Short term course in Language Technology at University of Kerala

Posted on April 11, 2009

Short term course in Language Technology at University of Kerala

April 9: Applications have been invited by the Academic Staff College for a short term course in Language Technology to be held from 18th to 23rd May and is meant for college teachers. Application forms can be downloaded from http://www.ugcasc.keralauniversity.edu Filled applications along with the certificate from the principal concerned will have to reach the Director, Academic Staff College, Golden Jubilee Building, University of Kerala, Karyavattom – 695 581 on or before 20th April 2009.

Certificate in Yoga & Meditation at KU

Posted on April 11, 2009

Certificate in Yoga & Meditation at KU

April 9: Applications have been invited for a certificate programme in Yoga & Meditation and is offered by Centre for Continuing Education & Extension. Those with atleast Pre-Degree are eligible to apply for this three month course. Course fee is Rs 3500. Classes will be held from 7 to 9 am. The last date of receiving applications is 20th April 2009. For more details: Director, Centre for Continuing Education & Extension, Vikas Bhawan PO, PMG Junction, Thiruvananthapuram – 33

NRI Admissions for B.Tech/B.Arch at NIT- C

Posted on April 11, 2009

NRI Admissions for B.Tech/B.Arch at NIT- C

April 10 : National Institute of Technology Calicut, NIT Campus PO, Kozhikode, Kerala- 673 601, has invited applications from Dependants of NRIs for admissions to B.Tech/B.Arch Programmes for the session 2009-10.

Admission is offered only to sons/daughters of NRIs. Applicant in this category should have passed the final examination of 10+2 (Class XII) or its equivalent qualifying examination, given in Annexure I of the Prospectus available at http://www.nitc.ac.in/ and should be eligible for Central Counselling of the Central Counselling Board as per the results of the All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE–2009).

For admission to B.Tech, applicant should have studied Physics & Mathematics (compulsory) with one among Chemistry / Biotechnology / Computer Science / Biology at the qualifying examination. For admission to B.Arch, applicant should have studied Mathematics as a subject at Plus Two and should have passed 10+2 level examination with 50% marks in aggregate.

Maximum age for admission is 25 years as on October 1, 2009. For applicants of SC/ST/PH categories, upper age limit is relaxable by 5 years. Maximum age for them will be 30 years as on October 1, 2009. There are 5 seats each in Civil Engineering, Computer Science & Engineering, Electrical & Electronics Engineering, Electronics & Communication Engineering and Mechanical Engineering, 2 in Chemical Engineering, 1 each in Production Engineering, Biotechnology and B.Arch, under NRI category.

Application has to be submitted online by clicking here . After submission of the details, a print out of the online application has to be taken. A passport size photograph taken not earlier than 3 months from the date of notification is to be affixed on the Application Form. The photo in the application should be self attested. (Eight more copies of the same photograph and one stamp size photograph should be produced at the time of Counselling/Admission).

The following documents should be enclosed with the print out of the online application form:

(i) Attested copy of proof of date of birth
(ii) Attested copy of the mark lists and pass certificate of the qualifying examination, if available
(iii) Course and Conduct certificate from the Head of the institution last attended
(iv) Attested copy of AIEEE-2009 Admit Card.
(v) Attested copy of NRI certificate, format of which is available in Appendix III of the Prospectus
(vi) Demand Draft for Rs.2000/- drawn in favour of ‘Director, NIT Calicut’, payable at State Bank of India, NIT Calicut Branch (Code No: 2207) towards Registration fee.

The attestation on the documents is to be done by a Govt. Gazetted Officer or Head of the Institution where the candidate has studied for the qualifying examination.

The print out of the online application form with the enclosures specified should reach ‘Chairperson-UG Admissions, National Institute of Technology Calicut, N.I.T.Campus P.O., Kozhikode, Kerala-673 601’, by Registered Post/Speed Post latest by 29.05.2009.

Admission will be based on the Rank obtained in the All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE-2009), conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), New Delhi.

The counselling/admission will be tentatively in July 2009. The date of counselling/admission will be notified at http://www.nitc.ac.in. The eligibility for counselling/admission and call letter for counselling should be downloaded from the website after login, using Application number and date of birth. No separate call letter will be despatched to applicants in this regard. Applicant will have to produce the original certificates and other documents at the time of counselling.

Those offered admission will have to remit the fees on the day of counselling failing which the offer shall be withdrawn forthwith. Tuition Fee (for 2 Semesters) is US$ 4000 (US $2000 for SAARC). Details of fee payable are given in the Prospectus.

Visit http://www.nitc.ac.in for more details.

Bracing up for the IIT-JEE?

Posted on April 9, 2009

Bracing up for the IIT-JEE?

Going by the sharp increase in applicants — 3.95 lakh — as against 3.2 lakh in 2008, the ‘IIT dream’ has certainly not lost its sheen, writes DEEPA KURUP

Photo: M. Vedhan

TAKING NO CHANCES: Students are busy with last-minute-cramming, strategising and brushing up on their year-long efforts for the IIT entrance test.

