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How AECC Subjects Do More Harm Than Good

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DU has made some courses compulsory under the CBCS system that are supposed to enhance your abilities. However, there are infinetely may loopholes that make them more harmful than beneficial for students.

Under the CBCS syllabus, the third point of the University of Delhi (DU)  website introduces the concept of Ability Enhancement Compulsory Courses (AECC) which are Environmental Science and English Communication/MIL Communication. (http://www.du.ac.in/du/uploads/Syllabus_2015/BAProgEnglish.pdf)

Though they are claimed to be easy courses that enhance the understanding and skills of students, there exist many loopholes that impede a student’s inclination to study these subjects.

Firstly, it is important to mention that it is in school itself that we become excited about college as we finally get to choose the subjects we want to study. However, once we are at college we come to realise that the torture isn’t over. It is hard to understand why some subjects are  compulsory on the college level when it is the stage we should be specialising in our chosen fields. It is not sensible to believe that after almost 14 years of formal education, students have not learnt how to communicate or to take care of the environment. It is an underestimation of the students and the schooling system itself.

Furthermore, the subjects claim to be essential to mould our personality into a better one. However, it is important to remember that a change in mindset canbe achieved when a child is in the earlier stages of development. It would also make sense to be taught in the primary level if it is so essential as it can be considered an early start to knowledge.

Moreover, the syllabus of the subjects is vast and specialised, not with the purpose of increasing awareness and understanding.It adds to the burden of the studies. There are formulas, complex compound names, etc that an individual can do without, and at the same timebe sensitive to his/her surroundings.

Inspite of that, it is not a pass subject. It adds in the final GPA of a student and is a reflection of the marks of the subjects that a graduate didn’t choose for herself/himself. More often than not, it brings down the percentage by a large margin This does not only affect the studies but the future prospects of the students, too. Therefore, in this world of competition, it is an added burden that doesn’t let the students reach their full potential and ends up reflecting badly on the CVs.

Heeya Khanna, an English Honours student from Miranda House, like many other students, claims that  AECC subjects are “Outdated, a wastage of time and repetition of what we had been taught in school.”

With so many students who agree with this thought, it is important that the authorities pay heed to this collective opinion to either scrap or make amends in the syllabus.

 

Feature Image Credits: Daily Mail

Khyati Sanger
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News

Delhi University to Dole Out Percentages Alongside Grades in Final Year CBCS Marksheets

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CBCS System followed at the University of Delhi is Relative Grading and not Absolute Grading. The University did constitute a committee in 2016 to see into a mix of both systems but it was rejected later on. In this system, your SGPA is not entirely dependent on your performance. It depends on how your classmates did in the exam. It is as if, they check the sheets of all the students then total the marks of all the students in that batch. Then they calculate the average and finally find the standard deviation of your marks from the average. Since the introduction of CBCS, students have been very keen to get the know-how in converting their grade points to a percentage but this hasn’t been propagated. To this, a student replied, “ the University of Delhi must actually provide a formula for the conversion which it sadly hasn’t.”
SGPA Obtained/Highest SGPA in Course multiplied by 100
Till date, the above formula was in use, as this is normally accepted across many universities for admission in the post-graduation courses, in case a particular university hasn’t devised their own formula.
Now the Examination Wing of DU is in the process to devise a formula for the conversion of CGPA into percentage in the final year of the Undergraduate Courses under the Choice Based Credit System (CBCS). They are calling in for suggestions and observations regarding the same. This will ease the pain of the final year students, and also provide a uniform base throughout the university.

Image credits: www.du.ac.in

Radhika Boruah

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Arts & Culture

Why Environmental Studies under CBCS Needs to be Taken More Seriously

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Students and administration continue to take Environmental Studies (EVS) lightly. While colleges often choose to not hire expert faculty for EVS and instead expect science professors to teach the same, students view it as another exam they need to pass. Unless this lax attitude towards EVS changes, large sections of our population would remain ignorant about issues related to the same.

