About Distance Learning Programmes

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

About  Distance  Learning  Programmes


Introduction

Description of Programmes Offered

Collaborative Programmes Currently Offered

Distance Learning Programmes Currently Offered

Invitation for New Collaborations


BITS, Pilani , India offers Off-campus Distance Learning and Collaborative Programmes. Both of which are conducted as a means of Continuing Education for employed professionals .

Two basic categories of programmes are offered :-

  • Off-Campus Distance Learning Programmes
  • Off-Campus Collaborative Programmes

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Introduction

Over the past three decades, the educational activities of the Institute have extended beyond the campus. This has been principally due to institutionalized linkages established by the Institute with various industries, R&D organizations, developmental agencies, etc. This activity for all the on-campus programmes is through the Practice School which as an integral component of the academic curriculum takes the classroom for a specified period to a professional location where the students and the faculty along with the industry experts get involved in real-life problems.

Since 1979, the Institute has been participating in the human resources development activities of the industries by evolving several degree programmes by integrating the working environment of the employees with the learning environment required by the Institute. These programmes were first started as M.E. (Collaborative) programmes in 1979. Later, from 1988, the work integrated learning philosophy has been extended to programmes like First Level Diploma in Computer Applications, Instrument Servicing & Maintenance, Workshop Technology, Nautical Sciences; M.V.S in Computer Operations & Applications, Information Management, Physician Assistant, Footwear Technology; B.S. in Technological Operations, Pharmacy Operations, Industrial Management, Process Engineering, Engineering & Industrial Technology, Optometry, Physician Assistant, Power Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Marine Engineering, Nautical Technology, Engineering Technology, Information Systems, Ophthalmic Assistant, Industrial Engineering & Technology, Nautical Sciences; M.Sc. (Tech.) Pharmaceutical Chemistry; M.S. in Systems & Information, Computer Science, Electronics & Control, Pharmacy Operations, Technological Operations, Life Sciences, Biomedical Sciences, Design Engineering, Habitat Technology, Chemical Technology, Consciousness Studies, Consultancy Management, Engineering Management, Industrial Production & Management, Management Systems, Medical Laboratory Technology, Microelectronics, Quality Management, Software Engineering, Software Systems, Manufacturing Management, e-Business, Pharmaceutical Operations and Management, Telecommunication & Software Engineering; Mechanical Systems Design, Embedded Systems, M.Phil. in Mathematics, Physics, Science Communication & Journalism, Astronomy & Planetarium Sciences, Cardiac Sciences, Hospital & Health Systems Management, Optometry, Physician Assistant and Off-campus Ph.D. 

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Description of Programmes

The Institute conducts off-campus degree programmes as a means of continuing education for employed professionals as part of the human resource development programmes of specific organizations at various off-campus centres. The Institute's Senate has authorized the Institute to run the off-campus degree programmes in every degree in which an on-campus degree programme is already run in the Institute. For the conduct of all these programmes, the basic requirement is the participation of the collaborative organization by extending physical and other facilities and by agreeing to integrate their work requirements with the academic requirements of the Institute for the pursuit of the degree programme. The Distance Learning Programmes Division operates all these programmes. In all these programmes, emphasis is on self-learning and the pedagogy attempts to incorporate as many modern technologies as desirable. While every one of these programmes requires collaboration of an organization, some programmes have a highly structured collaboration with planned classroom activities and some programmes may have less structured planning. While a number of degrees are offered through structured collaboration with many collaborating organizations, there are also degrees, which are available in an open manner as Distance Learning Programmes for a large number of organizations, each of which may sponsor only few students. For the sake of identification, the structured collaborative programmes are classified as collaborative programmes and other programmes as distance learning programmes. It is possible that if any organization sponsors a large number of students regularly and provides facilities for a structured arrangement, then any of the programmes that are currently classified as distance learning programmes can also be classified as collaborative programmes or it is also possible that some programmes appear in both classifications as of the current option. For all these programmes, faculty/resource persons are drawn from the Institute, the participating organizations as well as experts from other Institutions. 

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Table 1. Currently Operative Off Campus Collaborative Programmes at a Glance

Programme

Collaborating / Sponsoring Organization

First Level Diploma
First Level Diploma in Nautical Sciences Tolani Education Foundation, Mumbai
B.S. Programmes
Engineering and Industrial Technology Bharat Dynamics Limited, Hyderabad
Industrial Engineering and Technology Ashok Leyland, Chennai & Hosur
Manufacturing Engineering  Ford India Limited, Chennai
Marine Engineering Tolani Maritime Institute, Induri; RL Institute of Nautical Sciences, Madurai
Ophthalmic Assistant Sankara Nethralaya, Chennai
Optometry Sankara Nethralaya, Chennai; L V Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad
Physician Assistant Institute of Cardio-Vascular Diseases, Chennai
Power Engineering National Thermal Power Corporation
Process Engineering GRASIM, Nagda; Finolex Industries, Ratnagiri, Indogulf Fertilizers & Chemicals, Jagdishpur and CPCL, Chennai.
M.Sc. (Tech.) Programme
Pharmaceutical Chemistry Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Limited, Hyderabad
M.E.(Collaborative) Programme
Project Engineering Development Consultants Limited, Calcutta
M.S. Programmes
Chemical Technology Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad
Consciousness Studies Bhakthivedanta Institute, Mumbai
Consultancy Management Consultancy Development Centre, New Delhi
e-Business Cognizant Technology Solutions, Chennai
Engineering Management Ashok Leyland, Chennai and Hosur
Industrial Production and Management GRASIM, Nagda
Management Systems SPIC, Chennai
Manufacturing Management  DJ Academy for Managerial Excellence, Coimbatore
Medical Laboratory Technology Sankara Nethralaya, Chennai
Microelectronics Texas Instruments, Wipro Technologies, Tata Elxsi Bangalore
Pharmaceutical Operations and Management Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Limited, Hyderabad
Quality Management Indian Institute of Quality Management, Jaipur
Software Engineering Wipro Technologies, Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad; Tata Elxsi, Bangalore; Cognizant Technology Solutions, HCL Technologies, Chennai; Satyam Computer Services, Hyderabad.
Telecommunications & Software Engineering Wipro Technologies, Bangalore
M.Phil. Programmes
Hospital and Health Systems Management CMC Hospital, Vellore; Tulane University Medical Centre New Orleans, Louisiana, USA and Bombay Hospital, Mumbai
Optometry Sankara Nethralaya, Chennai
Physician Assistant Institute of Cardio-Vascular Diseases, Chennai

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Table 2. Currently Operative Distance Learning Programmes at a Glance

B.S.

M.S.

1.      Engineering Technology

2.      Information Systems

1.      Manufacturing Management

2.      Software Systems

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Invitation for New Collaborations

The Institute looks for a viable number (around 50) of candidates sponsored by an organization or a group of organizations for a degree programme. Any organization interested in having a dialogue with the Institute for offering any collaborative and innovative programme directed towards the human resource development needs of their industry may write to the Institute. The Institute has an open mind to offer any of the existing programmes or devise any other new programme for their benefit. For further details contact

The Dean
Distance Learning Programmes Division
BITS, Pilani (Rajasthan)- 333031
Phone: 91-1596-42210  Fax: 91-1596-44183 

 
 
 

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