Report

Post COVID-19 Minimum Common Strategy to address Operational Challenges

in Admissions, Evaluation and Assessments of Students in IITs

June 15, 2020

Submitted to Standing Committee of IIT Council (SCIC)

The report summarizes the recommendations from the Sub-Committee on the

Minimum Common Strategy to be followed by all IITs to address the following two
agenda items:

a) Operational challenges and modalities for starting the new session in IITs for
research scholars, PG and UG students, including issues related to fresh
admissions; and
b) Framework for assessment and evaluation of students in the just concluded/
ongoing semester to be followed by IITs, if necessary, separately for the
graduating and continuing students.

The composition of the Committee was as under:

1. Director, IIT Delhi - Convenor

2. Director, IIT Kanpur
3. Director, IIT Madras
4. Director, IIT Guwahati
5. Director, IIT Patna
6. Director, IIT Tirupati

The mandate of the Committee was to look into the following issues:

a) The contingency plan and risk management strategy to be adopted by IITs for
managing the operational challenges in campus for students, faculties and staff
post COVID-19;
b) The academic calendar and modalities to be adopted by IITs for commencing
classes for existing students and for fresh admissions for all courses i.e. UG,
PG & Ph.D.;
c) In view of extra-ordinary situation of COVID, suggest a Common Minimum
Framework to be adopted for assessment, evaluation and grading of students
of the IITs.

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To address the above mentioned issues, a meeting was held on June 12, 2020
followed by email discussions with participation from all committee members. Each
committee member shared the status and steps taken at their respective institutes and
highlighted the operational challenges specific to their institutes.

After the discussion, the following has been concluded as the Common Minimum
Framework:

(A) Admissions:
1. UG Admissions: To be as per the JEE schedule;
2. PG Admissions (including MSc, M.Tech, MS(R), M.Des, MA, MBA, Ph.D, and
other post-graduate programmes)
a. Selection process and interviews can take place online as is being done
in many institutions
b. Registration/Admission of students to be deferred:
i. All newly admitted students will join the institutes and start the
programme in December 2020 – January 2021 timeframe;
ii. All two-year PG programmes to be compressed in 18 months with
each institute to have flexibility in conducting the program over 3
regular or 4 reduced semesters.
iii. MBA and other similar programmes may move to a complete
online mode for the first semester and start as per schedule, if
required.

(B) Current Research Scholars (PhDs), post-docs and PG students engaged in

research as part of academic programs:
1. Only students who require experimental research facilities and others who need
other institute resources shall be permitted to return to the campus, on a
voluntary basis, consistent with the norms of the district in which the Institute is
located;
2. Institutes will allow other theoretical, mathematical and computational research
activities to be conducted (or, encouraged to conduct) remotely;
3. No individual shall be forced to return to campus; their return to campus has to
be voluntary, in consultation with their research advisors / supervisors, and
other relevant Institute authorities.

(C) Conclusion of Semester II, 2019-20:

Applicable to those institutes who have not concluded the Semester II (2019-
20. Individual Senate decisions apply here;
1. Teaching to be completed through online mode, along with any other short term
and smaller weightage evaluations through viva, online quizzes, online exams,
etc.

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 2. All examinations that are required to be conducted in proctored mode through
physical presence, should be done as and when it is deemed safe for students
to travel and take them;
3. In programmes or in courses where reliable online methods of examination are
possible, such evaluation may be permitted;
4. Grading modalities for courses to be decided by individual Senates
5. Laboratory Courses:
a. Remaining laboratory sessions and their exams may be conducted
physically when the students return to the campus
b. It is proposed to conduct laboratory sessions in intensive one/two week
manner or in next summer, whenever possible;

(D) Semester I (2020-21):

1. Students will be given Semester / Year drop option with no pre-conditions;
2. Semester I (2020-21) classes for all UG and PG programs to be conducted
in online mode for all courses, with short term and smaller weightage
evaluations through viva, online quizzes, take home exams, online exams,
etc.;
3. Only students who have poor connectivity or may not have access to internet
may be permitted to return to campus; Individual institutes to facilitate their
return. These students will also take the online classes from their hostels.
4. No individual shall be forced to return to campus, he/she shall take relevant
safety, quarantine and safe travel measures, as applicable;
5. Laboratory courses or laboratory component of courses to be deferred to later
time (maybe Summer 2021), when this may be completed in an intensive 2-
3 week period;
6. Projects in BTech, MTech or other programs to be given to students
preferably to be theoretical/computational or something that can be
completed remotely.
7. The situation will be reviewed again in October, 2020 and subsequent
measures, as deemed necessary, will be taken.

(E) Branch Change for 1st Year UG Students:

1. Every institute can decide to facilitate branch change option on the basis of
performance of current UG students over first one, two or three semesters;
2. It is proposed that institutes can do away for the option of Branch Change for
the upcoming UG class, if required.

(F) Safety Measures for Students coming back to Campus:

1. Relevant quarantine, isolation and travel safely measures will be taken by
institutes for the students returning / joining the campus
2. Institute will follow the instructions from local and state authorities, as
applicable, with the COVID-19 protocols

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 3. Institutes shall devise relevant Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for
various research, administration, teaching and hostel activities to contain the
spread of COVID-19 virus.

(G) COVID-19 Testing for returning students:

1. IIT Delhi will facilitate for an adoption and implementation of cheaper COVID-
19 testing kit, developed by IIT Delhi
a. The probe-free RT-PCR kit is already approved by ICMR and licensed
to 6 companies
b. The expected per test cost will be in the range of Rs. 600-800. Pool
testing is preferred for large communities.
2. A partnership with national level pathological laboratories may be adopted to
execute the cheaper testing of IIT community members- students, staff and
faculty in the respective cities.
3. MHRD will be requested to facilitate administratively through Health ministry for
large scale pool testing on IIT campuses at an affordable cost.
4. Many IITs have developed a variety of PPEs and other technologies for fighting
COVID-19 which must be put to use as much as possible in our fight against
COVID.

Prof. V. Ramgopal Rao

Director, IIT Delhi (Convenor)

Prof. Abhay Karandikar

Director, IIT Kanpur

Prof. Bhaskar Ramamurthy

Director, IIT Madras

Prof. T. G. Sitharam
Director, IIT Guwahati

Prof. Pushpak Bhattacharyya

Director, IIT Patna

Prof. K.N. Satyanarayana

Director, IIT Tirupati