Many IIT students struggle in first year
840 students, 6.89 per cent failed in Mathematics (first semester), 9.95% failed in Maths
By : n. arun kumar
Update: 2014-08-09 05:39 GMT
Chennai: IIT aspirants may secure top marks in Class 12 and in the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) to get admission in a IIT. However, a few seem to fail in main subjects like Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry.
Data provided by IIT-Madras reveal that of the 840 students, 6.89 per cent failed in Mathematics (first semester), 9.95% failed to clear Maths in second semester, 10.46% in Chemistry, 5.3 per cent in Physics (first semester), 1.3 per cent in Physics (second semester), Thermodynamics (10.73 per cent) and engineering drawing (2.4 per cent).
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, former deputy director and professor emeritus at IIT-M's ocean engineering department Prof V.G. Idichandy says that students don't take IIT system seriously in the first year as they had spent all their childhood in coaching centres so they want to relax in the first year.
“Considering the high calibre of students at IITs, the numbers are not alarming as all technical institutions in the country have a similar story. They think JEE is the end of life and they don't realise there is a life beyond it at IITs. It is also not possible in IITs to provide individual care given the large size of classes,” he said.
Prof Idichandy, who had also served the institute as dean (students) points out that the teaching methodology in coaching centres and IITs differ, which makes transition difficult for the student in first year.
Asked about the steps IIT-M administration had done to help students, a senior faculty at the institute said that shifting workshop courses to summer the institute had reduced the course load of students in the first year.
“Students who require hand holding are identified early, through their first quiz performance and a 'study-circle' system is arranged in the respective departments by involving senior dual degree students and a faculty mentor. They help these students by clarifying their doubts, make them work out problems with graded difficulty and provide the required academic support and confidence-building measures,” the faculty said.
A student said that he comes from a rural background and it had become difficult for him to adapt to urban conditions immediately. “I am not strong in English and even before we settle down, our first semester exam starts. The mentor system helped me a lot to come out with good scores in the second year,” he said.