Nowadays studying something doesn’t require us to go to a school/college. There are a ton of resources available for us to learn on the web. Right from learning how to open a door to building a self-driving car, we can learn everything with just mobile and a proper data plan. But can we rely on these resources all the time? Can we trust an online degree program that promises you a life-changing opportunity?
What am I talking about?
Recently IIT Madras has launched an Online BSc Degree in Programming and Data Science. It is a three-year BSc degree programme in programming and Data Science which are some of the most in-demand skills to enter into top software companies. By taking some of the ideas from the new education policy the program is designed in such a way that the learners can have multiple entries, exit points. It also gives full flexibility in choosing the number of courses and completion time of the degree up to 6 years. In order to successfully complete the degree, the learner has to complete three levels of the programme, which are foundational level, diploma, and Degree level.
The foundational level has all the basic courses like Mathematics, Statistics, Basic Programming, and English which are essential for the learners to proceed in the program. Diploma level concentrates on Machine learning, Business Analytics, Data Structures and Algorithms in Python, Data Base Management, etc. At the Degree level, all the core courses like Deep Learning, Artificial Intelligence, are being focussed.
All the courses will be taught in online mode in their course portal. Weekly Assignments, in-person Quizzes, and Sem end Exams will be conducted to grade the learner.
Who can Enter the programme?
Anyone who has completed their 12th standard or equivalent to retired employees, everyone can enroll in the program. Later all the applicants must go through a qualifier round where they are provided with a one-month course content of four courses(eng, maths, stats, and computational thinking). Based on the provided course content a qualifier exam is conducted to select the participants.
The Qualifier exam is of 3hr duration with four subjects. It is an MCQ and integer type based exam conducted for 200 marks. All the applicants will have to attend the exam in their allotted centres just like any other competitive exam. Based on the Qualifier score ,a candidate will be selected into the programme.
Does this programme actually help students?
My Opinion:-
Pros:-
- It is a great opportunity for those who want to work on machine learning and AI or land a data science job in good companies.
- As this programme doesn't have any age restrictions ,there would be many working employees enrolling to the course. So students who are aiming for a job can get a great support from them.
- With the programme being online and having great flexibility students who are already pursuing a degree can take this as a second degree which can boost their skills.
- All those students who have failed their dream of getting into IIT can have another opportunity to pursue their degree from IIT Madras.
Cons:-
- Knowledge doesn’t always come from reading a book in our room. Being in a good learning environment with great teachers and friends from all around the country can help us in generating great ideas and future goals. As the programme is online that personal touch we have with our friends and teachers in offline classes is lost.
Thanks for reading / \ , please share your opinion in the above form. Here are some of the useful links to know more about the programme
