Industry experts come onboard to teach AI to pupils, train faculty in city college

Kolkata: In a first-of-its-kind move, City College, Kolkata, affiliated to Calcutta University (CU), has brought in industry experts to teach undergraduate students and train faculty in Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Launched in collaboration with AI CHAMP INDIA, experts from the industry will conduct a course titled AI for Everyone, designed to equip both students and faculty with foundational knowledge in AI.

The course began on Tuesday and will continue until June 14. In alignment with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, CU has introduced AI as a three-credit Skill Enhancement Course (SEC) under its Curriculum and Credit Framework (CCF).

The course is being offered in Semester II for undergraduate science students, particularly those in Mathematics and Chemistry. However, many colleges under CU continue to face hurdles such as insufficient infrastructure and a lack of trained faculty to deliver the course effectively. City College has become one of the first CU-affiliated colleges to bridge this gap through an academia-industry collaboration. “When we introduced AI for Everyone for science honours students in Semester II under the new CCF, we realised that while students were scoring marks, they weren’t acquiring a real understanding. The core objective of building AI awareness was not being met,” said Arindam Rana, head of the Chemistry Department. “So, we reached out to industry experts to teach the course, and we’ve successfully brought in some of the most skilled professionals in the field to teach our students.”

Participants will explore real-world AI applications and gain exposure to AI literacy, ethics, and hands-on tools through training conducted by five experts brought in by AI CHAMP INDIA.

Speaking at the inaugural session, CU registrar Debashis Das said, “With AI being introduced into the curriculum, the professional relevance of various subjects is increasing.

However, there are concerns as well. That’s why we’ve planned training with help from domain experts, which can help provide a clearer roadmap for students’ futures.” Pijush Ranjan Ghosh of AI CHAMP INDIA added, “We also plan to replicate this model across other CU-affiliated colleges. Additionally, after this course concludes, we will launch a ‘Train the Trainer’ programme to equip faculty members with the necessary skills to teach AI.” Meanwhile, Anupa Saha, a member of CU’s UG Board of Studies, pointed out that increasingly complex curricula and a shortage of teaching staff have contributed to declining enrolments in core science subjects. She added that initiatives like this could help rekindle students’ interest in pursuing higher education.