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Ishaan Gambhir

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You’ve all heard of it, yet at the same time, none of you fully understand it.

The winds of change strike University of Delhi (DU) again and this time they bring with themselves an old friend of ours from secondary school – the grading system. This, however, isn’t the biggest feature of Choice Based Credit System (CBCS), another of the controversial pages turned by University Grants Commission (UGC) in the past few years.

The CBCS, as the UGC explains, is a “cafeteria-approach to education”. This does not make education any more appetising, but it is meant to render a student the freedom to choose what and at what pace they would study. Let’s break it down for you.

What has changed?

1. Contents of courses will now be counted in a new currency called “credits”. A single subject of an Honours course of Commerce or an Art will be equal to 6 credits divided into 5 theory and 1 tutorial/practical credits, while for a Science course the division will be of 4 and 2 respectively. The number of credits scored by a student will ultimately translate to a grade point and a grade letter. Honours courses will be made up of 140 credits whereas programme courses will be made up of 120 credits.

2. The system also divides subjects associated with a course under categories, namely “core courses”, “elective courses” and “ability enhancement courses” (here, courses refer to subjects). The number of each of these kinds of subjects a student must study varies from degree to degree. For B.Com. Honours, a student must study 14 core, 8 elective and 4 ability enhancement courses. A student may study additional subjects of their choice as per availability in their institution.

3. Inter-disciplinarity, first introduced with FYUP in DU, stages a comeback with CBCS. A student of a particular course will also study subjects of another course; the credits will be part of elective subject credits. For example, a B.Com. Honours student may study 4 subjects related to the Economics discipline and 4 of Commerce, thereby fulfilling their quota of 8 elective subjects to be studied.

4. The new system makes the final term dissertation (project work) optional, if allowed by the University. It can be swapped with an elective paper in the last semester. DU is yet to prepare the final draft of curriculum for all courses.

5. CBCS also boasts of mobility across Universities, though the UGC has not set clear guidelines for the same yet. It will enable a student to transfer their earned credits to another University entirely so that they may complete their course there. The next level of migration!

6. The following grades will be allotted for the corresponding grade points.

grades

The implementation of CBCS remains to be seen, but the most crucial determinants of the programme’s success will be stability and clarity. Wishing the new batch luck on those fronts!

Further reading: Teachers refuse to draft CBCS syllabus, lock horns with DU

Ishaan Gambhir
[email protected]

University of Delhi has begun declaring the results of the 4th semester for erstwhile students of the Four Year Undergraduate Programme. Results are being declared in a record time of 12 days after the last semester exam, held on 30th May.

Check your result here:

Link 1 | Link 2 | Link 3 

Check your result here
Check your result here

Results for 38 of 44 courses will be declared today. These include B.Com.(H),  BA. (Hons.) Political Science and B.Tech. courses. Results for 6 courses, including English, Economics and History, will be declared at a later date.

subjects declared

 

For more result updates, watch this space!

University of Delhi  has set a personal record by announcing that it’ll declare the results of the erstwhile FYUP batch for 39 out of 44 courses of the 4th semester on Friday, 12th June. These courses include B.Com. (Hons), BMS and BA. (Hons.) Political Science. The results of BA. (Hons.) Economics and BA. (Hons.) English are among the five that will not be declared today. The result is expected to be declared in the evening as has been the trend at DU.

Results for the following courses will be declared today:

11062015ListofCourses

The last semester exam was held on 30th May. The University has begun declaring results in 12 days, which is a record for the varsity. The results will pertain to close to 43,000 students and have been arrived upon after assessment of nearly 1,72,000 answer scripts.

Students of Economics suggest that the delay of their result might be due to a Microeconomics examination attempted by them in May. The exam was widely considered too tough for the undergraduate level and calls were made to grant relief to students in terms of grace marks.

University of Delhi began sale and receipt of the common pre-admission OMR forms on Friday, 5th June. The forms are available at 8 designated admission centres of the University. Last date to fill the form is 15th June. A candidate is required to fill the pre-admission form only once, either online or offline. Last week, the University began accepting online forms on its website.

