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DU introduces awards for Foundation Course teachers

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Delhi University authorities under the leadership of Vice Chancellor Dinesh Singh are leaving no stone unturned to make the much criticised Four Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUP) gain acceptance among teachers. As a result, DU has introduced “Teaching Excellence Awards” so as to accolade teachers who have persistently worked to make Foundation Courses more interactive and interesting.

Teaching Excellence Awards shall be given to three teachers in each Foundation Course.  The award will comprise a fully funded study tour to one of Delhi University’s partner universities abroad (University of Edinburgh, Scotland, King’s College, London, Open University, UK, universities in Norway, Denmark, Australia and New Zealand) for a period of approximately 10 days.  The aim is to make teachers learn the good practices of these universities and further implement them at University of Delhi for teaching Foundation Courses and bring DU at par with international standards.

The award is based on multiple assessment aspects including class preparation, knowledge domain, communication skills, rapport with students, mentorship of projects, technology skills, evaluation methods and student feedback.

Teachers require to file their nominations with a 10-minute video recording of them teaching, evaluation and teaching methods used, five citations of student feedback and recommendation from one referee. These elements with other documentation need to be submitted by 30th April, 2014.

The application forms will be examined to ensure information provided by the applicant stands true. Subsequently all the eligible applications will be judged by a committee founded by the Vice Chancellor.

“This is exciting. Finally the hard work we have put in to make students understand the topic is being recognised. FYUP is a more interactive platform where we need to constantly communicate with the students through presentations, games and case studies” expressed one of the teachers from Daulat Ram College.

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Campus Central

King's College opens applications for Delhi Summer School 2014

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King’s College, one of the premier institutes of London is all geared up to extend your horizon. Like last year, Delhi Summer School is offering a variety of courses for undergraduate students. Taught by King’s academicians, it aims to impart international education to Indian students. King’s College London is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge, learning and understanding in various fields of education. This time the sessions will be held at Delhi University’s Miranda House College and Lady Shri Ram College for Women and will be conducted over two sessions. The summer school holds sessions in Mumbai as well. In Delhi, the first session will commence from 2nd June 2014 and will end on 13th June. It will cover multifarious and unconventional themes like Education & Neuroscience, International Political Economy, Media, Gender & Culture, The Art of Leadership, and The Entrepreneur: Skills & Smart Thinking. The second session is scheduled from 16th to 27th June. In this session students will learn about International Relations: theory & practice, Introduction to International Conflict Resolution, The Global City: Key Urban Challenges (and Solutions) in the 21st century. “Being associated with King’s College is in itself a matter of pride”, exclaimed one of the students of the batch of 2013. Another student said, “It’s a once in a lifetime experience, we get to learn so much, and the professors are amazing. This is very different from our graduation course, the interactive sessions and thought-provoking techniques inculcate out of the box thinking” The course will cost you Rs. 25,000. Applications opened on 20 January 2014 and the last date of submission is 30 April 2014. To apply, you can either contact your respective college ambassadors or register here.]]>

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News

DU releases guidelines for UGC Non-Fellowship scheme

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Delhi University recently floated its guidelines for the UGC Non-Fellowship scheme. The Scheme is applicable for M.Phil. and Ph.D. students who are not in receipt of any financial assistance from anywhere and are also registered with the University under various departments.

The award and its extension shall be subject to “actual release of funds” from the UGC and all the conditions must be conformed with in order to avail it. The University holds the right to cancel the fellowship and recover the amount paid if the candidate doesn’t meet the terms stated.

For M. Phil. students the maximum number of fellowships to be granted will be 25+1 PWD (the maximum admissible limit including English Department). They will be awarded Non NET fellowship of Rs 5000 per month with contingency of Rs 10000 per year for Science Students and Rs. 8000 per year for Humanities and Social Science students.

Ph. D students will be entitled to Rs. 8000 per month as Fellowship and contingency of Rs. 10000 for social students and Rs 8000 for Humanities and Social Science students.

For fresh awards, scholars are required to submit their application to the “Scholarship Cell, recommended by DRC and forwarded by the concerned Head of Department within six months of registering in the programs.  The maximum span will be 4 years for Ph.D. and 18 months for M.Phil or completion of viva voce or dissertation, whichever is earlier.

The rejected applicants can apply afresh next year for Fellowship. The rejected period will be counted towards Fellowship span period.

The Fellowship will be cancelled if the candidate fails to qualify in semester exam and the Fellowship will be suspended till he/she is qualified. No Fellowship shall be paid for the period taken to qualify it but it will be counted towards total Fellowship span.

