Note: This article is based on a course announcement originally published around February 2020. Enrollment deadlines and exam dates referenced below have passed. The information is preserved here for reference; check the NPTEL website for current course offerings.
Overview
IIT Kharagpur, in collaboration with Google Cloud, offered a free Google Cloud Computing Foundations course through the National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL). The course was designed for learners with little or no prior background in cloud computing, giving them a structured introduction to cloud concepts, big data, and machine learning — with a specific focus on how Google Cloud Platform (GCP) fits into each area.
What Is NPTEL?
NPTEL (National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning) is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Education (formerly the Ministry of Human Resource Development) involving seven Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore. Its mission is to deliver high-quality technical and scientific education to anyone in India — and globally — at no cost.
Course Instructors
The course was led by Prof. Soumya K. Ghosh from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at IIT Kharagpur. Before his academic career, Prof. Ghosh worked at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), specialising in satellite remote sensing and geographic information systems.
Alongside Prof. Ghosh, several Google Cloud experts contributed as instructors, including:
- Jimmy Tran — Senior Program Manager, Google Cloud
- Sowmya Kannan — Global Lead for Google Cloud Learning in Higher Education
- Priyanka Vergadia — Engineer, Google Cloud
- Seth Vargo — Engineer, Google Cloud
- Alex Hanna — Researcher, Ethical AI team, Google
Who Was the Course For?
The course targeted students and professionals with little or no prior cloud computing experience. It was approved by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) as a Faculty Development Programme (FDP), making it relevant for both students and educators looking to build foundational cloud skills.
Course Curriculum
The syllabus was structured to take learners from first principles to practical cloud usage. Modules covered:
- Introduction to cloud computing
- What is the cloud, and how does it work?
- Building a solid platform foundation on GCP
- Using GCP to build and deploy applications
- Cloud storage options and when to use them
- Working with Google Cloud APIs
- Cloud security fundamentals
- Networking in the cloud
- Monitoring and observability with Google tools
- Big data processing and analysis on GCP
- Introduction to machine learning on GCP
A key component of the course was hands-on lab work via the Qwiklabs platform, which allowed participants to practise GCP tasks in a real cloud environment without incurring personal cloud costs.
Certification and Exam Details
Enrolling and completing the course content was free of charge. However, participants who wanted an official e-certificate were required to:
- Register separately for the proctored exam
- Appear in person at one of the designated NPTEL exam centres
- Pay an exam fee of ₹1,000
The exam was scheduled for 25 April 2020, with two sessions: a morning session (9:00 AM – 12:00 PM) and an afternoon session (2:00 PM – 5:00 PM).
The issued e-certificate included the candidate’s name, photograph, and final exam score with a detailed breakup. It carried the logos of both NPTEL and IIT Kharagpur. No physical (hard-copy) certificates were dispatched.
Why This Course Matters for DevOps and Cloud Engineers
While the specific enrollment window for this cohort has closed, the course content reflects a well-structured onramp to GCP that remains highly relevant. For DevOps practitioners, the combination of cloud fundamentals, API usage, security, networking, and monitoring maps directly to the skills required for managing modern cloud-native infrastructure. NPTEL periodically re-runs popular courses, so engineers interested in a similar structured curriculum should check the NPTEL portal for updated offerings.
Source: Originally reported by DQ India.