DU deploys an ‘optical mark recognition’ type of form for applications. The form will have circles that the candidates will have to darken entirely with a pen. Care must be taken to ensure that the necessary circles are darkened completely but no excess ink should be used on the form.

The forms are available at the following centres:

1. ARSD College
2. Gargi College
3. PGDAV College
4. Dyal Singh College
5. S.G.T.B Khalsa College*
6. Rajdhani College
7. Shyam Lal College
8. Maharaja Agrasen College

*Added to the list later by DU in place of SGGS College of Commerce.

The following subject code chart should be used while filling the form:

Subject codes

The University has specified the following guidelines for filling of the application form:

  • The form can be bought from any of the centres and can be submitted at any of the centres. A candidate is not required to visit the same centre for both the purposes.
  • There are 2 forms: one for General/OBC categories and the other for SC/ST/PwD categories. A candidate must fill the correct form.
  • Only blue or black pen is to be used to fill the form.
  • The form, after filling, should be photocopied (both sides of the form on one sheet of paper, back to back). The photocopy is to be kept by the candidate as acknowledgement.
  • It must be ensured that the formed is not folded, crumpled or mutilated. No markings should be made on the form other than those required. The marks on the margin of the form are also not to be tampered with.
  • For PwD candidates: PwD 1: Blindness/low vision; PwD 2: Hearing impairment; PwD 3: Locomotor disability and Cerebral Palsy

For more information, visit: http://du.ac.in/du/uploads/Admissions/2015/ug/27-5-2015-ug.pdf

Featured graphic designed by Naman Sehgal

Ishaan Gambhir

[email protected]

Indraprasth College for Women’s (IPCW) journalism course has gone through a host of changes since the introduction of the Four Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUP). Initially known as Bachelor in Mass Media and Mass Communications, it was renamed to BJMC and its entrance exam was scrapped in favour of admissions through cut-off percentages. Last year, after the scrapping of FYUP, Bachelor in Multi Media and Mass Communication (BMMMC) was reintroduced but admissions continued through cut-offs.

In a press conference on Thursday, the college announced the return of the entrance exam system for the course, which has now been renamed to BA(H.) Multi Media and Mass Communication in order to fall in line with the University Grants Commission directives on course nomenclature.

There will be two exams for admission to the course. The first entrance exam will be an objective (MCQ) test and is scheduled for 21st June. The second entrance exam will be held on 25th June. It will be a subjective test on English comprehension and creative & analytical skills.

The college will issue a list of accepted candidates on 29th June followed by payment of fees from 1st July to 3rd July.

To register, candidates can collect and deposit forms at IPCW starting 1st June. Last date to apply is 10th June. The chargeable fees for the form and the test is Rs.950 for general category and Rs.475 for other categories. Aspirants can also request postal delivery of the application form.

A student from the Class of 2015 (last batch to have taken the entrance test) suggests that entrance exams ensure that only candidates who are ready for the highly specialised course make it through the admission procedure. “It’s a welcome change,” she said, on condition of anonymity. The graduating batch reportedly also faced problems while filling application forms for PG courses due to the change of name of the course from Mass Media and Mass Communication to Multi Media and Mass Communication.

In the press conference, IPCW also announced the proposal of  a new journalism course to the University of Delhi. The course will include Fashion Communication, Disaster Management & Communication and Public Service Broadcasting among other subjects.

The University of Delhi, as scheduled, began accepting online applications for admissions to undergraduate courses on Thursday, 28th May. The admissions portal can be accessed here: http://ug.du.ac.in/2015/index.php/site/login. A step-by-step textual guide is also available on the admissions portal under the tab “Steps to Apply”.

Online admissions will continue till 15th June. Aspirants also have the option to apply offline beginning 5th June at the University-designated centres.

While filling the online form, the following few guidelines should be kept in mind to ease your process of application:

1. The website has a reputation for being slow in the initial days of applications. If you are facing similar issues, the way out is giving it time and checking the website from time to time for improvement.