Maximum leave granted for the scholars shall be 30 days in a year excluding the public holidays (making them ineligible to take vacations). Women candidates are eligible for maternity leave of 135 days at full rates of fellowship provided they meet the criteria of attendance as per rules. While in other cases leave without Fellowship is restricted to a period of three months only and not more than that.

The award can be cancelled in case candidate is found:

  • Guilty of misconduct
  • Scholar found ineligible later
  • Scholar switched from full time to part time course
  • Unauthorized leave other than admissible
  • Unsatisfactory progress report and recommendation of cancellation by department

For other rules and regulations, please visit the official Delhi University website.

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Interviews

In conversation with DU students who achieved 99 percentile in CAT

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Though this was her maiden attempt but she surely went near to hit a century in her CAT exams. Meet Nandita who has achieved 99.36 percentile. Currently pursuing B.Com (H) from Shri Ram College of Commerce, she credits her success to sheer determination.

DU beat catches up with Nandita in a free-wheeling interview.

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When did you start preparing for CAT?

Nandita: I started preparing in November 2012. This gave me ample of time and I could study without any pressure. But I got really serious about CAT in August and that is when I did most of my preparation.

What was your preparation strategy for CAT?

Nandita: My basic strategy was to take as many mock tests and Aimcats as possible. This helped me to identify my weak points and then I worked on them. I never took a lot of pressure or studied for long hours. Since I enjoy reading novels, my VA was already pretty strong. For quant, the study material from coaching institutes and the mock tests helped me.

Was it difficult to prepare for CAT with College?

Nandita: It was not at all difficult to do that. College used to be over by around 3-4 and since my CAT classes used to be after that, I could easily manage both. Although I did miss a lot of classes due to my internship, it didn’t affect my preparations a lot. Surprisingly, I scored very well in my college exams also this time.

Which management institutes are you vying for and why?

Nandita: Right now I have calls from IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Calcutta. I am vying for Ahmedabad because of its high rankings and good placements. Also, the shortlists of other colleges like FMS are still not out, which I am waiting for.

How are you preparing for WAT/GD/PI?

Nandita: I am reading up as much as I can. Reading newspapers and keeping myself updated on the latest happenings. I am also polishing my interest areas, i.e. finance. Basically, I am gathering as much information as I can on various topics so that I am well prepared for any question that the interviewers put up.

Any advice for our readers? OR Any tips for future CAT aspirants?

Nandita: I would suggest that don’t take too much of pressure. Identify your weak areas and work on them. Most people tend to work on their already strong areas because they enjoy solving questions which they can easily solve. I never did that and that worked for me. Instead of studying for long hours, take mock tests with proper time constraints as managing time is very important in cat.

Next we have in store for you the success secrets of Prakhar Jain who scored 99.24 percentile in CAT 2013. He is in final year of his Graduation from SRCC and credits his success to a modest upbringing and family support.

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When did you start preparing for CAT?

Prakhar: My CAT coaching started from July 2012 but effectively I started preparing around mid 2013.

What was your preparation strategy for CAT?

Prakhar: Initially my strategy was to ensure conceptual clarity. Once I was sure about all the concepts I started practicing questions from different sources.

Was it difficult to prepare for CAT with College?

Prakhar: Preparing for CAT was my priority and I prepared a schedule to make sure that I get some time for CAT preparation after college which made it quite comfortable for me to manage both the things.

Any advice for our readers or any tips for future CAT aspirants?

Prakhar: The only advice I can give to future CAT aspirants is to practice a lot. It is the only thing that helped me.

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DUB Speak

6 myths about running a start up

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Start up- the word sounds so awe-inspiring and cool. Starting up just when one gets out of college is increasingly getting popular as a prospect career. Acquiring college the practicality of business world drives people to attain pinnacle of success early in life.

To support this growing culture, we have the inspiring stories of Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg that have elevated the charm for entrepreneurship. We all are very well familiar with their success stories and these stories has somehow or the other given wings to our entrepreneurial dreams.

No doubt starting up is both speculative and risky but the zeal, the maverick exuberance to reach the corporate zenith makes us strive and overcome all odds.

However, a number of misconceptions float around the idea of starting up your own company that misconstrue the meaning of starting up.Some misbeliefs pertaining to start-ups are as follows:

1)     I am the BOSS

Some of you might believe that to start your own company you are the boss not accountable to anyone. The truth is you will have to answer not only to yourself but to your parents, investors, and partners. You might not have a boss, but you have to childmind everything and everyone.Always remember you might have started the company but you need a co-operated workforce and a cordial environment to work and get good results.You can’t manage things on your own.

