VTU seeks Infosys' expertise

The Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) is to evolve a technology and job-market forecasting model with the help of leading companies in the country. The proposal had come from its Vision Implementation Committee headed by vice-chancellor K Balaveera Reddy.

The committee, set up to give an impetus to the aspirations articulated in the vision document of the state's technological university, met on April 5 in Belgaum.

National Informatics Centre's former director general N Seshagiri, who is the architect of VTU's vision document, said under the ambit of VTU-EDUSAT network and the e-Learning initiative, knowledge-engineering infrastructure and facilities will be created in select engineering colleges in the state.

Similar to the ongoing efforts of having global companies like IBM, UGS, Sun Microsystems and Microsoft in imparting industry-specific skills for the students and faculty of VTU, the committee recommended providing generic skills like universal modelling language, CAD, CIM, application software development tools and soft skills.

On the use of education technology in colleges, the committee has decided to secure the help of Infosys to identify change agents in its affiliated colleges and enable them to facilitate the change.

Another recommendation of the committee is to immediately start a staff training centre at Belgaum for providing training and education to VTU staff and faculty for enhancing teaching, research and scholarship. Such a centre, it noted, will allow VTU to develop intellectual resources required for a world class university.

Taking into account the new developments in educational technology, the university has decided to focus on building support mechanisms in areas like information access, instructional design, learning management system, multi-media technology, students' portal and ICT services.

Also, VTU will procure an outdoor broadcasting van fitted with state-of-the-art equipment for transmission of lab classes in thrust areas like biotechnology and for bringing awareness to faculty and students on the latest facilities available in some of the reputed institutions.

This network will have two hubless VSAT terminals and high-end storage area network, one in Bangalore and the other in Belgaum, said the VC at the meeting.