DU students to mark teachers?

Delhi University's PG EVALUATION is set to gain a different meaning. The varsity, as part of a slew of reforms in its PG programme, is planning to ask students to give their feedback — on both the course and the teachers.

Suggestions include introducing a semester system in all PG courses, a uniform academic calendar, introducing interdisciplinary courses and a mechanism to get student feedback.

Predictably, its the last suggestion which seems to have university teachers into a tizzy. Student feedback has never been a part of the university system. The DU reforms committee, however, has not only recommended getting feedback from students but also suggested that action be taken on the feedback — by setting up a committee in each department.

The feedback form, a copy of which is with TOI, has several questions that pertain directly to teaching methodology as well as academic quality of the course as well as the teacher. e.g. if questions asked by students have been properly answered in the class.

The most pertinent query, however, is the one where the student has to give feedback on whether tutorials have been regularly held or not. Interestingly, tutorials are seldom held in PG courses. Teachers to protest against student feedback plan

Commenting on the proposed evaluation method for DU’s PG programme, Rajib Ray, member of the academic council and a teacher in Kirori Mal College, said: ‘‘There are several ways of getting feedback, but asking students is not one of them. We are not service-providers that action needs to be taken on feedback from the buyer, the student.’’ According to Ray, the university could have got feedback from the teachers themselves. ‘‘If the V-C is interested in getting student feedback, why doesn’t he allow student representation in the academic council, a suggestion that has been pending for many years,’’ he added. [Teachers are never open to feedback. Its rare and those who are open to it, I think they know they are amongst the favorites!]

The sentiment seems to be uniform, with teachers planning to protest against this recommendation of the committee. The recommendations are to come up for discussion in the next meeting of the academic council, the highest body responsible for academic decisions in the university.

QUESTIONS IN THE FEEDBACK FORM

- The syllabus of this paper/subject is well designed (Choose Yes/No)

- Classes in this subject have been regularly held

- An interactive and participative style has been used in the class for teaching this paper to us

- Tutorials/preceptorials in this paper have been regularly held

- Practicals in this paper have been properly held

- Adequate equipment have been available to support the practical

22nd Dec, Winter Solstice Day @ Jantar Mantar, New Delhi

Participate in the Historic Calibration Work of the Jantar Mantar Observatory Instruments!

Be at the Jantar Mantar on the 22nd December, the Winter Solstice Day to participate in the historic calibration work underway for the Jantar Mantar Observatory instruments.

Have you been wondering what exactly are those structure-instruments? How do they tell the time? What other things can they be used for? Et cetera. Then I guess, that's the right platform to interact and know, do and learn, talk-discuss about your doubts, etc.

Further, you can also look through the telescopes there in the evening for certain celestial objects too!

Volunteers from the Nehru Planetarium & the Amateur Astronomers Association, New Delhi will be present at the observatory between 11 am to 5 pm (and maybe little beyond) on the 22nd Dec. They would assist and help-out students and visitors understand the astronomical significance and usage of these instruments. Once again, you should feel free to ask any questions you may have!

From Sunrise to Sunset, the position of the Sun, in the bowl of the Jaiprakas instrument will be traced by volunteer observers (you can be one of them too!!). Why? This will trace out the Tropic of Capricorn in the bowl, one of the markings originally present on the instrument.

Also, at 4 pm starting at the Misra Yantra, there will be a lecture on all the observatory instruments which will be conducted by Dr. Rathnasree, Director, Nehru Planetarium.

Its an opportunity to learn and know, a platform to know something new, etc. and off-course be a part of the historic calibration process.

Youth Nexus 2007!

Important Telephone Numbers

Prof. Deepak Pental, Vice Chancellor - 27667011
Prof. S. K. Tandon, Pro-Vice Chancellor - 27667899
Prof. (Ms.) Shirin Rathore, Dean of Colleges - 27667066
Prof. Dinesh Singh, Director, South Campus - 24116427
Prof. Gurmeet Singh, Proctor - 27667291
Dr. A. K. Dubey, Registrar - 27667853
Prof. Pulin B. Nayak, Chairman, Admission Committee - 27667540
Prof. S. K. Vij, Dean, Students' Welfare - 27667092
Dr. (Mrs.) Yogesh Chaddha, Dy. Dean, Students' Welfare, South Campus - 24119832
Dr. J. S. Naruka, Director, Sports - 27667104
Dr. Tanuja Agarwal, Foreign Students' Advisor - 27666756

Any idea about this Prof. at DU...?

If anyone knows where I can find Dr. D. S. Kothari, Prof. - Delhi University, Physicist & Astrophysicist, pls reply as comment to this post.

We ourselves,...

Well, I strongly believe that the Bachelor of Science (Honours) Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics are Class I courses for furthering the cause of science and deciphering the laws of nature. But, the structure and non-flexibility of the curriculum does not encourage students to go into further depth, and explore the subject in their own original way (unless such desperate and happening desires are ignited within oneself!).

The lab. practicals hardly mean and teach us anything, or more correctly we hardly bother to learn from them. Instead short/long-term and other meaningfull and projects would be manyfold better.

Lab. practicals are often almost and always done for the sake of filling up a so called practical-file and that too at the end of the semester! The right attitude to read, understand, question and think about is missing. These courses are such that one can be happy all time as regards a good research career in these future-fields of knowledge and progress.

We are students who study, some of us try to interperate what's happening around us, we must not be those puppets on this stage but...(hope you understand).

Curiosity, the so called mother of discoveries and many inventions, is missing in most (or should I say almost all) of the students and surprisingly even teachers (though one should not blame them because they also took their degrees in a similar environment and probably because their elders suggested so, as they do suggest us as well).

Students 90%+ times hardly care and thus don't know what's happening in the labs. and esp. what the crux of the experiment is? But, what some of them know is how to go about the experiment and what all to record as regards observations etc. Thanks to those x, y, z authored lab-manuals. But, must I not question, is that all? Is that what we call a Physics Honours degree? And most of all, our dear teachers, they don't seem to bother neither themselves nor the students to understand and analyze what they are doing. This does a lot, the student is happy since the teacher does not question, and the teacher is happy since the students don't question and probably analyze and revert back with those weird and curious questions. It's our duty to educate each other and share knowledge. Why must we not do so? Is it that we never questioned these things when we were kids, or probably we are still ignorant about them because there will hardly be a student asking about such so called rare stuff? (Probably, both are true, I'm not blaming anyone, but why not think ourselves...)

With the examination system judging our academic strengths and standards one and that too by just a few questions, and remember those internal exams (where open-copying, circulating answer-scripts, ...), the so called asignments (3 do and 60 copy, a mind-blowing ratio!), the system and administration is just awesome, is it not?

Wonder what'll happen if I complete my degree, all I know is that this is going to be my most weird and memorable time, I'll surely remember it for those impressively spent college years, doing this-and-that comprising nothing, playing bat-ball (which I somehow don't), idling around nowhere, but surely enjoying joking with Mr. Feynman!

Life is it? I don't call it to be so! +...

University top officials

Vice Chancellor: Prof. Deepak Pental
ProVice Chancellor: Prof. S. K. Tandon
Dean of Colleges: Prof. Sirin Rathore
Director, South Campus: Prof. Dinesh Singh