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2)     You can’t share your ideas with others

It is a common belief that one should not share their ideas with others till you are launched as they might be stolen or competition may crush you. On the contrary it is good to talk about your ideas to certain trusted people as many a times people are under the impression that theirs will be the only company in the market to provide the particular service, whereas in most of the cases there are already some companies or start ups following the same project. Thus sharing information helps in knowing more about market conditions.

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3)     You just need to build a great product

It is misconstrued generally by engineering pupils that you just got to prepare a good product and everything will fall into its place. Other things will simultaneously build up to run an entrepreneurial venture. If you don’t have the idea about the target market, the funds, and workforce then how can you imagine going forth? In such a competitive sphere marketing strategies become absolutely essential.

4)     All work no play

The most widely found misapprehension about start ups is that it requires a person to sacrifice himself totally to his business. While utmost dedication to your job is necessary, this work is like any other work and has it’s fair share of fun

5)     Prosper your venture and then sell off

Many people believe that once the company gains success you should sell it off at a good price and live rest of the life in peace. Companies are not sold, they are bought. If you’re auctioning off your company at any given chance, you might repent later in life.

6)      There is a right time to start business

Often people refrain from starting a business believing that it is not the right time to start. There is no right time to start a business, trade cycles go on and on. The best time to start is when you are passionate about pursuing what you aspire to achieve. As it has been correctly said by Seth Godin, founder Squidoo “waiting for perfect is never as smart as making progress”

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Don’t get caught in these and countless other delusions that entrepreneurs face. They will  ultimately hold you back. Having an open mind can be a great source of power.

Image credits- www.technologywoman.com, tumblr.com

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News

DU Students cycle from Kanyakumari to Islamabad in quest for peace

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A group of Delhi University students under the name “Delhi University Students For Peace” are cycling from Kanyakumari to Islamabad in a bid to appeal for peaceful relations between India and Pakistan.

They approached the mission with the thought that – “In the absence of mutual trust and friendly relations, India and Pakistan spend huge amounts for defence purposes which could otherwise be used in the fight against poverty and hunger. If all or even a portion of that amount was spent on social welfare, would not the cause of development be served better? We could not after all substitute weapons for food or medicines or education.”

To give direction to their agenda 12 of them embarked their cycling journey from Kanyakumari. Their journey was formally inaugurated by VS Achuthanadam, former CM of Kerela. They have gathered support from many eminent and revered personalities as Gujarat CM Narendra Modi, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah, Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot, Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda, former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, former Supreme Court Justice and Karnataka Lokayukta Santosh Hegde, various MPs and MLAs on their Facebook page.

The march is expected to take 90 days from Kanyakumari to reach Islamabad i.e. on 31st august 2013. You can even trace their progress on Google maps.  The collected signatures will be submitted to the Governments of India and Pakistan. They have already held interactions and mass signature campaigns at various universities, colleges and schools along the way, and collected the signatures of all concerned citizens who have expressed their support for our cause. The route of their journey can also be traced via Google Maps.


View Delhi University Students for Peace CYCLE MARCH FOR PEACE from KANYAKUMARI to ISLAMABAD in a larger map

After leaving Delhi recently, the group is proceeding via Baghpat to Chandigarh and from there to Amritsar and the Wagah border before crossing into Lahore on the way to Islamabad. They expect to reach Wagah border on the 14th of August to jointly celebrate the Independence day of India and Pakistan.

The group believes that friendly relations between India and Pakistan are just the first step for a lasting solution to the problems of our subcontinent. After this cycle march to Islamabad they also propose to go to Dhaka via Kathmandu during the winter with the same purpose.

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News

Delhi University gives green signal to hostel for North East students

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In a bid to facilitate and gladden the students from North East, the centre has given green signal to the construction of hostel for students from north-eastern states at the north campus of Delhi University.

This hostel shall be an addition to existing girl’s hostel complex in Mukherjee Nagar.

Conceding with the constant demand of NE Student’s Union and DUSU, It was resolved to expedite the matter and the Delhi CM has extended all cooperation in allotment of land and other official formalities

Sanjoy, who is also the convener of the All-India Tribal MPs’ Forum, also said that security for people from the North-East in Delhi, particularly women, was a top most concern of the Parliamentarians and the Forum of Tribal Officers in Delhi.

The Union Home Ministry has directed appointing tough cop from Arunachal, Robin Hibu, as coordinator for security and safety of NE people in Delhi.

However there are mixed reactions from college students regarding this move. Some welcomed this move. “I do feel that there is a need for more girls’ hostel as the hostels still fail to accommodate the students and selection too is on merit basis.”

