To encourage innovative thinking, the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M) on Monday announced the launch of a free of cost online course ‘Out of the Box Thinking’ through mathematics focussing on multiple approaches to problem-solving.
The course, which will be launched on July 1, is open to school and college students, and working professionals. The IIT-M targets 10 lakh people for the course which it calls as a first-of-its-kind initiative in the country – students who need the grade certification can get them by appearing for the exam after paying a nominal fee.
Offered by IIT-M through its company, Madras Pravartak Technologies Foundation, the four graded independent levels of the courses will be easily accessible to students, professionals and researchers. The registration for the first batch of the course will close on June 24.
To be offered in Online Mode free of cost, the course will focus on teaching about multiple approaches to problem-solving and is open to everyone residing in India as well as in foreign countries, the IIT-M said.
Prof V Kamakoti, Director-IIT-M, said the society will begin to see the benefits of the course in the next few years and that ‘Out of the box’ thinking is solving problems through an indirect and creative approach, using reasoning that is not immediately obvious and involving ideas that may not be obtainable by using only traditional step-by-step logic.
“In this unique course, such thinking is emphasized through rediscovering the known and unknown facts of mathematics logically with an interesting broader perception of the manner of doing it,” Kamakoti said.
The IIT-M said the course will present multiple approaches to problem-solving, debunking a myth that problem-solving is only for a select few. It will introduce new techniques in an easy-to-understand fashion, preparing users to face real-life projects with confidence and ease.
“With logic being the undercurrent in the study of mathematics, it is essential to develop broader thinking, through its applications in the expanding world of technology. From solving a fun Sudoku puzzle to completing an important scheduled project, the logic of working is much more important than the arithmetic involved in it. This requires creative thinking and a broader perception that is often known as ‘out of the box’ thinking,” the IIT-M said.
Sadagopan Rajesh, Mathematics Educator and founder-director of Aryabhatta Institute of Mathematical Sciences, will teach the courses. Speaking about the initiative, Rajesh said students can broaden their thinking when they approach mathematics with discipline and passion not necessarily in a formal way but realize the subject with more logical and analytical reasoning.
“The important output is the development of skills which are essential to fit and effectively contribute to a rapidly changing technological world,” he said.