 Good morning and warm welcome to this conclave. Unfortunately, Professor Sridhar Iyer, who is the currently officiating head of the CDP is about to come, but I thought we will start the proceedings. I will request Professor Kalyappan, our associate dean of R&D to come and preside over the small 15 minute initial part. Since the major national mission projects as well as the MOOCs activities work under the umbrella of Compressions and Engineering Department, my colleague and my boss, Professor Sridarshan, head of the Compressions Department is here. I would just like to request him to come and welcome you on behalf of the department. Thank you Professor Fahir. As you can see, he loves to embarrass me no end by calling me his boss. He is a person who recruited me here, but it's nice to have all of you here. I'd like to give you a warm welcome. The welcome is a little cooler than in the last few days. So, we have arranged a good weather for all the few to be here. So, it's a very interesting juncture which we are in today, where you are talking about MOOCs and blended MOOCs, but the story is actually a lot bigger than that. Technology has enabled a completely different way of doing things across so many areas like banking, exam results, whatever you name it, technology has changed things. The part which it has affected least is us as teachers. You can do certain things online and grading of certain forms online, but there are limits today to what you can do and that's where blended MOOCs plays a major role to beat those limits. But that doesn't mean that we should be happy with just blended MOOCs because there's a lot more interesting things which can be done. For example, if today how do we run JEE or advance JEE or whatever else? It's multiple choice questions. You darken a circle or something and that's a silly way of assessing somebody's knowledge. You should be able to assess the design. How can this person write a program? Can this person design a circuit? There are so many things which one would like to test for. That is something which is graded by humans today. But going forward, it would be nice to have all of these automated. I think we are at a juncture where people are looking at these issues. Can you take something free form like a program or a design and grade it not necessarily just 0-1, is it working or not working, but even with partial marks and so forth? Can you tailor a learning thing to individual students, which is an idea which is very old? If you see computer games which are display for the last 20 years almost they've had such features where they're given more training and slowly moved up. But that is something which is totally lacking in our system. At colleges, I'm sure it's true in your place as much as it is in IIT, we have some students who are struggling, some students who are bold. That's not a good situation. Can we use technology to fix this? So there are a lot of very interesting challenges. And I think many of you might be from computer science or electrical engineering departments. And this is a research agenda for us to work on. And this is something which many of us, you and us here at IIT, are in a good position to address because of the scale of things that we have in India, which is vastly more than anywhere else. And the shortage of good faculty that we have, which other countries do not feel so much. I think it's a very good challenge for India and I hope that many of you and us will be working on this. So with that, let me hand it back and hope you have a very productive and useful time during the workshop. I'm very happy to introduce Professor Sridhar Ayer, as I mentioned some time ago. He's currently the officiating head of CDP. But we know him more because of his extraordinary work in research in pedagogy of education, blending online and the other things. Along with Professor Sahana Murthy, our other colleague, he has been single-handedly persuading that activity in our educational technology department. I think at one time, he was formally guiding eight PhD students and informally guiding 14 others. I do not know how it is. He'll still do that. So you'd just like to say hello to them. That's all. Yeah. Thank you for being here today. And some of the things that we would be also talking about later on as the MOOCs go on is how to ensure that your students are actively engaged with the material. So that's the research which Professor Fartak was mentioning, that how to, even though it's a distance mode and even though students may be remote, we do want to ensure that they're all engaged with the curriculum and not just looking at it just before the exam and things like that. So there are a lot of small things which instructors can do, which can improve the learning gain of the course significantly. So some of that we will be talking about later. Thank you, Professor Sridhar. May I now request Professor Kalyappan to formally welcome you. Sudarshan, Mr. Sridhar here, faculty, colleagues, students, MOOCs team, and all the distinguished guests. It is indeed a great pleasure to welcome all of you to this front-lave of blended MOOCs. Okay, so I am not a computer scientist. I am not a software engineer. So first of all, I will make my point clear. So I only use computer for our protein use. But still, technology