itwasnowthedirectorwhooccasionallyhadtolistentoMaam,
.
Once,duringthefirstmonthsIdreamtaboutIIITDasasmallchildthatneeded
attention.TheunderlyingissuewasminorandsoonsortedoutbutsincethenI
comparedtheinstitutewithagrowingupchild.Andnow,aftertwoyearsthischild
hasmaturedintoayoungadult.Manymorefacultyhavejoined.Studentsaresettled
inthesystemandalreadytaketheirroleinresearchprojects.Anacademicroutine
hasemerged.Theacademicselfadministrationisfunctioningsmoothlyandiswell
supportedbyofficestaff.Thelibraryhasadecentstockofbooks.Fromthis
semesteronwards,anERPsystemwilltakeoveroratleasteasemanyoftheroutine
tasks.Thefocushasshiftedtosuccessfullyworkingresearchgroups,theirprojects
andnewcourseprograms.AndthereisanIIITDspiritlikethatofayoungadult
whowantstodiscoverandconquertheworld.
Lookingbackattheinitialdays,Iamstillamazedabouttwothings:
Therapidpacewithwhichtheinstitutekeptchangingandgrowing.
Thefactthatanentirebatchof60studentsjoinedaninstitutethatatthetimeof
joininghadonefacultyonlythedirector.Ifindthisevenmoreamazingasfrom
mycurrentpointofviewtheymadeanexcellentchoicebothfromtheperspective
oftheirsubjectivewellbeingandoftheeducationtheyaregoingthrough.
MayankVatsaandRichaSingh
StartingMay2008,towardstheendourPhD,wewereexploringjobsoptionsinUS
andIndia.InIndia,weappliedatIITK,IITD,andIITB.WhiletheseIITswere
reviewingourCVs,wereceivedanemailfromDr.Jalotethatthereisanewinstitute
comingup,IIITDelhi.SinceweknewhimfromIITK,westartedconsideringhis
email.DuringourIndiavisit,wemethimonSep8,2008(firstdayofIIITDelhi)
andheexplainedthevision,plans,etc.Wewereexcitedaboutthevisionbutlittle
scepticalwhethertheseplansarefeasibleornotinIndia.InDecember2008,we
againcontactedDr.JaloteandformallyappliedtoIIITDelhi.Weappearedin
selectioncommitteeinterviewsinJanuary2009andreceivedtheofferletterswithin
aweek.

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WhiletakingthedecisionofjoiningIIITDelhi,weknewthatthereisagoodamount
ofriskandchallengesassociatedwiththis.Someofthemwere(1)IIITDelhinot
beinganestablishedinstitutionornotknowninthecommunity,(2)noregular
facultyexceptDr.Jalote,(3)wewerenotsurehowourresearchagendawillwork
outespeciallywithhiringPhDstudents,(4)asfreshPhDpassouts,wehadno
administrativeexperiencebutupfrontweknewthatwehavetotakesome
responsibilitiesandmanymore.However,wealsohadanidea,basedonour
meetingswithDr.Jalote,thattherewillbeseveralopportunitiesforgrowthand
progress.Firstandforemost,werealizedthatwecancontributeinbuildingIIIT
DelhitomakeitoneofthetopinstitutionsinIndia.Otherimportantfactorsin
favourofIIITDelhiwerethat,wewereofferedthesupporttoestablishBiometrics
Lab,supportinestablishingcontactswithfundingagenciessuchasDITandUIDAI,
andapositiveattitude.Otherminorfactorswerelesserbureaucracyandproximity
withourfamilymembers.Atthesametime,wewerealsoexcitedthatwewouldbe
thefirsttenuretrackfacultymembersoftheinstitute.
WearenowclosetocompletingtwoyearsatIIITDelhiandhaveover20wonderful
facultyandstaffcolleagues(andthecountisstillon).WehaveestablishedImage
AnalysisandBiometricsLabthathasfourhardworkingPhDstudentsandseveral
UGstudents.Wehavesomefundedprojectsrunningandourfiveyearresearch
agendaisontrack.Weseeaclearpositiveprogression:studentsarefarmore
orientedandappreciatethelearningenvironment,moreandmorefaculty
applicationsreceived,fundingopportunities,goodstudentsareattractedtoourUG
andPGprograms,severaldistinguishedspeakersvisitingus,andrecognitioninthe
country.

