CHENNAI: Hackathon-based learning will be introduced for UG students in 100 government arts and science colleges across the state. The initiative will be implemented by ICT Academy of Tamil Nadu and is aimed at improving the ability, creative thinking, and teamwork among students.
Students will be given various challenges based on the subjects in their curriculum and asked to come up with solutions. “For example, students studying history will be asked to solve problems related to digitisation of archives. Training will also be provided to 500 teachers on how to guide students. The students will also get an opportunity to interact with experts in the respective industries to understand the subject better and work on solutions,” an official from the academy said. This is a first-of-its-kind initiative that is set to be rolled out in this academic year itself, he added.
This is being done under the Tamil Nadu Innovation Initiative (TANII) under the State Planning Commission where it was planned to ensure that experiential project-based learning enhances professional and technical skills of students and faculty of government arts and science colleges.
The academy will develop a digital platform, including a learning management system, assessments, and grading facilities for this purpose. It will have learning content for various streams in arts and science colleges. It will also have a repository of problem statements that will reflect current industry standards and challenges. It will have an AI-powered mentoring and guidance module with a conversational interface for students to assist them in project development. “The platform will be used to organise live lectures of industry professionals, academic experts, and successful entrepreneurs, and also facilitate online group projects enabling students to work together and share knowledge,” the official said.
Speaking about the initiative, a government arts and science college principal said many colleges don’t have proper project-based learning for UG students. “Colleges are sending their students for internships in most cases and there is no proper mechanism to assess their work. The initiative will help the students to build a wider network and also increase their employability,” he said.