2. An aspirant is only allowed to fill one form, i.e. either online or offline. Thus, it is imperative that you fill out your application with extreme care.

3. Changes to your application are possible only before payment of registration fee is made. After payment, you will not be able to modify your application.

4. Upon entering the Board roll number, your subjects and their respective marks are filled by the system itself under normal circumstances.

5. Subject codes assigned by DU are as follows:

Subject codes
Source: www.du.ac.in

DU’s Info Centre
Ph: 155215, E-mail ID: [email protected]

Featured graphic designed by Naman Sehgal for DU Beat

Ishaan Gambhir
[email protected]

In a span of one week, 2 departments of Delhi University (DU) in their respective General Body Meetings (GBM) have decided to reject Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) and disassociate themselves from the drafting of syllabus.

Under CBCS, contents of courses are divided into ‘credits’ which students can earn “at their own pace with seamless mobility,” as the UGC has said. Under the system, a student may choose to earn some credits of even a course different from the one they applied for from another college and, potentially, another University. CBCS is dubbed by the UGC as a “cafeteria-approach of education”. The system is, according to UGC’s directive, to be introduced in the coming academic year with the new batch. It has been relentlessly opposed by teachers.

The GBM of the History department was convened on 16th May and the same of Mathematics department was called on 21st May to discuss the directive of the Jt.Registrar of DU to draft the syllabus of various courses in accordance with the proposed syllabus of the UGC. Universities are only allowed to deviate a maximum of 20% from UGC’s proposed syllabus.

The History department adopted the resolution to reject CBCS unanimously. While voting was not allowed at the Maths department’s GBM, a thumping majority backed the resolution to reject the change.

The most notable points of objection raised by teachers include the requirement of all Universities to teach a common syllabus and the risk of privatisation of education. Teachers of the history department maintain that different regions of the country have varied socio-cultural realities and learning needs and allege that the syllabus given by the UGC is diluted.

Teachers allege that the matter of CBCS was brought on the table at an Academic Council meeting under the head of “Any Other Matter” and no discussion was allowed. Going beyond alleging the DU administration for thrusting the reform upon the University, teachers of the two departments accused the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) and the University Grants Commission (UGC) for “pushing CBCS onto all Universities without discussion with the primary stakeholders, i.e. teachers and students on the desirability, feasibility and long-term implications of such a systemic change”.

Last week, DU’s media spokesperson Malay Neerav told Times of India that the University will not go ahead with CBCS if the councils do not approve of it.

Featured image credits: DUTA website

Ishaan Gambhir
[email protected]

KMC RoboPhysicists, a team of 23 B.Sc. Physics (honours) students of Kirori Mal College led by Chetan Kumar Mehta and faculty advisor Sumitra Mohanty, has earned recognition for making the nation proud at various international competitions over the past few years. The society has become a regular participant at collegiate events conducted by NASA as well as the Mars Society.

Recently, the society was selected by the Mars Society to participate in the University Rover Challenge, a competition among rover machines made by universities across the world. KMC RoboPhysicists was among the 22 teams selected from the pool of 44 applicant universities. This is the second time the KMC society has made it to the final stage, which will be held in Utah, USA on 28th May.

Past achievements of KMC RoboPhysicists

NASA and NIA’s RASC-AL 2014: Only international team competing, ranked 6th
KMC RoboPhysicists submitted a 5 page abstract report to NASA’s RASC-AL. The report got selected making the society the only international team selected to present their full technical report at the NASA forum. KMC participated in collaboration with the University of Florida, USA. NASA’s RASC-AL provides university level students with the opportunity to design human scale architecture concepts based on NASA engineering challenges and develop mission architectures to employ innovative solutions.

