Mumbai varsity to offer credits system

MUMBAI: Studying economics along with law or maths in tandem with music will now be possible at the University of Mumbai.

In a watershed move, the faculty of the university’s three largest streams—arts, science and commerce—have approved a choice-based credit and semester system at the undergraduate and post-graduate level from this June. The three proposals will now move up to the academic council, and will be tabled later before the management council for official sanctions.

The credit system, followed for aeons in universities around the world, takes into account a student’s performance throughout the entire duration of the course, unlike now, where only his/her final exam scores get recorded. Also, credits are given for the number of hours a student attends class, thus keeping a check on attendance. Hence, credit is defined in terms of hours, and students are evaluated based on classroom tests and final semester exams.

Each of the three-year-long courses will now be sliced into six semesters, two semesters making up a year. Eventually, the cumulative of each semester’s average will make up the final score (see credit calculator). Examinations will have two components: a written examination at the end of each semester and a host of classroom-level tests, where teachers will conduct internal continuous assessment in the form of surprises tests, quizzes, written assignments or fieldwork. This will allow flexibility to faculty members and ensure that a student is up to date with course work.

“The credit system will ensure that students attend class to earn their credits.

The final graduation mark sheet will reflect what the student has picked up in the entire three-year course. Classroom tests and presentations will empower teachers and will cut down students’ stress levels too,” said Parvathi Venkatesh, dean of faculty, arts.

Internally, the university will continue assessing students in marks, but these scores will be converted to grades (quality) points. For example, a student scoring between 70 and 80 will have a quality point of 8.

The maximum quality point is 10 (scores between 90 and 100) and minimum is 0 (scores less than 40).
Siddheshwar Gadade, dean of the faculty of commerce, said the university would not be able to immediately allow students to take up courses across different streams.

“Hence we have merely woven the credit system into the existing structure,” he explained. “But once the system is well oiled and functioning smoothly, we will allow students to move across streams—eventually, our system will provide the flexibility to study commerce with chemistry or even history.”

S B Patil, dean of science, said, “The new system will enable a science student to take up psychology if he wants and complete his credits. If a student wants to move to another university or institute, his/her credits will be transferred.” He added that continuous assessment, open book tests and other progressive developments in colleges and university departments would follow soon.

The originating point of the credit system was in 2008 when the University Grants Commission directed all vice-chancellors to adopt the semester system, introduce academic reforms and go in for the choice-based credit system (CBCS). While drawing up the fund allocation under the 11th Plan Statement, the UGC had stated that grants would be directly proportional to the implementation of the academic and administrative reforms suggested by it.

When varsities in Maharashtra did not act upon the directive, the state government rapped them and linked their annual grants to the implementation of CBCS. Now other state universities are to follow suit and usher in the academic reforms from either the coming academic session or the next one.

According to the UGC, close to 70 universities have so far agreed to adopt the new system—several central and state varsities have already implemented CBCS. Currently, the UGC give grants to 180 universities across India.

“The semester system will hopefully end the tried-and-tested method of selective cramming just in time for the final exams,” said a former vice-chancellor. Mumbai University will be expected to conduct exams more frequently so that students can take them as and when they want to.

Once the university councils okay the proposals, the varsity will conduct workshops for college heads and teachers so that the implementation process is smooth.

Source: hemali.chhapia@timesgroup.com

Beware of Bachelor of Fake – All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE)

AICTE has identified over 200 institutions that offer degrees and courses not approved by the statutory councils

By Dipti Sonawala ( Mumbai Mirror)

Posted On Wednesday, May 12, 2010 at 03:49:08 AM

Before you get excited about advertisements of institutions promising you a radiant future, you may need to do some homework. The All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) has identified 201 institutions that offer technical and management courses not approved by them or the University Grants Commission (UGC). Of these, 74 have a presence in Maharashtra. The body is concerned that students pay exorbitant amounts to enrol in under-graduate and post-graduate courses with these institutions only to realise that the degree doesn’t help them get a job or pursue further studies. Prabhat Kumar Sahoo, director and regional officer of AICTE, western region, said, “A number of leading institutions like the Indian School of Business, Hyderabad, ICFAI Business School, Mumbai and other branches, J K Business School Gurgaon, MB Birla Institute of Management, Bharitya Vidya Bhavan, Bangalore and Sikkim Manipal University and Frankfinn Airhostess Academy, Mumbai and Pune, figure in the list of institutions that run courses not approved by AICTE.. These institutions do not have any right to confer or grant degrees in these courses. This can have serious consequences for students in terms of eligibility for employment and higher studies.” UGC and AICTE are working towards spreading awareness about this issue in order to caution students and parents. Dr. Sahoo said, “We have been advised by the HRD ministry to launch an effective campaign against such institutions. The Government is also looking into a legislative proposal to restrict these unfair practices.” Sriram Gopalakrishnan, Head of Marketing and Communications, Indian School of Business, said, “The ISB’s one-year post-graduate programme does not fall under the ambit of the AICTE’s current regulatory mechanism for business schools and hence we have not applied for approval. The ISB has been established as a world-class institution. We have already started the process for a global accreditation. At the same time, the ISB continues to abide by the law of the land.” Sunanda Eshwaran, Dean at ICFAI Business School, Mumbai campus, told Mumbai Mirror, “We have never misguided our students over the issue of approval and recognition. It is clearly mentioned in our website that we have not sought AICTE approval. We also inform our students and their parents about this during admissions. For this approval, we need to fulfil certain criteria. As and when we fulfil these, we will seek AICTE’s approval.” Vice-President, Corporate Communication, Frankfinn Institute of Airhostess training, said, “We are shocked to find our institute’s names in the AICTE list. We do not need any approval from them as our institute does not come under the purview of AICTE and UGC. We provide vocational and not technical training.” What you should do before applying ? Students and their parents should refer to the websites of UGC (http://www.ugc.ac.in http://www.ugc.ac.in)  and the AICTE (http://www.aicte-india.org) to check the list of recognised Indian Universities/Institutions before joining them

US degree may become passport to green card

Washington: To attract the world’s “best and the brightest”, a group of top Democratic senators on Friday proposed immediate green cards for foreigners with advanced degrees from American institutes who also have job offers. This is good news for India which sends a large number of students to the US.
At the same time, they have proposed tightening of rules for H-1B and L1 visas, popular among Indian technology professionals.
The proposals being put forward by a coalition of powerful Democratic Senators are aimed at fixing the country’s broken immigration system.
The proposals “will reform America’s high-skilled immigration system to permanently attract the world’s best and brightest while preventing the loss of American jobs to temporary foreign labour contractors,” said a report drawn by senators Charles E Schumer, Harry Reid and Bob Menendez. At the moment, high-skilled workers are prevented from migrating to the US due to restrictive caps on their entry, says the 26-page conceptual proposal for immigration reform.
“In order to accomplish this goal, a Green Card (permanent residency) will be immediately available to foreign students with an advanced degree from a US institution of higher education in a field of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics, and who possess an offer of employment from a US employer in a field related to their degree,” it says. India sends the maximum number of students for higher studies to the US in the field of science, mathematics, engineering and technology and is therefore expected to benefit the most.
Under the current system, Indians have to wait for several years to get the coveted Green Card. “To address the fact that workers from some countries face unreasonably long backlogs, this proposal eliminates the per-country employment immigration caps,” the proposal said. PTI
Class Act
A group of Democrats in the US have proposed immediate visas for students with advanced degrees from American universities who also have job offers
If approved, India would benefit the most since it sends the highest number of students to the US
The senators argue that the proposal would ‘attract the world’s best and the brightest’

Source – Times of India dated 2nd May 2010