January
2,2011

EarlyDaysImpressionsofStudentsofthe
FirstBatch
jalote

IIITDelhi

Leaveacomment

IIITDUnderShadowsofDoubtsGauravGoswami
Well,IhavejoinedIIITDelhiThefirstbatchofthissoontobegreatinstituteof
technologyintheheartofthecity.ItsonsimilarlinestothehighlysuccessfulIIIT
Hyderabad.But,sincetheDelhiGovt.decidedtonameitIndraprasthaandnot
International,peoplearethinkingthatitsaffiliatedtoIndraprasthaUniversity,
Delhiwhichisnotsuchaprestigiousnameintechnicaleducation.
Duetothisfact,andmorethatthisistheveryfirstyearoftheinstituteandthereare
noplacementstatsorrankingsavailableaboutit,thepeopleareverydoubtfulabout
eventheauthenticityoftheinstitute,letaloneitsfuturesuccess.Andthisisverysad.
TheDirector,respectedprofessorPankajJalote,whosenameneedsnointroduction
topeoplewhomatter,hadtoreassuretheparentsattendingcounselingthatitwas
worthjoining.
PeoplealsomadeaverybigissueofthelackofUGCandAICTErecognitionofthe
institute,whichisnotimportantasitsastateuniversityfullyallowedtograntits
owndegreeslikeDUorIITs.ProfessorJalotehadtobearwithallthenonbelievers
relentlessqueries,andhedidsoveryhumbly.Despitethefactthatitisstartingin
NSIT(NetajiSubhashInstituteofTechnology)whichisalsoaGovt.instituteandthe
mostprestigiousinDelhi(ExceptIIT),peopleevenlinkedtheinstitutetothegas
pipelinesuppliersIndraprasthaGasLimited.
Totopthisconfusion,professorJalotealsosaidveryhonestlythatthecampusisnt
abouttobebuiltupbefore2yearsatleast,thereis0facultyownedbytheinstitute
andtheschedulewillbeveryoffhours.
Buttherearepeoplewhoarentblindenoughtoletthisopportunityslipandwehave
peopleleavingtopIPcolleges,NITKurukshetraandotherquiteokayinstitutesto
joinIIITDelhi.Someofthemjoineditjusttobeintheircity,butsomehavefaith
thatthiswillprovetobeasmartchoiceafterthese4years.
Yes,ourschedulewascrazythefirstclassstartedat8inthemorning,continued
till9.30andthenthenextclassbeganat4intheevening.(Thereasonforthisbeing
thatthelecturerswerefromNSITandthatshowithadtobeforthemtobeableto
continuetheirNSITclasseswithoutdisruption)Yes,wedonthaveourown
professorsYes,wedonthaveourowncampusbutwhocares?Wehavegottop
professorsfromNSITandIITDELHIwillingandteachingus,sowehavebetter
facultythananyotherDelhicolleges.WegotwhateverweneedinsidetheNSIT
campusitself,andinIndia,alittlebitofadjustmenthastobedoneanywhere.
Today,havingcompletedmy5thsemesteratIIITDelhi,myinstitutewhichIam
proudof,quitealothaschanged.Wehaveourownlabs,fullyequippedwithgood
performancehardwarewhichareopentilllatenightforstudentstowork,boththe
floorswhicharepartofourcurrenttemporarycampusarecoveredbywirelesshi
speedinternetconnectionandwehaveourownwellqualifiedfaculty(Ph.Dfrom
wellknownuniversitiesacrosstheglobe),theinstitutehasreceivedRs.25croresas
researchgrantfromDelhigovt.,smartphonesfordevelopmentfromNokia,threeof

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ourstudentshavebeenselectedasMicrosoftStudentPartners,wealsogotaccessto
MotorolaDroidphonesforAndroidAppDevelopment,andmanyresearch
opportunities.Iwouldsaythattheinstitutehasachievedalotalready,andI
sincerelyhopethatthisisjustthebeginning.