The joint entrance examination, used as a benchmark for admissions to the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology, is just round the corner. Young IIT aspirants, who have just completed their pre-university or 12th standard examinations, are busy with last-minute-cramming, strategising and brushing up on their year-long efforts. Going by the sharp increase in applicants — 3.95 lakh students applied, as against 3.2 lakh in 2008 — the ‘IIT dream’ has certainly not lost its sheen.

And with 13 IITs to choose from, and two others in Indore and Himachal Pradesh set to open admissions this year, for many their dream college has only moved closer home. Needless to say, competition will be stiff; and with news reports constantly talking about the low recruitment scene in your average engineering college, the rush to Brand IIT is likely to increase. News reports have attributed this surge to more students applying under various reserved quotas — nearly 1.55 lakh, as against around 50,000 last year. Last year, there was a total of 6,752 seats on offer in the seven old IITs and the six new ones. However, with several of them not having separate campuses, students are sceptical about them. For instance, IIT Bhubaneswar is operating out of IIT Kharagpur. Bhuvana Anil Kumar of the Triumphant Institute of Management Education, a coaching centre chain, says that students were apprehensive last year. “Like any other brand when we have more chains – more valid in educational institutions – people look at it with a bit of caution,” she explains. However, she feels, that the IIT brand name will prevail, and those who don’t make it to the older institutes will pick the new IITs over a regional college.

Cut-offs

Until last year, subject cut-offs were not a matter of concern for this exam considering cut-offs were as low as zero and two. With the mode of calculating cut-offs back to the national-average method, the figure is likely to be a double digit number.

This means that students cannot afford to neglect any subject, and must do reasonably well in all sections. “Don’t forget that the subject cut-off will be higher this year. So don’t hesitate to give more attention to a subject in the Paper 2 if you have not attempted that subject to your satisfaction in Paper 1.

Tips to use

The difficulty of this exam is because the questions are unique, and requires both an in-depth knowledge of subjects and the skill to apply various questions in combination. Several websites forums provide data analysis of trends, section-wise break-ups and JEE pattern changes over the years. The Hindu Education Plus spoke to experts to put together some tips for the fresh IIT aspirant.

Firstly, relax. The pattern hasn’t changed for three years, and is not likely to change Ms. Anil Kumar says: “Only possible change could be in the type of questions in some sections. Last year, section 1 had questions with multiple right answers, and Section 2 had matrix-match type questions. Except for such minor changes, things will be the same.” Hence, the most important thing is to read the instructions carefully.

Use your model papers, that you have worked out, and go through the flow of questions and marking scheme, Experts remind students that marking schemes are subject to change. Saurabh Kumar, National Programme head, Career Launcher advices students to not study anything new in the coming week. “Revise important formulae, and step assumptions daily. By now students should be aware of their strengths and weaknesses, so they should decide what subjects to attempt first,” Mr. Kumar says. Also, eat healthy, sleep well and relax, he adds.

Don’ts

Do not attempt to do any lengthy problem that involves multiple steps. Do not study a new concept or a variant of a old problem. The last day has to be spent in skimming the material. Decide that you will not do any in-depth study. Never open a book that you have not seen till that day.

Do’s

Take the last three model examination papers that you have done and go through the flow of the questions and the marking scheme applicable Tell yourself again and again that the marking scheme in the actual examination could be different from the marking scheme mentioned in the model examinations

On exam day –Do’s

Last year, multiple correct answers did not carry negative marks. Students who did not attempt those questions for fear of attracting penalty missed out on easy scoring opportunity.

So do read the instructions given for every type of question.

After Paper 1, the only analysis that you should do is to understand the pattern of the question paper. No other analysis is worth doing during the two-hour break from 12:00 noon to 02:00 pm.

Use the restroom before entering the examination hall. Your mind needs to be completely focused on the examination paper.

Don’ts

Don’t forget that the subject cut-off will be higher this year.

So don’t hesitate to give more attention to a subject in the Paper 2 if you have not attempted that subject to your satisfaction in Paper 1 Don’t spend more that 90 minutes on any single subject in any Paper. That would be an overkill and could actually hamper your chances with respect to subject-wise cut-offs.

Do not trade last minute tips with friends or complete strangers on the day of the examination. nothing is achieved on the last day. You are what you have prepared for the last two years.

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/edu/2009/04/06/stories/2009040650740100.htm

Learn through your handsets

Posted on April 9, 2009

Learn through your handsets

Indira Gandhi National Open University is aiming to promote mobile education in a major way. G. KRISHNAKUMAR outlines IGNOU’s plans in this regard.

HANDY MEDIUM: Indira Gandhi National Open University is planning to use the mobile platform for the delivery of educational content.

The prestigious Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) is exploring the concept of M-education (mobile education) to take its academic programmes to the nook and corner of the country.

Aimed at fulfilling the country’s 11th Five-Year Plan motto, ‘Education for All’, the move is an effort to take education to the marginalised and disadvantaged people of the society.

