Update "Acad Report Card"

_posts/2023-02-23-acad-report-card.md

@@ -13,15 +13,34 @@ After noting the various grievances faced by students daily during academic hour
 
 Summarized below are the major issues that we could identify, along with several testimonials (marked in italics) and changes that the respondents proposed. Since the issues vary greatly over students from different departments and in different years of their study, we have classified them into smaller subsections for the sake of clarity. 
 
+- [A. NPTEL Courses](#a-nptel-courses)
+- [B. Second Examination](#b-second-examination)
+- [C. Minor Courses](#c-minor-courses)
+    + [C.1 General Secretary Academic Affairs Verbatim](#c1-general-secretary-academic-affairs-verbatim)
+    + [C.2 Academic Affairs Office Verbatim](#c2-academic-affairs-office-verbatim)
+- [D. Query Portal](#d-query-portal)
+    + [D.1 General Secretary Academic Affairs Verbatim](#d1-general-secretary-academic-affairs-verbatim)
+    + [D.2 Academic Affairs Office Verbatim](#d2-academic-affairs-office-verbatim)
+- [E. Curriculum](#e-curriculum)
+- [F. Grading System](#f-grading-system)
+- [G. Changes Proposed](#g-changes-proposed)
+- [H. Miscellaneous Suggestions](#h-miscellaneous-suggestions)
+    + [Appendix A: IITK & IITKGP Verbatim](#appendix-a)
+        - [IIT Kanpur](#iit-kanpur)
+        - [IIT Kharagpur](#iit-kharagpur)
+    + [Appendix-B](#appendix-b)
+    + [Appendix-C](#appendix-c)
+
 ## A. NPTEL Courses
 
 In a recent notice issued by the Academic Affairs Office on January 3, 2023, the option to choose NPTEL courses as part of the academic evaluation was discontinued w.e.f. Spring Semester 2022-2023, except for certain special conditions. This was decided without taking the student community in confidence. As the students could not put forth their point of view, the decision has caused several grievances:
 
+
 <p style="margin-left: 30px"><strong>A.1</strong> Students who wished to take up elective courses based on their interests are now bound to take up courses from a predefined list which may not be very relevant to them.</p>
 
 _“The main issue [...] is that many elective courses mentioned in our course structures are often scrapped, forcing us to take other electives which are not relevant to our interests [...] The discontinuation of NPTEL Courses has made the situation even worse. Beyond electives, even some of the core courses are irrelevant.”_
 
-**NOTE: WO! found out that students in other IITs, such as IIT Kanpur and IIT Kharagpur**, cannot take NPTEL courses as their minors. All courses are to be done within the institute coursework.
+**NOTE:** WO! found out that students in other IITs, such as IIT Kanpur and IIT Kharagpur, cannot take NPTEL courses as their minors. All courses are to be done within the institute coursework.
 
 <p style="margin-left: 30px"><strong>A.2</strong> The decision directly affects the final-year students who had saved their NPTEL courses for their last semester to reduce their time commitment and better focus on reducing their time commitment and better focus on placements. It is also unfair to them as many students already took NPTEL courses in the preceding semesters.</p>
 
@@ -31,7 +50,7 @@ _“NPTEL courses are not allowed in lieu of PEC courses for final year B.Tech s
 
 _“The institute being rigid in its way of teaching is really problematic. Not having NPTEL or more electives or non-existent inter-branch electives is a direct consequence of this.” ~Pratham Jain,3rd year_
 
-**NOTE: Upon talking to the AAO regarding the short notice period in which NPTEL was scrapped, the Acad office clarified** that they also learned about the NPTEL notice a night before it was released. Moreover, as a side note, they’ve mentioned that NPTEL on medical grounds will only be allowed for very rare cases, because this threshold is quite flimsy and unreliable.
+**Note:** Upon talking to the AAO regarding the short notice period in which NPTEL was scrapped, the Acad office clarified that they also learned about the NPTEL notice a night before it was released. Moreover, as a side note, they’ve mentioned that NPTEL on medical grounds will only be allowed for very rare cases, because this threshold is quite flimsy and unreliable.
 
