E-Paper
Online classes: Panjab University students to sign undertaking saying they will not record lectures
Students cannot record proceedings of online lectures or keep any content without the permission of a teacher.
Panjab University (PU) has asked students to sign an undertaking of adherence saying they will not record a lecture without express permission of the teacher concerned as per the guidelines approved by the varsity for online teaching. Students studying in affiliated colleges will also have to sign the undertaking.
Online teaching for ongoing batches is scheduled to start from August 3 . The first semester of all undergraduate and postgraduate courses are scheduled to start from September 1, 2020.
As per the guidelines, students cannot record the proceedings of online lectures hosted by a teacher and not keep any content without the permission of a teacher. The guidelines were recommended by the coordination committee of the university that is headed by professor Navdeep Goyal.
Goyal said, “The purpose of seeking an undertaking of adherence is to avoid any misuse of the proceedings during online classes.”
Teachers have been directed to conduct online classes from their respective departments following guidelines of the ministry of home affairs. There will be four hours of teaching per day, comprising five 45-minute to one-hour lectures. For online classes, the section strength will be 80 students at most in large departments. The dean of faculty is authorised to take a decision on the strength of students in a section.
PU National Students Union of India (NSUI) president Nikhil Narmeta said, “If they are seeking an undertaking from students, they should ensure teachers take classes properly as opposed to merely sharing links and presentations.”
Nodal officer to be designated
A nodal officer will be designated in each teaching department and affiliated college to address grievances of students regarding online teaching. The University has decided to provide funds from its ‘development fund’ for purchase and installation of minor equipment to support online teaching. Heads of departments have been directed to explore a contingency grant for purchase of these equipments.
