CHENNAI: The Indian Institute of Technology at Madras (IIT-M) is coordinating a national initiative to broadcast crash courses for rural students on DTH Swayam Prabha channels, a statement from the institute said on Thursday.
Around 300 hours of video lectures have been readied and the first programme is scheduled for August 28. The content will be broadcast on NPTEL channels 11-18 until August 31 and on channels 11-16 from September 1. The lectures, recorded by faculty attached to various central universities from their homes, will stress on problem-solving approaches. DTH Swayam Prabha website: https://www.swayamprabha.gov.in/ will have the schedule and updates of the classes.
The project is the brainchild of Jawaharlal Nehru University Associate Professor BS Balaji, while IIT-M professor K Mangala Sunder and DTH SWAYAM Prabha chief coordinator N Parameswaran provided necessary support. “All faculty members were aware of the pressing need and they willingly came forward to create learning materials for the students affected by the lockdown,” professor Mangala Sunder said.
Around 40-50 hours of entire course lectures have been condensed to 10-15 hours and the lectures will meet the academic standards set by the University Grants Commission (UGC) and other academic bodies. The classes will be telecast in High Definition clarity, the statement added. Swayam Prabha is a group of 32 DTH channels telecasting high-quality educational programmes 24X7 using the GSAT-15 satellite.