 To elaborate, they commented that the method used to cross-check this is to use BTP trail of a student, i.e. if a student also has BTP coming up along with an offer letter, then even that would get hindered on medical grounds. This forms the basis of a cross-check of sorts. Students sometimes have supervisor backing saying the project is Computer based and is allowed remotely. However, that is not always allowed for a BTP. Hence medical grounds are a flimsy reason and lack robustness, which is why the AAO does not consider it.
 
@@ -43,7 +62,7 @@ _“Regarding the Second Examination. As per the Rules, I applied for a second e
 
 _“Professors don't allow makeup labs in some subjects even on medical grounds, leading to academics being poorly affected  due to health issues.”_
 
-## C.  Minor Courses
+## C. Minor Courses
 
 Minor Specialisation lectures clash a lot with the usual timetable of students and often include first-year courses. Due to the shifted Academic Calendar of the first year, the end-term exams clash with students' summer internships. A number of students approached the academic affairs office and the concerned departments with their issues. However they were sent back with a series of indifferent responses. 
 
@@ -51,13 +70,13 @@ _A student commented, “After running from department to department to adjust T
 
 #### C.1 General Secretary Academic Affairs Verbatim
 
-**WO!:** At times, students have to go from department to department to get their issues like clashing timetables, availability of minor courses and others resolved. Many times these issues are not resolved, and even if they are resolved, there is a lack of a proper mechanism to get these issues resolved. Also there is no record maintained of the problems resolved by the department.  
+**WO!:** At times, students have to go from department to department to get their issues like clashing timetables, availability of minor courses and others resolved. Many times these issues are not resolved, and even if they are resolved, there is a lack of a proper mechanism to get these issues resolved. Also there is no record maintained of the problems resolved by the department.
 
 **Gensec Acads:** Even we are working on resolving the clashing of minor timetable issues. The hindrance is that we follow an algorithm to generate the timetable, and with the available slots, the huge number of subjects are difficult to accommodate without clashes. I have proposed having a separate slot for minor courses just like Wednesday 4-6 for NCC/NSS/NSO. That might work, hopefully.
 
 #### C.2 Academic Affairs Office Verbatim
 
-Acad Office: The major issue which has led to such inconveniences is the lack of centralisation in timetable making; all departments make their own timetable which is sent to the Acad office near the start of the semester, and thus not many changes can be accommodated. 
+**Acad Office:** The major issue which has led to such inconveniences is the lack of centralisation in timetable making; all departments make their own timetable which is sent to the Acad office near the start of the semester, and thus not many changes can be accommodated. 
 
 Slots for all common courses of 1st and 2nd year, and minors derived from those are fixed beforehand by the Academic office and sent to all the departments before the semester starts. After this, each department independently decides the slots for PECs offered by them and fits them into a timetable which comes right around the start of the semester. That comes after students have filled in their choices for PECs for the semester. Between this small period, it remains out of the hands of the AAO to make fruitful changes to the timetable as the semester is about to begin. They suggest that in the window provided for the addition/deletion of courses, students should alter their PCC/PECs’ choices and stick with the minor instead of going the other way around to fairly accommodate all of their choices. That is, if a student is voluntarily opting for additional breadth; they must choose the structure compatible with their minor's choice. Moreover, the issue has been noted down; and a centralised portal for the generation of automatic timetables is under formulation. It could, however, take 1-2 semesters to be completely implemented. 
 
@@ -107,9 +126,7 @@ In the survey conducted by Watch Out! We also asked the students how they would
 
 <p style="margin-left: 30px"><strong>G.2</strong> Department and inter-departmental courses should be introduced from the second year itself, allowing students to shape their career as they want to; whilst also providing them with incentives to maintain a good CGPA to be offered their preferred courses each semester. Another suggestion was to introduce more HSS-MEC courses in 2nd year, as the few provided usually force students to choose the one which gets them grades easily, as opposed to the ones they’re actually interested in.</p>
 
-<p style="margin-left: 30px">For example, due to a lack of effective choices, students from the Economics branch took up HSS-01 as their preferred choice, despite being taught similar course contents in a more advanced manner in previous semesters. This made it a redundant course for the students of the Economics branch as well as unfair for students of other departments taking this up for the first time and facing relative grading with others. The limitation of choices is a very real issue which must be resolved soon.</p>
-
-<p style="margin-left: 30px"><strong>Appendix-A</strong> contains the conversation WO! had with IITK and IITKgP in this regard.</p>
+<p style="margin-left: 30px">For example, due to a lack of effective choices, students from the Economics branch took up HSS-01 as their preferred choice, despite being taught similar course contents in a more advanced manner in previous semesters. This made it a redundant course for the students of the Economics branch as well as unfair for students of other departments taking this up for the first time and facing relative grading with others. The limitation of choices is a very real issue which must be resolved soon. <strong>Appendix-A</strong> contains the conversation WO! had with IITK and IITKGP in this regard.</p>
 
