Pune University to start online classes from August 5

Pune, July 29, 2020: The Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) has designed online lectures of around a thousand hours of different courses that will be available to the existing students from August 5. The online content accounts for 40 percent of the entire syllabus, and the rest 60 percent will be taught once the colleges resume functioning physically.

The nation-wide spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has led to staggering lockdowns interrupting the regularity in operating industries, educational institutes, and other entities. Although schools and colleges have been shut since March — the first lockdown announced, the educational institutions had quickly adapted online methods of teaching and learning. Even SPPU had started to structure online classes to advance the commencement of the new academic year, uninterrupted. However, looking at the severity of pandemic in the state and across the country, there is no clarity on when will the educational institutions reopen. Hence, they are planning to roll out initial sessions on the digital platform.

Varsity ensures 100 percent reach to students
SPPU Vice-Chancellor Nitin Karmalkar informed that with using artificial intelligence several lectures have been digitally designed focusing on it’s accessibility to every student even with low internet connectivity. The size of the video clips has been kept low between 250-350 Mb so that students can easily access it. If at all any student is unable to attend the live class, then he/she can download the clips in a pendrive from the nearby centres and watch it.

Enabled interactive sessions; ensuring full-attendance
There will be interactive sessions enabling students to ask questions/doubts in between online classes. Also, after every few minutes, there will be a questionnaire available, and students will have to answer the expected percentage of questions to go ahead with the lectures. This has been mechanised to ensure students’ attendance in online classes. Nevertheless, SPPU has also developed a centralised system that enables to monitor the use of this technology by colleges– whether the colleges are taking lessons/conducting classes or not. A class of 100 students will be divided into four batches for easy interactive sessions.

The minister of state (higher and technical education) Prajakt Tanpure on his visit to SPPU on Tuesday had also appreciated the efforts taken by the university in building an online infrastructure for students.