What’s the differences between cc: and bcc: in your e-mail client ?

If you've been using email clients for some time, you may already aware that you have the option of sending email to multiple recipient using to:, cc: and bcc:.

 

cc: means 'carbon copy' - is a copy given to another recipient beside the person you're sending the email to. For example, if you are writing an email inquiring about the price of a particular product, naturally you'll send it to sales@example.com, and then you might want to send a carbon copy to your supervisor - supervisor@yourdomain.com, telling him that you're doing your job.

 

so when the sales department in the other company responded, your supervisor will be able to read the reply as well. So everybody in the cc list is able to know each other email address when they receive it.

 

 

bcc: stands for blind carbon copy - basically is the same with cc: but with a little twist, the bcc: receiver just receive a copy of the email, and he can't read other email addresses in the list. So in a nutshell, bcc offers more privacy than cc because the email address of the recipient is protected from each other.

GANESHA IN THE BOARDROOM

Lord Ganesha's big head inspires us to think big and think profitably; the big ears show openness to new ideas and suggestions; the narrow eyes point to the deep concentration needed to finish a task well; the long nose encourages curiosity and learning Ganesha is known throughout South Asia as the fountainhead of wisdom and courage. When laying the foundation stone of a building, he is invoked. No new business or industry is started without a prayer to him. Prayers to Ganesha precede every Hindu religious ceremony. Travelers on lonely roads pay homage to the elephant god at roadside shrines; trusting Ganapati to remove every danger from their path. As a student of management, I was fascinated enough by Ganesha to research the subject. Clearly, there is much we could learn to become more effective managers. Management is always the major chunk of the problem on the job; in business and at home. Symbols have been one of the most effective ways to communicate ideas since the dawn of civilization. Let's look into the symbols of Ganesha to get our managerial inspirations.

PRESENTING A GOOD FRONT   Ganesha's excellent image took thousands of years to evolve. In Hindu mythology, Brahma stands for creation, Vishnu for preservation and Shiva for destruction. Ganesha, son of Shiva and Parvati, took his unique place among these principal deities because of his wisdom and courage. Emerging as early as 1200 B,C., about the time of the Mahabharata, Ganesha has been worshipped by devotees across the country. He is believed to embody Om, the sound from which the world was created, and Yak, the first word. Early representations of Ganesha show an elephant-headed warrior with the beard of a rishi, a sword and snake in one hand and a quill in the other, with a trident to one side—the embodiment of both courage and wisdom. Later, in the Deccan region, Ganesha was pictured with a sheaf of corn and sugarcane, with a mouse as his vehicle. Invoking him made it possible for farmers to eradicate their worst problem, namely rodents, insuring a bountiful harvest. Ganesha is thus the guardian and protector of success, in this case, a good harvest. Mythology is replete with stories of the origin and qualities of Ganesha. Many of these tales, which figure in the Puranas, poke good-humored fun at the gods in their all-too-human predicaments. They teach the truths, beliefs and values of religion in the simplest ways possible and leave a lasting image in the minds of adult and child alike. INSPIRATION FOR MANAGERS I have found inspiration in Ganesha's wisdom and judgment, his ability to solve problems and remove obstacles, his capability as a communicator, his goal-orientation and his adaptability. These qualities were much needed by our forefathers as they advanced from hunters to agriculturists. More than strength, they needed wisdom and judgment to survive. These qualities are no less at a premium today, especially for managers. A Ganesha manager likes people, all kinds of people with their diverse skills and aptitudes, and he likes to work. He enjoys bettering his records. He is forward-looking, with clear and friendly eyes. He likes to set goals and solve problems, and because he is stimulated by this challenge, he becomes better and better at it. He likes to help others realize their goals. He nurtures his own understanding and discrimination by reflecting on his own and others' experience. He always operates at 150 per cent of capacity; he knows that's what keeps him happy and growing. The opposite of the Ganesha manager is Gobarganesha—literally, a cow-dung Ganesha. Full of himself, he has no time for others. He's always oppressed, always overburdened. He carries his problems around instead of solving them. He's wary of change. He can't lead others, and he has no self-defined goals. The fact is, he doesn't know what he wants to be or do. It never occurs to him that this is something he needs to sort out himself. He makes others feel tired and unhappy. A Gobarganesha avoids action and shuns the spotlight. He shrinks from challenges and wallows in self pre-occupations. He may do what he's told, but grumbles through the effort. He wastes the latent potential within himself.

 

