Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) will now offer a few graduate programmes on its campuses in Belagavi and Muddenahalli of Chikkaballapur.
The three Bachelor of Technology programmes — two in Belagavi and one in Muddenahalli — will be of four years, on-campus and fully residential courses.
The programmes in Computer Science and Business Systems and Robotics and Automation will be offered in Belagavi and the Mechanical and Smart Manufacturing will be offered in Muddenahalli near Chikkaballapur.
These AICTE-approved courses will be industry-driven and run by the VTU following a memorandum of understanding with industries and research and development institutions.
“We have signed MoUs with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), the Central Manufacturing Technology Institute (CMTI) and the MTAB to run these courses,” VTU Vice-Chancellor Karisiddappa told The Hindu.
“This will better chisel our course towards better industry-academia interaction. This will also provide the industry with skilled youth who have specialised training,” he said.
According to him, the MoUs allow the partner institutions to train VTU faculty for the new programmes, organise guest lectures and engage with the university for the continuous assessment of the students.
“The intake for each course would be 30. Students can choose the seats during the KEA counselling session from this academic year,” said Registrar (Academic) Anand Deshpande.
The fee will be regulated by VTU. It is the same as the fee in other government engineering colleges, he added.
According to him, the courses have been planned in such a way so as to ensure that the students graduating from the programme not only know the core topics but also develop an equal appreciation of humanities, management sciences and human values.
In all the three courses, experiential learning mode will be followed to make students industry-ready, Dr. Deshpande said.
In the Computer Science and Business Systems, students will be exposed to analytics, Cloud Computing, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things and related subjects.
Students of Robotics and Automation will go through smart technologies, methods of synthesis, analysis and optimisation of newer robots and mechanisms, Mobile Robotics, 3D Robotics, and Robotics and e-commerce. In machine learning, students will be trained in manufacturing processes, manufacturing systems, systems engineering, IT, Networks and basic shop floor communications.
Students organisations have welcomed this, though with a caution.
“We are happy that VTU is starting degree courses on campus. That would help poor students get quality education at reasonable fees. However, we have some doubts about the longevity of these industry-driven courses,” said AIDSO secretary Mahantesh Bilur.
“Will the VTU close down these courses after a few years when the corporates feel that they no longer need these engineers trained in niche technologies? VTU should promise that these courses will be continued even after the companies stop their patronage,’’ he said.
VTU should not stop at a few courses. It should start a full-fledged engineering college on its Belagavi campus, said social activist Ashok Chandaragi. He said that he had sent a letter to the Chief Minister’s Office demanding the establishment of government engineering colleges in the backward districts of each one of the revenue divisions in the State. His memorandum also urges the VTU to set up a state-of-the-art research laboratory on the Belagavi campus of the university.