While some on the contrary believe that this type of separate hostel construction instils the feeling of discrimination among students. Julia, an IP college student expresses that more hostels are needed but all students should stay in mixed environment rather than staying isolated. Therefore more hostels should be constructed accommodating the diversity so as to promote a cordial environment and social profiling should be eradicated.

There are still meetings to be held to give this whole project a concrete shape and bring into existence.

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Admissions 2013

Is Delhi University’s Modern Indian Languages policy discriminatory?

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The hastily prepared syllabus for the FYUP has encountered yet another sandstone. The present Modern Indian Languages (MIL) policy is witnessing protests from different regions and organisations on the grounds of being discriminatory and danger for national integration.

The Punjabi community along with representatives of other regional languages have gathered in rebellion stating that the new MIL rules put regional languages and culture into jeopardy.

The Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee (DSGMC) has been protesting against recent MIL provisions. As per the new system, for four-year graduation course of DU shifts Punjabi, Urdu and other MILs, to the second year (third semester). Earlier, these languages were introduced from the first semester. Students and DSGMC are claiming that the move is discriminatory towards regional languages.

It is being said that the Applied Language Courses that are a part of the foundation courses are a farce and the quality of the curriculum for the same is questionable. While several regional languages are available as a part of Discipline Courses- II, the ambiguity amidst the method of choosing a minor subject also acts as a problem in such a scenario.

Punjab minister, Prakash Singh Badal has insisted PM to intervene and scrutinize the move of DU in devaluation of Punjabi language since only 3 colleges have been allowed to teach Punjabi as main subject in FYUP. Earlier it used to be taught in 15 colleges.

An 11 member committee comprising professors of Urdu, Punjabi and other languages will jointly work to restore the pride of regional languages. Various language groups believe that the move is a strategy to slowly wipe away the relevance of the MIL department of the University.

On the other hand, Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR) has accused the Delhi University  of introducing Hindi and other Modern Indian Languages (MIL) without assessing the capacity of the faculty on MILs. They also called it to be following Tuglaqi Policy, under which non–Hindi speakers will be discriminated as Hindi is the only subject with adequate faculty strength.

As per the previous semester system, students taking admission to Delhi University were allowed to take any other subjects instead of languages if any student has not studied MIL at the higher secondary and secondary school level.

However, with the introduction of the FYUP, a committee set up by the DU has made it compulsory for all students to opt for either Hindi or 22 other Modern Indian Languages in the graduation course of the University.

Mr. Suhas Chakma (Director ACHR), filed RTI application  with the Deputy Registrar of Delhi University on 5 April 2013, among others, seeking the names of the colleges under Delhi University where MILs are taught and list of MILs taught in each college; and number of faculty members for each MIL in each college under Delhi University.

In reply to the RTI application received, the Deputy Registrar, Delhi University stated that it has no information about the number of staff teaching MILs in Delhi University and instead directed to seek information from individual colleges.

ACHR insisted the University Grants Commission to intrude with Delhi University AND to stop the four year undergraduate programme and not to introduce compulsory MILs without assessment of faculty strength and without addressing the needs of students who do not study MIL at the qualifying level.

Mentioning problems of northeast students, ACHR stated there were hundreds of languages in northeast India but only three languages — Bodo, Assamese and Manipuri – were recognised as MIL.

As students are taught MILs but not their languages, they will be easily kicked out from the Delhi University. Moreover, not a single college under DU has the faculty to teach Bodo, Assamese and Manipuri.

“This step is nothing less than cultural chauvinism on the part of DU directed against the northeast communities,” said a statement issued by the North-East Forum for International Solidarity.

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News

NSIT to be Granted the Status of a University

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NSIT
Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology, a leading engineering college in New Delhi and currently a part of Delhi University, has now been granted the status of a university and would be called NSIT University, Delhi. The Cabinet meeting which was presided over by the Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, gave its approval to upgrade NSIT into a university. Dikshit said “NSIT, which has emerged as a premier technological institute for education and research in the area of engineering and technology and has carved a niche for itself nationally and internationally.”

She further added that the upgradation shall improve the standard of education of students and boost up the quality of students. It has been agreed by the Delhi Government as well as the Board of Governors of NSIT that in the process of transformation of NSIT into a State university, the name ‘NSIT’ would remain intact thereby maintaining a brand linkage with the past.

Presently, the institute is affiliated to University of Delhi for its academic programmes. The institute has at present six under-graduate programmes in the areas of technologies and three post-graduate programmes for M-tech degrees along with research programmes for PHD degrees in all engineering disciplines and applied sciences.