BareBeginningsHemankLamba
Aftergivingtheexamination,Ihadpassedthethoughtofjoininganewinstitute
somewheretothebackofmindandcompletelyignoringastowhatdecisionshouldI
makeifIgotselectedButitwasnotlongbeforemyparentscalledmeuponefine
eveningtotellmethatIhadgotselectedandhencewasrequiredtobeinDelhitwo
dayslaterandmylegsstartedshakingbecauseitknewthatitwastimeastotakea
decisionwhichcouldaffectmylifeinmajorways.
Afterpassingtheentranceexaminations,finallythemomentofdecisionhadcome,
thatmorningintheNSITauditoriumwherecounsellingwastakingplace.Allthe
thingsthatwererequiredtomakemydecisiondirectorsspeech,parents
opinions,friendsopinions,ComputerScienceversusCivil,DelhiversusHimachal,
NewinstituteversusInstitutewhichcarriedwithalegacyofmorethan20years
werethere.Justonethought,onemomentandIhadtakenthedecisionIwas
joiningIIITDelhi,forreallynoclearreason.
Andfrankly,Iwasquitedoubtfulofmydecisionlateron.Usuallyitisnotagood
feelingwhenyoutellsomeonetheinstituteinwhichyoustudyandtheyreplyback
withaweirdexpressiononthefacesayingIsthereoneinDelhiaswell?,Doesit
evenexist?,Whatisthat?andtheworstoneisacchaB.Sckarraheho?.The
coursesbeingtaughtwerecoreCScourses,onesthatwerereallygoingtomatter
whenwewillstepoutoftheinstitutenottheoneswhichweretherebecause
someonethought25yearsagothatcomputerscienceengineeringwasaboutasking
thestudentstolearnEngineeringDrawingbecausetheycantusesophisticated
programstodothat.Butbesidesthecurriculum,therewasnothingreallytoboast
off.
Butultimatelywhatgaveyouthestrengthtotakethatleapoffaith,whatmademore
orlessallofuschooseIIITDelhiwasthevisionwithwhichitwasformed,the
determinationwithwhicheverystepwasbeingtakentomakethisuniversitya
universitywhichcouldinfutureclaimtobeamongstthebestuniversitiesamongthe
world.
After2.5years,wherearewe?IIITDelhinowboastsof17facultymembers(all
PhDs),14fulltimePhDStudents,216undergraduates,23M.Techstudents,and6
researchlabsalreadyproducingsomegreatwork.
Signingoffasastudentwhotooktherightdecision2yearsagoagainstnormal
Indiansocietynormsandnomatterwhathappensisntgoingtoregretgoingtoan
institutewhichwasjustcreated.
AndasIgetbacktoworkinthisrelativelyunknowncityofHyderabadwhereIam
forinternshipandamongststudentsfromIITs,IIITs,IrealizethatIaminaplace
whereIcouldhavenotbeenmaybeeverifIhadnotbeeninIIITDelhi.

December
26,2010

EarlyFacultyRecruitment
jalote

IIITDelhi

Leaveacomment

Highqualityfaculty,asanyacademicadministrator/thinkerknows,isthekeythat
willdeterminethequalityoftheInstitute.Attractinghighqualityfaculty,andthen
nurturingthem,isundoubtedlythemainchallengeinanacademicInstitutionthe
restwillallhappeniftopclassfacultyisinplace.Ifgoodfacultyisthere,good
qualityeducationwilltakeplace.Andwheneducationisgood,giventhepaucityof
suchoptionsinIndia,goodstudentswillcometoit.Hence,thecentralchallengefor
buildingahighqualityacademicinstituteisattractinghighqualityfaculty.
SoonafterjoiningasDirector,oneofthefirstpolicyproposalsImadetotheBoard
wasaboutfacultycompensation.WearguedthatastheDirectorwasbeingpaid
morethananIITDirector,facultyshouldalsobepaidmorethantheIITfaculty,
particularlysincetheInstitutewillhavetocompetewithallthenewIITsthatwere
starting.Iwasfullyclearinmymindthatthereisreallylittlepointinbeingabetter
paidDirectorofanaverageInstitute,whichanInstitutewillbeifitcannotattract
goodfaculty.Andbetterpaywasclearlyanadvantagethatwasneededinavery
difficultrecruitmentsituation.
TheBoardwasverysupportiveofthisideaandbackeditfully.Thisonedecision
itselfmarksamajorshiftinacademicInstitutesmanagementeventhoughthe

