OBE

Second Edition Digital | Audio | Print OUTCOME BASED EDUCATION MARIAN COLLEGE EXPERIMENTS OF A HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTION KUTTIKKANAM MARIAN COLLEGE (AUTONOMOUS) KUTTIKKANAM 1995 - Establishment of the college (AUTONOMOUS) 2003 - First Accreditation by the NACC 2009 - Reaccredited with ‘A’ grade by the NACC 2010 - Recognition by the UGC as a College with Potential for Excellence 2016 - College declared Autonomous by the UGC 2016 - The Best NSS Unit and the Best NSS Program Officer Award at the State level 2018 - 84th rank in the college category given by the NIRF At present, NAAC reaccredited with 3.52 ‘A’ grade

OUTCOME BASED EDUCATION EXPERIMENTS OF A HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTION Coordinating Editors: Dr Binu Thomas Dr Chackochan J. Njavallil 3

COORDINATING EDITORS OUTCOME BASED EDUCATION Dr Binu Thomas Dr Chackochan J. Njavallil EXPERIMENTS OF A HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTION PUBLISHED BY 4 Wincos Publications Third Floor, Joseph Arcade, Pala, Kerala 686575 PRICE NO OF COPIES 1000 PRINTED BY SR Graphics Kottayam- 1 Ph.0481 2301142 COVER PAGE DESIGN Kiran V. Nath Jelit Mathews Joseph BOOK DESIGN Jelit Mathews Joseph +91 8330830008 www.jelitmathewsjoseph.com COPYRIGHT Marian College Kuttikkanam (Autonomous) FINANCIAL SUPPORT The Publication of the book is financially supported by RUSA 2.0

FOREWORD The traditional education system focuses on what is taught, whereas Outcome Based Education (OBE) places emphasis on what is learned. OBE is a pedagogical model that necessitates the restructuring of curriculum, pedagogy and assess- ment practices to reflect student learning. The focus on learning makes the edu- cational process student-centric. Under OBE, each course will have clearly defined learning objectives which determine what students are expected to accomplish after they complete a programme of study. The initiatives by the UGC and the accreditation agencies have triggered the growing interest of the academia in OBE. However, there is a paucity of empirical literature on OBE. Very rarely does one come across any serious study or articulation of practical experience in implementing OBE. This book titled ‘OUTCOME BASED EDUCATION:Experiments of a Higher Educa- tion Institution’ is the outcome of the successful experience of implementing OBE in Marian College Kuttikkanam. It makes a good effort to collect and collate the rich ex- periences of the college in designing and implementing a well-structured OBE study programme. The book is an enduring testimony of the commitment of the college to the cause of education, its unflinching determination to battle all odds during the implementa- tion, and the success that ensued. It will certainly inspire many academicians to make significant efforts to implement OBE. I congratulate the Principal and the faculty members of the college for their enthusi- asm and commitment to translate the idea of OBE into a successful operational prac- tice. This book may help initiate similar processes in other institutions of higher education. PROFESSOR N.V. VARGHESE Vice Chancellor National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA), New Delhi 5

CONTENTS 010 A Note about the Book | Dr Chackochan J. Njavallil Associate Professor & Coordinating Editor 012 Transformation to Outcome Based Teaching, Learning and Assessment – The Marian Way | Fr Dr Roy Abraham P. Principal, Marian College Kuttikkanam (Autonomous) 020 Importance of OBE for Academic Stakeholders | Prof. Jose James Director, LUC Marian Research Centre 026 OBE Implementation Experience at Marian College Kuttikkanam | Dr Binu Thomas IQAC Coordinator & Coordinating Editor 038 Assessments in Outcome Based Approach: An Insider’s Perspective | Mr Biju P. Mani, Dr Soosy Joseph Controllers of Examinations Business Administration 046 Receptiveness Assessment of OBE: Reference to Beneficiaries of the Department of Business Administration | Dr Joshy John, Ms Melby Joseph, Fr Dr Sibichan Joseph and Ms Simi John Commerce 058 An Experience of an Experiment with OBE | Dr Chackochan J. Njavallil, Ms Neethu Anil 068 OBE in Human Resource Management: An Evolutionary Teaching Experience| Dr Ajimon George and Dr Shinta Sebastian 6

