MU first in India to get Harvard-style virtual classroom, 420 colleges have signed up

dna correspondent @dna

Mumbai: The Mumbai University (MU) on Saturday inaugurated a virtual classroom at its Kalina campus and became the first public university in the country to introduce this facility. Based on the virtual classroom model at Harvard University, the facility will be used to deliver and live-stream lectures, workshops and seminars through A-VIEW, a virtual learning tool developed by Amrita University. The fully automated classroom, that can seat 58, will also be connected to an auditorium that can seat up to 300 students. Also, through the virtual classrooms, students sitting in any of the affiliated colleges across the country can participate in sessions held at the university. So far, 420 colleges have registered with the university to access sessions held in the facility, set up at a cost of over Rs1 crore. “Any college that has the A-VIEW software, computers, cameras and a high bandwidth can enrol,” said Dr Rajan Welukar, MU vice-chancellor. The classroom was inaugurated by Maharshtra governor K Sankaranarayanan and the ceremony was attended by Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and minister of state for higher and technical education DP Sawant. While asserting that the facility was indeed a step ahead, Chavan said that its real value addition would depend on how well it is utilised. “While we have tried to expand our reach to many, we seem to have not paid enough attention to the quality of the faculty. We must ensure that faculty is well-trained in the new techniques,” he said, adding that the classroom should be open for 12-16 hours daily so students in night schools and colleges can avail the facility. inbox@dnaindia.net. Source::::: DNA, 18-08-2013, p.02, http://epaper.dnaindia.com/epapermain.aspx?pgNo=3&edcode=820009&eddate=2013-8-18

INAUGURATION TOMORROW

Varsity to reach out to pupils via virtual classroom

Yogita Rao TNN 

Mumbai: Mumbai University will start an automated virtual classroom this weekend, probably the first traditional public university in the country to have the facility. 
    On Saturday, when the chief guest inaugurates the classroom at the university’s Kalina campus, the event will be live-streamed across affiliated colleges through the facility. Supposed to be modelled on the virtual classroom at Harvard University, the room with 58 seats will also be connected to an auditorium with a capacity of over 300. 
    While initially the classroom will be used to live-stream special lectures by eminent resource persons, workshops and conferences, it can also bring a sea change in academic activities at the university and its affiliated colleges. The facility will solve the problem of shortage of qualified teachers and make interactive learning possible with limited resources. Participation in events with restricted entry can now be thrown open to all university students. Students and teachers of colleges in remote places such as Raigad and Sindhudurg can now attend important conferences/meetings that will be conducted at the university and transmitted in their classrooms. 
    “Once the facility is ready, we can use it for multiple academic activities. It will also help us connect to universities world over. We also plan to offer online courses in future,” said pro-vice-chancellor Naresh Chandra. The inauguration will be held in the presence of the governor, chief minister and the minister for higher and technical education minister. 
    A university official claimed that the virtual classroom was designed on the lines of a similar facility at Harvard University. “Everything in the classroom is automated and can be controlled using a touch panel. Even the sliding of writing boards and adjustment of lightings in the classroom can be done at the click of a button,” said the official. The facility has been developed by the university’s in-house computing team under the leadership of vicechancellor Rajan Welukar. 
    Of the 700 colleges affiliated to Mumbai University, 420 have already enrolled for the digital system, A-VIEW. While academic sessions/conferences can be live-streamed across colleges, videos will also be available on the university’s site for students who wish to view it later. 
    All the facilities on the internet will be made available under the NME-ICT (National Mission Education through Information and Communication Technology) of the ministry of human resources development, and the A-VIEW virtual learning tool designed by Amrita University. IIT-Bombay already has a virtual classroom. 

