Latest news with #FacultyDevelopmentProgrammes
The Hindu
29-06-2025
- Science
- The Hindu
AI: Where demand for courses is high, but supply of teachers, poor
In the past three years, the intake in Artificial Intelligence (AI) courses has almost doubled in Tamil Nadu. It is expected to be at its highest this year. Looking at only the AI and Data Science course at the undergraduate level, the intake has gone up from 7,049 in 2022-23 to 15,702 in 2024-25. The number of courses on AI has grown proportionately. According to estimates, there are 800 courses on AI offered by institutions across India, said Balaraman Ravindran, head, Department of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, Indian Institute of Technology-Madras. However, there aren't enough faculty members with a qualified AI background to teach these courses. Besides, Computer Science, which provides the foundational tools for AI, does not form the core component of the emerging field since AI requires heavy reliance on mathematical concepts and principles to develop algorithms, he said. It is, therefore, pertinent that faculty members teaching AI have to be from an AI background or should equip themselves through Faculty Development Programmes (FDPs). Subalalitha C.N., professor, Department of Computing Technologies, SRM Institute of Science and Technology (SRMIST), concurred with this view. SRMIST offers 10 different AI courses, and finding faculty members has been a challenge. 'Certifications and FDPs are the ways through which the faculty members are equipping themselves, especially since more students are opting for AI courses,' she said. There is also a move towards integrating AI with other core engineering subjects. Such multidisciplinary approach, she said, has also attracted funding from institutions. 'AI is full of maths. All algorithms have core mathematics in their background. Hence, the integration is easy,' she said. Also, the requirements of different professionals working on AI — researchers, faculty members, or developers — are different. Those developing applications may not require heavy reliance on mathematics, but those developing language models would require it. 'They would align according to their priority or preference,' she added. The dearth of AI teachers is a matter of concern. Experts say collaboration with industry could bridge the gap to some extent, but there should be a road map for faculty development. Besides the training programmes for the faculty members, efforts are needed to attract talented youngsters proficient in AI to academics.
The Hindu
04-06-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
V-Cs' of public varsities in A.P told to focus on reorientation of curricula, employability, research and global reach
Secretary Department of Higher Education, Kona Sashidhar, on Wednesday directed Vice-Chancellors and Registrars of all State Universities to focus on improving academic and administrative standards across their respective institutions. Speaking at a meeting organised by the Andhra Pradesh State Council of Higher Education (APSCHE), Mr. Sashidhar directed the Vice-Chancellors and Registrars to focus on reorientation of curricula, to enhance graduate employability in line with the market and social needs. He also asked the universities to mentor other institutions, including ITIs, polytechnics, professional colleges, and general degree colleges, to ensure cohesive development across the higher education spectrum. He urged the Universities to function as skill clusters to address the diverse NSQF (National Skill Qualification Framework) levels, to provide seamless upskilling and reskilling opportunities, and enhance institutional visibility by maintaining comprehensive databases of all constituent and affiliated colleges under their jurisdiction. The Council Chairman, K. Madhu Murthy, stressed the need for collaboration among universities to raise academic standards, strengthen institutional governance, and improve global competitiveness. He reviewed court cases related to faculty recruitment and pointed out that these legal issues were impeding faculty recruitment. He directed the universities to resolve these cases in coordination with legal and administrative departments to ensure timely and transparent recruitment without compromising on quality or statutory compliance. On implementation of four-year UG Honours programmes with dual majors, he shared a detailed framework for the rollout of the programmes in line with NEP-2020, highlighting the introduction of dual majors as an innovative approach to foster inter-disciplinary learning. The universities were advised to adopt a uniform curriculum framework for technical programmes offered by engineering institutions across the State and to implement the Faculty Development Programmes (FDPs) focussing on digital pedagogy and emerging technologies. Prof. Murthy said APSCHE would extend financial support to universities for organising FDPs. Emphasis was also laid on the establishment of functional and dynamic Research Boards in every university to foster a strong research ecosystem, secure external funding, and promote high-quality publications. The Vice-Chancellors were encouraged to strengthen their international outreach, design foreign-student-friendly policies, and leverage platforms such as 'Study in India' to enhance global visibility and attract international students. The universities were also advised to strengthen the implementation and monitoring of short-term internship programmes, ensuring effective industry engagement and experiential learning, employability skills, industry exposure, and research aptitude opportunities for students. Vice-Chairpersons of APSCHE K. Rama Mohana Rao and P. Uma Maheswari Devi, Secretary T.V. Sri Krishna Murthy and Vice-Chancellors and Registrars of all State Universities attended the meeting. Eom...
