DUTA says varsity's panel agreed on expanding time-frame for syllabus revision

Delhi University Teachers' Association or DUTA Tuesday met the varsity's Undergraduate Curriculum Revision Committee, which it said agreed that time-frame for completing the syllabus revision exercise must be expanded.

However, there could be no agreement on the contentious Learning Outcome-based Framework model itself, wherein the university pleaded that it has no authority to reject the model as it has become a compulsory part of the quality parameters set by the UGC and NAAC, DUTA said.

DUTA said its will engage with policy-makers in the Ministry of Human Resource Development and University Grants Commission or UGC regarding the matter.

Last week, DUTA said the course revision undertaken in the light of UGC's Learning Outcome-based Framework (UGC-LOCF) would mean "greater interference form government".

While appreciating the varsity's response, the teachers' body said it took the reassurance from the committee that the university's best academic practices will not be compromised under any circumstances.

"The Undergraduate Curriculum Revision Committee also agreed with the DUTA that the course drafting committees will not arbitrarily chosen 'three best teachers'.

"Rather, it agreed to the demand for more inclusive committees with a larger representation of teachers," the teachers' body said.

Students who have a consistent academic record and have undergone both undergraduate and postgraduate education in the Delhi University will be asked to provide feedback on the draft revisions, by the respective departments, they added.

DUTA acknowledged the provision of adding students in the revision process and of circulating the curriculum, at later stages, for wider feedback and suggestions, the varsity said in a statement, adding that identification of students was left to the respective department.

The DUTA said it has also been successful in impressing upon the university that the time-frame for completing the syllabus revision exercise must be expanded so that the exercise is not rushed.

It was also mutually agreed that respective subject departments will retain the freedom to define learning outcomes as an standardised framework of outcomes is not academically desirable, they said.

To make the process more participatory, a team of at least three to eight teachers can work on each course, thereby decentralising the process, the varsity said.