IIT-M makes final yr projects optional

Updated on: Thursday, February 09, 2012

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras has made final year projects for B.Tech students optional and replaced it with three theory papers from this academic year as most of the students were not taking the projects seriously.

IIT director Prof. Bhaskar Ramamurthi said that the faculty in some departments in the institute had been concerned about the projects and felt that these should not be made mandatory as unless the students took sufficient interest they would not be able to do anything significant in the three to four months of the project period.

Prof. Ramamurthi pointed out that the IIT-M’s senate had cleared the proposal to allow students the choice of doing a project or taking up three or four courses from the electives.

“Unless there is tremendous motivation, it will be very difficult for every student to do something significant in the project. Not every student is motivated. We can’t force

motivation,” he added.

He also noted that in regular engineering colleges, a group of students combined their efforts to do a project whereas in IITs every individual student needed to do a project on his own. “In the case of groups, one student does the project and others just watch. Here, you need a lot of interest to do something very well in four months,” he said.

According to the director, the change was made based on feedback received from the faculty.
“It can be from any of the electives. Be it theory papers or simulation-based work. The students will have to consult their faculty advisors and take up courses which make some coherent sense to their area of study and specialisation,” he said.

IIT-M makes final yr projects optional

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