072 Redeveloped Learning Process | Mr Jelit Mathews Joseph 074 A New Vision to a Better Future - Students’ Experiences | Ms Jomol Mathew 076 Next Generation Learning through OBE- Students’ Experiences | Ms Megha Susan Rajesh and Ms Treesa Siby Joseph 082 A Classroom under OBE - Students’ Experiences | Ms Salini Mathew, Ms Simran Raju 086 The Experience of Team Gladiators Regarding OBE - Students’ Experiences | Ms Milcah Elizabeth Shibu Computer Application 090 Implementation of Outcome Based Learning in Computer Science UG Programme- A Case Study | Dr Rajimol A., Dr Juby George 098 OBE Diary: Our Experiments from the Known to the Unknown | Dr Mendes Jacob 102 An Experiment before OBE Implementation | Dr Brijesh George John 106 How OBE Transformed us into Futuristic Teachers | Mr Win Mathew John 108 Handling change is the key to happiness | Mr Robins A. Kattoor 112 OBE- A Slow and Steady Approach | Mr Satheesh Kumar 118 An Empowering and Participatory Change Process | Ms Kochumol Abraham 7

120 My OBE Experience regarding the course 'Software Engineering' | Ms Reny Jose 124 OBE -The future of education is Here |Sr Italia Joseph Maria 128 Expand your vistas. Make them believe in themselves| Mr Krishnaraj S. Communicative English 132 Plan, Teach, Track and Review - OBE practices from a Language point of view | Dr Blessen S. Abraham Communication and Media Studies 140 Application of OBE System in the practical courses of the PG programme of Communication and Media Studies | Fr Sobi Thomas Kannalil 144 OBE as perceived by MCMS Department |Dr Michael Puthenthara 150 OBE in Communication and Media Studies |Mr Eapen Alexander Economics 154 A Tryst with OBE | Ms Suzanna Oommen Hospitality and Tourism Management 158 Corollaries witnessed before the eyes because of OBE | Dr Fr Shaiju K. S. 162 My Experiments with OBE of OB | Mr Arun George 8

170 OBE Experiences of first year MMH Students | Ms Malavika Sunil, Ms Annu Nelson, Ms Shirin, Ms Minnu Maria Jose, Ms Amala Shaji, Mr Anix Luca, Mr Geo Francis, Ms Revathi V. Raveendran, Mr Amal Prasad, Ms Anjana Shaji & Ms Krishna K.B. Mathematics 176 Implementation of OBE in Basic Statistics | Ms Assanu Agustine Physics 180 An Approach to introduce OBE in Mechanics | Dr Midhun H. Social Work 184 OBE A Start Over | Dr Boban Joseph 188 Outcome oriented Teaching Experiments of Research Methods | Br Joseph Charuplakkal 194 Collection of articles on OBE | Dr Cherian P. Kurian Director of MITLE 196 Essential reading on OBE | Dr Cherian P. Kurian Director of MITLE 202 A Word Thanks 9

A NOTE It was the last day of college which achievement and a great level of ABOUT THE was rather hectic. As I was about to satisfaction regarding the distance we leave the campus, I got a call from had covered and the experiences we BOOK the Principal, summoning me to his had gained. Hence, we thought that room. At the Principal’s office the it would be worthwhile to share our IQAC Coordinator was also present. ‘travelogue’ with our fellow travellers They had certain clearcut ‘outcomes’ in the higher education sector, which in their mind, and the ‘Outcome would serve for the greater good of Based Education - Experiments of the students. a Higher Education Institution’ is the outcome of their insistence and What exactly is OBE? How is it going persistence. to ultimately benefit and help the stu- dent community? How is the teaching At Marian College Kuttikkanam learning mechanism going to change Autonomous, OBE had been in the air due to the implementation of OBE? for quite a long period of time. In the How are we going to do the assess- last few years, the faculty had gone ment under OBE? Can OBE be the through several rounds of orientation solution for the umpteen number of and training sessions. We were aware problems facing higher education? Is that international agreements, the it going to be more taxing on the al- New Educational Policy, the UGC, ready burdened teachers? What would the Higher Education Council of the be the response of the students when state and the affiliating university had a different and unfamiliar approach all agreed in principle to implement is being implemented in relation to OBE, and there was no question of go- teaching and learning? OBE thus ing back on it. At the college level, we became the buzzword on the campus, were taking various steps and efforts and there were more questions than towards its implementation. answers. Though we were only in the process Adding to our dismay, we found that, of completing it, we had a sense of though all the policy making 10

