Open Source Software for Academia

By Dr.Tapashi Kashyap Das and Dr.Sruti Sruba Bharali | Krishna Kanta Handiqui State Open University, Guwahati

Learners enrolled: 407

In today's digital age, learning open source software holds immense importance as it provides access to free, collaborative, and customizable tools that empower individuals and organizations across various domains. This course on “Open Source Software for Academia” is designed to equip learners from any discipline with essential skills in three prominent Open Source Software tools: Latex, Scilab, and Python. Utilizing a blended learning approach, the course incorporates video lectures, demonstrations with various examples to deepen understanding and facilitate the practical applications of these three open source software tools. This course empowers students, researchers, and educators to leverage these opensource tools for success in their academic pursuits.
Over the duration of this MOOC, you will be guided through sixteen comprehensive modules, covering the fundamentals of Latex typesetting, Scilab for scientific computation, and basics of Python programming. This course is designed to meet the needs of learners as well as researchers who seek to enhance their academic writing and computational skills. To grasp the course, learners should ideally possess a basic concept of computer science and programming fundamentals. However, learners from diverse backgrounds with a strong interest in computer science, software development and skill enhancement are also encouraged to enrol and can benefit from the course. By the end of this course, the learners will emerge with a deep understanding of these three essential tools and the confidence to leverage them effectively in their academic endeavours.

Course Credit - 4

Summary

Course Status :	Ongoing
Course Type :	Not Applicable
Language for course content :	English
Duration :	12 weeks
Category :	Multidisciplinary
Credit Points :	4
Level :	Undergraduate
Start Date :	01 Jan 2025
End Date :	30 Apr 2025
Enrollment Ends :	28 Feb 2025
Exam Date :	25 May 2025 IST
Exam Shift :	Shift- I

Note: This exam date is subject to change based on seat availability. You can check final exam date on your hall ticket.

Page Visits

Course layout

Open Source Software for Academia
Week-1	MODULE 1: Introduction to LaTeX: Basics and Installation
	Video Lecture 1: Getting Started with LaTeX
	Video Lecture 2: LaTeX Installation and Compilation
Week-2	MODULE 2: Essential LaTeX Formatting and Structure
	Video Lecture 3: Formatting and Document Structure in LaTeX
	Video Lecture 4: Writing Mathematical Expressions in LaTeX
	Video Lecture 5: Table and Matrix Formatting in LaTeX
Week-3	MODULE 3: Page Layout – I
	Video Lecture 6: Page Layout in LaTeX
	Video Lecture 7: Managing Table of Content and References
Week-4	MODULE 4: Page Layout – II
	Video Lecture 8: Figures and List in LaTeX
	Video Lecture 9: Advanced Document Customization in LaTeX
Week-5	MODULE 5: Mastering LaTeX Packages and Advanced Features
	Video Lecture 10: Introduction to LaTeX Packages
	Video Lecture 11: Essential LaTeX Packages for Enhanced Functionality
	Video Lecture 12: Advanced LaTeX Packages and Graphics Integration
Week-6	MODULE 6: Mastering Document preparation with LaTeX
	Video Lecture 13: Introduction to LaTeX Document Classes
	Video Lecture 14: Structuring Documents with Document Classes
	Video Lecture 15: Specialized Document Classes
	MODULE 7: Applications of LaTeX
	Video Lecture 16: Applications of LaTeX
Week-7	MODULE 8: Getting Started with Scilab
	Video Lecture 17: Installation of Scilab
	Video Lecture 18: Introduction to Scilab Environment
	MODULE 9: Introduction to Scilab Programming
	Video Lecture 19: Introduction to Conditional Statements
	Video Lecture 20: Introduction to Loops in Scilab
	Video Lecture 21: Matrix and Built-in Functions in Scilab
Week-8	MODULE 10: Graphics in Scilab
	Video Lecture 22: Graphics in Scilab-I
	Video Lecture 23: Graphics in Scilab-II
Week-9	MODULE 11: Applications of Scilab
	Video Lecture 24: Application of Scilab -I
	Video Lecture 25: Application of Scilab -II
	Video Lecture 26: Application of Scilab -III
Week-10	MODULE 12: Getting Started with Python
	Video Lecture 27: Installation of Python
	Video Lecture 28: Python Basics -I
	Video Lecture 29: Python Basics -II
	MODULE 13: Python Operators and Strings
	Video Lecture 30: Operators
	Video Lecture 31: Strings
Week-11	MODULE 14: Control Structures and Loops in Python
	Video Lecture 32: I/O and Conditional Statements
	Video Lecture 33: Loop Control Statements
	MODULE 15: Data Structures in Python
	Video Lecture 34: Lists
	Video Lecture 35: Tuples
	Video Lecture 36: Sets
	Video Lecture 37: Dictionary
Week-12	MODULE 16: Python Programming Essentials and Applications
	Video Lecture 38: Functions in Python
	Video Lecture 39: Understanding Classes and Objects in Python
	Video Lecture 40: Applications of Python

