INTERNAL QUALITY ASSURANCE CELL
OSMANIA UNIVERSITY
IQAC Peer comm. reports Meetings Seminars News&Events Annual Reports
Minutes of the IQAC Meetings held on 13, 15, and 27 June 2006 in the Committee Room, Administrative Building, OU
Agenda
I) Consideration of Reports
The meeting considered the reports submitted by the various committees constituted to look into the Peer Committee Recommendations.
1) The members while appreciating the positive impact of self-finance seats and self-finance courses on the overall academic standards, resolved to recommend the establishment of a centralized agency to monitor the academic, administrative, and financial matters pertaining to all the self-finance seats and self-finance courses.
· (Ref: Report of Committee I: Self-Finance seats in traditional courses and its impact).
ü Action: IQAC/Registrar
2) The members noted the existence of many inter-disciplinary courses and courses with inter-disciplinary content, and the conduct of remedial courses by many departments and colleges. They also noted that continuous evaluation with appropriate weightages is in vogue in some professional courses such as MCA, BE, B Tech, B Ed.
The members felt that in order to have horizontal mobility and modular flexible structure of courses, the introduction of credit based curriculum is necessary. This system was introduced from the last academic year on an experimental basis in M Sc (Forensic Science) and M Sc (Environmental Science).
Ø The meeting resolved to recommend the extension of continuous evaluation with appropriate weightages to all professional courses such as MBA, M Ed, MLISc, BLISc, MCJ, BCJ etc. Further, it was resolved to request the Deans to explore the possibility of introducing continuous evaluation with appropriate weightages in all PG courses. Also, the Dean, Faculty of Science was requested to start credit based, modular flexible structured courses in at least FIVE identified departments on an experimental basis.
Ø The meeting resolved to request Deans of all faculties to explore the possibility of offering Bridge Courses wherever necessary through CDE.
Ø It was also resolved to request Deans of all faculties to prepare proposals for the consideration of the university to consider Field/Project Work as part of the work load of the supervisors.
· (Ref: Report of Committee II: Inter-Disciplinary Content, Method of Evaluation and Assessment).
ü Action: IQAC/Deans/Director, CDE
3) The members noted the need
a) for the formulation of clear-cut guidelines/rules for paper-
setting, moderation of question papers and results, and valuation
b) to sensitize both students and teachers about the disastrous
consequences of “empty” first classes and distinctions.
Ø It was resolved to request the Controller of Examination to
a) stipulate optimal standards in question paper-setting and guidelines for their moderation in consultations with Chairpersons of Boards of Studies
b) obtain detailed scheme of evaluation for all examinations from the Chairpersons of Boards of Studies, and request the examiners to strictly adhere to the scheme during evaluation
c) request to place before the standing committee the existing rule of computing the average marks when three examiners valued the scripts (for PG courses) for review.
· (Ref: Report of Committee III: Analyze Results of UG & PG 2000-2005).
ü Action: IQAC/COE/Chairpersons, BOS/Standing Committee
4. The meeting resolved to inform all concerned that only the Registrar, OU is authorized to sign any MoU on behalf of the University. Guidelines for entering into MoU are to be prepared and widely circulated by the Registrar to all the colleges/departments.
· (Ref: Report of Committee IV: Analyze existing MoUs)
ü Action: IQAC/Registrar/Heads of Departments/Directors
5. It was resolved to adopt the detailed Vision and Mission statement prepared by the Committee. It is to be displayed in the Principals’/Directors’ offices of all the colleges and centres, and in the OU main library. IQAC is to design the specifications of the display boards.
The Deans of faculties and Chairpersons, BoS are requested to keep in mind the Vision, Mission, and Goals of the University while designing the curriculum.
· (Ref: Committee V: Vision and Mission)
ü Action: IQAC/Principals/Directors/Librarian/Deans/Chairpersons, BoS
6. It was resolved to make all the existing alumni associations of departments/colleges/centres, the chapters of OU Alumni Association. The office-bearers of these associations are to be made executive members of the OU Alumni Association.
