OUT COME  BASED EDUCATION  - A Paradigm shift in Techinical Education

We know that the present day economies are governed by market forces. After globalization, liberalization and privatization, the market has become very demanding, suddenly we are pushed into a situation where these are no excuse for incompetence. The jungle rule prevails. It is the  survival of the fittest. Technical Education is one of the most significant components of human resources development spectrum in improving the quality of life of the people. In recognition of the importance of this sector, the planners have accorded priority to this sector. There has been phenomenal growth in the field of technical education during the previous two decades .

As a result of this  today  we have around 3,345  Engineering colleges in India out of which Karnataka state it self has around 225 Engineering Colleges. Naturally the quantity of engineering graduates these institutes churn out year after year  is quite mammoth (i.e. a result nearly 1.5 million engineers pass out throughout India every year ).  Its quite obvious that this out put of engineering graduates year after year exceeds the demand year after year resulting into a large pool of engineering graduates remains unemployed or may  change their track ( like self employments of joining non technical jobs) .

Apart from this excess out put another worrying aspect of this  out put  is the quality of education imparted in most of these institutes. According to Aspiring Minds, an employee assessment service provider's 2012 National Employability Report about 83% of engineering graduates are unfit for employment.  They are unfit in communication skills, confidence, presentation, problem-solving capabilities and generic abilities, an alarming figure presenting hard reality has been brought out in notice. Aspiring Minds also revealed that over 50% graduates fall short of the mark in language and grammar as well.

Another interesting finding showcased that graduates from Tier 2, Tier 3 and Tier 4 engineering colleges in India produced graduates that were not industry ready even after interventional training. These findings have been reported by Industry Readiness Index survey conducted by Purple Leap this year.

Amit Bansal, CEO, PurpleLeap expressed his opinion by saying "Most graduates display excellent theoretical knowledge. However, when it comes to problem-solving, they lack basic analytical skills." 

"The approach to the engineering curriculum in our country emphasizes not on  learning but memorizing. The same set of questions is asked year after year. If your memorization skills are good, you may cram and score well. But that doesn't mean that you have the skills the industries are  looking for."

From the point of view of an individual engineering college also  , the success of the college depends on the number of admissions it gets every year. In these years of cut throat competition admissions depends on two factors. Number one is the result and number two is placement opportunities in the college. But the hitch is placements depends on how much the students graduated from that particular college exhibit various skills required by the industries.

What can be done about it?

The only solutions seem to be adopting  OUTCOME BASED EDUCATION SYSTEM which will take care of all the above problems if properly adopted and implemented.

What is OUT COME BASED EDUCATION SYSTEM  ?

Earlier  the traditional system of education  i.e. the teaching learning process  we followed was “ Teacher centric “ with teacher delivering lecture on the dais and students learning was merely measured by the out put (no of students  graduated / results ) . Their was no attempt or means to measure and analyze how much students has grasped the subject (as  the examination marks only measures their  memorizing capacity  ). 

 

The new system what we call as OUTCOME BASED EDUCATION SYSTEM adopts “ Learner centric “ approach where its not the OUT PUT but OUT COME  of the teaching learning process is measured , analyzed , documented and measures to improvement it were suggested.  In this latest system “ The  Teacher is no longer a sage on the stage  whose discourse enlighten the students and impart knowledge about the subject  “. Instead Teacher apart from teaching subjects takes the role of a guide, mentor and counselor  who is also responsible  for measuring the out come of  his teaching and adjust himself for a path of continuous improvement and continuously monitor of  their  academic progress . This can be done by conducting tests (unit wise , chapter wise ) , assignments, IA tests and final semester exams. The results of these tests have to be analyzed and plans to be made for improvement.

 

This is not all…in the new system emphasis has been given to make the students industry ready. 

For this it suggests skill implementation programs/workshops ( to bridge the gap between VTU syllabus and Industry requirements )  , soft skill trainings to impart industry ready skills and aptitude /right  attitude so that students can face interviews confidently and succeed.

The new model of education in OUTCOME BASED EDUCATION SYSTEM 

 

Under outcome-based education, the teaching learning model  undergoes a process of restructuring, the framework of which is the establishment of –

- A Vision statement

-  A Mission statement

-  Student learning goals ( PO’s , PEO’s  and  CO’s  also called as exit out comes  )

-  The  curriculum and instruction aligned to the exit outcomes

-  Assessment tools to measure whether the student  is being moved to   mastery of the exit outcomes

A Vision statement is a broad futuristic statement which define the purpose of the Institute . What it would like to achieve over a long period of time.

A Mission statements describes  the way and the means  to achieve its Vision .

For example :

Vision           :           To  create high-quality engineering professionals

Mission        :           To offer a well-balanced programme of instruction,

                                    practical experience, and opportunities for overall   

                                    personality development

PO- Program out comes  describes what talents / skills you can expect from a student after he is graduated in a particular program.

PEO – Program Educational Objectives  describes what skills the students are expected to display after six to seven  years of their graduation in their job in any organization. They also  reflect the career and professional accomplishments of graduates during the first several years after graduation.

