AN ADAPTIVE CURRICULUM FOR HIGHER EDUCATION

The key challenges involved in providing a transformative experience for students in the Indian context, can be addressed by structuring a curriculum that not only suits every individual but also nurtures each individual by adapting itself to the changing trends in the society. This paper elaborates the various ways by which Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, India (BITS Pilani) has achieved this. BITS Pilani has had an adaptive and evolving curriculum structure to provide its students a unique educational experience since its inception in 1964. Modelled along the lines of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA in 1964, BITS Pilani has undergone numerous changes that were far ahead of other Indian Universities. This paper presents the most recent changes in its curriculum bringing in the pedagogy of learning by doing, bringing it in league with top universities of the world. Flagship programs of BITS like the Practice School Programme (PS) which fosters strong University-Industry collaboration, Dual Degree Scheme that allows the completion of two majors within a reasonable amount of time, Project type courses and Audit type courses that allows students to update their knowledge and skills in selected areas, etc. have suited the needs of both the industry and students from time and again. This paper examines why BITS Pilani introduced the Basket model of curriculum? Why the PS programme is distinctive and successful compared to similar Programmes of other Indian Universities? Why the Audit type courses were introduced as a part of the curriculum? Other flexibilities at BITS Pilani that are unique in the Indian Higher education system are also presented, which include; the departure from the normal pace of the programme to complete the programme at a faster pace in less than 8 semesters or at a slower pace in more than 8 semesters. This paper also elaborates how BITS leverages its interdisciplinary nature of common courses in providing the Dual Degree Scheme? Important features of the BITS Pilani system like the 'Earn-while-you-learn' Programme, continuous closed-loop feedback are also presented in detail. Lastly, the paper discusses the impact on the educational experience brought in by the ongoing project of BITS Pilani called 'BITS Connect 2.0' that envisions bringing state-of-the-art telepresence and inter-connectivity to all four campuses of BITS Pilani at different geographical locations in India and United Arab Emirates.