Mars Rover Society’s University Rover Challenge 2014: Stood 13th of 31 participating colleges, 3rd in Project Presentation Category

NASA’s Lunabotics Mining Competition 2012: Ranked 15th out of 65 participating colleges

NASA’s Lunabotics Mining Competition 2013: Ranked 11th out of 50 participating colleges

The rover, KMC MR-04

rover

  • The rover possesses a Robotic Arm which helps it to perform various tasks in order to assist astronauts on Mars.
  • A camera attached to the arm helps monitor the functions of arm. An overhead HD camera monitors the movement of the rover and the view around it.
  • The society also plans to add to the design a few sensors so that the rover can study the soil samples well.

DU Beat got in touch with the team leader, Chetan Kumar Mehta. “The competition this time posed two down selection levels before final selection. We worked hard with utmost dedication and even greater aspirations, determined to excel. We were able to cross both the milestones and have been selected to compete further. With the pioneering approach and fervour of achieving heights, the team anticipates to excel in URC 2015 also. We wish to be able to present our rover and hence make India proud,” he said.

We wish KMC RoboPhysicists all the best for the next level of the University Rover Challenge!

Ishaan Gambhir
[email protected]

Devansh Mehta, a final year student of psychology at St.Stephen’s College, interviewed Valson Thampu, the principal of the college on 4th March and posted it in the online magazine he co-founded, St.Stephen’s Weekly, 3 days later. On 11th March, when the principal learnt that the interview had been published without his clearance, he issued a ban on the magazine and subsequently suspended Devansh for “breach of discipline”. Last week, Devansh Mehta filed a petition in the Delhi High Court challenging the suspensions of himself and the magazine. The Court squashed the College’s decision of suspending Devansh.

stephens

DU Beat got in touch with Devansh Mehta who spoke to us about the balance of freedom of speech, the effects of recent developments on him and the support he has received.

Q1. What drove you to start Stephen’s Weekly in the last few months of your college life?

There were three reasons we started Stephen’s Weekly for.

Firstly, a lot of students from college, including me, wish to become reporters or writers in the future and there is no medium in college through which we can develop these skills. Secondly, there is no record of the events that happen in college, once an event is over it is usually forgotten. Thirdly, there has been a growing deficit in the trust between the students and the administration – students are scared to air their grievances publicly for fear of being thrown out of residence or suspended.

There has been a growing deficit in the trust between the students and the administration – students are scared to air their grievances publicly for fear of being thrown out of residence or suspended.

Stephen’s Weekly was supposed to fill in this gap by conveying the grievances of the students as well as representing the difficulties of the administration in solving these grievances. It was towards this aim that we decided to interview the Principal for our first issue itself. For this aim to work, however, it is important that the students perceived Stephen’s Weekly to be an impartial mediator between the students and the administration, which was something clearly not respected by the Principal who appointed himself staff advisor and wanted final editing powers. This was the reason that we never accepted a single rupee from the administration and even bought the domain and hosting space with our own money.

We got the idea of starting a Weekly from an exchange student from Brown University who attended St. Stephen’s last semester. He told us of the the Brown Daily Herald, and we decided to try creating something along those lines. The other founders are in second year, so we tried establishing Stephen’s Weekly in its first 5 issues this year, and then hope that it continues to stand on its own feet after I leave and pass the baton to the other founders.

Q2. The Principal has received flak for curbing freedom of expression on campus. However, as an aspiring media professional, do you think a balance must be maintained? How can one exercise freedom of expression responsibly in your opinion?

I believe that free speech comes with certain responsibilities, which only each individual can decide for himself/herself. For me, a responsible use of free speech is one where the weakest, most marginalised and oppressed section of a society do not get adversely affected by my expression of free speech.

With respect to the recent attacks on Charlie Hebdo, I strongly condemn the incident since it has created an atmosphere of fear which results in the unfortunate effect of journalists self-censoring for fear of potential personal harm. That being said, I would personally not write or support cartoons in the vein of Charlie Hebdo. Voltaire made the point that satire was started as a means of clipping the wings of those in power and bringing them down to Earth by poking fun at them. So to use satire against those who are being oppressed and marginalised, as the Muslim community in Paris is, is something I believe to be against the very spirit of satire and in bad taste.