Environmental Studies is a subject all students pursuing an undergraduate degree are supposed to study. The University Grants Commission (UGC) ordered the 706 universities across India to incorporate Environmental Studies in their curriculum (India Today). UGC also asked that all new students be made to plant a sapling on their first day of college. While some colleges have been unable to meet the sapling guideline due to lack of space the former has been adequately respected, at least in principle. The purpose of incorporating EVS in our curriculum is to educate students about pollution, the eco-system, recycling, and the cost of neglecting the environmental impact of our deeds. While the idea behind making EVS compulsory was a beautiful one, it has failed to serve its original purpose and both the administration and the student body have played a role in that.

Colleges often do not hire experts to teach environmental studies. More often than not, professors from the science faculties end up teaching EVS. The purpose of a lecture is not just to provide textbook knowledge; it is also to incite passion and make students learn from their personal experiences. If there is a dearth of professors passionate about the environment; EVS lectures would never be fully engaging. But lack of experts is not the sole reason that negatively impacts how seriously EVS is taken. Students also choose to take EVS lightly and not give it the same importance that they allot for their core subjects. To see students using their cell phone during an EVS lecture is not a shocking sight; most people attend it just for the sake of maintaining their minimum attendance. Sandeep Samal of Hans Raj College says, “Basically students, a day before exams cram the notes easily available in the market.” EVS is treated like a burden in Universities across the country. Most faculty members see it as an additional subject that needs to be taught; while students view it as another exam they need to pass. The desire to actively seek knowledge about the environment and learn more about ways to preserve it is largely absent.

Around half of India’s population is under 25 years old or younger. With the youth consisting of India’s largest age group- it is essential that they be adequately educated about the impact of their everyday decisions. Small lifestyle changes like not using plastic straws, cups, and bags, reusing and upcycling old products, carpooling can lead to an immense impact on the environment. With liberalisation and the rise of the Indian middle class, consumerism has increased multiple times. The idea of “conspicuous consumption” is more relevant than ever. Huge SUVs are bought simply because they are supposed to represent wealth. In order to make their products more attractive, companies have introduced layered and intricate packaging, which includes multiple boxes and tags. All these minor changes have resulted in turning cities into mass dustbins.

Unless we take into account our high consumption level; we would end up destroying the planet for our greed. Our planet is running out of room and resources and the Earth will run out of resources at this rate of consumption. This situation is extremely dangerous and it is important that we educate ourselves about it. Colleges do not just need to take the theoretical teaching of EVS more seriously, but also encourage practical learning and set up challenges or weekly goals for students. Challenges like using public transport for a week or recycling and donating old clothes instead of throwing them away should be promoted. Environmental Sciences is one subject which needs to be taken extremely seriously and unfortunately, it seems to be one of the most neglected ones. We have a moral and social responsibility to be accountable for our actions and curb the capitalistic sense of greed and consumerism that is on the rise. A respectful attitude towards the planet is necessary to ensure our survival and the best way to be environmentally conscious is to be proactive in our learning and in our actions.

 

Feature Image Credits: Amazon

 

Kinjal Pandey

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DUB Speak

Tips To Navigate Through Internals

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With the internals’ season here, we present to you the various sources to gather in-depth, reliable information related to your papers.

It’s the internals’ season! I must point out that the exclamation mark is sarcastic because this season comes with non-stop projects, assignments, tests, and presentations, thereby creating a very big Yang to the week-long Yin of the mid-semester relaxation. Still, certain resources can help you get through this period with minimum amount of cursing and frustration. Often, readings and course material aren’t enough to form a detailed project or presentation and gain information for that class which you only attended thrice. So, here are some sources that will help you get the extra information you require:

  1. Current Affairs

Gone are the days when you were in 7th grade and ripped off of Wikipedia without any shame. Researching topics is tough not only because of the depth of material available online and elsewhere, but also because it’s difficult to find accurate sources. When looking for news items, it is preferable to look for renowned sites like the BBC and Al-Jazeera for international news, and The Hindu and India Today for Indian news, as they boast of well-researched information.