plays a very important role in all our day-to-day activities. Further, as you know, technology also evolves over decades. If you can recall, in 60s and 70s, we were all obsessed with transistors. So then it moved to tape recorder, then to TV, and now we are. So every day you see ads on smart phones and how this can be used. In fact, our kids are telling what we are using is highly outdated. So likewise, in teaching also, technology plays a very important role. So we were using black boards, still we continue to use. Then we moved to white boards. Then we used transparencies using projectors. And for overhead projectors, now we have a laptop with a projector. Okay, so how the technology is helping our students and teachers. So this is where our Siddhi and distant education program helps a lot. And in olden days, when we missed a lecture, that's it, we missed a lecture. When you have to depend on your best friend, who may not be best student. So whatever he learned from him, we have to understand. Now things are not like that, isn't it? So things have improved. It's like TV. So you wanted to watch a program and you could not. Now we have Tata Sky, we have Dish TV, so you can record. And whenever you want, whenever you are free, you can go and then watch. The same way, this is what MOOCs has done. You can listen to the best teachers in profession, sitting in remote corner, okay, and also whenever you want. And when you have doubt, again, you can go back and then listen. So this is the technology which has helped teachers as well as students from remote areas. So IIT Bombay has taken up several national mission projects. And this is one of the important initiative from IIT Bombay and Professor Fartag has done many such national projects. And I always, you know, appreciate his bubbling enthusiasm in whatever you do. And his bubbling enthusiasm is highly contagious. It percolates down to all these team members and you can see how active they are. So IIT Bombay is very keen and we will continue to support whatever possible to support such activities. On behalf of IIT Bombay, I wish this conclave a grand success and I am sure this will also decide the future course of action of plundered MOOCs. Once again, I extend a warm welcome to all of you and have a nice day. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Professor Cleve. So before handing over the mic to all participants to briefly introduce yourselves, I will request each one to just mention the name, the current position and the name of the institution. We will keep it short. The idea is that while all of us have names of everyone, we would like to attach a face to that name. So when I request my colleague to move the mic around, instead of facing the dais, I would appreciate if the person faces the group so that they all can see that person very clearly. I would only like to add to what Professor Kalyapin says. Undoubtedly, today for the first time in the history, you can unwind a lecturer and listen to him again, which is not possible in a conventional classroom. But the fact that anybody can see it at any time often means at no time one sees it. So although the conventional classroom method and teaching is under stress, but there is no denying that that method actually enforces a discipline of a time sequence during which a large number of students come together, necessarily work together either in the classroom or in the labs and interact with each other. And there is an undoubted great element of learning that happens because of that. An online, completely online teaching in my opinion is not adequate because it removes the synchronous and spontaneous human interaction that our current system permits. And this effort is nothing but trying to get on the other hand, we know the great things that online education brings to the table. So this is an attempt to actually bring both these systems together, what I call mainstreaming the MOOCs on to our normal education. And I am convinced that this cannot happen unless there is a recognition of the formal system, whatever limited little way that MOOCs work is as important for the students as their work in our normal teaching. So this is the attempt. Without further ado, I will request my colleague to move the mic. May I request? Good morning. I am Malik Arjun Babu, Principal BMS College of Engineering, Bangalore. Good morning. I am Dr. Anil Kumar Nasa. I am Member Secretary of the National Board of Education. Good morning. I am Prati Parma. I am currently an advisor with NDA. Professor N. K. Roy from NIT Durgaapur, Associate Dean of Academic. Kamal Bijlani, Director Amrita E. Learning. B.S. Umre, R.C. Coordinator, V.N. I.T. Nagpur. I am Shekhar Bhole. I am Dean of Academic Matters at Yashwant Rao Chauhan College of Engineering, Nagpur. I am Sanjeev Tokekar from Devi Elev, Shridhale, Institute of Engineering Technology, Indore. I am Professor M.K. Jha from Modi University. I am Associate Dean of Engineering. I am Professor K. V. Gangadharan, President Head Mechanical from NADK Suratkar. Good morning. I am Uday Joshi from Somay Engineering College, former Head of Computer and I.T. Department. Good morning. This is V.R. Amaraju from Gokaraju Rangaraju Institute of Engineering and Technology. I am the Co-ordinator and R.C. Coordinator from Hyderabad. Good