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salarydifferencefromIITswasnottoohigh,thegovtsalarybondswerebroken.
Forlong,academicshavearguedthatGovtsalariesareonthelowersideandneedto
bemademorecompetitivetotheprivatesector.ThisonebolddecisionbytheBoard
tooktheInstituteinthedomainofproactivemanagement.
Itwas,however,alsofullycleartomethatwhilebettercompensationisnecessary,it
isfarfromsufficient.Ihavealwaysbelievedthatinquestforbettercompensation
foracademics,theacademicfraternityinIndiahasnotgivensufficientattentionto
otherfactorsoftheacademicenvironmentthatareimportanttoattractgood
faculty.Almostbydefinition,goodqualitypotentialfacultymemberswanttomake
animpactfirstandforemostthroughR&D,andwilljoinanInstitutionifthereisa
possibilityofdoingso.Hence,anexcitingenvironmentthatwillallowthemtoreach
greaterheightsisasnecessaryasgoodcompensation.So,weadoptedafew
measuresforcreatingsuchanenvironmenttravelsupport,summersabbaticals,
initiationgrant,liberalconsultancy,etc.
Weputinadvertisements,IstartedtalkingtograduatingstudentsandotherleadsI
couldget,andweheldourfirstselectioncommitteeinOct.Thankfully,wewereable
togetthreedecentcandidates,whowemadeofferto.Outofthesethree,twodidnot
finallyjoin.
Wewereclearthatnimblenesswasthetoolthatwehadtousetocompetewiththe
establishedinstitutes.So,wedecidedtoholdselectionseverythreemonthsorso.
Thankfully,inthesecondroundofselectionsitselfwestuckgoldwehadmany
goodcandidates,outofwhichtheselectioncommitteeselectedsix,andoutofthese
fivecandidatesacceptedwithintwoweeksofmakingtheofferarecordofsortsin
India.Meanwhile,twofacultymemberIknewfrombefore(VeenaBansalfromIIT
KanpurandAstridKiehnfromIITDelhi)agreedtospendayearormoreasvisiting
facultyinIIITD,whichprovidedamuchneededminimalbasetogetstarted.Key
dateshereare:
Advertisementforfacultyposts:September,2008.
Firstselectioncommittee:Oct18,2008threeoffersmade
Firstvisiting:Nov3,2008(Vikram)Dec15,2008(Astrid)Dec23,2008
(Veena)
Secondselectioncommittee:date:Jan31,2009
Firstregular,tenuretrack,facultyjoining:March3,2009(Mayank
andRicha)
Fromhereon,thefocusformehasremainedlargelyonfacultyselection,and
academicprogram.Itisinterestingtonotethat,eventhoughwehadnomanagement
bandwidth,itwasthisperiodthatIgotmaximumtimetothinkandstrategizeabout
bothofthese.Later,aswegrew,managementtaskstookfarmoretimeand
precedence,leavinglittletimeforstrategizingandthinking.Thankfully,I
instinctivelyensured,andstilldo,thatIamnotfullyswarmedbythedaily,andthat
thelongtermagendagotsometimeshareatleastinnightsandweekends.
Itisworthnoticinghowthebarforfacultyhasnaturallyrisenastimehas
progressedandasInstitutehasgainedstrength.Onceyoucrossintodoubledigits,
theinitialdesperationisoverandyouknowthatyoucankeepyourprogram
running.(IkeepremindingmyselfthatwhenIjoinedCSE/IITK,thefacultysizewas
justaboutadozen,andtheDepartmentconsidereditselfstable,thoughnotlarge.)
Thebarthennaturallyrises,asithasforus,andwearenowforcedtorejectmany
goodcandidates.Infact,therearesomecandidates,whichweinitiallywererather
keentoget,butbythetimetheyapplied,thesituationhadchangedsomuchthatwe
werenotabletoacceptthem.Anotherpointer:inthelastrecruitmentwedid,outof
the25+candidateswehadinourAshortlist(containingcandidateswithPhDfrom
highlyreputedinstitutesacrosstheworld),wemadeofferstoonly2candidates,
eventhoughmorethanhalfofthemwerePhDsfromoverseas.Earlier,wewould
feelhappyifwehadhalfadozencandidatesintheAshortlist!
Forprospectivefaculty,thisbringsmetoaverypertinentpoint.Opportunitieslike
IIITDelhicomerarely.So,whileonemaymakeplansaboutwhentoshiftto
academia/India/,opportunitiesdonotalwaysworkaccordingtotheplans.My
advicetoprospectivecandidateswillbe:ifyouhaveagoodopportunitythatyouare
satisfiedwith,takeit.Dontdelayitforothershortterm/temporaryplansthatyou
mighthavemade.AnInstitutelikeIIITDoffersuniquepossibilitiesnowof,for
example,hiringagroupof2or3facultytogethertobuildanarea.Thisopportunity
maynotariseeasilyanywhereeveninIIITDonceitmaturesandhasgroupssince
thenitwillbehiringincrementallyforeachgroup.

