Impending Changes in Undergraduate Curriculum (A Proposed Model; Needs Discussion)

1. Prof. GautamBiswas, FNA JC Bose National Fellow and Director Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati Impending Changes in Undergraduate Curriculum (A Proposed Model; Needs Discussion)

2. Industrial Revolutions in the Human History First IR: 1775 Triggered by the Prime Movers. Technology and Manufacturing became the deciding factor for World Power Second IR: 1970Triggered by the Transistors. Microelectronics, Computers and Communication. Knowledge-based industry and Information Technology transformed the society and started playing a major role in World Economy.

3. FIRST TRANSISTOR BY BARDEEN 1947 A MODERN VLSI CHIP CONTAINING MILLIONS OF TRANSISTORS IN AN AREA OF ABOUT 1 cm2

4. Energy is stored in the covalent bonds between phosphates. ADP + Pi + Energy ATP Hydrolysis of ATP ATP ADP + Pi ENERGY

5. Data and Image analysis • Genomics, Proteomics, Biomics • TEM, FE-SEM • Telemetry • Bio- Informatics • Materials for Implants and Prostheses • Robotics, cognitive, sensory • Real Time In vivo sensors • Biochips • In order to accommodate emerging Subjects, some subjects could be Dropped. Mechanism for dropping? Intersection of Life Sciences & Engineering Lipson

7. EMERGING ENGINEERING SUBJECTS • Molecular Engineering • Synthetic Biology • Smart Macromolecules and Intelligent Materials • Manufacturing by Self Assembly of Materials • Artificial Intelligence, Self Learning, Self • Correction • Self Replication High-Tech Industry is linked to availability of strong and well-trained engineer corps

8. Many graduates are unable to take into consideration economic, societal, and ethical considerations; unable to work in teams. We require to look for remedies. • Increased economic gap between engineering and practitioners of the ‘professions’. Also there is very little understanding among the graduates about functioning of the Government. • A plethora of new concepts (especially wrong interpretation of Industry-connect) for better pedagogical approaches for engineering . This issue requires more focus and better understanding. Indian Reform in Engineering Education (1990-2011)

9. ABET Engineering Criteria 2000, EC 2000, formalized some of the objectives of the reform in the US. • ‘Objectives’ and ‘Outcome’ are deciding parameters • Six progressive stages of cognitive thinking, known as Bloom’s taxonomy, are: (i) Recall, (ii) Comprehension, (iii) Application, (iv) Analysis (v) Synthesis and (vi) Evaluation • Cognitive learning is demonstrated by knowledge recall and the intellectual skills: comprehending information, organizing ideas, analyzing and synthesizing data, applying knowledge, choosing among alternatives in problem-solving and evaluating ideas or actions. Formalization of Reform

10. Curriculum • The current trend world over is to structure the academic programmes in a Credit based academic system • The Credits are defined for the activities of the teaching-learning programme built into the curriculum. Number of one-hour lectures per week = L Number of tutorial-hours per week = T Number of practical (laboratory) hours per week = P Credit point for the course = C L-T-P-C calculation One hour lecture in a week = 1 Credit One hour tutorial in a week = 1 Credit Two hours laboratory work in week = 1 Credit The Credit nomenclature of a course unit is denoted by L-T-P-C For example, the Credit nomenclature for the first course in Mathematics may be identified as 3-1-0-4

11. Pedagogic thoughts following Grinter (President ASEE) Report A minimum of 36 Credits of Mathsand Basic Sciences must be there for enhancing the capacity for Interdisciplinary Research COURSE L-T-P-C Mathematics I 3-1-0-4 Mathematics II 3-1-0-4 12 credits Mathematics III 3-1-0-4 Physics I 3-1-0-4 Physics II 3-1-0-4 8 credits Chemistry 3-1-0-4 4 credits Biology 3-1-0-4 4 credits Environmental Science 3-1-0-4 4 credits Lab course (Phy & Chm) 1-0-6-44 credits 36 credits

12. Prevailing thoughts in many Elite Institutes Minimum of 12 Credits is recommended as the Compulsory Engineering Science (ESc (C))courses • Fundamentals of Computing (2-0-4-4) • Introduction to Electronics (2-0-4-4) • Engineering Mechanics (3-1-0-4). Two courses on Engineering Practices (EP) are needed for acquiring engineering skills (Engineering Practices/ Design Practices) • Engineering Graphics/ Drawing (2-0-4-4) • Introduction to Manufacturing/ Fabrication/ Design (1-0-6-4).

13. Courses in Humanities Prevailing thoughts in many well known Schools A minimum of 16 Credits in Humanities, Social Sciences Arts, Management, Economics and Communication-skills Among 16 Credits: (7) Credits are expected to be completed within first four semesters other (9) Credits are to be completed during the remaining period of the curriculum Among first (7) Credits, one course should be on Communication Skills (2-2-0-4) Communication is the most important skill one should acquire One dedicated course is essential for the students to improve their oral and written communication skills during the first two years of their training.