 <p style="margin-left: 30px"><strong>G.3</strong> “During the chaos that followed the NPTEL and minor selection time, what was apparent was the stringent nature of the Acad department and their unapproachability.” It was noted by many students that the academic section does listen to their grievances but there are no real efforts made to change it so that the students are at their convenience; and it often feels like they’re unreceptive to the students’ needs.</p>
 
@@ -117,9 +134,9 @@ In the survey conducted by Watch Out! We also asked the students how they would
 
 <p style="margin-left: 30px">More efficient communication between departments, within the academic section, between the admin and departments and within the department is necessary to avoid the many, many cases of timetable clashes that were seen. If, due to unavoidable reasons, clashes do occur, students should be allowed online alternatives for certain courses, especially important ones like minors and electives, which would help students to cover up material at one's own convenient time. “More flexibility in course structure, an approachable POC between students and Acad office is needed.”</p>
 
-**NOTE: A snippet of the conversation with GenSec Acads regarding this matter:**
+**NOTE:** A snippet of the conversation with GenSec Acads regarding this matter:
 
-**WO!: A lot of students complained about there being no point of contact between the Acad department and students. As the GenSec Acads, why do you think this problem still exists in spite of the existence of elected student representatives such as the DAPCs and the Gensec?**
+**WO!:** A lot of students complained about there being no point of contact between the Acad department and students. As the GenSec Acads, why do you think this problem still exists in spite of the existence of elected student representatives such as the DAPCs and the Gensec?
 
 GenSec: Certain things in the Acad department take some time to process because there are specified paperwork and even protocols to be followed, due to which students might feel there aren't any updates. But the people who approached me or even some other student DAPCs have often got their issues resolved or clarified.
 
@@ -139,39 +156,37 @@ Some miscellaneous suggestions regarding commonly faced issues within the academ
 
 5. Moreover, there should be an open choice of minor courses instead of selecting from a pool of 6/7 courses, as well as more departmental elective courses that are offered. Along with it, compulsory attendance in Minors should be scrapped.
 
-6. A more mathematics-intensive CSE curriculum is seen as necessary.
+6. A more mathematics-intensive CSE curriculum is seen as necessary. (A detailed review on this is mentioned in **Appendix-B**)
 
-    A detailed review on this is mentioned in **Appendix-B**
+This article aimed to bring the grievances faced by students daily under convergence and address them efficiently. From the responses we received in the survey, we have mentioned the changes students think should bring about a difference in their daily academic interactions. Moreover, we also talked to the academic office to dig deeper into the root cause of the problems pointed out. We got some great insights and found out valid reasons for some of the inconveniences; whilst also noticing a need for immediate change in certain areas.
 
-**This article aimed to bring the grievances faced by students daily under convergence and address them efficiently. From the responses we received in the survey, we have mentioned the changes students think should bring about a difference in their daily academic interactions. Moreover, we also talked to the academic office to dig deeper into the root cause of the problems pointed out. We got some great insights and found out valid reasons for some of the inconveniences; whilst also noticing a need for immediate change in certain areas.**
-
-## Appendix A: IITK & IITKGP Verbatim
+<div id="appendix-a"><h2>Appendix A: IITK & IITKGP Verbatim</h2></div>
 
 #### IIT Kanpur
 
-**WO!: Can you explain in short how students opt for minors? What is the structure exactly? Are there clashes in the timetable with regard to departmental courses and what minor courses? If so, how are they resolved?**
+**WO!:** Can you explain in short how students opt for minors? What is the structure exactly? Are there clashes in the timetable with regard to departmental courses and what minor courses? If so, how are they resolved?
 
