Thiruvananthapuram: To improve employability, APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University has approved a provision for getting a minor degree, which students can pursue along with a major degree in engineering. As per the norms issued by the university recently, students without backlogs are only eligible to apply for the Minor in Engineering. They should earn additional 12 credits for the Minor in two years with the one year break of study provision as per the B. Tech regulation. For attaining the 12 credits, they should undergo minimum four courses of three credits each during the specified period.
The total number of contact hours will be 180 in 15 weeks. That is 45 contact hours per course (15x 3x 4 = 180). As specified by AICTE, the course curriculum must align with National Skill Qualifi-cation Framework (NSQF). Out of the four prescribed courses, it is suggested that two courses must be of Level 4, one course of Level 5 and one course of Level 6. Union ministry of skill development has prescribed many levels based on the academic standard of the candidates. Any agency will do curriculum design of the courses, but the curriculum committee formed for that particular “Minor” by the university must formally approve it and subsequently the Academic Committee as per the academic regulations, sources said.
The credentials of the resource personnel and trainer and the laboratory workshop facilities should be as per the standards prescribed by the university. The course assessment should be done as per the provisions of B. Tech ordinance under the title "Academic Assessment/ Evaluation". This evaluation is mandatory for earning credits as per the Academic regulations. The curriculum should be insulated from proprietary software and hardware, and everything should be on the free and open source platform. The facilities and services extended by government agencies such as ASAP, KSUM, KSDP, ICFOSS, ICT Academy to affiliated colleges should be tapped to the maximum possible extent for the benefit of students. As far as possible, private players must be avoided at least during the first phase of the "Minor in Engineering" implementation, the norms said.
