In accordance with the new National Education Policy (NEP), now engineering students who are studying in colleges affiliated with the Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) in Karnataka will be introduced to courses on health, wellness and global medical technology, as part of the revised curriculum. The university is expected to introduce these subjects from this academic year.
A subject named 'Biology for Engineers' has been introduced in the fourth semester, according to Professor B Karisiddappa, Vice-Chancellor of VTU.
In a virtual meeting held by Higher Education Minister, CN Ashwath Narayan said that the new subjects are included considering the importance of engineering in recent global medical technology. He also shared that further, courses on environment studies and 'music and mechanical vibrations' have also been added.
New Subjects Under Open Electives
The VC even appraised the minister about the introduction of a subject called 'scientific foundations of health' which is expected to emphasise the importance of health and wellness for engineers. Professor Karisiddappa said that such ability enhancement courses had been added to make students globally competitive
The VC also mentioned that four colleges affiliated with the university had proposed to teach undergraduate engineering (BE) courses in Kannada. He also informed that they are waiting to get approval for this course from the Higher Education Department.
Apart from this, the university has decided to make a 24-week internship mandatory for all engineering courses. It will also encourage multidisciplinary internships for those getting the opportunity to go abroad, reported The Indian Express.
Meanwhile, Ashwath Narayan said after the meeting that students will get more choices from this year under open electives. "The concept (open electives) will be made more dynamic and the regulations with regard to the Board of Studies will be relaxed to facilitate timely decisions regarding revamping of curriculum and introduction of new courses," he said.
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