organisations were vociferously The result is the ‘Outcome Based a list of books and articles which will advocating OBE, there was wide- Education- Experiments of a Higher facilitate additional reading. As could spread ambiguity regarding how ex- Education Institution’ in an very well be understood, the cartoons actly it could be implemented in the autonomous, undergraduate and are included not just for fun but to higher education context. Our teach- postgraduate education institution in serve as food for thought. ing learning centre did a remarkable India. job by way of collecting a plethora of We look forward to your comments and literature related to OBE and sharing The following are some of the feedback which could be sent to it with the teachers. Still many things contents of the book: [email protected]. Along remained unclear, and we looked with each note included in the book, around for practical guidance from A brief introduction to OBE, the we have provided the WhatsApp num- people who had hands-on experience implementation experiences of the bers and e-mail ids of the authors. in OBE. We, however, were not various departments of the college, You are welcome to contact them with successful. Most of our knowledge some sample questions used for your queries related to their OBE came from ‘learning by doing’ and assessment under the new method, a implementation experiences. The from our experimentations. Through few brief responses from the major Principal and some of our faculty this book, we would like to share with beneficiaries of education i.e. the members are heavily sought-after our readers the fruits of our journey students, the Principal’s and the IQAC resource persons regarding OBE. If of implementing OBE - fruits of a Coordinator’s recollections of the your institution needs online or even journey of learning. herculean task of changing the offline training relating to the nuanc- direction of movement of such a big es of OBE, our resource team could be One question we came across was institution, and the Controllers of of assistance. whether it is advisable to share our Examination’s narration of their tryst ‘trade secrets of OBE implementation’ with the hassles and hurdles of Enjoy and benefit from reading and with others in the academic sphere. overhauling the entire examination using the book. The considered opinion of our author- system. ities was that there is no meaning in Dr CHACKOCHAN J. NJAVALLIL, remaining an island of excellence but We are confident that this book will Associate Professor and Coordinating Editor to help the entire higher education generate a lot of interest and [email protected] sector attain greater relevance and enthusiasm in the higher education effectiveness. sector, and hence we have included 11

TRANSFORMATION TO OUTCOME BASED TEACHING, LEARNING AND ASSESSMENT - THE MARIAN WAY Fr Dr Roy Abraham P. [email protected] +91 9447033265 12

Marian in line with its vision There were two small boys, John and Jim, who were friends. Jim had a always attempts to introduce dog. One day they were taking the dog for a walk and Jim said proudly: “I’ve transformational changes in taught the dog to whistle”. “What do you mean?”, said John, “He’s not education – also in the whistling”. “I know”, said Jim, “But I said I’d taught him; I didn’t say he’d implementation of OBE. The learned”. journey started with the formulation Graduate In the face of stunning scientific and CITATION Gre02 \\l 16393 Attributes and learning technological advances and surpris- (Green-Armytage, 2002). outcomes in accordance with ing socio-political reforms that lead the students’ career needs. The to amazing cultural reawakening and last century. The changes introduced college established MIITLE to unprecedented socio-economic chal- by them were primarily in favour of equip the stakeholders to adopt lenges, there arises the necessity of a ‘learning outcomes’ than in favour of outcome-based, student-cen- visionary and future-oriented educa- ‘learning inputs’. tric education. The college tion in our day more than ever before had formidable challenges in (Raja Roy Singh, 1991). The expansion OBE in Engineering implementing OBE but reaped of knowledge along with the limited huge rewards after. human capacity to assimilate them In India, the early efforts to specifi- have also put their pressure on the cally define the outcomes of higher education of the 21stcentury (Spring, education started in the beginning of 1999). The developed countries have this century. The need was deeply felt made transformational changes in ed- due to the unmatched exodus of en- ucation at all levels in the beginning gineering graduates from our country of this century or by the end of the to others. Engineers with the same degree from different universities 13 often did not possess similar skill sets as is expected from the international