-IITK: Students can opt for Minors after the fourth semester and in each semester till the 7th semester. Minors are allocated in almost all departments and are generally offered on a first-come, first-served basis, and CGPA in some cases. Completion of minors is fairly doable, and clashes with courses are a manageable problem since each Minor has a basket of courses, out of which 3/4 need to be done. Several electives are available for students to choose from.
+**IITK:** Students can opt for Minors after the fourth semester and in each semester till the 7th semester. Minors are allocated in almost all departments and are generally offered on a first-come, first-served basis, and CGPA in some cases. Completion of minors is fairly doable, and clashes with courses are a manageable problem since each Minor has a basket of courses, out of which 3/4 need to be done. Several electives are available for students to choose from.
 
 #### IIT Kharagpur
 
-**WO!: Could you explain in detail about the conduction and structure of minor courses there; and how do students opt for them? Basically an overview of the entire process.**
+**WO!:** Could you explain in detail about the conduction and structure of minor courses there; and how do students opt for them? Basically an overview of the entire process.
 
-IITKgP: I’ll explain with an example. I am pursuing a dual major. My B.Tech degree is in Chemical Eng. and my M. Tech degree is in Financial Eng. 
+**IITKGP:** I’ll explain with an example. I am pursuing a dual major. My B.Tech degree is in Chemical Eng. and my M. Tech degree is in Financial Eng. 
 
 So students can opt to pursue a dual major at the end of their second year. They can take a master's degree in any of the three interdisciplinary programs - Financial Engineering, Artificial Engineering, and Engineering Entrepreneurship. The allocation to the three is done on the basis of CGPA of the students who have applied.
 
 Students can also opt to do a minor in any department. This is done in the 5th semester. Any student can do a minor in any department of his/her choice if his/her cgpa at the end of 4th semester > 8. A dual major gives a deep understanding of the subject, whereas a minor gives an overview. 
 
-**WO!: Are there clashes in the timetable with regard to departmental courses and minor courses? If so, how are they resolved? If not, what is the method of allotting these courses in the timetable?**
+**WO!:** Are there clashes in the timetable with regard to departmental courses and minor courses? If so, how are they resolved? If not, what is the method of allotting these courses in the timetable?
 
-IITKGP: There are no clashes between the subjects of a dual major since the B Tech degree is done in a different subject and M. Tech degree is done in a different subject. If a student enrols in any dual major program, then the respective subjects are added to his/her M Tech timetable, which does not clash with the B Tech timetable. B Tech courses take place from 1st - 3rd year. There are only 1-2 courses in the 4th year, and Mtech courses take place in the 4th and 5th year, which is how clashes are avoided. 
+**IITKGP:** There are no clashes between the subjects of a dual major since the B Tech degree is done in a different subject and M. Tech degree is done in a different subject. If a student enrols in any dual major program, then the respective subjects are added to his/her M Tech timetable, which does not clash with the B Tech timetable. B Tech courses take place from 1st - 3rd year. There are only 1-2 courses in the 4th year, and Mtech courses take place in the 4th and 5th year, which is how clashes are avoided. 
 
 Whereas if a student is doing a minor, then he/she has to take the subjects on his/her own either as electives or breadth or additional. The student should look for subjects each semester required for completing the minor and do not clash with their department timetable. In case of a clash, the students can request the professor to change the slot of a particular course. This is done after consultation with the professors in charge of the course and the Head of the Department. 
 
-**WO!: How many electives are offered, and how many are actually taken up by the students? Are the courses actually useful for someone looking to build their career in a field that doesn't align with their branch?**
+**WO!:** How many electives are offered, and how many are actually taken up by the students? Are the courses actually useful for someone looking to build their career in a field that doesn't align with their branch?
 
-IITKgP: Electives are a part of the degree. Each student has to take up 6-10 electives and 4-6 breadths depending on their course and degree. Electives offered by any department depend only on the department.
+**IITKGP:** Electives are a part of the degree. Each student has to take up 6-10 electives and 4-6 breadths depending on their course and degree. Electives offered by any department depend only on the department.
 
 ## Appendix-B
 #### Clarification regarding students asking for a math intensive CSE curriculum
@@ -212,7 +227,6 @@ Numerical Methods is a very important topic that actually familiarizes students
 
 Since this is a minor in CSE, the courses have relevant computer science courses. The students have an option to pursue a minor in the mathematics department if they wish to specialise in math extensive courses.
 
-
 ## Appendix-C
 #### Clarification regarding upper cap on the number of credits a student can get each semester