I knew that an apology for “failing to clarify relevant details before approaching the media” simply meant saying sorry for taking the issue outside of the four walls of the college.

Q3. How have the recent developments affected you personally?

For a start, my beliefs have never been tested as much as they have been over the last month. There was a point where the man in charge of the one man inquiry committee, S.R. Ayde, told me that if I apologised the entire matter would be finished. I wish to become a journalist in the future and have already secured admission at the Columbia School of Journalism. I knew that an apology for “failing to clarify relevant details before approaching the media” simply meant saying sorry for taking the issue outside of the four walls of the college. If I apologised for this, I would be tacitly agreeing to the idea that information needs to be constricted, which would make me feel like a fraud through my entire journalism career. So I am really happy that I did not apologise and feel stronger as a person for having emerged through the ordeal with my beliefs intact.

Q4. For the students of the college, the protests went beyond just the magazine and became more about the overall situation in Stephen’s, where numerous such cases of suspension have happened. Do you think these protests will carry on and what form do you think they will take?

The protests in my first two years were not planned very smartly. All those upset about the discriminatory standards against men and women or about the suspension of a student for speaking ‘rudely’ to the Principal simply gathered outside his office in a peaceful demonstration. Our Principal is extremely vindictive and cannot even tolerate peaceful opposition. Photographs were taken of the protestors so that he knew who the trouble makers were. At the end of the year, he interrogated the protestors who applied for residence as to why they had taken part in the demonstration and even denied residence facility to a majority of them! So I think protests will carry on, but hopefully in a smarter form since the Principal has shown that peaceful demonstrations within the four walls of the college will be penalised and cracked down on heavily.

Q5. Is it true that the co-founders were not in favour of contacting the media? What prompted you to do it?

I was the only third year student amongst all the founders. During my time at college, I had seen how the Principal was closing down the spaces of discussion within the college and began victimising anyone who stood up to him. The other co-founders believed that a solution could be worked out within college, and so I waited for 12 days after the ban in the hope of an internal resolution. But the Principal did not even have the courtesy to reply to our email appealing against the ban. In this situation, I felt the only way to revive the liberal spirit which our college has been famed for was revealing the matter to the outside world.

Q6. What do you expect from subsequent hearings of the court case?

I really hope the verdict of the High Court is in our favour. The issue has now become one of freedom of expression within the college campus and resonates with a lot of students. In fact, a lot of students, from colleges in Bhubhaneshwar to Madras, have messaged me with stories of censorship they had to face on campus. In the subsequent hearings, I hope that the ban on Stephen’s Weekly is lifted and we can continue working on our dream of an online, independent publication.

Ishaan Gambhir
[email protected]

Keeping up with its tradition of celebrity visits, the University has decided to host a farewell party for all those graduating in the year 2014-2015. The party will be, as our sources confirm to us, studded with movie stars and singers along with a few notable politicians. It will reportedly be hosted at Hindu College sometime in the coming week, though an official announcement is awaited.

The celebrities that have confirmed their presence till now are Shah Rukh Khan, Sunny Leone, Arvind Kejriwal, Kamaal R Khan and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Modi is expected to arrive all-front-cameras-blazing in a Rafale fighter jet at the event. Sources confirm that he will also launch a weekly Instagram series at DU’s farewell party which is likely to be called “Mann ki selfie”. Kejriwal, on the other hand, will walk to the venue flaunting designer mufflers.

Additionally, celebrities have insisted on announcing titles. While Kejriwal wants to give out his mufflers to students who bring sting operation videos of teachers giving out free attendance points, KRK will give a chance to get clicked with himself to the girl who gets the maximum number of ‘likes’ on her saree selfie.

Entry to the celebrity farewell party is by examination admit cards only. The University is contemplating whether attendance should be criteria or not for admission to the event, but anonymous sources informed us that students with attendance of over 80% lectures may not be allowed.

Image credits: Ajit Solanki, Associated Press

Ishaan Gambhir
[email protected]