At the very foundation of NSIT, which was formally known as Delhi Institute of Technology (DIT) in 1983, it was envisaged that the institute would eventually aim for becoming a university. It was granted administrative autonomy in 1986 with the direction to keep in mind the long-term goal of achieving the status of a university. The institute applied for the grant of Deemed-University status earlier also, However, Delhi Government was at that time not willing to sacrifice 85% reservation of seats for Delhi students and thus the idea was shelved. But in the recent times the Delhi government has granted university status to many institutes like DTU, IIIT, Ambedkar, G.G.S. IP University and IGIT and now NSIT being a new addition to the list, the government is aiming to make Delhi an educational hub.

However students differ with the government’s decision on many fronts. Many students have shown their discontent by writing mails, meeting government and principal.

Kushal Sagar, one of the student of NSIT apprises that NSIT is not ready for such transformation as it lacks infrastructure. It has been said that the funding given to the institute as a state university would improve and hence the for infrastructural growth will increase but in recent past we have had sufficient funds available for the betterment of our infrastructure but they haven’t been put up to any good use till now. He further added that another blow for the students is the loss of brand value of DU, on which they used to bank upon while applying to foreign universities. This transformation will too have a bearing upon the placements as central universities are given more preference over state universities.

The students also fear that with the introduction of Meta courses and four year degree courses in DU, the quality of students shall deteriorate and they will face more stiff competition from the new changes occurring in the field of science in DU.

The students are of the view that they would have welcomed the change if NSIT would have been upgraded to an NIT or IIT, thereby maintaining the central character and retaining the tag of an ?Institute of National Importance while achieving full autonomy or  the complete control could be passed on to Delhi University.

Some people say that this move was initiated by the government just because the government wants to project to the common man that during their tenure, they have established a number of universities and thus, disregarding the quality they are targeting only on the quantity to gain vote bank. The conversion would result in recruitment of faculty, administrative staff and students on the basis of donation and approach. University will be under the influence of local MLAs and MPs which will lead to deterioration in the quality of education.

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Admissions 2013

DU Cut Offs 2013: What You Can Expect

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Soon after the declaration of class XII board results, DU has again found a place in news. Only this time, it’s about a new course structure, amidst expectations of a rising cut off.

Let’s have a glance at this year’s results. About 7231 students crossed the barrier of 95%. While high percentage surely would have come as relief to both parents and students, how good would be the chances a student who has scored, say, 93%, would only become clear once the cut offs are declared.

Since the 95%+ club has been inundated with students, specially Science students, an average of about 3-4 % rise seems inevitable in the cut offs of science courses, as is also evident from the fact  that 754 students have scored 98% and above in physics and 426 people got merit in biology.

Altogether 44,676 students have scored 90% and higher in the Class XII CBSE boards, and their best-of-four aggregate for undergraduate admissions is likely to be even higher as 701 students have scored 100 in Maths and 1,498 have scored 96% and above in English. A spiralling rise was seen in Accountancy were 403 students earned merit in comparison to 223 in last year and in Business Studies it is 901. It is expected that increase in cut off for commerce course will range from 0.75%-1%. With SRCC, last year, announcing an unbelievable 100% cut off (for non-commerce students), it will be very interesting to see how this year’s increase takes shape. St Stephens which announced 98% as economics honours cut off is now expected to announce cut off around 98.75% – 99%. Humanities courses are also expected to see a rise of about 1%- 2%.

(For entire Admissions 2013 coverage click here)

However, not all subjects have witnessed an increase in marks scored. In Core English, the merit certificates have gone down from 1,782 to 1,498 this year, a decrease of about 19%. In Elective English, the decrease has been around 2-3%. CATE has been scrapped and the University will be admitting students on the basis of marks after many years.

The other reason spotted for rise in this year’s cut off might be the risk of over-admitting students. Earlier, there was rampant over-admission in spite of high cut-offs. But with the increase in the number of available seats under the four-year undergraduate program, there are contradictory views that this might get balanced out too.

Moreover, it’s a new system and colleges might be very cautious and conservative, especially for the first cut-off list, but in subsequent lists, cut offs are expected to normalize. Overall, there are a number of factors to be considered—the four-year undergraduate program that will increase the total strength of Delhi University’s undergraduate classes by about a third, redistribution of seats that formerly belonged to ‘Program’ courses, removal of entrance tests in several courses and, finally, the Class XII CBSE results. The abolishing of the BA, BCom and BSc program courses has added seats to many of the honours courses and the impact this has on cut-offs, will depend largely on how many seats have been redistributed and among how many subjects.

This year it’s going to be very tricky.

Update: The cut-off for St. Stephen’s College was declared on June 21st. Check the details here.

Image credits: Surbhi Bhatia 

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