College Requirements A PC with Intel Core i3 processor, 4GB RAM, 512MB graphics card and Windows XP or above 
TVs/projector that support 1,024x768 resolution 
A camera with connectivity to computer with live video streaming 
A composite to USB converter/video capture card 
Mic, loudspeakers, an audio-mixer Digital writing pad (optional) for writing on A-VIEW’s whiteboard A 2Mbps internet connection 
Only to access lectures, only a normal projection system will be enough. For interactive sessions, a multimedia projector will be required 
    A-VIEW will deliver ‘live’ and ‘recorded’ lectures to students 
    It allows teachers to interact with multiple students through video and chat 
    Students can ‘raise their hands’ virtually through the software if they have a query 
    The software, when run on individual PCs, allows for easy sharing of files and can be run on multiple platforms such as Windows, Macs, Linux, & mobile devices like tablets

GOING E-CLASS 
To conduct its virtual classes, Mumbai University will use A-VIEW, an indigenously built software tool that facilitates an e-learning experience which is as good as a regular classroom. A-VIEW is a real-time collaborative multimedia platform which allows an instructor to teach ‘live’ students afar. With its help, the university hopes to address the pressing issue of higher education in India: shortage of qualified teachers. Online courses will be added soon

Source::: The Times of India, 16-08-2013, p.02. http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Client.asp?Daily=TOIM&showST=true&login=default&pub=TOI&Enter=true&Skin=TOINEW

Extra internal marks will be scaled down

Yogita Rao TNN 

Mumbai: Mumbai University’s academic body on Monday accepted a review committee’s proposal to scale down internal assessment marks if they are in excess of 20% in the external test. The council also accepted another proposal changing policies of promotion to the final year in the new credit-based semester system. 
    The review committee, headed by pro-vice-chancellor Naresh Chandra, proposed a scaling down of ‘spiked’ internal assessment scores. The proposal was accepted by the council, but will be implemented only after amendments in the regulation will be officially passed at the next academic council meeting. The proposal was to scale down internal marks if they are 20% or above in excess of external test marks, which will be done using software. 
    From the next academic year, all three years in the degree course will follow the creditbased semester system. Since colleges will be responsible for such a high percentage of marks, it will be easy to keep a check on colleges giving away marks generously. A principal said the move will ensure uniformity in the internal assessment system, which was criticized last year. 
    The council also accepted changes in the ATKT policy. Students will be promoted to the final year only if they clear the first year and have ATKTs in some subjects in the second year, or if they have ATKTs in some subjects in the first year and clear the second year. This will be introduced after amendments in the manual of the credit-based choice system. In the original manual, students can get ATKTs in two subjects in each semester. 
    Despite the teachers’ strike, the academic council decided to start the new term as usual from June 10. The dean of commerce, Madhu Nair, said in at least 20 out of 50 centres, more than 75% assessment was over. In very few centres, less than 25% is over. “Papers from these centres will be directed to others,” he added. 
    Meanwhile, the teachers are trying to approach legislators to convince the government to arrive at a negotiated settlement. Union representative Tapati Mukhopadhyay said, “In an agitation of this magnitude, the government has to meet us and arrive at a negotiable settlement. We are ready for it.”


Source:::: The Times of India, 30-04-2013, p.03, http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Client.asp?Daily=TOIM&showST=true&login=default&pub=TOI&Enter=true&Skin=TOINEW 

Mum univ plans diploma in religion

Mumbai: Mumbai University will offer a diploma course in religion and society, peace and dialogue. 
    To be offered at St Andrew’s College (Bandra), it will help “stem growing mistrust between religious communities through sound knowledge of each other’s beliefs and traditions”. 
    The diploma in religion and society, peace and dialogue will be offered to students who have completed their HSC. 
    The university’s academic council approved new courses in undergraduate, post-graduate and diploma, including courses in media. 
    The courses include bachelor and masters of film, TV and new media production, master of entertainment media and advertising, masters of art (TV studies and film studies). There are certificate courses in Bhakti literature, functional proficiency in English, understanding literature and cinematic texts for children up to seven and eight to 15 years too. 
    Second year BCom students will be offered retail management, insurance and entrepreneurship development subjects from next year, after approval.