December
15,2010

EarlyAdvicebyFourWiseMen
jalote

IIITDelhi,Personal

1Comment

SoonafterIhadagreedtotakethechallengeofbuildinganInstitutionfromScratch,
somethingIhadmanyyearsagodeclinedforotherIIITs(aroundmid90swhenIIIT

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inHyderabadandAllahabadwerebeingsetup,Iwascontactedforleadingthem,but
IfeltIwastooyoung,hadtoomuchacademicsstilllefttotakesuchachallenge.It
turnedouttobesomewhattrueIendedupwritingtwomorebooks,manymore
papers,andmythinkingclearlyevolvedandmaturedsignificantly),Iwentto
HyderabadandBangaloretoseekadvice.InHyderabadIspenttwodaysinIIITH
findingouthowitwasorganized,howitwasrun,etcandtalkingwithitsDirector,
Prof.RajeevSangal,whoisalsoanoldtimefriendfromIITKanpur(Rajeevwasthe
HeadwhenIjoinedCSE/IITKasanAssistantProfessor.)InBangalore,Imetwith
Mr.NRNMurthy,Mr.K.Dinesh,andMr.MDPaiallDirectorsatInfosys,and
whoIhadworkedwithwhenIspenttwowonderfulandperspectivechangingyears
atInfosys,andwhoIhadhighrespectfor.
Toeachofthem,Iaskedforsomeadvice,somewordsofwisdom.MyfirstIIIT
notebookisstillfilledwithmanymanypagesofnotesItookduringthese
interactions.ButIrememberoneadvicefromeachofthesepeopletothisday,which
hasguidedmythinkingandplanning.
RajeevSangal.VeryearlyinmyinteractionRajeevadvised:comewhat
may,dontgiveupastrangeadviseforsomeonewhohasjusttakenupa
challengeandhadstarteddreaming.Lookingback,Icanseehowfarsighted
thatadvisewas.Therehasbeenoneortwoshortperiodsevenduringmy
shorttenureof2years,whereIhavethoughttomyselfWhyamIdoingall
this?Whynotsimplygobacktotheproductiveandreasonablyinterestinglife
ofaProfessorinIIT(lifeasaProfessorinCSE/IITDwasindeedquitevaried
andinterestingformebesidesteachingandguidingPhDandMTech
studentsandhavingprojects,duetothereputationIhadbuiltinmyareaof
SoftwareEngineering,Iwasconstantlybeinginvitedtovariousforumsfor
givinglectures,advise,participateinadvisorycommittees,wasinteracting
withmanycompanies,etc.Andhadideasforatleasttwomorebooks,oneof
whichIhadactuallystartedworkingon.)ItisintheseperiodsIrealizedthe
foresightofRajeevsadvice.Irealizedthathe,whoishighlyrespectedinhis
area,musthavealsogonethroughroughpatcheslikethisandmusthave
foundsomethingtogivehimstrengthandhope.Forme,itbecameeasierI
justtookhisadviceasanaxiomithelpedmehandlethesebriefandvery
few,notevenveryserious,introspectionsaboutmychoice.
NRNMurthy.WithMr.Murthy,onethingIdiscussedwashowtoattract
youngfacultytojoinandseekhishelpwiththisheisextremelywell
connectedintheglobalacademiaandhasanexcellentunderstandingofthe
globalscene,andfromaperspectiveweacademicsdontoftenget.Hisanswer
tothisquestionwassurprisinglystraightforward:Pankaj,whydontyouask
thisquestiontotheyoungfacultymembersorprospectivefaculty.Thisdirect
andinsightfulapproachforasolution,ratherthanthesolutionitself,forced
metochangemythinking.Afterreturning,Idesignedaquestionnaireand