  1. Researching Facts

In the realm of subjects like History and Political Science, there often arises a need to find the compact history of a particular country or area. The BBC website has a timeline feature that does exactly that. CIA’s World Factbook also provides the economic, social, geographical and other kinds of data for countries, in a brief manner. Britannica, too, is a good source and a trustworthy online encyclopaedia which gives information on most topics.

  1. Multi-Media Sources

YouTube has a treasure trove of videos on various topics. The problem with these, however, is that their quantity doesn’t translate to quality – especially when there’s no authority verifying these videos. Certain channels, however, have large fan-bases due to their high quality content. ASAPScience, HowStuffWorks, and VSauce make easily understandable videos on Science, while Vox, School of Life, and Crash Course have videos explaining various facets of the social sciences, including Philosophy and Psychology.

  1. Previous Years’ Question Papers

For tests, there is always a set pattern of achieving high scores. It can also depend on the grading style of your particular professor (Yay for the Humanities!). The best way to navigate through their tests is to pester your seniors for their question papers and answer scripts. Resurrect the confidence of your 7th-grade-Wikipedia-thief self while doing so. Additionally, old question papers are available in college libraries and in the School of Open Learning’s  (SOL) web archives.

 

 

Feature image credits: DU Beat

 

Rishika Singh

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News

Chetan Bhagat’s Novel Included in DU’s GE English Syllabus

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It has been speculated that Chetan Bhagat’s bestselling book, ‘Five Point Someone’ has been included in the DU syllabus for those students who choose English as their Generic Elective in their 3rd semester, which will commence in July 2017. The book will be taught as a part of the ‘popular fiction’ paper under the Choice Based Credit System.

The proposed modified syllabus has been forwarded to the English department heads of all DU colleges for feedback. Recommendations will then be submitted to the Academic Council and Executive Council for approval. If this proposal is approved, by July, students with English as their Generic Elective will be able to study J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express, and Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women along with Five Point Someone by Chetan Bhagat. This course will only be available to Honours and Programme students in their second year, hence students from any stream who want to choose English as their elective subject will be able to study this paper. However, students pursuing English Honours will not be offered this paper and will continue studying Shakespeare, Fitzgerald, and other such books that, in Chetan Bhagat’s words, ‘Elitistaan’ approves of.

The reaction towards Chetan Bhagat’s inclusion in DU’s English syllabus has been mixed across the student community. However, most of the students and faculty members feel that the inclusion of Bhagat’s book with the likes of Louisa May Alcott, Agatha Christie, and J.K. Rowling is rather bizarre. Chetan Bhagat reacted to this move on Twitter and said: “Am honoured DU added my book to their course. Literature is about being open minded and reading the classics as well as the contemporary”. He then went on to comment on the criticism this move has received by stating, “To me, good literature is writing that actually touches people, whether in the past or now. It isn’t something an Elitist Club decides”.

 

Feature Image Credits: Sadda Haq

Joyee Bhattacharya
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DUB Speak

CBCS Poll: After FYUP, has CBCS too missed the mark with students? Find out!

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Delhi University has been famous for changing the academic systems very often. DU introduced the Four Year Under graduation Programme (FYUP) in 2013 which was subsequently rolled back in 2014, leaving the second year students under a semester system. DU introduced the Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) in 2015. 

The system, just a year old has invited both criticism and appreciation from all directions.

The system which was implemented in a hurry has a few loopholes to it. The introduction of CBCS has led to the liquidation of Honours course as papers under Honour courses were cut down to accommodate the Generic and AECC papers. The purpose of introducing CBCS was to provide a plethora of choices for students to choose from and study. However many colleges, don’t follow any such rule. A number of colleges have completely eliminated the ‘choice’ in the choice based credit system and only provide either a limited number of subjects to choose from or don’t provide a choice at all, thus defying the whole purpose of the system.

