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Artificial Intelligence is no longer confined to laboratories or futuristic speculation; it is rapidly reshaping how India teaches, learns, and preserves its knowledge systems.
Recognising this academic shift, the Centre for Environmental Studies (CES) of Vidyasagar University, in collaboration with the Consortium for Educational Communication (CEC), New Delhi, organised a two-day national workshop on “Artificial Intelligence & MOOC Development in the Context of the Indian Knowledge System and Environment” on 18–19 September.
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Designed as a bridge between traditional learning and digital pedagogy, the workshop brought together more than 100 participants — students, faculty, research scholars, and academics — to engage in hands-on training with AI tools, while also reflecting on ethical, cultural, and environmental perspectives in content creation.
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The inaugural session was attended by distinguished guests including Prof. Dipak Kumar Kar, vice-chancellor of Vidyasagar University and chief patron of the event; Prof J B Nadda, director of CEC, New Delhi, as chief guest of honour; Prof Amlan Chakrabarti, director of the AK Choudhury School of Information Technology, University of Calcutta; Prof. Somsubhra Gupta of Swami Vivekananda University; Dr. Shatruddha Tomar, Research Scientist, CEC, New Delhi; and Dr. Jayanta Kishore Nandi, Registrar of Vidyasagar University.
In his keynote, Prof Kar underlined Vidyasagar University’s commitment to fostering interdisciplinary skills in digital education. He stressed that integrating AI applications into MOOCs while embedding the Indian Knowledge System was a priority to equip learners with both global competence and local wisdom.
Prof Nadda, in his address, pointed out that SWAYAM — Centre’s flagship online education platform — is directly coordinated at the undergraduate level by the CEC. He noted that the Midnapore workshop was not a routine training exercise, but a targeted professional development initiative to strengthen educators’ role in the national digital education movement.
Dr Jatisankar Bandyopadhyay, director of CES, highlighted that the programme was tailored to empower participants in using AI tools for environmental education and sustainable learning. “This workshop will significantly benefit students, scholars, and faculty members by providing not only practical exposure but also a framework for ethical and culturally sensitive content development,” he remarked.
With sessions blending expert lectures, interactive demonstrations, and collaborative exercises, the workshop underscored Vidyasagar University’s evolving role as a hub for digital innovation rooted in India’s cultural and environmental ethos.S
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