According to IGNOU Vice-Chancellor V.N. Rajasekharan Pillai, the use of mobile handsets for education delivery will help in the strengthening of the Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), which is extensively used by the university for its various programmes.

“The concept is novel, when the call is democratising education. Even as a number of ICTs have been pressed into service in the country for the same goal, expert educators and mobile service providers rightly think, it is always advantageous to boost the existing ICTs with an additional line of service for education delivery at the learners’ best reach,” he told The Hindu EducationPlus.

The university authorities had already initiated talks with service providers to deliver educational content through mobile phones. The plan is to deliver content in the form of text, audio and video to students.

The idea for tapping the potential of the mobile education concept was discussed in detail during a round table conference held in New Delhi during November last year. IGNOU had received the full support of the Communications and Manufacturing Association of India (CMAI) in this project.

Experts from the telecom and academic fields, who attended the programme, had suggested stepping up rural connectivity for capacity building of students and learners. The event had also recommended identification of other cost-effective communication technologies for education delivery that are best suited for distance education.

Prof. Pillai said that the CMAI was looking forward to build up on the opportunities which this new medium of M-Education has created by providing IGNOU study material. “When connectivity is combined with the contents of study material, access to education can become massive. The access to course content and class-room dissemination of lessons also can be developed into providing and taking of examination papers through mobile telephony,” he said.

Stating that the mobile medium would help students study at their own pace, Prof. Pillai said that they can do it from home. Students can have access to the most advanced learning infrastructure and at the end of the course corporates will be waiting with dream job offers, he said.

Bridging distance

According to CMAI, M-education can cover far-flung areas in the country and assist to bridge the physical distance using wireless technology. It will help make mobile phones a great leveller in the society.

Contents can be easily accessed though handsets, no matter wherever are you or whenever you want. A number of tests can be immediately identified. Besides reaching out to the rural marginalised people, a number of competitive tests—CAT, JEE, GATE, GMAT, SAT, TOEFL among a slew of others—can be taken using the medium, it said.

ICT platform

IGNOU is also stepping up its ICT-based educational services offered across the country. The latest project is to set up study centres at 3, 000 railway stations in the country in association with the government-owned Railtel Corporation of India Ltd.

Prof. Pillai said that the university would offer its academic programmes through these study centres. IGNOU will utilise Railtel’s high-speed optic fibre cable network (OFC) to provide educational content. The project’s trial run had been successful. An academic programme in this mode was offered from Thiruvananthapuram for the Nagaland University.

Students can interact with teachers using the university’s distance-learning modules and online tests at these virtual colleges. The move was part of IGNOU’s efforts to extend its reach to the interiors of the country, Prof. Pillai said. The university will set up study centres at railway stations in rural areas, apart from tier II and tier III cities.

Railtel has laid about 30,000 km of OFC network. For the project, it will offer land, bandwidth and data centres to IGNOU.

Enhancing technology

Prof. Pillai said that the rapid expansion of education had necessitated several steps involving decentralisation and enhancing the available technology at the regional centres and study centres. Steps are being taken to provide broadband connectivity to all study centres.

IGNOU’s educational programmes are reaching over 8 million homes through the Gyan Darshan Channels, via the DTH (Direct-To-Home) platform and webcasting, he said.

The university also acts as a national resource centre for expertise and infrastructure for the open and distance learning (ODL) system. It has developed e-gyankosh, a unique digital repository giving open access to all its materials.

Steps toward strengthening research in the area of ODL and enhancement of the domain knowledge in all the core disciplines of humanities, social sciences, arts and basic sciences, using the technology-intensive ODL, are being given top priority now.

Convergence scheme

Prof. Pillai said that the convergence scheme was a major initiative of IGNOU with a great impact on the conventional system. “This brings together the strengths of technology-augmented conventional face-to-face education and the open and distance learning to enhance the quality of the teaching-learning process and to expand the reach of education with social inclusivity. The response to this new scheme is enormous.

Initiatives

Other new schemes related to improving educational access include community colleges; strengthening other available rural and urban resources; creating special study centres; and training and certification of several thousands of in-service school teachers.

Prof. Pillai said that the community colleges, more than 100 such across the country, were re-accredited to award up to two years of tertiary education. IGNOU plans to offer conditional recognition to the certification of these colleges, as well as offer its own associate degree programmes through them.

The university will also offer courses on school leadership management for senior and middle-level teachers in schools.

Short-term orientation and training programmes based on regional needs, offered independently by the regional centres, are some of the other significant highlights of the activities initiated recently.

IGNOU has also created several new centres towards fulfilling its role as a capacity builder for the nation. These centres are IGNOU Institute for Vocational Education and Training; North East Centre for Research and Development; IGNOU Institute for Professional Competency Advancement of Teachers through ODL; IGNOU Centre for ODL in Research and Training in Agriculture; the Advanced Centre for Informatics and Innovative Learning; and the Centre for Corporate Education, Training and Consultancy.