firsttookinputsfrommyyoungercolleaguesinCSE/IITDelhi(Iwasstillin
IITDandhadnotofficiallyjoined).IalsodidasurveyofgraduatingPhD
students(resultsofwhichareavailableontheInstituteswebsite:
http://www.iiitd.ac.in/SurveyOfPhDsOnFacPositionInIndia.pdf)aboutwhat
theywantinanacademiccareerinIndia.TheseinputsIfinallyusedtodesign
theoverallpackagewhichincludeddecentcompensation,travelsupport,
initiationgrant,etc.
MohanDPai.WithhimalsoIdiscussedvariousissuesofleadership,howto
raisefundsetc.Atsomepointhesaid,Pankaj,Iwillgiveyouaoneword
advice:Scale.Andthenheexplaineddontthinksmall,thinklargescale
rightfromstart,asinIndiamakinganimpactisvirtuallyimpossiblewithout
scale.AnadvicethatwillhauntmeeverytimeIwouldmakefutureplans,as
almostalwaystheplansgotconstrainedbythesmallsizeofplotwewere
allottedcantreallythinkverylargescaleinaphysicallysmallUniversity.But
IcontinuedtoplanforaslargeanInstituteaspossiblegivenphysical
constraints.Theseconstraintsledmetobelievethatthelargestwecangrowis
about2500studentsand125faculty(therewerevariousassumptionsmadein
thishowmuchwecanconstruct,howmanyfacultyandstudent
accommodationswewillhavetobuilt,etc.).AndthisiswhatIusedinthelong
termplansmade.Recently,avisittoUTS(universityofSydney)changedthis
theyperhapshaveaplotsmallerthanours,andhavesomeotherplots
spreadacrossthecity,andtheyhaveadaytimestudentpopulationofover
20,000!Whilewecanthaveastallbuildingsastheyhave,wecertainlycan
thinkbigger.Iamnowbacktodrawingboardtryingtoseehowmuchscaleis
feasible.Ishouldaddthatitisthegenerosityandcommitmenttohigher
educationofMohanPaithathealsopromisedtosetaFacultyResearch
FellowshipbydonatingRs20Lacofhispersonalmoneyforitallforan
Institutethathadnofaculty(indeed,evenIwasnotyetanemployee!),no
premises,nostudents!
K.Dinesh,whowasmybossformostofthetwoyearsIspentatInfosys,and
withwhomIhaveawarmrelationshiptilltoday,was,asalways,welcoming
andreadytoshareexperiencesandlifelessons.Hisadvicewas:Quality.Being
DirectorofqualityatInfosysforoveradecade(whenIwasaVPofQualityat
Infosys,hewastheDirector),heunderstandsthevalueofthiswell.Andhis
visionofquality,asheexplained,waswidernotjustqualityincorework,
butqualityinallsupportandotheractivitiesaswell.Thisalsoisanadvicethat
comesbacktomewheneverIfeeltheurgetoacceptchaltahai.AndDinesh
alsoagreedtosetupaResearchFellowshipwithRs20LacsforanInstitute,

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mostly,Ibelieve,duetohisconfidenceinme.(Gesturesliketheseareasource
ofstrengthintimeswhenyouneeditaftertakingsuchhelpfromfriendslike
him,youknowthatyoucannotbutgiveityourbestshotyouoweatleast
thismuch.)
Thesegentlemen,inspirationalastheyare,havealreadyhelpedmepersonallyinthe
newroleIhadassumed.IamsuretheInstitutewillseek,andget,alotmorehelp
fromthem(Prof.SangalisalreadyamemberoftheBoard,andhencecontributes
regularlywithhiswisdomandexperience.)

