Three free writes for the subject Magazine Journalism:
1. Every girl during her pre bridal phase has to master herself at all domestic activities before she moves towards her future house, our elders say. I am one such example, battling to knead and roll perfect round rotis – sternly instructed not to transform the shape even in its slightest appearance!
Tough competition between Nikon and Canon. (Photograph by Kulsoom Ali)Well, the excitement to write is not about the win. It is very amusing to discover human nature – the moment a human turns into an owner of something, that very possession HAS to be the best since he owns it. Since the mastermind invention of Digital SLRs, I have always been familiarized with the Nikon brand. Combining the manual and digital features in one body with a great digital charisma, I decided to own a Nikon D40x (Now D60) for personal use (before I proudly owned a Canon).
Seeking ‘good words’ for the aforementioned model from others, very few encouraged me for the brand. Many people whom I referred to for sincere advice said, ‘You Can, Canon!’ In other words, they meant buy a Canon. Among the people I sought advice was Jisha Nair, the renowned fashion photographer and two other professional photographers based in Abu Dhabi. Not wanting to revolute my decision from a Nikon to a Canon, I toned-deaf myself for the recommendations.
A glimpse of the stalls at PhotoWorld Exhibition, 2008. (Photograph by Kulsoom Ali)The Grand Stores (Nikon dealers in the UAE) and Canon store neighborly exhibited their stands at the PhotoWorld Exhibition. It was a perfect spell to dig differences and features of the products stemming from the two. It was also best in terms of gauging the demographics of the target audience at each stand.
Yes You Can, Canon! (Photograph by Kulsoom Ali)I revisited the exhibition around closing time on the final day to collect my camera. A Lamborghini was exhibited at the Grand Stores with a stylish and classy female model to attract visitors. There was more to this at the Canon stand. Different models of Canon cameras were fixed on tripods for visitors to experiment with. The cameras pointed towards a motorbike on display with two scantily dressed and sexually appealing women who were inviting visitors to pose for a shoot with them. Who would refuse a heartfelt invitation from sensual females? So, Canon managed to magnetize a larger crowd in addition to the raffle draw they held for three days – where I emerged lucky to seize the precious prize on the second day.
Much said about the duo, the features and results of the two remain almost alike. In fact, I was pleased to hear the salesperson at Canon stand admit (wished to remain anonymous) that there are many features in Nikon products that are up-to-the mark and are yet to be accomplished in Canon products.
But in the end be it Nikon or Canon, ‘it’s the eye that matters more than the lens’. Creativity springs from the brains within and not necessarily from the lens of the camera – which after all is the man-made replica of our ingenious human eye.
An unmanageable walk in the floods. Two men walk with support from one another.
Ever wished for a mind-boggling question not to appear for an exam at Manipal University? You cross your fingers or not, eventually it all depends on that single examination paper that is randomly handpicked from a whole bundle of similar question papers structured for the exam. And this task of random handpicking is performed by Mr. Narayan Rao, the controller of examination at Manipal University (India) who was recently on a visit to Manipal University in Dubai. Kulsoom Ali, a third year student of Media and Communications, specializing in print media, questioned him with reference to the backstage task of examination control practiced at Manipal University, Dubai.
Kulsoom Ali: Welcome to Manipal University, Dubai campus. How is your experience as a first visit to our new campus at Academic City?
Narayan Rao: Thank you for the warm welcome. Frankly speaking, this is a beautiful campus. Unpredictably, the weather is also pleasant, reversing to what I calculated it to be. So far, it has been a relaxing trip.
KA: Having said that, what observations have you gauged so far, with specific reference to educational bearing and the MBA students currently appearing for the examinations at the campus?
NR: One of the first few things that I noticed were the students’ relaxed expressions even though they were appearing for exams. I observed the examination practice during the exam conducted for MBA yesterday and believe me, I was contented. Everything is flowing smooth – from attentive supervision to proper control of students in the examination hall.
KA: Everything has a room for improvement. What would you as a controller of examination suggest further developments or improvements in the current examination practice held at the Dubai campus?
NR: Yes, definitely. Everything is in place here but as regards examinations, according to me, an individual hall solely dedicated to conduct examinations must be allotted. It is easy to network and conduct exams in a huge hall with careful supervision. Normally, universities do have such halls, commonly referred to as conference halls. The room may not necessarily be utilized for exams alone. During regular study sessions at the university, several meetings and important conferences can be held in the same room.