REMOVER OF OBSTACLES Ganesha, son of Shiva and Parvati, is Vigneshwara, the Remover of Obstacles. And thereby hangs a tale. It is said that Shiva and Parvati didn't always see eye to eye. A nagging bone of contention was Shiva's insensitive lack of concern for Parvati's privacy. Shiva, who traveled a lot, would think nothing of strolling into Parvati's private chambers when he returned. Irked, Parvati posted Nandi, Shiva's attendant bull, to guard the door of her palace. The instructions were clear and precise: no one was to enter her chambers while she was in the bath. Nandi proved inept and inefficient. He was fired and Parvati fashioned her own attendant. A goddess in her own right, she 'created' a son out of the saffron paste she removed from her own body. When Shiva returned from his travel, Ganesha placed himself squarely at the entrance of Parvati's chambers. There was no getting past him. Mythology has an enraged Shiva using his army, his associates and their armies, but to no avail. Finally Ganesha was beheaded by unfair means. To keep Parvati's maternal fury at bay, Shiva was compelled to use his powers to revive Ganesha, who was given the head of an elephant. Shiva blessed him and decreed him to be worthy of worship forever. He also gave him the name Vigneshwara, one who can remove obstacles. With an elephant head, a potbelly, and a mouse for a vehicle, Ganesha had many obstacles to overcome from the outset. Did he run away and hide? No. Did he try to bluff? Never. He met obstacles head-on. He converted perceived disadvantages into advantages. SYMBOL OF WISDOM The elephant head is the over-seeing, all-seeing, eternal witness, the unmanifest supreme. Below the head is the belly, the symbol of the manifest, the mortal. Ganesha is the lord of all, manifest and unmanifest. The memory of an elephant is, of course, proverbial. Ganesha's twisted trunk represents the zigzag path to wisdom. It reminds us that there is no direct path, that we must turn right and left in the search for truth. The elephant ears are like winnows that separate the wheat from the chaff. All experience must be subjected to scrutiny to determine what is essential and what is nonessential. This is a critical aspect of judgment. The discerning and the wise do what they must and let the rest be. Ganesha's endearing potbelly is equated with space; it is vast enough to hold all wisdom and all life. Gentle and harmless, he uses his great strength only when provoked. Good managers can draw a lesson from this.

GOAL-ORIENTED The elephant seems to swerve as it walks, but keeps to the path. He makes it to his goal with unhurried grace. Ganesha rose from the ranks to hold high office. He was in the right place at the right time. Ganesha's vehicle, the lowly mouse, stands for the dark, fertile forces of the earth into which it burrows, avoiding light. As a recurrent threat to the harvest, it had to be tamed. But the rat also represents swiftness of movement. He burrows with his sharp teeth, chews through anything, and squeezes out of the smallest hole. In this way, he proves an excellent transport for Ganesha, who has to be everywhere and anywhere at short notice to remove obstacles. THE WRITER AND COMMUNICATOR It is believed that Ganesha penned the Mahabharata. The sage Vyasa, under instructions from Brahma, dictated the Mahabharata to Ganesha. Vyasa was to dictate without pause and Ganesha was to understand every word and thought and its implications before writing it down. In the process, Ganesha honed his intellect and became wiser. There is a lesson here for managers: as speakers or listeners, we must understand and cogitate deeply on the implications of spoken and written words. The Mahabharata, or for that matter any important document, should not be read in a hurry. To benefit optimally from the Mahabharata, one should proceed in slow and deliberate steps, ensuring complete comprehension and sustained reflection at every stage. The ability to write is one of the basic traits of a good manager. Good writing and good communication is possible only when thinking is clear and understanding deep. QUICK-THINKING PROBLEM SOLVER Once Shiva and Parvati acquired a pot containing the nectar of supreme knowledge. Both their sons, Kartikeya and Ganesha contended for it. The hapless parents set up a competition. The rules read that the first one to go around the world seven times would be declared winner. Kartikeya, a man of action, instantly started circumambulating the world on his peacock. With a mouse for a mount, Ganesha needed to do some quick thinking. Using the mental library in his big head, he analyzed the situation, did the SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) and realized that he was constrained by his bulk and slow mount. For inspiration, he went through the Veda floppies in his mind to arrive at an essential truth: one's parents are bigger than anything else in the world. So, Ganesha went around his parents seven times and claimed the pot of nectar. Due to his unique form, Ganesha could absorb symbols over the centuries. Choosing adaptability as a way of life, he acted, observed, reflected and updated his image. When he found a better way, he adopted it. A god who changes with the times is a good one to emulate.

 

HOW SOFTWARE COMPANIES HIRE PEOPLE?

Cognizant Method :

 

Hire a lion... ask him to stay for late nights but give him no work to do.

 

give him gobi 65 to eat again and again.
hire 100 more lions but do not increase the space to sit
give them same gobi 65 to eat
hire 200 more....... and more .......

 

TCS method:

 

Hire a lion
give him hell a lot of work and pay him government salary lion dies of hunger and frustration

 

IBM's metbod:

 

hire a lion, give him a pink slip in an hour... he dies of unemployment...

 

Syntel Method:

 

Hire a Cat ...
assure him that he will eventually become a Lion once he reaches onsite and make sure that he never reaches onsite.
Cat dies in hope of becoming a Lion....

 

MBT method:

 

hire the lion, make him take 14 tests and tell him that if he doesn't score 60% he will lose the job.
Lion dies of the strain?

 

i-Flex method:

 

Hire a lion???.oops cow, tell him he is a lion, send him in African safari for implementing flexcube in god forbidden territories, tell him if he comes alive he will get band movement (promotion) holy cow dies in fear of the real lion.

 

Polaris Method:

 

hire ..sorry....purchase a lion(COSL) ..
change his timings...(instead of 9 AM ...change it to 8:30 AM)
cut down his allowance (coupons etc)
lion dies from fear of becoming CAT.....

 

Patni method:

 

hire a lion, give him a salary of a cat...
the lion dies before joining....

 

Wipro Method:
Hire a Lion,
give him a mail Id.
he will die recieving stupid mails all day........!!!!