November
14,2010

TheBeginningsofIIITDelhi
jalote

IIITDelhi

IIITDelhi

Leaveacomment

SometimeinSummerof2008,IgotacallfromafacultymemberfromanInstitute
congratulatingmeforbeingselectedtobetheDirectorofnewlycreated(existingon
paperonly)IIITDelhi.Iwasawarethatmynamewasnominatedfortheposition,
buthadnoinformationbeyondthat.Iwasnotasmuchsurprisedontheselectionas
withthefactthatthepersonwhocalledknewaboutit.Butthisgavemesome
indicationabouttheseriousnessoftheconcernedauthoritiesabouttheInstitute
whyshouldtheyselectsomeonewhowasnotlobbying,orwasevenseriousabout
thejob(infact,asIwastoldlater,thispotentiallackofseriousnesswasacauseof
concernfortheBoard),whentheremusthavebeenmanycandidateswhomusthave
hadpowerfulpeoplelobbyingforthem.
IwasinitiallytentativeaboutthejobthoughIwouldhavelikedtohavesome
academicleadershipposition,butwashopingtodomoreacademicsforanotherfive
yearsorso,beforeshiftingdirectiontowardsadministration.Someonethentold
mewisely:Opportunitiesdonotcomeatthetimeofyourchosingwhenyouare
mostreadytheycomewhentheycomeyouhavetotakeitwhenitcomes.I
agreedtotakethejobifIITDelhiwillgivemedeputationforafewyears,soIcan
completemy20yearsinIITserviceandhencebecomeeligibleforpension.Iwas
assuredthatthiscanbeworkedout,asDelhiGovthadagoodworkingrelationship
withIIT,andIITalsoindicatedthis.

Follow

Istartedworkingwhilewaitingforformalitiestobecompletedforbeingrelieved
fromIITandfortheformalappointmentlettertocome.Istartedplanningaboutthe
Follow Higher
institute,whatitsvisioncouldbe,whatitcandoetc,andsoonIwastotally
consumedbyitthepossibilitiesofcreatinganinstituteinwhichwecanimplement Education in
someofthepractices/ideasIhadarguedfor/writtenaboutearlierbecamea
India
compellingdream.Soon,Ihadreachedapointofnoreturn.Thankfully,everything
Get every new post delivered to
fromIITworkedout.SomerelevantdatesrelatingtothestartoftheInstituteare:
your Inbox.
Mr.OPShuklaappointedasOSDon:InfirstBoardmeetingonMay12,
2008.
AdvertisementforDirectorsposition:May29,2008.
OfferlettersenttomebyChairman,Mr.KiranKarnik:Aug7,2008.
IjoinedasDirector:Aug29,2008.
Itwasdecidedthat,whileitwillbedesirabletostartthenewbatchnextyear,itwill
besmartertostartthatyearitself,eventhoughitwaslateandmoststudentswere
alreadyenrolled,sincetheelectionswereduelaterinthatyearandhenceitwouldbe
safertohavetheinstitutealreadyfunctioning.ToensurethatInstituteisnot
perceivedaseasytogetin,wemadeadecisionofhavingafilterforapplication
basedonAIEEErankingforoutsideDelhicandidatesandDCENSITtestforDelhi
candidates,buthaveaseparateentrancetestofourown.Thistestwegotconducted
throughanagencythatspecializesinexams.Thisdecision,whichwasanoutcomeof
highlyconstrainedcircumstances,laterbecameamodelthatInstitutewould
championhaveastrongfilterforwhocanappearinthetest,andthenhavean
aptitudetestforfinalselection.Also,thedecisiontohaveonlyonlineapplications
andusethewebmoreheavily,effectivelytheonlyoptioninthestart,alsobecamea
standardforus.Theimportantdateshereare:

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HostingforwebsitetakenfromIndiatimes:July29,2008.
ReleaseofprospectusandwebsitebyCMinapublicfunction:Aug
3,2008.
Entranceexam:Aug23,2008.
Counseling:Aug26,2008.
Firstdayofclasses:Sept8,2008.
Aboutclasses.Wehadnofaculty,and,moreseriously,noofficialacademic
program,thoughIhadsomeideaofwhatIwouldliketheprogramtobe.Earlieras
HeadofCSEinIITKanpurwhentheUGprogramwasrevised,oneofthekey
themesthatcameoutfromfeedbackfromstudentsaswellasotherswastostartCS
early.WeinCSEcouldnotdoitinIITK,astherewereconstraintsduetotheneed