Mr. Narayan Rao during the interview. Photograph by Kulsoom Ali.KA: The purpose of your visit to the Dubai campus is to scrutinize the examination practice since you are the controller of examination at the Manipal University. Could you please outline your profession as a controller of examination?
NR: I have been with Manipal University since June, 1959. Earlier, I was a teacher of pharmaceutical chemistry and later took the job of an examination controller. In simple words, my job is to conduct examinations. I receive sets of question papers from each Board of Studies (different subjects) that are collected in a question bank. I am licensed to randomly pick a set of question paper and that becomes the final exam paper to be given to the concerned departments of the university. No one knows which set of paper has been selected till the time it is handed to students in the examination hall. After the examination is conducted and marks forwarded to me by the faculty, I assign grades according to the cut-offs (grade allotment) that are decided by the Board of Studies. The final result with GPA calculation is prepared and sent to the concerned departments for immediate release. The results are published within ten days after the last examination.
(For an in-depth article on the complete procedure of examination control and result preparation, please click here.)
KA: But how is it that the results are not published within ten days in the Dubai campus?
NR: Yes that’s true; it takes time to publish results in the Dubai campus. It is due to difficulty in communication and message transfer. Plus, the result is emailed from India that takes time.
KA: With fast growing technology and at the click of a button, does email take considerable amount of time to complicate the pace of communication leading to a delay in publishing the results?
NR: Sometimes emails don’t reach across countries at a quick pace. This causes a delay plus the external evaluators in Dubai are difficult to find. Unless you find one, how can the evaluation be quick because it is a systematic process that requires a thorough effort.
KA: Yes, your latter part of the answer satisfies the impatience that surfaces in us (students) who anxiously wait for a quick release of results after the examinations! Well, thank you so much for your time sir. It was a great pleasure meeting you!
Mr. Narayan Rao explaining the backstage process of examination control. Photograph by Kulsoom Ali.The Board of Studies (constituted as per the directive of Academic Senate of Manipal University) is required to send sets of question papers to Mr. Narayan Rao (controller of examination), prepared according to the specification table. These sets of question papers form a question bank where at least 20 question papers in each subject are added annually.
On receiving the question papers, Mr. Rao randomly selects one question paper from the whole lot. That very question paper becomes the final exam paper to be handed to students appearing for that exam.
In the case of Manipal University, Dubai, the selected exam paper is sent to the representative of the controller of examination. Required number of copies are made, sealed in an envelope and placed in a cupboard whose keys remain with the representative only.
On the date of examination, the question papers that are sealed in the envelope are handed to the invigilator 30 minutes before the exam begins.
Soon after the completion of written examination, the sealed bundles of answer sheets are piled in their respective covers by the invigilators and kept ready for central valuation which commences on the succeeding day of the theory examination.
A list of eligible internal examiners is forwarded by the deans to the office of the controller of examination. This list is further scrutinized and the final panel of internal examiners is done b y the Board of Studies. The panel of eligible external examiners is also done by the Board of Studies.
Central valuation is done by double valuation. All answer papers are evaluated by the internal examiner and external examiner separately. The marks are not awarded directly on the answer paper but on a separate evaluation sheet. This prevents the influence of one examiner on the other. For every theory paper, guidelines are provided for evaluation.
Once the internal examiners complete the valuation, the external examiners assess the answers. The marks allotted by the two are noted and if the difference is not more than 15%, the average of the two are awarded to the student as the final mark. However, if there is a difference of more tan 15%, the paper is subjected to a third valuation by a subject expert. Here, the average of the two marks, which are closest among the three evaluations, is awarded to the student.
Mr. Narayan Rao says, “The mark must be favorable to student. Karnataka High Court of India also stated that this marking method is the best way to grant justice to a student.”
After the valuation has been done, the mark sheets are sent to the controller of examination in India. He assigns grades according to the cut-offs (grade allotment) that are decided by the Board of Studies. The final result with GPA calculation is prepared and emailed to the concerned departments at Manipal University, Dubai, for immediate release.
-SJ
Mr. Michael Rundell airs his views to Kulsoom Ali. Photographs by Maitri Somaia.
