SNDT Women's University will become a world class university in the next five years with an emphasis on providing appropriate opportunities through technologies and strengthening of existing facilities to the students and teachers, new Vice Chancellor Prof Vasudha Kamath said on Monday.

Making use of Information and Communication Technology Integration(ICT), creating world class curriculum and delivery including integration of disciplines and strengthening of Open and Distance Learning, Kamat said "my vision is to make the 95 year old Asia's first Women's university truly a global one."

Kamat said her priorities for the Shreemati Nathibai Damodar Thackersey Women's University (SNDT) include the creation and strengthening of learning resources including online library connecting all the colleges, open educational resources, creating infrastructure facilities to attract experts from outside and building more hostels and a guest house.

"The University has served the society for the last 95 years and has been successful in making its mark in creating educational opportunities for women but for the women to face the 21st Century, it needs to embrace a distinct scientific approach that emphasises education of professional women practitioners, promotes creativity and innovation, encourage high achievement and collaboration," she told media on her first day after taking over as Vice Chancellor. .

Kamat, an alumnus of the university is well known for significant contribution to the field of educational technology/information and communication technology for education. She served SNDT for 24 years and in NCERT for almost four years before taking over as the vice-chancellor.

In this information age, integration of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in all the processes of the University (teaching-learning, assessment, governance, financial management, research, development as well as extension) becomes inevitable and "I will be giving more importance to e-governance at all levels."

"This will not only facilitate reaching a large number of students with quality education, but also will bring in new culture (cooperative-collaborative learning, participatory approach to governance etc). Many processes like assessment, certification etc. could be done in more sophisticated time saving manner and on much larger reliable and comprehensive data," she said.

Interactive web portal of the university with its courses, course material online, will be made available which will enhance quality of higher education; not only of SNDTWU, but it will have effect on other universities in the country as well, she said.

"The university could also concentrate on developing e-content and sharing it through the portal for the use of students (under the creative commons license). University also needs to embrace free and open sources software. Cloud computing for education seems to be the need of the hour," she added.

Innovative system of examination and assessment schemes will also be evolved soon so that the students are well equipped to face any challenges of the 21st century when they move out of the university, Kamat added.