Asutosh College, affiliated to the University of Calcutta, is one of the most well known landmarks on the educational landscape of Kolkata. Founded in 1916 by one of the pioneers of modern education in India, Sir Asutosh Mookerjee, the college, earlier known as South Suburban College (renamed Asutosh College in 1924, after the demise of its founder), was set up initially to cater to the educational needs of South Calcutta/Kolkata. It soon transcended the limitations of the locality and established itself as a premier institute of learning, not only of Kolkata, but also of West Bengal and its neighboring states. The first college in West Bengal to undergo the process of Assessment and Accreditation by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) of India, in 2002, under the new scheme initiated by the UGC, Asutosh College, now in its post centennial years, had received A in its 2nd cycle of reaccreditation. It is now preparing itself for the 3rd round of reaccreditation in this neo normal situation.
With its avowed Tagorean motto- Jnan Jetha Mukto, ‘Where Knowledge is Free’ – our College attempts not just to disseminate knowledge irrespective of differences, but also, in keeping with the Tagorean vision of education, to promote a more holistic approach towards the same as a means of liberating the mind and spirit from the bondage of ignorance, prejudice, and unreason.
Asutosh College which began its journey as an Intermediate level college in pre independent India, is today a centre of Postgraduate studies and research, with B. Voc. and Community College schemes reinforcing its reputation as an institution that promotes education for all. The college has consistently maintained a sustained program of development, the pace of which has gained momentum with every passing year.
It currently runs Undergraduate courses in twenty six (26) subjects, including Bachelor of Business Administration, six (6) Postgraduate courses, besides courses under B. Voc. and Community College schemes. It also successfully runs 21 certificate courses and various other training courses.
Imparting quality education using effective and efficient teaching tools in a century old academic institution like Asutosh College has always been an area of prime focus since its inception. Accomplishment of this goal is aptly reflected in the glorious alumni of the college who are placed at various regional, national and global platforms and are performing exceedingly well and serving the society at large. Prior to the pandemic situation, the College administration had a well defined blue print regarding implementation of teaching tools for communicating with the students which are outlined below;
However, this system came to a complete halt in March 2020 when in West Bengal, academic institutions were closed due to the ongoing Covid 19 pandemic. The world was facing a huge crisis and it seemed with each unfolding day that none of us in any part of the globe were prepared to deal with this viral attack.
After the initial couple of months in 2020 post the national lockdown, a new journey began in academics in our college wherein both mentor and mentee were learning together in a cohesive manner. This journey which started with innumerable ways viz. what’s app conference calls, zoom meetings, team link to clear doubts of students has really come a long way. Today, we have reached a stage where our students can attend live sessions of Nobel Laureates sitting at home without any financial liability. Transfer of knowledge thus, has no boundaries now.
The onus goes to the college administration who had taken up every hurdle as a challenge and has excelled in it. Today, we have a robust Management Information System (MIS) whereby each student and faculty member are always connected via a Google classroom. Each teaching member of the college has an institutional email Id that has been created by collaboration with Google and all of them can make use of the wide range of applications that technology has to offer to us for academic purposes. Study materials, assignments are posted in the google classroom so that students can access them anytime. The college has a you tube channel, Asutosh College official where webinars organized by various departments are live streamed so that our students never miss out on an opportunity of listening to eminent speakers in diverse fields.
Now that we have returned to our conventional mode of offline teaching, we have realized both the advantages and disadvantages of online classes and in order to plan the way forward, members of the research wing of Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC), Asutosh College had conducted a survey. Questionnaire was prepared for both teachers and students and primary data was collected using Google forms. Since, Asutosh College has a fairly large pool of both teachers and students, sample survey method was used for this study. Unlike the census method, this survey involved less time, labor and money. It resulted in a more intense data collection as a large geographical area could be covered. Sampling error was avoided as the sample size was not less. The primary data collected was analyzed and interpretation of such intriguing results has led to the launch of the Online Training Programme platform in Asutosh College.
Online Training Programme (Massive Open Online Courses) scheme have been inducted in Asutosh College and the various departments are taking the following initiatives: