Teachers have not only been confounded by the question of what to teach in case of Foundation Courses, but also when to teach in the case of the course on "Mathematical Awareness." This was designed especially for blind students, as a substitute for " Building Mathematical Ability" and was meant to be taught in the second semester. However, several colleges are already teaching it and the paper has also showed up on the datesheet for the semester-end exams.
The plan was that one group would do three foundation courses this semester and five in the next. But that went awry as soon as the semester-I exam datesheet was released. According to it, Group B will be tested on Mathematical Awareness on November 29.
"After the datesheet was posted, we started teaching the course," says Suresh Kumar, EOC coordinator for Ramjas College. "EOC instructed us not to teach it but there was massive confusion among students when they were filling their exam registration forms," he added. Initially, following EOC directions, they were not teaching the course.
The matter has been further complicated by the fact that in each college, first year students have been divided into two groups-A and B-with each group studying four of eight compulsory foundation courses the first semester. In the second, they switch. The maths courses are being taught to Group B-with Language, Literature and Creativity II, Indian History and Culture and Business, Entrepreneurship and Management-in the first semester. The confusion is being faced in colleges where students in Group B have opted for Mathematical Awareness. It is being taught also at Hansraj. "We have no idea about the course and there's confusion about the kind of questions that'll be asked," said a student, "Initially, we didn't even know we had this option."
Dean of exams, Rup Lal, said the test on the course will be held in the next semester as well. Explaining a move that's sure to disturb the group-system-at the end of semester II, Group A and some students of Group B will write the Mathematical Awareness test, Lal says, "All those students who don't write the test this semester, can write it in the next."
Source: Times of India
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