The papers too have polarised difficulty levels. 47.5% of the respondents who took a poll regarding CBCS admitted to not being fully satisfied with the difficulty levels of their Generic papers- which were either too easy or too difficult. Many colleges haven’t been able to adjudge the faculty requirements, which have led to less qualified faculty teaching the generic subjects and making it more burdensome on the students. 53.8% of the respondents felt that the faculty needed improvement.


There is also a general lack of seriousness and understanding of the system. There were no clear guidelines to help guide the professors and students through the syllabus and the changed curriculum leading to confusion. 49.4% respondents admitted to not taking the Generic paper as seriously as their core papers and spent less time studying for it. “The idea of studying something other than the core subject would be great if only the GE was taught properly. Vague syllabus taught half-heartedly ruins it.” says Kriti Kaur from SGTB Khalsa College


Despite having being criticized, it has its own share of positives. Some of the most significant advantages of CBCS are that it provides a well-rounded by giving students access to a more holistic approach to education with the introduction of Generic and AECC papers. In an increasingly globalized economy, employers are often on the lookout for individuals who have relatively specialized knowledge of more than one field. It also allows students to study subjects of their preference as many students are unable to pursue the course of their choice for a number of reasons, such as unrealistic cutoffs or parental pressure. In this scenario, a GE acts as a saviour for students who can finally study the subject of their preference.

College is perhaps the most crucial time of a student’s life during which he or she finally becomes a well-adjusted adult (or so we hope.) All professional settings require a basic understanding of time management and prioritisation. The addition of the GE and AECC courses therefore propels students into an environment in which they must balance three different fields of study. “I think it offers great opportunities with expansion of a holistic education. It’s a great option for people who wanted to study more than one subject in university, and my experience has been almost entirely positive with it.” says a student from Daulat Ram College

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS

According to the poll, the most relevant concern of the respondents was the inadequacy and non transparency of the evaluation system, with an overwhelming majority of 88.2% claiming that the evaluation system is confusing with regard to SGPA’s and grades and has left them unhappy. “It doesn’t matter how good your internal marks were as compared to other students, you get the same grade in the subject. I think the internal marks were not taken into consideration while evaluating the grades. I would prefer the old percentage system any day as one gets to know how he/she performed in the respective subjects.” said a student from Shaheed Bhagat Singh College.

“My college offers only 2 options for GE. Most students are not able to study the subjects they want to. Though there is nothing wrong with the grading system but I feel we need to understand the system better. Both the teachers and students have no idea what the grades stand for.” says Bhavya Mehta from JMC. A large number of students have rejected the system with 65.9 % respondents wanting the system to be discontinued as opposed to the 34.1% who want CBCS to continue but with rectifications.

Q. Did you find last semester's evaluation confusing?
Q. Did you find last semester’s evaluation confusing?
Q. Should grading in CBCS be replaced by percentage system?
Q. Should grading in CBCS be replaced by percentage system?
Q. Do you want CBCS to continue?
Q. Do you want CBCS to continue?

While the system was introduced with a lot of promises, students often find themselves at a slippery slope when it comes to evaluating their performance in CBCS. “The idea of integrating courses, college and universities is great but implementation was not at all upto the mark, affecting the students under this system. Thus the system seems to be a floundering one with a bleak future. The evaluation of this system is just another blunder leaving no scope for students to reevaluate their performances.”  Says Gerush Bahal from Aryabhatta College.

Feature image credits : indiatoday.intoday.in 

Akshara Srivastava

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Vineeta Rana

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DUB News

No changes to be made in CBCS grading system

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Delhi University is likely to go ahead with the previous technique of grading in the Choice Based Credit System (CBCS). The news comes out after the University had sought suggestions from all departments regarding the proposed changes. The committee which was constituted to look into the CBCS system will have a final word on the formulae on which the CBCS grading system works.

Under CBCS, a student is marked by relative grading system where their marks are dependent in relation to that of other students’ and not their individual performance. It allows students’ seamless mobility across higher education institutions and transfer of credit earned by students.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has asked all Central universities to implement CBCS from the ensuing academic session following a meeting of vice chancellors of all universities, claiming it had a “cafeteria approach” to education. The system was met with protest from both students and the faculty when it was introduced last year.

