Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani, India’s premier independent university, along with BITSAA, its global alumni association, launched a first of its kind multi-million dollar cross-campus technology initiative named BITSConnect 2.0 on January 9. Pioneering a unique model of multi-campus education in India, the initiative comprises Immersive Telepresence, High-definition Video Conferencing and Live Streaming technologies, that are set to transform the learning experience by connecting multiple campuses at an unprecedented scale. This university-alumni initiative was launched simultaneously at Pilani, Goa and Hyderabad campuses, while being connected to Cisco’s offices in San Jose and Boston, jointly by Professor Bijendra Nath Jain, vice chancellor, BITS Pilani and Raju Reddy, chairman, BITSAA, in the presence of , Bharat Vir Wanchoo, the Governor of Goa and J Satyanarayana, secretary, department of IT, Government of India.
BITS Pilani aspires to be among the top research-driven institutions in Asia by 2020. In line with its vision, BITS Pilani became one of the first Indian universities to set up IP Telephony, Gigabit Ethernet and Wireless accessibility on campus with BITSConnect 1.0 in 2003. With the latest initiative, the university takes a giant leap forward in leveraging technology for education. By bridging the geographical distance across campuses and global knowledge centers, this platform will facilitate collaboration among its faculty, students, industry partners and alumni, for education, research and mentorship.
Comments Kumar Mangalam Birla, chancellor of BITS Pilani, “The launch of BITSConnect 2.0 signals a significant step forward that extends the boundaries of technology-enabled learning. The Telepresence system provides avenues for research, collaboration and knowledge sharing among BITS’ faculty and students, and for face-to-face communication between members of BITS’ leadership.”
BITS Pilani is a premier independent university in India with campuses at Pilani (1964), Dubai (2000), Goa (2004) and Hyderabad (2008). BITS Pilani employs 700 full time faculties, and boasts 11,000 on-campus and 19,000 off-campus students.
BITSAA International is the global all-volunteer alumni association for BITS Pilani representing 50,000+ alumni in 90 countries. It engages in charitable and educational activities by creating endowments, granting scholarships, rewarding teaching and research, enhancing the personal and professional lives of its alumni and promoting the general development at all BITS Pilani campuses.