community. Therefore, to have a level Later, in a National Conference of that time had matrices on ‘Graduate play with the graduates from other Vice Chancellors and Directors on Attributes’ (GA) – a concept that was countries, India had to define the Research and Innovation held on 28 less familiar to the Marian communi- outcomes of its engineering July 2018, it was resolved to adopt and ty. Going through the literature, the programmes and become a implement ‘Learning Outcome Based meaning and implications of GA was provisional signatory in the Curriculum Framework’ (LOCF) from unmistakably understood by a team ‘Washington Accord’ in 2007. India 2019-’20 academic year (UGC, 2020) of faculty members of the institution. became a permanent member in the in all the universities and auton- The next task was to develop GA for Washington Accord on 13 June 2014 omous colleges in India. The UGC Marian. This was a pleasant but dif- (NBA, 2021), and the agreement for has also published a comprehensive ficult and time consuming task. The the country was signed by the handbook for implementing LOCF in IQAC team decided to collect feed- National Board of Accreditation. undergraduate education in India in back from all its stakeholders on why 2020 (UGC, 2020). they chose Marian for their studies OBE in Arts, Science, Commerce or career. Hence 3600 feedbacks were and Humanities In line with the guidelines of UGC and collected from students, faculty, man- NAAC, the Higher Education Council agement, parents, alumni, employers The Indian higher education is of Kerala has also organized several and neighbours by devising appropri- regulated and directed by the faculty development workshops for ate questionnaires for the different University Grants Commission the successful implementation of out- groups. The volume of responses especially in Arts, Science, Commerce come based curriculum development was encouraging but challenging for and Humanities. The UGC, with the and assessment in the state (KSHEC, compilation. introduction of choice based credit 2019). The Mahatma Gandhi Univer- and semester system in sity, Kerala, Kottayam, also organised The next phase was compilation and undergraduate education, stated, a faculty development programme consolidation of the responses which “The present alarming situation in early 2020 for framing outcome was quite time consuming. This was necessitates transformation and/or based curriculum framework (Mahat- done by a team without losing the redesigning of system, not only by ma Gandhi University, 2020). It is in response of even one person. The introducing innovations but this background that Marian also has team made several presentations developing learner-centric approach.” made its efforts towards implement- before different stakeholder groups (UGC, 2014). In 2017, the National ing OBE which is described below. and finalised nine graduate attributes Assessment and Accreditation Coun- with the detailed characteristics of cil thoroughly revised its matrices Developing Graduate Attributes each attribute. The nine attributes of assessment and gave significant revolved around the four pillars of weight for outcome based curriculum Marian had her third cycle of accred- education- learning to know, learning development. itation in 2014. The NAAC manual of to do, learning to live together and 14

learning to be - as stated in the report Since the graduate attributes had and present it before the mentor col- published by UNESCO (Delors, 2021). been finalised in 2014, formalisation league from another department. This of the POs was a comparatively easy process was found very helpful since Developing Learning Outcomes task. The task was entrusted to a task a senior faculty who was assigned as force which prepared the draft with mentor from an unrelated department In 2016 when the college became representative consultation from all naturally had a lot of questions and autonomous, it started focused efforts stakeholders and presented the first suggestions. The departments made towards developing a curriculum that draft of the POs before the Apex Body their sincere efforts under the lead- was outcome based against the of the college, and inputs were taken. ership of the HoDs and finalised the backdrop of policies announced The next round of presentation was PSOs for all the programmes in 2017. internationally which was before the Directors/HoDs of all the subsequently supported by the UGC, departments. With their feedback, the Development of Course the NAAC, the Kerala Higher final draft was presented before the Outcomes (COs) Education Council and the Mahatma Management Board for their sugges- Gandhi University. The college had tions and approval. The POs were The faculty in charge of a course is submitted its application for finalised in 2016. given the responsibility of autonomous status to the UGC in developing the COs for that course. 2014. Preparation of Programme After developing the COs, they have Specific Outcomes (PSOs) to present it before the Department However, the expert visit took place Faculty Council (DFC), and the Coun- almost a year later. The delay in The faculty of all the departments cil assesses them and see how these processing the application actually were enthusiastic in developing the COs contribute to the POs and PSOs. became a blessing for the college PSOs for the programs offered by A lot of fine tuning takes place in the since it gave fruitful time to prepare their department. They were given DFC before the COs are approved and for taking up the responsibilities of an expert training for the preparation – made part of the syllabus. autonomous college. The faculty and both external and internal expertise the administrative staff visited well were utilised in training the faculty. Marian Institute for known autonomous colleges in South Several models from world renowned Innovations in Teaching-Learning India in small groups. These visits universities were made available to and Evaluation (MIITLE) were a great learning for all. Based on help them develop the PSOs. A few the requirements identified after the senior faculty members were selected MIITLE was established with the visits, intensive training was imparted to provide individualised guidance purpose of equipping the teachers to to the management team, the faculty for specific departments as a men- take up their changing role from the and the administrative staff during tor colleague.The faculty from the “sage on the stage” to the “guide on 2015 - 2016. department would formulate the draft the side”, to become coaches of un- 15

