Connecting Classroom to Community: IIT Indore's Immersion Program

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Indore has now completed three years since the implementation of the National Education Policy in 2020. The achievements during these three years have been remarkable.

Now, an all new state of the art lab has been set up, in addition to which the institute has also introduced courses, credit banks, and training programs, enabling students to hone their skills and knowledge right from the first semester.

Reportedly, two compulsory courses, the Immersion Program, and the Design Thinking course, have been incorporated into the curriculum for undergraduate students.

The Immersion Program involves students visiting different sectors such as rural, industrial, and defense laboratories to identify and document prevailing challenges. In the subsequent Design Thinking course, students are encouraged to devise innovative solutions to these problems and design relevant technology. The final year project in the seventh semester will also be dedicated to this initiative, though students can work on their products in any semester.

Therefore, to facilitate students in creating their projects, IIT-Indore has established the Maker Space lab, an advanced tabletop factory equipped with machinery for cutting wood, metal, plastic, and 3D printing. This state-of-the-art lab is developed at an approximate cost seven crore rupees.

Under the NEP, the institute will soon introduce an Academic Credit Bank for undergraduate students. They will be able to open their credit accounts and accumulate credits through internships and field visits. These credits can be utilized to meet any credit deficit in subsequent semesters. Initially, this facility will be available within IIT-Indore, but soon it will be recognized by other institutions for transfer purposes.

In a remarkable initiative, IIT-Indore is also collaborating with the Madhya Pradesh government. Through this program, 50 students from government engineering colleges will be nominated to study the final year of their B.Tech at IIT Indore. Selections for this program will be based on examinations and interviews.