 

Accenture Method:

 

*Hire a lion.... **
Send him to chennai
Ask him to stay on bench for a long time
Ask him to eat idli,Dosa and Vada
No hindi, kannada or no other languages speaking ppl other than TAMIL...
No good food, No water..and specially No Beautiful girls
And say him "Go Ahead be a Tiger".
Lion dies in confusion he is Tiger or lion......

 

WORKOUT AT WORK!

Some exercise is always better than none. Here are ten tips to help you get your workout at work:

 1.  Park farther away from the office, or get off public transportation at an earlier stop, and walk the rest of the way.

 2.  Take the stairs instead of the elevator, especially if you've got only a few floors to climb.

 3.  Go for a walk during lunch. One way to do this is to skip your usual salad spot on the corner and find one a little farther away. If you bring your lunch to work, use the time you save buying lunch to take a walk around the block.

 4.  Deliver messages by hand instead of by phone or e-mail, and walk over to co-workers when you need to chat with them.

 5.  Instead of meeting in the office or over lunch, take it to the streets (or park) for a walk — or even to the gym.

 

 6.  Take frequent breaks to get up and walk around.

 7.  Find a gym near your workplace and exercise for 20 minutes during your lunch break or just before or after work.

 8.  Use your headset or cell phone and walk around while talking on the phone.

 9.  Stretch occasionally while sitting at your desk.

10.  Participate in workplace-sponsored sports activities or athletic fund-raising events.

FILLING UP THE CAT FORM : AVOID ERRORS

FILLING UP THE CAT FORM : Common Mistakes that need to be avoided

The Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) have published their admission notification in all major newspapers on Sunday, 14th July, 2008. The Common Admission Test (CAT) will be held on November 16th this year.   The prospectus and forms are available from branches of Axis Bank. One can also obtain the form in exceptional circumstances from the IIMs.   The form is easy to fill. It is just 2 pages long, but students often make mistakes in filling up the form, resulting in the form getting destroyed, and a waste of Rs 1200. Or you may miss out the chance to appear in the exam altogether in case your form is rejected for a small mistake.   The points listed here may seem trivial, but you will be surprised how many students make these mistakes! In our teaching of students for CAT of over 15 years we have found some of the most common mistakes that students do:    1. MAKE SURE you fill in the bank's pay-in slip properly. One copy of the pay-in slip is to be sent along with the form, so preserve it. Many students tend to misplace it. If your name is "Rajesh Kumar Gupta" this name should appear on the pay-in slip. Do not shorten the name or make any changes.    2. DO NOT buy the form in bulk or ask your friends/relatives to buy it for you. There are two dangers in this. First, the pay-in slip may have a discrepancy. Second, the the forms might get interchanged. If the serial number of the form does not match your name, the form is liable to be rejected. Every year a number of students make this mistake.    3. MAKE A photocopy of the blank form and fill up the form as instructed, before you fill up the actual form. Calculate your school and college percentage before you start filling the form.   4. SOME PARTS of the form are to be filled in pencil and some parts are to be filled in pen. Ensure that the parts must be filled in pen and pencil as instructed.    5. CHECK OUT your eligibility. If you have not completed your bachelor's degree or if you have completed your final year and waiting for results, you must obtain a letter from the Principal/Head of the Department/ Registrar/Director of the university/institution certifying that you are currently in the final year/ is awaiting final results and has obtained at least 50% marks or equivalent (45% in case of candidates belonging to SC/ST/PWD category) based on latest available grades/marks. Principals usually hesitate in giving such letters so be prepared for several trips to the college office!    6. IF YOU have passed your final exams and have the marks sheet or degree, send a photocopy of that with the form.  7. GET COPIES of the latest photograph of yours and put it where instructed.    8. DO NOT fill in wrong information, either about your degrees or marks, or about your work experience. Any experience less than 9 months is not to be filled in.    9. DO NOT round off your marks. If you have 59.99% marks in your college, do not write 60%. Students tend to make such mistakes.    10. FILL UP the address where you will get mail. For instance, if you are in a hostel or paying guest, your mail will get lost if you leave the hostel by the time your result comes.    11. DO NOT staple any papers on your form. The bank pay-in slip and a copy of your certificate should be enclosed in the envelope without any pins or staples.    12. REFER TO the CAT bulletin for codes of your university and course. Only codes are to be filled in.    13. DO NOT fill the form in presence of your friends or relatives.    14. GET YOUR form checked by an experienced teacher/counsellor before sending.    Issue of CAT Bulletins by Axis Bank STARTS  JULY 14, 2008 (Monday)  Issue of CAT Bulletins by Axis Bank ENDS  AUGUST 8, 2008 (Friday)  Issue of CAT Bulletins by IIMs ENDS AUGUST 13, 2008 (Wednesday)    Last date for receipt of completed CAT 2008 Application Forms September 5, 2008   Common Admission Test 2008 Date  NOVEMBER 16, 2008 (Sunday)

 

(CAT) DATA INTERPRETATION (DI) AND LOGICAL REASONING

THE DATA INTERPRETATION (DI) AND LOGICAL REASONING SECTIONS REPRESENT A BACKDOOR ENTRY TO THE IIMS. WHY THIS SECTION REQUIRES THE LEAST EFFORT WHEN COMPARED TO THE OTHER THREE :-