CBCS is currently implemented only for the first year batch of University of Delhi. The students have complained about their grades suffering due to relative marking since grades are dependent not by their individual marks, but by their performance in relation to that of other students.

Kartikeya Bhatotia

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Sri Venkateswara College

Students from IHE, SGTB Khalsa and LSR win at Hindi debate on CBCS in Sri Venkateswara College

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Vimarsh, the Hindi Debating Society of Sri Venkateswara College, organised an inter-college freshers’ debate competition on 19th September 2015 on the topic, ‘Will the implementation of CBCS (Choice Based Credit System) improve the standard of higher education in India.’

While the debate saw active participation from speakers both, for and against, it failed to draw any stable conclusion and the topic remains debatable as the speakers in favour as well as against the motion were able to present their views effectively based on facts and reason. The most important points put in favour were the interdisciplinary approach of the system, availability of choice to students, transfer facility available to different colleges and universities on the basis of credits later, bringing down competition by providing grades instead of marks etc.

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Members of Vimarsh, the Hindi Debating Society of Sri Venkateswara College

 

 

IMG_20150919_231727

 

Winners and judges of the inter-college freshers’ debate

Whereas, the speakers against the motion focused on the lack of proper infrastructure and qualified faculty in Delhi University and other institutions, problems in implementing uniform syllabus due to diversity in states and their curriculums, grading system which they thought would further demoralise the hardworking students, the way the CBCS was implemented i.e., without  consulting students and teachers. Aakash Pawar and Priya Singh from Vimarsh steered the proceedings of the house while allowing participants to present heated arguments through interjections.

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36 participants from various Delhi colleges, eligibility being one team from one college, battled to win top three titles which were all taken away by girls. 

DSC05805

The judges, Shri Neeraj Kumar, a famous writer and journalist and Shri Ramkishor Yadav, Associate Professor in Sri Venkateswara College, adjudged Aakritii as the best speaker (against the motion) from Institute of Home Economics.
Monika as the best  speaker (for the motion) from Lady Sri Ram College and Aditi Muradia as the best interjector from SGTB Khalsa College. The judges stressed on the need to differentiate between speech and debate and talked about some important points to be kept in mind which were found lacking in the presentations of some contestants. President Anchal Bawa and Vice- President Pulkit Khanna of the society brought the curtains down by presenting a warm vote of thanks.
Guest post by Aakash Pawar from Vimarsh

Image Credits: Aakash Pawar and Ashwariya

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DUB News

SFI conducts referendum on CBCS, more than 90% vote ‘No’

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The Students’ Federation of India (SFI), CPI (M)’s student wing, conducted a referendum last week on the widely debated Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) which was implemented at the undergraduate level  this year by the Delhi University. The referendum was conducted through polling stations at 12 major colleges of the varsity. These included Kirori Mal College, Hindu College, Shri Ram College of Commerce, SGTB Khalsa College, Miranda House, Laxmi Bai College, Satyawati College, Satyawati College (Evening), Zakir Hussain College, Zakir Hussain College (Evening), Motilal Nehru College, Ram Lal Anand College, Aryabhatta College, Dyal Singh College, Dyal Singh College (Evening), Aurobindo College and Aurobindo College (Evening).

The students voted in considerable numbers at all the centres leaving the final vote count at 12,769. Out of the number of votes casted, 11,734 voted against the system by selecting the ‘No’ option on the ballot papers while 1,016 voted for it. 19 votes were deemed invalid. The counting was done on Wednesday evening outside the Arts Faculty by a three member teacher panel. 91.89% of the votes were against the system.

SFI, which claims to be constantly battling for a fair higher education system in the country, faced resistance from the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) in various colleges as the former was eventually garnering a lot of support during the lead up to the referendum. The Federation now plans to do a nationwide referendum on the nature of higher education in the country and accordingly report the results to the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development.

Image credits: SFI

Sidharth Yadav

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Admissions 2015

What is Choice Based Credit System and how does it affect the new batch?

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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]

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