Hello नमस्ते      

I am Ashutosh Raina. I hail from the Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh, India, rooted in a hamlet in the hills called Himri. I am an educational researcher working on Computer Science Education and engineering design problem-solving. 

My research work focuses on learner-centric pedagogies based on problem-solving and active learning using approaches like tinkering, situated learning and analogies. I started as a computer science engineer specialising in computer networks and information security, and I also explored various technologies that may support the learning process.

I have also worked in the A to Z of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), which includes course conceptualisation, content creation, production design, videography, video editing, course deployment and course management while being a co-instructor. I have also mentored and assisted workshops (online) on educational video content creation and tools & methods for teaching and learning online. I am fortunate to have contributed towards the pedagogy while creating the artificial intelligence modules for Atal Tinker Labs (Atal Innovation Mission, Niti Aayog, Govt. of India and NASSCOM India) deployed in various schools of India.

I am a hobbyist photographer and have worked in videography and digital design. I am also an opportunistic traveller who loves to drive (cars) and has driven on hills, highways, ghats, forests, and coastal roads in India. Writing is a part of my profession, but I have recently started informal writing.

Present - Learning Design Consultant and Independent Educational Researcher. 

2023 - 2024 - Assistant Professor (Visiting) Plaksha University 

2016 - 2023 - Doctoral Research Scholar, Educational Technology (IDP), IIT Bombay, Mumbai, India

2014 - 2016 - Masters of Engineering in Computer Science (Information Security), (Punjab Engineering College) PEC University of Technology. 

2013 - 2014 - SRM Support Engineer, HP Global Soft Pvt Ltd, GRTP, Whitefield, Bangalore

2011 - 2012 - L2 support engineer, IBM India Pvt Ltd, EGL, Bangalore.

2007 - 2011 - Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Science, SBMJCE (now SET, Jain University) under Visveshvaraya Technological University, Belgaum, Karnataka.

Awards, Certifications & Qualifications

• CoolThink-JC scholarship for CTE 2020, 

• IEEE TCLT student travel grant for T4E 2019, 

• Employee of the Month and best trainee at HP Global Soft Pvt Ltd. 

• Cisco Certified Network Associate R & S, 

• Cisco Certified Network Associate Voice over IP, 

• IPV6 Silver Certified Engineer, 

• Specialization certificate in Digital Photography and Fundamentals of Graphics Design courses from Coursera

• Elite certificate in introduction to information security, a course by NPTEL. 

• Qualified Graduate Aptitude Testing Examination (GATE) in 2011, 2014 and 2016

Positions Of Responsibilities:-

2024 - Working group for restructuring the Grand Challenges Course of Plaksha University. 

2019 - 20: Workgroup Member for AI Curriculum Development, ATL, AIM, Niti Aayog, Govt of India

2018 - 19: G Sec and student representative IDPC, IDP Ed Tech, IIT Bombay.

2018: Conference Manager, ICALT 2018, IIT Bombay

2017-18: IRSCP Representative for IDP Edu Tech, IIT Bombay, 

2017-18: Senior convener, Pixels Photography Club, IIT Bombay, 

2017-18: Works Visits sec IDP EduTech, IIT Bombay

2016-18: Design and Branding Secy, IDP EduTech, IIT Bombay