The National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL), a collaborative effort involving IITs and IISc, has introduced new courses covering electric vehicles, renewable energy, design for IoT, and business and sustainable development for the July 2021 semester via the Swayam platform. Enrollment for the July–December 2021 semester is now open, with the deadline for the first set of NPTEL courses set for August 2. These courses, taught by faculty from IITs and IISc, can be accessed through swayam.gov.in/NPTEL.
Vignesh Muthuvijayan, NPTEL coordinator at IIT Madras, highlighted that students and faculty from these institutions often undertake NPTEL courses to enhance their knowledge and skills. Popular courses on the NPTEL platform include data science for engineers, programming in Python, C, C++, introduction to machine learning, soft skills, and project planning and control, among others.
NPTEL offers certification courses through the MOOCs format, requiring learners to watch online videos, submit assignments regularly, and optionally register for a proctored final exam with a nominal fee. Upon successfully clearing the NPTEL certification exam, students can request credit transfers if approved by their educational institution.
According to IIT Madras, NPTEL has garnered over 1.4 crore enrolments to date. NPTEL videos have accumulated more than one billion views, and NPTEL YouTube channels boast over 3.1 million subscribers.
To guide learners and help them specialize in a particular area, NPTEL has introduced the concept of ‘Domain Certification.’ A domain encompasses a set of core and elective NPTEL courses, and there are currently 51 domains across 12 disciplines. Obtaining domain certification does not incur additional charges, and 85 learners have completed domain certification from NPTEL to date.
Harshwardhan Patil, a 15-year-old student from Savitribai Phule High School in Nanded, Maharashtra, stands out as one of the youngest NPTEL learners. He has successfully completed five certification courses through NPTEL, covering Effective Writing, Soft Skills Development, Stress Management, Biochemistry, and English Language for Competitive Exams.