CO’s - Course Outcomes : They define what are things the student is expected to learn from that subject .

These Exit outcomes, stated above  are pivotal to the entire restructuring process and are based on future trends, intended for  personal development of students ,  and to  produce students  who are …
 

-  Self directed learners;

- Critical thinkers/problem solvers/decision makers;

- Communicators and collaborators (team players);

- Can express themselves creatively, proactively, and responsibly;

- Easily adapt to change;

- Exhibit self-esteem; and Demonstrate concern, tolerance and respect for others as citizens in a global     Society

 

Why     Why  OUTCOME BASED EDUCATION :

India has signed an accord called “ The Washington Accord “  along with  six other countries (Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand , United Kingdom and United States) in the year 1989.

The purpose of signing this accord is to mutually recognize and accept the qualifications accredited by signatories so that our engineering graduates are readily acceptable in International job market.

But Members of Washington Accord follows  outcome  based education and its accreditation.

If India wants to reap the benefits of its large  human resource and to become knowledge society and global supplier of trained HR – it is must to be a full  signatory of Washington Accord - Countries like Australia have a demand for Engineers.

Washington accord stresses on 12  GRADUATE ATTRIBUTES  which the student graduating from any engineering college should exhibit.  Those are

1.     Engineering Knowledge : Apply knowledge of mathematics, science, engineering fundamentals and an engineering  specialization to the solution of complex  engineering problems.

2.     Problem Analysis: Identify, formulate, research literature and analyze complex engineering problems reaching substantiated conclusions using first  principles of mathematics, natural sciences and engineering sciences.

3.     Design/ Development of Solutions: Design solutions for complex engineering problems and design system components or processes that meet specified needs with appropriate consideration for public health and safety, cultural, societal and environmental considerations.

4.     Conduct investigations of complex problems using research based knowledge and research methods including design of experiments, analysis and interpretation of data and synthesis of information to provide valid conclusions.

5.     Modern Tool Usage: Create, select and apply appropriate techniques, resources and modern engineering and IT tools including prediction and modeling to complex engineering activities with an under- standing of the limitations

6.     The Engineer and Society: Apply reasoning informed by contextual knowledge to assess societal, health, safety, legal and cultural issues and the consequent responsibilities relevant to professional engineering practice.

7.     Environment and Sustainability: Understand the impact of professional engineering solutions in societal and environmental contexts and demonstrate knowledge of and need for sustainable development.

8.      Ethics: Apply ethical principles and commit to professional ethics and responsibilities and norms of engineering practice.

9.      Individual and Team Work: Function effectively as an individual, and as a member or leader in diverse teams and in multi disciplinary settings.

10.  Communication: Communicate effectively on complex engineering activities with the engineering community and with society at large, such as being able to comprehend and write effective reports and design documentation, make effective presentations and give and receive clear instructions.

11.  Life-long Learning: Recognize the need for and have the   preparation  and ability to engage in independent and life- long learning in the    broadest context of technological change.

12.     Project Management and Finance: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of engineering and management principles and apply these to one’s own work, as a member and leader in a team, to manage projects and in multidisciplinary environments.

So   all  the criteria of  OUTCOME BASED EDUCATION SYSTEM  like Vision , Mission, PO’s, PEO’s  and  CO’s should be drafted such that they guide the students towards  attainment of these 12 GRADUATE ATTRIBUTES which makes him job ready in Global market.

But  adopting an OUTCOME  BASED  EDUCATION  SYSTEM  is not an easy task at our present system. It needs commitment from all the stake holders of the institution like Management  (in providing required state of the art  infrastructures , financial support  ) , Faculty (Commitment in teaching-learning process, its measurement and analysis  ), Students (adopting to the new vigorous schedule )  and their parents ( in regularly monitoring their son/daughter ‘s progress ).

How an OUTCOME BASED EDUCATION system helps in producing students who are masters in their respective disciplines  ?

After defining the goals of education like Vision , Mission, PO, PEO and CO ‘s …the first demand of OUTCOME BASED EDUCATION SYSTEM is curriculum development  (For all programs and courses ) as per the global standards.

This curriculum development basically involve filling the gap between the VTU syllabus (which is updated once in four years ) and Industry requirements ( which changes every now and then ) . This can be done by interacting with leading industrialists, alumini of the college and the parents.

Such value addition to the VTU syllabus can be implemented by means of guest lectures, technical talks , seminars , industrial visits and last but not the least Internship which gives the students hands on practical exposure to the job demands .

The second most important demand of OUTCOME BASED EDUCATION SYSTEM is the process of measuring the out come as in this system the outcome (fulfillment of PO’s and PEO’s )  is more important than out put ( % result ) to check that weather the student has attained the desired degree of skills.

This can be achieved by conducting regular tests , assignments , internal assessment tests , seminars etc. They should be measured and documented. Based on these documents students performance need to be evaluated, analyzed and any suggestions for future improvement must be given.

If every one put their effects in above explained steps, there is no doubt that this OUTCOME BASED EDUCATION SYSTEM will help the student to be a competent job seeker ( with all the skills ) in this competent global market.