 Source:::: The Times of India, 30-04-2013, p.03, http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Client.asp?Daily=TOIM&showST=true&login=default&pub=TOI&Enter=true&Skin=TOINEW

Univ moves to produce skilled engineers

All 14 branches of engineering will have amended teaching, learning patterns

Kanchan Srivastava @kanchanDNA

After being criticised about the large number of unskilled engineers graduating each year, the University of Mumbai has finally woken up to change the way professional courses are being taught. Aiming to fill the gap between industry and classroom, the university will make sure students have minimum basic skills along with specialised skills before completing the course. That means instead of vague subject syllabus, all 14 branches of engineering, including pharmacy, architecture and MCA, will have clearly defined ‘course objectives’ and ‘course outcome’. While teachers will have to focus on ‘course objectives’ to make sure that students acquire defined skills, learners will be evaluated for the desired ‘course outcome’ in the exam.  The amended teaching and learning pattern will be implemented from 2013-14 in the second year followed by third and fourth year (except MCA which is a three-year course) from the consecutive year. The move aims to make students more dynamic and industry-ready and will be adopted in accordance with National Board of Accreditation (NBA) guidelines. Every professional institute is expected to get an accreditation from the NBA within six years of the new pattern being introduced. The changes were finalised on Monday in a meeting of Board of Studies for various courses of engineering and technology. “One must possess minimum basic skills along with special skills pertaining to his/ her branch before qualifying for a degree. We have studied the course structure and evaluation system of IITs and NITs and are quantifying the core knowledge and skills for each professional course,” said Prof SK Ukarande, dean, faculty of technology. There will be no change in exam system but the evaluation pattern will be changed. “Tests will evaluate if students have basic skills to become an engineer — his/ her analytical and creative skills and understanding of the need of society, environment and industry (70% weightage) and specific skills like ability to apply the subject knowledge in the industry (30%),” said Ukarande. Source::::  DNA < 23-04-2013, p.2, http://epaper.dnaindia.com/story.aspx?id=44220&boxid=30469&ed_date=2013-4-23&ed_code=820009&ed_page=2

MU to help citizens resolve disputes through mediation

Yogita Rao TNN 

Mumbai: To lessen the burden on the state’s legal services, the University of Mumbai, along with the Maharashtra State Legal Services Authority, will offer pre-litigation mediation services. The move aims to reduce the number of pending court cases. 
    Petitioners will either be directed to this centre, which will be called Mumbai University Legal Aid Clinic, or they can approach it on their own. The clinic will function on the first and third Saturday of every month. 
    The permission to establish the clinic at the university’s law department was recently granted by the Maharashtra State Legal Services Authority. The permission letter stated that the centre could hold legal awareness programmes, legal literacy camps, pre-litigation mediation and similar services in co-ordination with the High Court Legal Services Committee, Mumbai. It further stated that the “HC legal services committee will be supervising and monitoring the clinic activities and will also provide office personnel for legal services for better functioning”. 
    The initiative is the brainchild of professor Ashok Yende, who is also the head of department of law. “There are several lakhs of cases pending in court. With this clinic, we can help in disposing some of them and reduce the load on the court,” said Yende. The university’s law department faculty and court-appointed advocates will help resolve disputes at the clinic. Besides, senior varsity students will be allowed to work on cases as a part of their course projects. “The department will write to affiliated colleges to send in faculty and names of those students who would like to serve the clinic voluntarily,” he said. 
    Once cases come to the centre, facilitators will try to settle them. “After parties agree for settlement, we will make them sign memorandums of settlement on a stamp papers and submit it to the legal services authority. They will have to agree they don’t have any grievances. After the arbitration process, they cannot go back to the court,” said Yende, adding that the arbitration could be challenged in court on legal, technical and constitutional grounds, if either party is not satisfied. 
    The department also plans to advertise the clinic to create awareness among citizens. Yende said he is yet to discuss it with the legal services authority.
 
