DU withdraws mandate to submit 30-minute video presentation for end-term assessment under FYUP

The withdrawal comes months after DU formally introduced the fourth year of undergraduate studies for the first time since adopting the NEP. Under the revised curriculum, students in their final year choose one of three specialisation tracks — dissertation writing, academic projects, or entrepreneurship, each carrying 12 credits spread across the seventh and eighth semesters.

The video requirement had been introduced to assess students’ progress on their research or project work, with guidelines stating that the video would detail timelines, field visits, challenges and the status of work, and be evaluated alongside logbooks, plagiarism checks, sample adequacy reviews and interim presentations.

The move follows criticism raised during a recent Academic Council meeting held earlier this month.

“I am relieved to know that the university has relaxed the condition of video for the assessment of research work. It wasn’t a reliable criteria to begin with,” said Latika Gupta, a member of the Academic Council. “It would have privileged those who have access to expensive technology and convenient spaces to record. Such young people have become so savvy that they can record a video without doing any genuine research. Several students would have fallen prey to private companies that give training to make such videos.”

Gupta also pointed to concerns arising from increased dependence on video-based assessments. “Additionally, we observed in the online classes during the pandemic that several students developed serious anxiety about their looks and body consciousness because of the camera. Video dependence enhances that kind of vulnerability for several students,” she said.

“Oratorial performance cannot be a good criteria for research assessment. It may be in sales and marketing courses,” she added.

Maya John, another Academic Council member said, “The notification represents vindication of the genuine concerns raised about the onerous assessment parameters of the dissertation and academic project tracks of the fourth year UG Program. However, the notification marks a partial concession as the requirement of a 30 mins video is not relaxed for the 8th semester.”

“The concern with such a provision has been the undue surveillance on students, and their overburdening by measures that simply reflect the DU administration’s sheer distrust of undergraduate research. The video requirement in no way ensures academic efficiency. Typically, in line with the overall denial of additional funds and faculty to support the fourth year, such requirements simply presume that colleges will have / easily purchase the huge storage space needed to support soft-copy submissions by a large number of students.” she added.