Kanpur: Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (IIT-Kanpur) in collaboration with the Government of Uttar Pradesh and the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), is expanding its Digital Literacy & Computational Thinking Concepts for Teachers (DLCCAI) programme to secondary education. The programme will train 900 participants, including secondary school teachers, lecturers from District Institutes of Education and Training (DIETs) and officials from SCERT’s ancillary units, in digital literacy, computational thinking, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and technology-enabled teaching.The programme follows an eight-week blended-learning format that combines classroom training at IIT-Kanpur with online learning, mentoring and hands-on assignments. Participants who complete the required quizzes, assignments, projects, and final presentation will receive a joint certificate from SCERT Uttar Pradesh and IIT Kanpur.The programme will be conducted in six batches of 150 participants each. The initial five-day residential training at IIT Kanpur will cover digital foundations, productivity tools, spreadsheets, creativity and Artificial Intelligence (AI), block-based programming and introductory Python. This will be followed by online learning during weeks 2–7 through Google Classroom, supported by weekly mentor sessions and live doubt-clearing sessions. The programme will conclude with a two-day showcase at IIT Kanpur focused on peer learning, project presentations, and assessment.Designed for participants with limited or no prior exposure to computers, coding, or AI, the programme follows a hands-on, application-oriented approach. Teachers will learn through tasks linked to their everyday academic and administrative responsibilities, including preparing notices and lessons, creating marksheets and presentations, conducting assessments and developing digital teaching resources.The training will cover the fundamentals of computers and digital tools, including operating systems, MS Office, Google Workspace, digital communication, cybersecurity, and digital citizenship. It will also introduce them to block-based programming through Scratch, basic Python, Artificial Intelligence and EdTech tools, with a focus on how these can be applied in everyday teaching and academic work. Participants will get hands-on experience with tools such as ChatGPT, Google Classroom. The programme also includes a practical Robotics component that covers robot assembly and sensor-based activities, followed by a Robotics challenge designed to encourage problem-solving and inquiry-based learning.The initiative previously trained 750 primary school teachers and helped enable technology-supported learning that reached more than 10,000 students. The programme now extends to secondary education, widening its reach across Uttar Pradesh’s school education system.Aligned with the objectives of NEP 2020, DLCCAI is designed to help teachers integrate digital and computational concepts into classroom teaching. The curriculum has already been embedded in SCERT’s Class 6–8 textbooks, reaching an estimated 48 lakh students across Uttar Pradesh.