morning. I am Myself Manjuna Chari from Geeta University, Hyderabad. Good morning. Myself Shoma Brutusahar, remote center coordinator of G.I.S. College of Engineering, O.S. Bengal. Good morning to all of you. Myself Parj Shah from Charuset Gujarat Heading I.T. Department. Good morning all of you. I am Dr. Ravindra Babu, President Head C.S.C. Department, V.N.R. Vignan Jyothi, Hyderabad. Good morning to all. I am CSR Kaprasad from NIT Varangal, looking after Dean of Alumni Affairs. Good morning to all. I am Dr. P. Maaran, remote center coordinator, Thiyarajir College of Engineering, Madurai Tamil Nadu. Good morning. I am Gopal, Professor in Charge for Curriculum Development, SRM University, Chennai. Good morning. I am Dr. Vinendra Singh. I am Director, NIT Manipur, Edmipa. Good morning, Mohanenal. I am Dr. Preeti, Head of Electronics Department and Deputy Dean of academics at M.A.T. University, Haryana. Good morning. I am the remote center coordinator coming from S.J. College of Engineering. I am also heading the Electrical Department. My name is R.S. Anandmurthy. I am Dr. Shailendra Kumar Shrasthav from Sambarath Dasturk Technological Institute Engineering College, Piteeshya. Hello. I am Dr. Rahul Chauhgule. I am Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering Department from Walshan College of Engineering, Sangali. Myself, Dr. Sanjeev Jain. I work as a Director, Mother Institute of Technology and Science, Gwalior. Good morning. I am D.A. Mehta, Professor and Head Computer Engineering Department, GSITS in Lahore. Good morning, everyone. I am Sushma Kulkarni from Raja Ram Bapu Institute of Technology. I am Director. Very good morning. Myself, Vashti Mareef. I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering in I.T. Cilture. And I am presently the remote center coordinator of that center. I am Mukade Selya, I am from I.T. Cilture. I am the Dean of the Student Unified. Thank you. Good morning. I am Murga Nandan, Assistant Professor in Department of Computer Science and Application, Periyar Mani M.A. University, Tamil Nadu. Good morning. I am B.N. Soudhari, Professor of Electrical and Dean Quality Assurance, College of Engineering, Pune. Good morning. Myself, Chandrasekhar Sivatkar, I am from College of Engineering, Pune, Faculty in Mechanical Engineering. Hi. I am Mohit Patel. I work as Vice President, R.K. University in Gujarat. Good morning, everyone. I am Kirinder Mishra, Associate Dean, Computer Engineering Department Head in Mukesh Patel, School of Technology Management and Engineering, MMS University, Mumbai. Good morning. I am G.P. Bhole from Vijay T.I. I am a remote center coordinator and I am from Computer Engineering and I.T. Department. Good morning. I am Mr. Sunil Kure from Valchand College of Engineering. I am a remote center coordinator and Dean of Economics in Valchand College of Engineering. I am Dr. Usha, Professor of Computer Science and Engineering and Dean R.R.Rendi, Sona College of Technology, Salem, Tamil Nadu. Good morning, everyone. I am Dr. T.Ravidhi, Heading I.T. Department in Mukushlank Engineering College, Sivagasi. And I am also a R.C. coordinator. Good morning. I am Shubh Rindu Guhanayogi from Sarapadampa Singhani University, Udaipur. I am Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering and Head I.C.D. Thank you. Good morning. I am Dr. Saravanan, Principal of Banari Manin Institute of Technology, Satya Mangalam. Good morning. I am Bala Murugan, Dean School of Communication and Computer Sciences, Kungu Engineering College, and also the Executive Director of the Technology Business Incubator in the Campus. Good morning. I am Dr. Ratnavel, Vice Principal and Head of Computer Science and Engineering, Dr. Magalingam College of Engineering and Technology, Koyamthu. Good morning. My name is Shivakumar, R.C. coordinator, PSG College of Technology, Koyamthu. Hello. Good morning. I am Dr. Manush Kumar Deshpande. I am Associate Dean of Mukesh Patil School of Technology, Management and Engineering, NMIMS, and Sherupur Campus. Good morning. Myself, Harshad Gune, I am Deputy Director of Simbasi Institute of Computer Studies, Pune. Good morning to you all. This is Dr. Prasanna Kumar, Principal of SVP College of Engineering, Vishak Bhatnam. Good morning to one and all. I am Dr. Sanjay Kumar, Associate Professor from Gayatri Vijayapasad College of Engineering, Vishak Bhatnam. Thank you. Good morning to all. I am Professor Laljit Prasad, R.C. coordinator and Head of Department, CS and IT department from Truba College of Engineering, Indore. Good morning. I am Parthasarithi Mallik, working for the Vellore District of Technology as the Dean of School of Electrical Engineering. Thank you. Good morning to all. I am Dr. Ilangu, from KS Rangasamy College of Technology, Tiruchangur Tamil Nadu, Akash coordinator and R.C. coordinator of our college. Thank you. Good morning everybody. I am Dr. Rakesh Singai, coming from RGPV Bhopal, working as a registrar and prior to that I am the, I was the head of the electronics department there. Good morning. This is Prashan Borkar, Dean, MIS, G.H. Rajasthani College of Engineering, Napa. Good morning, Myself, Shumondi from National Institute of Technology, Agartul. I am Associate Dean and also the R.C. Thank you. Very good morning, friends. I am Dr. Gopal Moghara, Director of