Expert panel to filter GTU theses

In an effort to improve quality of students’ theses works and their projects for masters and doctoral degrees, the Gujarat Technological University (GTU) will take help of experts of reputed institutes from across the country. This initiative is aimed at filtering out weak thesis.

To achieve this, GTU is celebrating ‘Research Week’ from March 12 where 1,194 masters and doctoral degree students will present their work before a panel of seven experts from institutes like IIM, IIT, Institute for Plasma Research, Physical Research Laboratory, among others. The master students belong to engineering, pharmacy and business administration disciplines.

GTU officials stated that the students will make presentation before the panel. They will then receive feedback and suggestions on their work. “Accordingly, students will have to make changes in the thesis or the project before the final submission,” said GP Vadodaria, GTU registrar. 

He said that the varsity has allotted 100 marks for the master students’ project. Students have to score 50 marks from the panel to pass. Similarly, PhD students get remarks on their thesis which is accepted or rejected.

“Last year, the panel had extended submission time for around 30% of theses as improvement in quality of research was required,” he said. Around 37 experts participate in a day in multiple parallel sessions.

To get benefit of their expertise, the varsity has also arranged two hours lecture for students in the evening. According to him, the varsity spends Rs72,000 a day in reimbursing the experts. This takes expenditure of the research week to around Rs5 lakh, at least.