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Objectives:

  • Promote experiential learning via Virtual Labs, enabling hands-on education for students and faculty members.
  • Develop innovative experiments across domains like Electronics, Mechanical, and Chemical Engineering.
  • Establish 50+ nodal centers in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh for Virtual Lab integration.
  • Conduct Faculty Development Programs (FDPs) and webinars to build expertise.
  • Encourage collaboration between institutes for shared academic excellence.

PALS - EXPLORE (Experiential Learning Online Reengineering)

FDP

FDP

Group photo captured on the final day of the FDP after the valedictory function.

PALS is an educational initiative driven by dedicated volunteers from the Alumni Fraternity of various IITs, aimed at enhancing the academic excellence of engineering colleges. The program focuses on equipping students with the skills necessary to become industry-ready professionals and fostering an entrepreneurial and intrapreneurial mindset among graduates. This initiative is supported by the IIT Madras Alumni Charitable Trust (IITMACT). As part of its commitment to advancing experiential learning, PALS has collaborated with the National Institute of Technology Karnataka (NITK) on a research project titled "EXPLORE – Experiential Learning Online Reengineering." This project, sanctioned by PALS (the Alumni Association of IIT Madras), is focused on promoting experiential learning through Virtual Labs for a duration of four years (2020–2024). As part of this initiative, 50+ institutes have signed the Expression of Interest with the NITK Surathkal to be a part of Virtual Lab and to become Nodal Centres.These nodal centres primarily include institutions from Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh. NITK has organized numerous webinars and faculty development programs (FDPs) for the Nodal Centres affiliated with the PALS Project. With mentorship and guidance from NITK resource persons, several Virtual Labs from different domains including Electronics and Communication, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Physics and so on have been successfully developed and hosted on the Nodal institute’s website/server. These labs are currently being utilized by students and faculty members for academic and research purposes.