NIT, Agartula, Tripuradis. Good morning. I am Sunil Sarangi, Director of NIT, Rao Kalla. I would also like to take this opportunity to very briefly introduce portions of our team. We have a very large team working on various national projects as Prof. Kalyapa mentioned. You see only a glimpse of that. So, where do I begin? Let me begin with our T-10KT workshop coordination team led by Dr. Mukta Atre. You might have been in touch with her anyway. She has her team sitting there, Kanan and can you just raise hands and Suresh and Mahendra. Okay. We have Kalpana Kannan who heads our contents group in MOOCs related courses. Jaya, who is our finance minister, she is the one responsible for handing over checks for your TFS today. So, I think she is an important person. She also pays the salary for all our staff and so on. Of course, it is approved by the dean, but the paperwork has to be handled. We have Sajjan Dixit who is head of our video team. So, all the recordings of our courses and AVU, et cetera, et cetera is handled by his team. You see some of them here. We also have a logistic team which is not represented here. It primarily handled Akash project related activities. Now, come back to the MOOCs and start with the smallest end work that is detailed work. So, detailed work of contents is handled by Kalpana team as I mentioned. We have Paraj Tiwari heads our MOOCs related software development for essentially for what we call the big data analytics cloud and other things. And also part of the MIS activities. So, a small team under him which works for MIS, Tushar Manali and Amitabh will just stand up. These are the three people who handle this. The main task of the IIT Bombay X platform development and its operations are handled. The operations are handled by our this admin group. We have three or four system administrators who manage the cloud and the local purpose led by Avilash. But the main task as I said of the IIT Bombay X platform. For your information IIT Bombay X is a platform which is built on top of the open source open edX platform. And it has been Indianized in the sense that we have added a whole lot of Indian language capabilities for the static pages. For the courses that we offer for example, course contents have been dubbed into Hindi and are available. Our idea is that multiple Indian languages should be possible to be used for these courses for the benefit of other long. Now that effort is headed by that software development effort is headed by Aparna Pansare. Aparna Pansare's group is not here but there is another group which is working collaterally and handles the T10KT related websites and others and that is led by Shweta. Shweta can you just say hello to them. Now the entire software effort as you know cannot be handled even by senior software specialist. You require somebody to lead the whole effort. Similarly for coordinating various documentation and various activities we require somebody who is better than all these things. I am very fortunate to have two of my personal close friends for decades but as advisors on these national mission projects. So one is Prakash Vaidya who helps us coordinate all kinds of activities as related to their workflow and documentation. And the most important person perhaps in the team is Mr. Avinash Aute. He actually heads our entire software development group person. So even the teams which work independent of his group I will always seek his advice to find out what is right and wrong. He is very good at pointing out what is wrong in anything that you present to him. He is an alumnus of IIT Bobby. He worked as a very senior executive in Tata Consultancy Services several years ago. He took volunteer men to do social work. He will be surprised to know that his penchant is for education even when he was working in TCS. And the social work that he started was to coach under privileged family students into joint entrance exam coach. So I said why don't you do an additional social work by advising us when those students come to IIT what do they do. So that is how he joined us. He has been an advisor with us and of course I mean as a stalwart of TCS there are very few people like him who can understand issues in software. He is the one who personally supervises the Indianization of the open source platform. He is the one who is busy developing the platform for the next stage for the blended MOOCs which will be delivered later. But when I said we want to do this thing in a hurry he and his team and all the other people have worked to bring this quickly together. Dr. Subhadra is here. Subhadra has been my colleague for over 40 years. She is actually the chief system administrator for the department of computer science. And as I said it is the department of computer science which helps us and supports us. So she works constantly with Abhilash's team. Incidentally the mini cloud that we have set up here is based on mostly open source technologies and we would like those of your institutions who are interested in setting up this similar infrastructure at your places. So most welcome to actually see this and take it. We release IIT Bombay X code is also available on Jithub as open source. So you can just download it, change the thing to your own institution and start using it. You can do the same thing with open edx.