 

 

IN our previous article in this series we had started discussing an outline for Data Interpretation (DI) preparations --- wherein we defined four lines of preparation for DI and Logical Reasoning (LR):
    1) Traditional Data Interpretation
   2) Advanced Reasoning Based Data Interpretation
   3) CAT Type Reasoning
   4) Non CAT Reasoning
   In today's article we continue our focus on DI and LR preparations. Let us tackle this point by point:
   The DI and LR section represents a shortcut into the IIMs - This is perhaps a backdoor entry into the IIMs and we have our reasons for saying so. Basically, if you were to look at the preparation processes for the three parallel sections that the CAT tests you for; namely Quantitative Aptitude, Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension and Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning; and compare these processes, you would realise that this section requires the minimum effort as it also affords the possibility of minimum turnaround time.
   So, if you were aiming at moving from a range of say 50 percentile to 90+ percentile in any of the three sections of CAT, the DI section would be the fastest as well as the one involving the least effort. Hence, ignore this section at your own peril. A moot point one realises while saying this is that unfortunately, for the vast majority of CAT takers, DI remains the least prepared of the three areas for CAT exam preparation.
   In our last article, we had raised this issue and also reasoned that this occurs mainly due to the lack of a clear preparation outline for DI prep. So, obviously the question that arises in your mind as you read this is: "What should I do that would help me improve my DI percentiles and solving abilities?" And more importantly: "What can one do in a 90 day time-frame to improve DI?"
   We realise that a lot of you out there preparing for the CAT 2008 exam might be having serious doubts about your ability to improve your DI score at all- especially in the context of the fact that every year there are a lot of students whose score gets stuck in DI. So, we would like to make the following points for your benefit:
Adopt a two-pronged approach:
    Skills Development
   Exposure creation
   Perhaps, the first thing you need to realise as you try to create a strategy is that since you cannot adopt a portion coverage approach, you should create a skillsdevelopment approach plus an exposure to problems approach while trying to improve your DI scores.
   You need to distinguish clearly between these two:
    a) By skills development we mean that there are certain specific skills that are essentially tested in DI. As a CAT and management aspirant you first need to identify these skills, and then create a regimen for the development of the same. To further expand this point, suppose one has a simple set of DI containing four questions that are based on percentage changes and ratio calculations — If such a set of questions is given to three lakh CAT aspirants to solve under test conditions, the results would show that even in these four questions there will be a great variance in the scores across the nation. Not only that, even amongst the people who get everything correct.
   Our question to every CAT aspirant reading this - Why should you allow your competition to have an advantage over you? Either score wise or time wise, in simple percentage change and ratio calculation questions. And, if this gap does exist, ie even if you can solve all these four questions correctly but would take three minutes more than the 99 percentilers, should you not do whatever it takes to overcome the gap.
   b) By exposure to problems we mean that your preparation objective should be to get to a point where you have solved so many question sets of DI that belief wise you should be able to tell yourself: "What else can they throw at me?" or the even stronger belief: "Give me anything to solve and if it is DI, I can take any bet that I will solve it."
   The idea of DI preparation has to be to take yourself to the comfort zone (confidence wise). In other words, when you pick the next set your mind should expect to crack it rather than be cracked by it.
   The obvious question which arises in your mind as you read this is: "How many question sets in DI do I need to solve to get to this point?"
   The answer, from our experience, is that you should reach this point if you solve around 750-1000 question sets (not questions) and are able to learn from the solving experience you gain through every set. One word of caution though — while doing this you will need to ensure that you solve the correct sets of questions which will expose you to all kinds of logics. Thus, for instance, you should expose yourself to questions based on tournaments, questions based on progressions, questions based on maximising and minimising constraints and questions based on Venn diagrams, to name a few.
   So, obviously the task set for the exposure to problems approach is pretty easy to determine. You can do the math yourself — If you need to do 1,000 question sets in 90 days time it would leave you with around 11 sets per day.
   For those of you who have already begun to think that there is no preparation time left, take heart. Turnaround times in DI can be as short as 30 days. Just work in a task oriented fashion, set tasks for yourself and complete them.
   In our next article in this series, we will deal with the skills development approach in more detail.

SCHOLARSHIP WATCH

HUMBOLDT RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP FOR EXPERIENCED RESEARCHERS

The Humboldt Foundation grants approximately 600 Humboldt Research Fellowships for postdoctoral researchers and experienced  researchers annually. A Humboldt Research Fellowship for experienced researchers allows you to carry out a long-term research project (6-18 months) you have selected yourself in cooperation with an academic host at a research institution in Germany. The academic host is also of your choice. The fellowship is flexible and can be divided up into as many as three stays within three years. Shortterm study visits, participation in congresses and training courses cannot be financed.

Requirements:

Researchers from abroad with above average qualifications who have completed their doctorate less than twelve years ago and already have their own research profile and are working at least at the level of Assistant Professor or Junior Research Group Leader can apply for this research fellowship. Alternately researchers who have a record of several years of independent academic work can also apply. Scientists and scholars of all nationalities and disciplines can apply. Scholars in the humanities or social sciences and physicians must have a good knowledge of German if it is necessary to carry out the project successfully. Otherwise they should at least have a good command over English. Scientists and engineers must have a good knowledge of German or English.