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foruniformityacrossdisciplinesinthefirstyear.Iputthatthinkingtousehere.The
tentativeprogramenvisagedstartingwithCScoursesinthefirstsemestersowe
tookthefirstcourseinsoftware,theory,andhardware,andaddedthe
communicationskillscoursetomakethefirstsemesterprogram.Fortechnical
courses,guestfacultyfromNSITwereinvited.Forcommunicationskills,a
professionaltrainerwasrequestedanothermodelthat,whilebeinguseddueto
constraints,becameastandardpracticelater.

November
14,2010

OriginsofIIITDelhi
jalote

IIITDelhi

IIITDelhi

2Comments

TheoriginsoftheInstitutearenotfullycleartome,asIwasnotreallynotonthe
scenethen.Fromsomeinteractions,thisiswhatIhavebeenabletodetermine:
SomeinteractionswithKnowledgeCommissionofIndiaconvincedtheDelhiGovt
thatDelhicanbetheKnowledgecapitalofIndia,andthatDelhishouldgiveafurther
impetustoitsalreadystrongeducationsector.
AtthetimemanystateGovernments,aswellasGovernmentofIndia,were
consideringstartingIIITstodevelopITmanpoweranddevelopR&Dcapability.
DelhigovtalsodecidedtostartanIIITinDelhi.AsfirstIcannotstandforIndian
foranyInstitutionthatisnotGovtofIndias,DelhichoseIndraprasthathename
withwhichDelhiwasknowninsomeperiods.
EDCIL(EducationConsultantsofIndiaLtd),aGovtofIndiaenterprise,wasgiven
thetaskofdevelopingaprojectplanforstartingaIIITinDelhi.Theplanwas
presentedandreviewedinalargemeetinginDelhiSecretariatinwhich,asitturns
out,IwaspresentasarepresentativefromIITDelhi.Theplanwasfairlystandard,
asanysuchplanhastobe,sincetherealplancanonlybedevelopedbythosewho
havetheactualtaskofbuildingtheInstitute.But,itdidfacilitateinthecreationof
IIITDelhi,andonthebasisoftheplan,landandmoneywastobeallotted.
ButwhereislandinDelhi?ItseemsthatatsometimeDelhiGovtdecidedthatas
landisnotavailablewiththeGovt,itwillusethesurpluslandavailablewithDelhi
GovtInstitutions,anddevelopitfurtherforsimilarpurposes.Someonesomewhere
intheGovtidentifiedthesurpluslandinGBPantPolytechnicanda25Acreareawas
earmarkedforIIITDelhi.

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TheIIITDelhiActwasitselfdevelopedbythethenSecretaryofDeptofTTE,Dr.
Education in
NarendraKumar.TheActisclearlyavisionaryonegivingtremendousautonomy
India
totheInstituteandvestingmostofthepowersforpolicywiththeBoardof
GovernorsoftheInstitute.Toprovidefinancialautonomy,itenvisagedsome
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innovativefinancialengineeringtheInstitutewastogetinterestfreeloanfromthe your Inbox.
Govtandnogrants.AstherewerenoGrantsfromtheGovt,itbecamefreetodecide
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itsownsalaryscales.ItwasclearlyabalancingactbetweenkeepingtheInstituteasa
GovernmentInstitute,whilestillgivingitfullacademic,administrative,andfinancial
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autonomy.
Importantdateshereare:
GovtsdecisiontostartaIIITinDelhiandaskingEDCILto
prepareaDPR:July,2007.

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EDCILspresentationonthedetailedprojectreport:September,
2007.
IIITDActpassedinLegislature:April2,2008(AssentofLGobtained
Apri21,2008)
NotificationoftheAct(thetechnicaldateofcominginexistence
ofIIITD):28thMay,2008.
ConstitutionofBoardandappointmentoftheChairman:May1,
2008.
FirstBoardmeeting:May12,2008.

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