Constructing Effective Multiple-Choice Questions

Jain University

• Declared as a deemed-to-be university under the UGC Act, 1956

Department of Mind Management & Human Values

• Part of the Human Networking Academy (a division of Jain Group of Institutions)
• Offers an experiential course for first-year under-graduate students

Message

• The Human Networking Academy has prepared a Mind Management and Human Values course for Jain University undergraduate programmes.
• The course aims to equip students with mental serenity, openness, and mental potential realisation.
• Prof. K.S. Shantamani, Chief Mentor of JGI, deserves appreciation for designing the course.

Editorial Board

• Includes details of faculty members involved in the course.

Index

• Lists of topics covered in the course: Awakening Hidden Potential, Effective Communication & Presentation Skills, Goal Setting, Learning Made Easy, Healthy Relationships, Time Management, and a script for the Indian Knowledge System.

Introduction

• Chaitanya means consciousness, the source of life.
• Vyashti-chaitanya is the individual mind, and Vishva-Chaitanya is the universal mind.
• Yoga links the individual mind with the universal mind, symbolised by Namaskāra-Mudra.
• Yoga encompasses personality development, focusing on awareness and differentiation of positive and negative thoughts, leading to a positive lifestyle.
• Yoga enhances concentration and memory.

Awakening Hidden Potential

• Vishva Chaitanya is the course name, a blend of Universe (vishva) and Consciousness (chaitanya), meaning Universal Consciousness.
• This underlying energy within us is a single energy particle, recognised by physicists and psychologists as quarks and consciousness respectively.
• Animals and birds instinctively connect with nature.
• Human beings have the inherent capacity to connect with nature.
• Unfortunately, modern man's consumerism and materialism have led to a loss of inherent capacity for connecting with nature.
• Goal is regaining the ability to connect with nature.

Mind Your Mind

• Zen Master's students observed birds freely sitting on the Master during meditation, but not on the students.
• Birds are sensitive to the Universal Consciousness (Vishva Chaitanya).
• The conscious mind has four properties: atomicity, principle of calmness, principle of alertness, and principle of random activity.

Subconscious Mind

• The subconscious mind is a powerful tool for achieving goals.
• Two properties are – samskaras and vasanas

Neural Pathways

• Neural pathways in the brain are formed by repeating actions.
• Regular use maintains neural pathways, while disuse fades them.

Effective Communication & Presentation Skills

• Communication is the interchange of thoughts through symbols.
• Communication process involves sender, encoding, message, channel, decoding, and receiver.
• Effective communicators convey messages through various means – verbal, non-verbal, gestures, etc.
• Techniques include maintaining active listening, identifying personal obstacles, and defining strategies for improving individual and group communication.

Goal Setting

• A goal is a statement defining a broad intent, state, or condition, or a general statement of an intended outcome.
• Goal-setting promotes clarity of purpose, personal development, and satisfaction across various life aspects.
• Three steps of goal setting are planning, preparation, and execution/implementation.
• Goal setting levels are survival, success, and significance/sensitivity..

Learning Made Easy

• Obtaining good grades enhances self-esteem.
• Disruptions in learning lead to significant difficulty.
• Students can use the 5R principle (Review, Revise, Rewrite, Revalue, Repeat) to address ignorance.

Study Methods

• Different subjects require different learning approaches (auditory, visual, kinesthetic, and reading/writing).

Time Management

• Time is a master tool.
• Time cannot be saved, borrowed, or lent.
• Time is finite and is always moving forward.
• Time management is crucial for efficiency and productivity.

Relationships

• Healthy relationships depend upon the education of the heart – understanding, appreciation, kindness and compassion.
• Communication involves listening more than talking.

Practice Commandments

• Practising simple directives like using "we" and not "I," expressing gratitude, smiling, and avoiding gossip.

What is Culture?

• Culture is the sum of thoughts, beliefs, experiences of an individual, expressed through words, actions, and thoughts.

What is the Indianness of culture?

• The Indian approach to culture is embodied in various practices and festivals.
• Festivals are an important expression of Indian culture.