To apply:

Download from http://www.humboldtfoundation.de/pls/web/wt_show.text_page?p_text_id=1710. Applications may be sent to Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung, Selection Department, Jean-Paul-Str. 12, 53173 Bonn, Germany at any time. Please send your application directly to the Selection Department at the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Jean-Paul-Str. 12, 53173 Bonn, Germany. If this is not possible, you may submit your application via the branch offices of the DAAD or the German Embassy or Consulate to be forwarded to the Humboldt Foundation.

Submission:

Any time. Selection committee meetings take place three times a year, in March, July and November.

THE RADCLIFFE INSTITUTE FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM FOR INDIVIDUALS HUMANISTS & SOCIAL SCIENTISTS


   Radcliffe Institute fellowships are designed to support scholars, scientists, artists, and writers of exceptional promise and demonstrated accomplishments who wish to pursue work in academic and professional fields and in the creative arts. The discipline listing is available on https://radcliffe.onlineapplicationportal.com/misc/disciplines/. Stipends are funded up to $70000 for one year with additional funds for project expenses. Some support for relocation expenses is provided where relevant. Fellows receive office or studio space and access to libraries and other resources of Harvard University during the fellowship year, which extends from early September 2009 through June 30, 2010.

Requirements:

Scholars in any field with a doctorate or appropriate terminal degree at least two years prior to appointment (by December 2007) in the area of the proposed project are eligible to apply. Only scholars who have published at least two articles in journals or edited collections or one refereed journal are eligible to apply.

To apply:

The application should include the completed application form; curriculum vita, not to exceed 10 pages; project proposal, with bibliography when appropriate; writing samples, not to exceed 30 single-sided pages for all articles. Online application portal at https://radcliffe.onlineapplicationportal.com/

Submission:

October 1, 2008.

 

DESIGN IS AN ART AND TO MAKE ART REQUIRES DESIGN'

ART IN INDIA HAS REACHED A NEW HIGH — NOT ONLY DOES IT OFFER RECOGNITION,IT HOLDS MONETARY RETURNS AS WELL.BUT,SINCE THERE IS A SHORTAGE OF QUALITY ART COLLEGES IN THE COUNTRY,WHAT OPTIONS DO INTERESTED STUDENTS HAVE?

 

students carrying their projects to studio;

 

   The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD or rizdee) is the leading college of art and design in the United States. Approximately 2,300 students from the US and abroad are enrolled in full-time study at RISD, where Bachelor's and Master's degree programmes in 19 majors include a firm grounding in the liberal arts. RISD is located in Providence, Rhode Island — on the east coast of the US.
   Founded in 1877, it is one of the oldest independent colleges of art and design in the country. The school's fine arts division offers degrees in film/animation/video, glass, illustration, jewellery and metalsmithing, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, and textiles.
   According to Jaime Marland, director, media relations, RISD: "Students are educated on the premise that to design is an art and to make art requires design. The notion of design at RISD is predicated on the fine arts, with a consensus among faculty that the curriculum for all design courses should rest on a solid foundation in the fine arts."

STUDENT EXPERIENCES

 

a student studying in the Fleet Library

Akshat Raghava joined RISD in 2005 because "it was the top college in the US to offer industrial design." Besides, he says, "It is an amazing place to be, everybody is helpful and supportive here. What I really like about RISD is the fact that it has a small student body, they are all amazingly creative and talented, and bring different experiences and techniques to offer."
   For Devika Khanna, however, the decision wasn't as straightforward. "I was studying at Sophia Polytechnic, Bombay and had just completed my foundation year, which is the first of five years in commercial art. Having been in the top three students in a class of 60, I had no doubt that I would go on to doing the four-year diploma in commercial art. But, at the end of my foundation class, we had a final art exam that was graded by the J J School of Arts. Surprisingly, I didn't do too well in that exam and I wasn't taken into the first year of commercial art. Further, J J School of Arts did not even recognise the year I had done at Sophia."
   Khanna, then, applied to fine arts schools in the US. "RISD was one of my first choices as I had a cousin who had graduated from there and had praised it. The school also had a reputation of being among the finest art schools in the world. Not only did I get admission to RISD for graphic design, they gave me a year-off based on the work I had sent them from Sophia. How ironic that a foreign school can recognise someone's work and in India, the governing board did not recognise education from another Indian institution."
   She graduated with honours on the Dean's List in 1993. "My three years at RISD were among the most inspired years and I also worked the hardest in those years. The school was very challenging and most of the students were very talented. I loved our studio space, where we all had our own space to work, hang out together, exchange ideas and critique each other's work. There were only 15 students in each class so we got individualised attention from the faculty. The faculty themselves were well respected in their professions in the outside world," says Khanna.

FACULTY WISE

Foundation Studies Professor  and his students during a drawing marathon

 

Elaborating on the same, Marland says: "The faculty at RISD are practicing and renowned artists, designers, architects and scholars with outstanding records of accomplishment in their respective fields. They include internationallyrecognised authors and illustrators, experimental glass artists and sculptors, architects, inventors and designers."
   Adds Khanna: "We also had many visiting lecturers and the most memorable was Ootje Oxenaar, a famous Dutch designer who had designed the Dutch currency and Dutch postal service (PTT). He explained his thought process, design and implementation and how he came to the end product and design of the lovely, clever and colourful Dutch currency notes."