14. Prevailing thoughts in many well known Schools Subjects categorized as the Engineering Science Options (ESc (O)) include 16 credits. Such courses are Thermodynamics, Solid Mechanics, Fluid Mechanics, Transport Phenomena, Quantum Chemistry, Electrical Drives, Geo Sciences, Materials Science, Data Structure, Analog Electronics, Digital Electronics , Big Data Analytics etc. Table-1: Courses appropriate for first four semesters of the B.Tech./ B.E./ BDesProgram.

15. Mechanical Engineering Thermodynamics Fluid Mechanics Solid Mechanics Electrical Drives Here are a few examples how Engineering Science Option can be used by ECE and Mechanical Engineering Department ECE BTechProgramme • Analog Electronics • Digital Electronics • Electromagnetics • Digital Image Processing The scope of Engineering Science Options ESc (O) can be Expanded for some Departments based on their Choice Prof. Geogre M Whitesides

16. Courses in Humanities, Social Sciences and Liberal Arts The students are to complete nine (9) credits (3 courses) in Humanities in the final four semesters. There will be a basket of courses comprising of Advanced Economics, Sociology, Psychology, Law, Political Science, International Relations, and various courses pertaining to Liberal Arts. The courses in Liberal Arts may include Music, Drama, Puppetry, Cinematography etc. Engineering students are suggested to fulfill the same general education requirements as all other graduates. Basic Economics may be made compulsory and may be introduced during the first four semester. The basket should also include courses in creative writing and foreign languages. Total number of humanities courses taken by engineering students is expected to be not fewer than five. More courses (a total of eight courses) are possible if any engineering student chooses to take a Minor in Humanities and Social Sciences.

17. Curriculum Revision includes Syllabus Revision Syllabus Revision is a Mammoth Task • Three strands — • memory (less) • concepts (more) • problem-solving • (tinkering applications) • — inseparable • Example: In a Mathematics course it should be told that Fourier Transform, Laplace Transform would be needed in Fluid Mechanics, Heat Transfer, Image Processing, Signal Processing etc. • Courtesy: Prof. SreerupRaychoudhury (TIFR)

18. Prevailing thoughts in many well known Schools Table 2: The curriculum for the remaining four semesters The final four semesters will have about 25 courses, i.e. equivalent to 81 Credits. The total Credit requirement for the Baccalaureate degree is about 160. The above mentioned break-up is a sample/ model. The colleges/ institutes will have enough freedom to add or subtract the compulsory courses. All professional theory courses in final four semesters may have L-T-P-C (3-0-0-3)

19. Prevailing thoughts in many well known Schools Elective subjects develop the special talents of the individual students to serve the varied needs of society & to take the advantage of interdisciplinary developments Definition of ‘Minor’ • students may be provided with the flexibility to credit a sequence of three courses in the “open elective slots” • These three courses could be from a specific department forming their Minor • Students should have flexibility for the ‘Minor’ option. One has to complete open electives • No special design is needed for any course to offered as ‘Minor’. Usual open electives are to be floated with thorough rigor • The students who would be earning ‘Minor’ are supposed be very well performing students

20. Realizing the importance of exposing engineering students to end to end solutions, a Project Work required to be introduced Table 3. No of suggested courses in different categories (ESc (C) = Eng Science Compulsory, ESc (O) Eng Science Optional, OE Open Elective) HSS = Communication skills, Humanities and Social Sciences , EP =Engineering Practices. ‘Minor’ is a sequence of three open electives from a specific branch.

21. Undergraduate Research MIT's Undergraduate ResearchOpportunities Program (UROP) is very well known. The paradigm of Engineering Research is on the verge of third Industrial Revolution. It is becoming increasingly clear that in the future the machines and devices will be guided substantially by the principals of life sciences. Quite a few new subjects have started emerging. The Bio-inspired interdisciplinary subjects, such as, Biomimetics, Microfluidics, Microsystems technology, Bottom-up fabrication, Bioenergetics etc are emerging fast. These subjects require being included as the Department Electives or the Open Electives in all disciplines.

22. Undergraduate Research • The students may be asked to design/ develop/ fabricate, on a laboratory/ pilot plant scale, processes, products, devices, equipment etc for teaching, research, industry or society at large. • Hon'ble Prime Minister of India suggested the IITs to focus on: • Early Introduction to Research in the Areas of National Need. • Some undergraduate students can be assigned challenging research projects at an early stage so that they can complete the work by the time they graduate. As a result some projects may culminate into complete product. • Examples of such projects: • Manufacturing Suspension System of a Vehicle to be used in Rough Terrain • Bio-inspired Micro-aerial Vehicles • Amplifier Design for Active Piezoelectric MEMS Resonators

23. Many of our technologies have been commoditized and are easily available even to non-engineers and school children. • We require to develop bridges between disciplines: Minors, Joint Interdisciplinary Projects • We need to educate young engineers to work in teams and teach them crossing disciplinary barriers through ‘life long learning’ • Young engineers have to be prepared to work at the intersections of their own disciplines and electronics, computer science, mathematics, the life sciences.