The Special Officer, OU Alumni Association is specially requested to undertake a membership drive to enroll affiliated colleges, research institutions, industries etc as institutional/corporate members.
· (Ref: Committee VI: Alumni Association)
ü Action: IQAC/Special Officer, OU Alumni Association
7. It was resolved to convene a meeting of the Principals and HoDs to impress upon them of the need to
a) dispose off un-serviceable/obsolete equipment and furniture
b) identify equipment and furniture that can be repaired and re-used.
Money generated from disposing junk equipment and furniture is to be used for repairs and maintenance
c) to place the details of all the experimentation facilities (major
equipment)/services available in the departments, on payment basis, on University and department websites for the information of potential users from other universities/institutions/industry, so as to generate financial resources required for the maintenance of equipment/services.
· (Ref: Report of Committee VII: Equipment: mechanism of maintenance, obsolescence, and accessibility)
ü Action: IQAC/ Principals and HoDs
8. (Ref: Committee VIII: Administrative Reforms and Development Programmes)
Ø It was resolved to constitute a committee with the following members
Prof Obul Reddy (Director, District PG Centres) Chairman
Prof MSN Reddy (Director, DAAC) Member
Prof Lakshmipathi Rao (Coordinator, IQAC) Member
Prof A Venugopal Reddy (Special Officer, Infrastructure) Member
Mr B Vishnu (former DR, Acad) Member
Mr Goverdhan (AR, Acad) Convenor
to
a) create a model administrative set up in the Academic Branch. To evolve
guidelines to reduce, redefine, and simplify procedures for the affiliation of colleges to the University
b) make the entire functioning of the Academic Branch transparent and
efficient by using ICT
ü Action: IQAC/Registrar
Ø It was also resolved to re-activate the earlier committee headed by Prof K Srinivas Rao (former Dean, Faculty of Law) to look into and answer the queries raised by the State Government with regard to the revised statutes approved by the EC and submitted to the Government for its consent.
ü Action: IQAC/DR, Acad
Ø It was also resolved to create three cells at the university level for redressal of grievances of students, NGOs, and teachers respectively. Each of these cells will have three members.
ü Action: IQAC/Registrar
Ø Further, it was resolved to request the Special Officer, Infrastructure to obtain and display on OU website all the Service, Leave, Financial, Pension and other Rules related to both the teachers and employees of the University.
ü Action: IQAC/Registrar/ Special Officer, Infrastructure
Ø It was resolved that all the teachers holding administrative positions shall engage classes strictly as per the norms prescribed by the EC. It was further resolved to minimize the number of teacher-administrators.
ü Action: IQAC/Registrar/Principals/HoDs/all Teacher-Administrators
9. It was resolved to
a) request the Institute of Advanced Study in Education to adopt and
develop the Model School and the Govt School located on the University campus.
b) request the Coordinator, NSS, OU to identify and adopt a nearby
village for overall development, and involve all the administrative officers in the process
c) request the Coordinator, NSS, OU to maintain both documentary and
photographic record of all the activities of NSS.
III) The details of the Seminar on “Re-Accreditation and Institutional Preparation” scheduled for 21 June 2006 were finalized in the meeting held on 15 June 2006. It was decided to invite Prof RVR Chandrasekhara Rao, former Vice-Chancellor, Dr BRAOU as the Keynote Speaker, and Dr Stephen Ryrie, Asst Dean, Academic Development, University of West of England, UK and Dr Latha Pillai, Advisor, NAAC as Guests of Honour and invited speakers.
It was also decided to invite the Principals of four campus colleges (University College of Engineering, University College of Science, University College of Arts & Social Sciences, University College of Commerce and Business Management) and four constituent colleges (University College for Women; Nizam College; PG College of Science, Saifabad; PG College, Secunderabad) to share their experiences on the preparation for Re-Accreditation through power point presentation. The detailed programme of the seminar was also finalized.
The other items on the agenda could not be taken up for lack of time.