MONEY MATTERS


However, studying at this reputed school can be expensive. Especially since there are no scholarships and students must show ability to pay full tuition. Says Khanna: "When I was at RISD, tuition was $14,000 a year. With living and art materials, an average amount would be $25,000 a year. Today, the tuition fees are about $25,000."
   According to Raghava, today, the annual expenses reach approximately $50,000. He adds: "It is, no doubt, expensive to live and study here if you start comparing it with India. But, once you consider the fact that you're in the US, studying in one of the top colleges in the world, I think it's definitely worth the money."
   According to Claudia Ford, director, international programmes, the school has 421 international students of which 14 are from India.

CAREER PROSPECTS


Speaking about the opportunities a career in fine arts offers, Raghava states: "It is hard for me to say about fine arts in particular as there are so many majors which fall under this category like painting, screen printing, etc. But, the current world market demands for creativity and innovation have certainly gone up and all this opens new doors everyday for creative people."
   Elaborating on the same, Khanna adds: "We all know that art in India has reached a new high where most artists, painters, sculptors, fashion designers, design houses are concerned. Not only are they getting a lot of recognition, they can also command high prices for their work. Even investment houses have followed the trend by starting art funds and having an 'art portfolio' is supposed to have higher returns than shares."
   And as for RISD's services in this regard, Steve Whitten, director, career services, says: "RISD's Alumni and Career Services Office is a comprehensive full-service programme providing services and education in the practical skills artists and designers need in their professional and creative lives. These initiatives provide direct, practical resources for students and alumni, and connect directly to the college's academic departments through a range of integrated and collaborative programmes."
   Khanna worked in New York with a graphic design company before returning to Mumbai. She started her own graphic design company in 2001.

FUTURE SPEAK


According to Ford, the school plans to introduce more specific travel/study programmes in India and to continue its exchange with National Institute of Design (NID) Ahmedabad. "We also hope our Indian alumni will come up with a scholarship for talented but lowincome undergraduates or graduate students," informed Ford.
   As for Raghava, "After graduating from RISD I want to be a product designer and yes, I will return to India. I believe India has more to offer than developed countries considering we are changing faster than others and this will be my way to contribute in the development of my country."
   "RISD has given me a grounding I will have for life. Should I choose to change to another design industry, I wouldn't have any doubt that I could handle it equally well. The school has given me the confidence to know a good idea from a weak one and how to present and defend my work to clients. It is very important to know where your design works and where it fails. Now,it is all second nature," sums up Khanna.

From rote learning to creative learning

SCHOOLS ARE IMPARTING MEMORY-ENHANCING TECHNIQUES TO IMPROVE RETENTION,

 

WHILE most educationists have their concerns about rote learning, they also agree to the fact that certain subjects do require mugging up concepts. For instance, not all mathematics or physics formulae can be understood and even learning of languages does involve rote methods. Remembering dates in history was never easy, so what is the solution?
   To this end, a 'memory lab' was recently launched at the Mann Public School, Holambi, which aims to make learning simpler and quicker using 'memory enhancing techniques.' This is the world's 22nd and NCR's first memory lab which was launched recently by Biswaroop Roy Chowdhury, a world record holder for memory and the brain behind the concept.
   Says Chowdhury: "It is an attempt to shift from rote learning to creative learning. I have introduced concepts, which do not involve cramming. Once students understand our concepts, they will remember them for life."
   The lab has 15 equipment, which can be used for 27 experiments in various subjects. Students need an initial training for a period of 30-45 days on learning methods to be able to use these equipment. Once they get familiar they can easily 'memorise' concepts.
   Chowdhury emphasised that the use of colours and pictures helps in better retention. Thus, his equipment makes judicious use of the same. Subsequently the magnetic number system, the history colour system, the geography map grid or even the 3D grid for learning countries' capitals, have all been carefully designed to make memorising easy.
   One of the important features of memory lab is the 'Neurobic Machine' or the happiness testing machine invented by Chowdhury and B K Atal Bihari Malik, founder of Brain Research Institute, Bhubaneswar. The USP of the machine is that it can test the mental state of a person. The lab also consists of a memory reference library having around 25 books on memory techniques for various subjects and mind methods for good health.

MATHEMATICAL HAT

In a similar attempt, Pradeep Kumar from Magical Methods, a concept based on Vedic maths, is teaching concepts of geometrical shapes to children aged between five to seven years and applied geometry to children aged between 12 to 15 years, using a mathematical hat.
   Says Kumar: "Geometrical shapes are taught to children from the very beginning but they see it in their books in the form of pictures. Pictures are in two dimensions whereas in real life, most of the things are in three dimensions due to which they find it hard to recognise shapes when they actually encounter them in real life."
   He adds: "While working with mathematical hat, children can actually feel the shape. They can wear mathematical hat on their head. They can dismantle and join it again. This lets them learn about triangle, rectangle, square, circle, cylinder, pentagon and hexagon. And when they manipulate things themselves, they tend to learn these concepts for life."
   Kumar has designed four different types of mathematical hats including those for teaching concepts of geometrical shapes and properties of triangles, circles and quadrilaterals. He has also devised various innovative games through which students can comprehend concepts easily.

