Tech that! Tech100 Higher Education Institutions of India

The think tank of an institution of higher learning is mulling over the use of technology to detect occupancy in classrooms and hostels to reduce electricity consumption. Another university is facilitating booking hostel rooms, time slots in auditoriums and take an appointment with the professor to discuss on a research topic in an easier manner without actually visiting the office. A website widget is all that they need to get this done.

Internet of Things (IoT) is now a reality as different departments within a university are now talking a virtual language with each other and improving productivity.

Then there are universities that believe in bringing the industry into the campus and not the other way round. Incubation is a buzz word and innovation the magic mantra. To say that universities and colleges are changing would be an understatement. Technology is pervasive and institutions are lapping it up.

APAC News Network decided to come up with Tech 100- A list of progressive higher education institutions in India that are leading the digital transformation to boost academic as well as operational excellence. There are institutions that have done exceptionally well on one front and are in a nascent stage in another. It is but natural that no one institution can be the best in all fronts, hence we, at APAC News Network decided not to rank these institutions. Nevertheless, they must be showcased.

Like all educational institutions across the world, Indian ones too are increasingly using artificial intelligence, virtual reality, augmented reality, cloud computing, blockchain and Internet of Things. Digital transformation is happening at breakneck speed. APAC News Network is looking into these developments to analyse how and what these educational institutions are doing to keep pace with the digital world.

There are aspects that all educational institutions need to adhere to for smooth functioning. We set about 12 categories that an institution needs to fill out to become eligible which are as follows:

1. Admissions
2. Master Data Management
3. Student Finance and Aid Management
4. Academic Administration
5. Learning Management System
6. Examinations
7. Grievance Redressal
8. Career Services and Management
9. Campus Communication
10. Library
11. Infrastructure
12. Technology Stack

The institutions have been selected for the list on the basis of a comprehensive technology framework being designed and approved by a set of academic as well as technology leaders.

A Tech -100 committee chair comprising Navin Mittal, IAS, Commissioner, Collegiate and Technical Education Department, Government of Telangana and Dr Akhilesh Gupta, Advisor & Head STIP 2020 Secretariat, Department of Science and Technology, Govt of India was constituted.

For any higher education institute hoping for digital transformation, creating an eco-system for all stake-holders within the campus for a data-driven culture becomes paramount. The other parameters taken into account include Public and Private Partnership, Higher and Technical Education and Skill and Vocational Education.

If there was ever an aspect that institutions agree upon it is to make a conscious shift in pedagogy from memorising knowledge to experiential learning. Academics across disciplines have been waxing eloquent at different fora for a shift.

Speaking at the virtual Skill @ entrepreneurship innovation conclave organized by APAC News Network,

Vijay K Banda, Senior Director, Cyber Security, Qualcomm India said, “Skills are going to be a new global currency of the future.” He further added, “One may not know what kind of jobs would exist in the future as technology is changing at breakneck speed.”

Higher education institutes have been making efforts to instil interest in self-directed, curiosity-based learning. There is a growing awareness and willingness to give credits to prior learning and extracurricular experiences. The acceptance is slow but experts feel that as time passes, it would become the norm.

There is a paradigm shift in teaching and learning. While technology and innovation are becoming the buzz words, skilling has changed dramatically over the years. What was good in the 90s is no more in fashion. Elucidating the same, Satyajeet Rajan, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary, Labour & Skills Department, Government of Kerala says, “Skilling was mostly confined to low key areas such as learning to type way back in the 90s.” In the last decade-and-a-half, thanks to the fast changing technological advancements, new skill-sets emerged.

Universities are adapting to the changes and the need to interface with the industry is largely being felt. Dr Elangovan, Principal Secretary, Industries and Norka, Govt of Kerala says, “Teaching finance in schools and aligning courses with the industry is the need of the hour.”

Navin Mittal, IAS, Commisisoner, Department of Collegiate & Technical Education, Govt of Telangana said, “Telangana has a good start-up ecosystem especially in IT and Knowledge industry. There is T-Hub and We-hub, the latter encourages women start-ups. We started OU Idea Labs at the Osmania University that allows students, alumni and also anyone who is interested to be a part. There is also a concerted effort to encourager entrepreneurship in colleges.”

The challenges that institutes of higher learning face include teaching quality, financing, privatisation, quota system, political interference, dearth of project based learning and not churning entrepreneurs.

While there is no dearth of human resources in India, getting quality teachers who are in tune with the latest developments in the industry and who can make students industry ready is a far cry.

There is also an issue of highly qualified teaching personnel who are so engrossed in the daily administration that they are unable to engage in research activity. On the other hand, many an institute compromises on quality by absorbing teaching staff for want of quality.

Fostering a culture of creativity and making students think is another challenge that universities face. Getting a job seems to be the only priority for majority of students which is understandable but producing men and women entrepreneurs is a challenge.

A good university is often determined by a robust management and the number of admissions. This is aided by a sound data management, student finance, administration, learning management system, examinations, grievance redressal cell, career services and management, state-of-the-art library, communication lab, incubation centre and industry interface.

It takes several departments to work in unison to make a university tick. The lifecycle of traditional curriculum has reached a saturation point. A strong degree of industry integration is now a necessity.

The 100 institutions find their way in the list as they subscribe to the best practices.