Education needs to adopt an interdisciplinary approach

In the last five years, the most significant event that happened was Covid-19. The pandemic has naturalised the whole concept of online education. Before, online education was not a trend in India. But post-Covid-19, almost all higher education institutes in India have adopted online education, hybrid education and online programmes with campus immersions. University Grants Commission (UGC) has supported this change. It is also aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. Academic Bank of Credits introduced as part of NEP allows a student to accumulate credit from different institutions for academic qualification. More and more individuals are accepting this new way of learning. So, it’s a big change in the education system in India.

In fact, I strongly believe that hybrid learning will continue to stay. If you look at the Indian context, the demand for high-quality education is increasing. However, building infrastructure to provide high-quality education to a large number of students is a challenging task. The solution lies in expanding the infrastructure of the knowledge cloud for online education. India has a rich pool of talent, which can only be exploited if high-quality education reaches more people. Leveraging the knowledge cloud infrastructure offers a practical solution to bridge this gap and make education more widely available.

Technology has transformed the way we learn and acquire knowledge, and at IIT Jodhpur, education has been organised for some time now in a more interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary way. The goal is to further strengthen this approach. In today’s scenario, for example, civil engineers are also delving into advanced AI applications within traditional civil engineering, showcasing the integration of data-driven science and AI across all engineering cores. To keep pace with these changes, education needs to adopt an interdisciplinary approach. Foundational elements, now crucial for any technological process, must be seamlessly integrated across disciplines. Moreover, skills such as creative thinking, design thinking, and the ability to formulate and develop scalable solutions of problems are becoming a necessity in engineering education. We have expanded the School of Liberal Arts at IIT Jodhpur with its programmes intricately woven into various aspects of engineering education for integrating humanistic values.

Recognising the importance of cross-disciplinary collaboration, there is also a concerted effort to promote dialogue between liberal arts, engineering, design, and management at our institution. IIT Jodhpur is also offering postgraduate programmes at the design school, programmes on Computational Social Science and Digital Humanities.

In today’s world, a graduate from IIT will possibly change their professional skills not just once but possibly three times in his/her career. So, it’s important to have a strong understanding of the fundamentals and the ability to not only solve a problem but spot a problem. This is where creativity becomes valuable, and that's why we are incorporating creative components into our programmes. Also, students today need to learn how to work in multidisciplinary groups. So, all these are being embedded into the curriculum and we are actively exploring more ways to enhance this approach. For example, we are collaborating on a medical technology programme with AIIMS. Also, we are working on sustainability, especially in the context of climate change adaptation, which is extremely critical. We believe there’s much more to be done in these areas to create a better ecosystem for our country. Clean energy and access to drinking water are also key areas of focus for us.

Meanwhile, AI is transforming how businesses work. AI is automating fundamental functions across various industries, including IT. I foresee a significant transformation in the IT industry over the next 2-3 years, affecting tasks like programming, coding, and system configuration. The question arises: will there still be a need for professionals skilled in languages like Python or others? As AI becomes more prevalent, the IT industry will undergo substantial changes, influencing the job market. However, reflecting on the past IT boom in India, we understand that adaptation to new technologies creates wealth and job opportunities.

Our strategy moving forward should mirror the past. Therefore, our academic institutions have to provide graduates to use AI across disciplines and create value out of it. I also want to highlight that there’s a trend to ignore core engineering. Parents often steer students away from fields like material or metallurgy engineering in favour of computer science. Yet, the significance of core engineering is resurging, especially as materials become increasingly critical. Data-driven technology is now integrating into core engineering, offering superior growth prospects. Engineering institutes must reassess their focus, and parents need to understand the value of core engineering. This can foster the creation of quality manpower that can provide India with an advantage in terms of AI.

The author is the Director of IIT Jodhpur. A keen researcher and a thorough academic, Professor Chaudhury has about 300 publications in peer reviewed journals and conference proceedings, 15 patents and 4 authored/edited books to his credit.