IN CLASSROOMS

Most schools are making use of interactive teaching learning materials (TLMs) as they believe in the theory that students learn better when they can visualise, manipulate and explore rather than passively listening to a teacher.
   Repeated studies have shown that a multisensory approach enriches internal memory and facilitates recall of information, says Sumitra Ramji, a counsellor. "Using pictures, sounds, music and interacting with students to find out what it feels or looks like, stimulates different senses."
   She adds: "Creative dramatics or role play activities address the problem situations and helps to re-explore ideas and interpretations among other things. Assisting students with mindmaps and flowcharts facilitates better understanding, gives structure to the topic, benefits recall and summarises important information clearly and concisely. By using different modalities, we stimulate different areas of the brain, which in turn facilitates information processing and recall when needed."

Are textbooks child-centred?

Are textbooks child-centred?

 

 

TEXTBOOKS play a key role in socialisation of the child — through them a child vicariously experiences the world. Thus, the publishers and authors who select the text have a great responsibility. However, a survey of the textbook market in India would probably reveal:
   Textbooks, in general, are overloaded with information, facts and figures
   Most textbooks may profess to abide by the guidelines enshrined in the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) 2005. But, while they adopt the themes as examples, their approach remains archaic, ie to disseminate information to the child
   There is hardly any scope for the child to explore, investigate or question the text. The content is sacrosanct and can no way be wrong or interpreted differently by the child. Thus, the text is closed and not open to subjective interpretations
   Little effort is made to embed learning in a social context. So, a mathematics textbook shall have operations devoid of context, a social science or science text shall sequentially unfold information
   Gender sensitivity, mental health, life skills, peace education are key words picked up from NCF 2005 and exploited only as marketing tools

A PERSPECTIVE

There is a need to delve into the sociological, psychological and pedagogical impact of the text before publishing. NCF 2005 clearly emphasises the importance of a trial of books to assess the content and context validity. It states: 'It may be a good idea for the initial lessons to be piloted, ie to be taught on a trial basis, with the textbook writer observing the transaction in the class while also receiving feedback from both teacher and students. This is also important when innovating with the textbook content in order to understand and place them within the realities of the classroom and teacher preparation.'
   The new NCERT textbooks have been a sincere effort in this regard. The textbooks are an apt example of child-centred text that is well researched. They integrate the cultural milieu of the child and encourage inquiry; draw abstracts of children's literature published by NBT, CBT, Eklavya and others; and engage children. Some efforts in this direction have also been made by private publishers, who made books skill based, integrated text thematically, incorporated relevant case studies, life skills, etc.
   The presentation of the books is changing with some exploration projects, vivid illustrations, comic strips, stories, etc. However, by and large, the approach remains interventionist with innovation representing only an added feature. One must remember that a child doesn't need fragmented bits of information in a better layout, what he/she needs is an integrated curriculum. So, while such new textbooks seem like 'old wine in a new bottle,' the need in reality is for 'new wine' — a new text, the content that generates in a classroom in sync with the child's interest. Such a curriculum would be creative, innovative and worth teaching.
   It is important for parents to be critically aware of child-centred text. Intelligent questioning and reading educational research is important. If parents are not well informed, then there is little scope for innovation. As consumers, it is important to create a 'demand' and the publishers will 'supply.' This is how the market forces operate and how the face of Indian education system can change. All that is needed is a happy child and the joy of learning.

SOME SUGGESTIONS

Curriculum progression:
Evaluate the learning outcomes in the beginning and end of the book. Question whether the book provides necessary scaffold to the learner to gain competencies as conceptualised. Vertical progression also needs to be evaluated. How a concept progresses through class I, II, III and so on. Progression needs to be observed in the skills and the level of reasoning, not merely in adding new concepts.
Relevance of text: A child needs to enjoy the immediate benefits of learning and, thus, something that is linked to the daily life. Concepts like money, weights and measures, can be understood well through examples of a market or interviewing a grocer.
Approach: Textbooks, in general, have an informative tone. More narratives like stories and personal experiences; persuasive writing like ads and editorials; procedural writing like recipes and experiments; and transactional texts like interviews and invitations should be integrated into the textbook.

 

No man is an island

MOST STUDENTS GOING ABROAD CHOOSE A UNIVERSITY BY ITS RANKINGS,OFTEN NEGLECTING ITS LOCATION,WHICH MAY OR MAY NOT PROVIDE THE RIGHT EXPOSURE. THE SHORTCOMINGS OF SUCH AN APPROACH

 

 