Books and references

Latex

Kottwitz, S. (2021). LaTeX Beginner's Guide: Create visually appealing texts, articles, and books for business and science using LaTeX. Packt Publishing Ltd.
Grätzer, G. (2016). More Math Into LATEX. Springer.
Datta, D. (2017). L ATEX in 24 hours: A practical guide for scientiﬁc writing. Springer International Publishing AG.

Scilab

Jain, C. (2023). Computing in Scilab. Cambridge University Press.
Sandeep, N. (2017). Introduction to Scilab: For Engineers and Scientists. Editorial Apress.
Verma, A. K., (2018). SCILAB: A beginner’s Approach.

Python

Thareja, R. (2023). Python programming (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press.
Kanetkar, Y., & Kanetkar, A. (2020). Let Us Python Solutions: Learn by Doing-the Python Learning Mantra (Vol. 2). BPB Publications.
Srivastava, D. (2024). Ultimate Python Programming. BPB Publications.

Instructor bio

Dr.Tapashi Kashyap Das

Krishna Kanta Handiqui State Open University, Guwahati

Dr.Tapashi Kashyap Das is currently working as an Assistant Professor in the Discipline of Computer Science at Krishna Kanta Handiqui State Open University (KKHSOU), Guwahati, Assam since 2010. Prior to joining the University, she worked as Lecturer in Shillong Engineering and Management College, Meghalaya and guest faculty member in Cotton College, Guwahati. After her Ph.D. in Speech Processing from Guwahati University in 2014, she has actively engaged in research areas encompassing Speech Processing, Image Processing, and Open and Distance Learning. She has eighteen years of teaching experience and contributed in the development of Self Learning Materials of various courses under the Discipline of Computer Science offered by KKHSOU.

Profile photo

Dr.Sruti Sruba Bharali

Krishna Kanta Handiqui State Open University, Guwahati

Dr.Sruti Sruba Bharali is currently working as an Assistant Professor in the Discipline of Computer Science at Krishna Kanta Handiqui State Open University, Guwahati, Assam. Prior to joining KKHSOU, she also served as Assistant Professor in the Assam Royal Global University, Assam. She earned her Ph.D. from Gauhati University, her M.Tech in Information Technology from IIIT-Allahabad, and her B.Tech in Computer Science and Engineering from Tezpur University. Dr. Bharali’s current research interests include Speech Processing, Image Processing, and Open and Distance Learning, with various publications in these areas. She currently also serves as the Assistant Director at the Centre for Online Education, KKHSOU.

Course certificate

The course is free to access, open to learners from any academic stream, and multidisciplinary in nature. Anyone can join and learn without any cost. However, if you wish to receive a certificate, you must register and take a Computer-Based Test (CBT) after paying an examination fee.
Evaluation consists of two components: Internal Assessment (30 marks) and End Term Examination (70 marks). To pass and earn a Credit Certificate, you must score at least 40% in each component separately.