The University of Madras will offer online certificate and diploma courses from the coming academic year, S. Gowri, Vice-Chancellor, said on Tuesday. These courses include those in hotel management, tourism and computer science. The learning materials are ready, he told The Hindu after addressing a gathering at the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) in Chennai.
Earlier, speaking on The Role of Online Media in Science Education and Development at the Foundation Millennium Lecture Series, he said online classes were the saving grace during the COVID-19 pandemic when physical classes could not be held.
The online medium was here to stay, and it was pedagogy and teachers who made a difference in the education system. He also made clear that online education augmented classroom education.
Madhura Swaminathan, chairperson MSSRF, highlighted the long-standing association of the Foundation with University of Madras. She recalled that MSSRF had been recognised as a research centre by the University since 1995. “Our PhDs cover the fields of biodiversity, biotechnology, biodiversity conservation, and economics, and so far, 70 students have been awarded their PhD degrees from MSSRF. We have more than 280 publications by MSSRF scholars registered with the University.”
G.N. Hariharan, executive director MSSRF, said the ‘Millennium Lecture Series’ was a renowned talk series, which brings eminent speakers from all over the world to deliver lectures covering a wide range of topics relevant to science for sustainable development.