   Adecade back higher education abroad for Indians quintessentially meant studying in Harvard, Oxford and Cambridge. But the dynamics of education have undergone a paradigm shift today. Firstly countries across the world are investing in education, particularly higher education, with the objective of attracting international students. This is being done with the dual objective of promoting international ties and attracting foreign investment. Universities are also offering innovative schemes in terms of financial aid.
   Secondly, earlier most students who went abroad to pursue their higher education degrees did so for the love of learning and receiving a degree. Hence, earlier it was mostly the exceptionally bright and academically oriented students who went abroad. Today,
education is becoming more application-oriented and viewed as an investment in terms of securing a job. Hence, there is a proliferation of students of varying academic calibre who are going abroad to pursue their education. For these students it is not just about getting a good academic degree but getting it in the right environment that makes all the difference, in terms of opening up vistas for personal and professional development.
   Most Indian students feel that studying in a university abroad will give them a multicultural exposure, and this is one of the key reasons they attribute towards their decision to pursue higher education abroad. Ironically though, this objective gets sidelined when they start the application process. "I, like many of my friends, thought that by pursuing my postgraduation in the UK I would have better prospects in terms of industry interface and networking with professionals. Factors which would eventually help me secure a good job in a multinational company," says Rohit Gupta, who pursued his MBA from Nottingham University Business School.
   He adds: "I chose Nottingham University because it is ranked among the 10 best universities in the UK. However, once there, I realised that Nottingham was more of a university town and there was hardly any multinational firms based there. The business landscape in Nottingham is characterised largely by traditional enterprises like dairy and textile weaving. As a result, although I got a good education, I suffered in terms of networking. On the other hand, a friend of mine who attended King's College London got the best of both, e d u c at i o n and exposure. This u l t i m at e ly helped him secure a good job profile at Barclays Bank." Sahil Rajvansh, who is studying at the Notre Dame University in US, echoes similar views.

UNIVERSITY TOWNS


“Notre Dame is a university town and everything is university-centric. There are hardly any big firms and enterprises. In choosing Notre Dame I was focussing only on its rankings and now I regret my decision. Winters are particularly boring and depressing, as everything shuts down early because of the snow,” shares Rajvansh.
   According to Rajvansh, universities that are not located in upmarket towns and cities should necessarily focus on building a strong placement cell. He elaborates: “There was a time when I was contemplating transfer to another university. However, the fact that Notre Dame University has a good reputation in terms of facilitating placements made me reconcile to my situation and I stayed on.”

LOCATION WISE


Reiterating the importance of location, Neha Jain, who pursued her Bachelor's in Finance from San Francisco State University, says her education abroad went beyond the course content owing to the advantage the university enjoys in terms of location. She opines: “A university should be located in a place that has a professional environment.”
   According to Jain, a university’s location can be beneficial in two ways: “Being in the vicinity of corporate firms facilitates easy reckoning for an institute. It then becomes easier for firms to approach the institute in terms of placements and internships. Secondly, if a university is located in a professional hub there is a strong likelihood for students to meet professionals in informal settings.” Jain, for example, managed to secure an internship in CNET Networks, a Fortune 500 company, when she met a senior executive from the company while travelling in a bus in San Francisco.

EMERGING TRENDS


“Earlier most students who went to Canada for higher education preferred to study in the universities of British Columbia and York. But there has been a noticeable shift in the recent years with more and more students opting to study in the universities of Nova Scotia and New Finland,” says Hazel Siromani, vice president, CECN Global Schools.
   “Moreover, students are not limiting their options to the MTV (Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver) cities as they are realising that the cost of living is far more economical in smaller towns,” she adds. According to her, it is in fact easier for Indian students to acclimatise themselves in smaller towns, as these towns are more welcoming towards Indian and South East Asian students. Speaking on the criterion of rankings she says that rankings can be a cursory consideration at best. Students can refer to universities, which are highly ranked, but they should necessarily do a thorough background research on the university’s faculty and course content before applying to it. “Canadian universities on their part are not very conscientious about rankings and there are only a few ranking agencies,” she adds.

SUBJECTIVE DECISIONS

According to Luna Das, educational advisor for north and northwest India, USEFI, the ranking and brand value of a particular university is a fairly subjective concept. This holds true especially because rankings are done by private agencies. She says that before taking a university’s rankings into account, there are other things students need to consider. “While the location of a university is definitely important, it is equally important to consider the accreditation of the institute and the kind of opportunities it can offer in terms of financial aid,” informs Das.
She further adds that while most students stress on rankings, they tend to overlook the weightage accorded by the university to the course they are going to pursue. Rashi Mahajan, for example, who pursued her Bachelor's in Political Science at Pisa University-Italy, is a case in point. Rashi admits that while she chose the university on account of its international recognition, she did not bother to learn more about the political science department in particular.
“Pisa University is known for its computer science courses both, at the Bachelor's and Master's level. And I soon realised that a large part of the university's funds are directed towards research, faculty development and infrastructure building of the computer science department. Although the political science department is one of the relatively older departments at the university, the course is somewhat restrictive and outdated,” says Rashi.
According to Shikha Mohanty, education and trade manager, Embassy of Ireland, universities in Ireland do not endorse the concept of rankings. Despite this, Ireland is recognised for its technical institutes, which are located across 14 counties. “It is accreditation, location and quality of the course offered in comparison to other universities which should guide students in terms of their selection of a university,” she says.

KEEP IN MIND


So, Das stresses that students should talk to current and former students of a particular university/course before enrolling. “In addition, students should also consider the quality of the faculty, level of research fundings and the overall acceptance rate of the university in terms of international students. It is also advisable to check the total enrolment capacity of a university. Some undergraduate universities have huge numbers in one class and thus, students often suffer in terms of individual attention,” advises Das.
   The climatic condition and social environment of the place where the university is situated are also important. Das adds: “Students from southern and western India should be particularly cautious about choosing universities in very cold places in the US like Pittsburgh, Boston and Chicago.”