Source:::::: The Times of India, 15-04-2013, p.05, http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Client.asp?Daily=TOIM&showST=true&login=default&pub=TOI&Enter=true&Skin=TOINEW 

Mum Varsity Decentralizes Distance Education Exams

Yogita Rao TNN 

Mumbai: Distance education students in the current TYBCom batch will be spared of the confusion that marred the March 2012 exams. Putting an end to the chaos, the university at a recent Board of Examination (BoE) meeting decided to decentralize the examinations conducted by the Institute of Distance and Open Learning (IDOL) from March 2013. 
    The IDOL, which was part of the Mumbai University for several years, will now conduct its own exam. The date, time, question papers and the exam centres for over 60,000 students of IDOL’s undergraduate and post-graduate courses will be different from the ones in regular colleges. Though the results will be declared by the university, the examination process has been completely decentralized. 
    Subhash Deo, director of examinations of the university, said, “The paper pattern of the exam has changed for regular students. Also, in the regular course, students will be appearing for the exam in the new credit-based semester system. While students of the regular course are attempting 60-mark paper, IDOL students have to appear for a 100-mark paper.”

Source:::: The Times of India, 03-10-2012, p.05. http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Client.asp?Daily=TOIM&showST=true&login=default&pub=TOI&Enter=true&Skin=TOINEW

Student claims univ’s law course is outdated

Yogita Rao TNN 

Mumbai: University of Mumbai’s inability to respond to an RTI query has put a question mark on the course content being taught in city colleges. 
    An RTI filed by Hussain Ali Chandrani, a law student from a city college, was directed to colleges by the university. Chandrani asked the university to give him information on whether the 2008 Bar Council of India (BCI) guidelines on the course structure, faculty and student strength, curriculum and upgradation of syllabus were being followed. Later, Chandrani appealed to the authorities over non-submission of required information. 
    “Issues of adopting the guidelines for revised course prescribed by the BCI are within the purview of the Board of Studies and the Faculty of Law of the university and not the colleges.” On further appeal, he was told that a threemember committee was set up by the university to discuss the issues arising out of the BCI guidelines. 
    “This shows the university’s inability to update their syllabus for several years. The BCI has prescribed a more practical syllabus and has also structured the course well so that students get maximum benefit,” he said. 
    However, a BoS member claimed that adopting BCI norms is not possible. “Aided law colleges are already running into losses. They do not have enough teachers for existing programmes. Law colleges are also dependent on the visiting faculty, who are not available after 10.30am as they practice in court,” the member said. 
    “Colleges are worried about the unaided subjects for which they will need additional faculty,” she added.


Source:::: The Times of India, 28-09-2012, p.10.  http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Client.asp?Daily=TOIM&showST=true&login=default&pub=TOI&Enter=true&Skin=TOINEW

Coming soon: Toll-free helpline at MU

Kanchan Srivastava

Come September 1, and the thousands of students inquiring with the University of Mumbai about little yet all-important bits of information, ranging from hall tickets to mark-sheets, will be guided by toll-free helplines. For, the university will by then have set up a facilitation centre, which will guide and give critical information to students from five districts across the state, all over phone. Confirming the move, director of examination Subhash Deo told DNA, “The idea is to set up a facilitation centre, which will be equipped with five computers, helplines and staff, so that queries of the students appearing for the October examinations can be attended to.” After an analysis of the pilot, a full-fledged and permanent facilitation centre will be launched, he added. For now, the centre will have all the information pertaining to the October exams. No surprise then that both students and professors welcomed the varsity’s move. A Thane-based MCom student said, “We badly need the helpline as we have to visit the Kalina campus for every little inquiry, after spending three-four hours in commuting followed by at least two hours in the inquiry queue. The process is repeated on every visit till we finally get our correct mark-sheet or any other document. I hope it does not remain on paper.” HoD of Civics and Politics, Prof Surendra Jondhale, seconded the student, saying, “Every day, I get a dozen calls about forms, fees or mark-sheet. Both students and parents are often clueless about whom to call for a particular problem and a helpline would end all that.” Source::: DNA,  Jul 25, 2012, p.07.  http://epaper.dnaindia.com/epapermain.aspx?pgNo=7&edcode=820009&eddate=2012-7-25