The National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL), a national coordinator for SWAYAM, has initiated the enrollment process for over 500 online certification courses, accessible to students and professionals nationwide. These courses, offered at no charge, are part of the collaborative effort by IITs and IISc.
While the courses themselves are free, participants will be required to pay an exam fee for those seeking certification. The optional certification exams cater to candidates ranging from 13 to 86 years of age. NPTEL has introduced the concept of ‘domain certification,’ where completing a set of core and elective courses within a domain with an average score of 60 grants learners a domain certificate without additional charges. Currently, there are 44 domains across 12 disciplines, with more in development.
As part of the course structure, learners engage with online videos, submit weekly assignments, and register for in-person final exams under supervision. According to official data, over 1.2 crore learners have joined NPTEL courses to date, with NPTEL videos amassing more than 1 billion views.
Prathap Haridoss, coordinator for SWAYAM-NPTEL-IIT Madras, noted that NPTEL collaborates with 49 industry partners. Experts and leaders from various companies contribute through live sessions on diverse technologies, providing career guidance to NPTEL learners. With over 150 live sessions conducted, SWAYAM-NPTEL collaborates closely with more than 4,000 colleges across engineering, arts, commerce, science, and management disciplines nationwide. Many students pursue these certification exams to enhance their employability.
Among the popular courses are programming, data structures, and algorithms using Python, basic electrical circuits, engineering thermodynamics, health research fundamentals, and constitutional studies. Interested students can join these courses through the SWAYAM website.
