Pune university plans ambitious Rs 70-cr makeover with ‘smart’ classrooms, labs

“Until now, there had been only superficial repairs to the classrooms where plastering or painting touch-ups would be done. But our plan envisages a smart classroom, the likes of which one sees in foreign varsities like Harvard or Oxford. Currently, we are in the process of preparing detailed tender documents and the restrictions and terms will be so stringent that only the best in the business will qualify. At least three different tenders will be floated for civil works, classroom furniture and general repairs and fourth for the classroom technology,” said Gade.

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Asked what he actually meant by a smart classroom, Gade said that they would be technology enhanced classrooms that foster opportunities for teaching and learning by integrating various kinds of learning technology.

“Firstly, all the classrooms will be centrally air-conditioned. The classrooms will have computers, projectors, specialised software, assistive listening devices, audio/visual capabilities and such things. For example, if a there is a class of anatomy in session and the professor wants to be able to show certain things to students, they should be able to connect to YouTube or such websites where they are able to demonstrate it to students. The classrooms would be connected to Wi-Fi technology and be interactive so that if in any corner of the world, there is a seminar or lecture being delivered which we register for or find necessary for our students, we should be able to connect to them. These classrooms would also facilitate guest faculty from all over the world to connect to our classrooms,” said Gade.

The plan goes a step further as the varsity officials want not just professors to use technology to make classroom learning more interesting, but even empower students in the process.

“Eventually, the technology will come to the aid of students as we plan for not just smart classrooms but smart desks as well. There will be connectivity on each desk and a student sitting in any part of the classroom can ask questions and send their inputs to the professors during the live lecture sessions,” said Gade.

Besides the classrooms, the modernisation plan also includes repairs and upgrade of all lifts and staircases, changing flooring and ceiling in and outside classrooms, besides beautification of the varsity campus. As far as the modernisation plan for laboratories is concerned, Gade said latest equipment would be bought besides modernising all kinds of electric connections, pipelines, exhaust lines, water supply, UPS system and power backups and so on.

“It is a massive project and one that hasn’t been undertaken ever before. Once completed, our classrooms and labs will be as good as any world-class classrooms. We will float the tenders within two months and even international companies can bid for it,” Gade said.