The nine graduate attributes derstanding, and not mere providers Issues in implementation developed by Marian on its of content knowledge, skill or activity. journey towards the For championing this paradigm shift Transformation to outcome based implementation of OBE revolved and training the stakeholders for curriculum framework is not always a around the four pillars of adopting an outcome based, smooth ride. There are many chal- education - learning to know, student-centric education, the lenges that affect the effectiveness of learning to do ,learning to live college, in 2018, established the its successful implementation. together and learning to be. Marian Institute for Innovations in MIITLE equipped the faculty to Teaching - Learning and Evaluation Some of the challenges are given take up their changing role from (MIITLE), an Institute within the below: the “sage on the stage” to the campus with the funding support “guide on the side”. Marian’s from RUSA. Dr Cherian P. Kurien, a • Large numbers in a class: When transition from the traditional social scientist and researcher who the student numbers are as high method of teaching to OBE shall was appointed as as 40 to 60, the challenge is big. contribute to the revolutionary the Director of the Institute, It is very difficult for a faculty result of ‘full flowering of life in spearheaded many of the initiatives to attend to everyone and give abundance’ for all Marianites. towards the OBE implementation. He feedback on the performance of was there to provide resources when- the students ever necessary, to mentor the faculty individually and give • Online class due to COVID-19: In necessary training. MIITLE has been a 2020-’21, we have also gone for stable support and a one stop solution direct assessment of COs through to all challenges in implementing different tools. This was quite OBE in Marian. herculean for every teacher. Mapping of outcomes Many teachers found it quite frustrating because they were The IQAC of the college has played going to implement a system a key role in the implementation of of assessment over a group of OBE in Marian. Mapping of students whom they had never POs, PSOs and COs were done with met face to face. Therefore, many the direct support of the IQAC. The teachers had the fear whether the IQAC has done extensive training on new system of assessment would mapping, and has helped the depart- be properly understood by the ments to map the outcomes. cohort. 16

• Assessment: The tools and the they need to be sharpened. The with confidence what the demon- development of rubrics for assess- college has made it mandatory to strable skills are that they have ment were very puzzling. The relook at the outcome statements achieved. curriculum delivery was based every year and revise them wher- on the outcomes developed. How ever necessary. • Complete control over the cur- to measure the attainment of riculum: Outcome based learning outcomes through the traditional • Lack of industry experience: Lack framework gives complete free- methods of examinations and of industry experience of the dom and responsibility to design tests? A ‘buddy’ system was im- faculty is another challenge in the curriculum, including the plemented to help every teacher framing appropriate outcomes. assessment. This has raised the in this regard. enthusiasm level of the faculty. This is largely resolved through They feel the ownership of the • Being irregular in studies: Stu- alumni involvement course and work harder to make dents generally do not have the in curriculum development. it more enriched and valuable for habit of regular study. The OBE, their students. however, required regular mon- Rewards of OBE implementation itoring and feedback. Students, • Achieve demonstrable skills: The due to the online mode, had diffi- • Clarity for the faculty: One of the implementation of OBE was well culties in regularly updating their senior teachers came to me by taken by the majority of students. learning. the end of the semester and told When they attend a course or me, “Only now I understood, why a unit they are very sure what • Over dependence on ‘Google did I teach some of the portions to expect from the session. All search’: When the teachers give for the past 26 years”. Teachers sessions become outcome orient- the students any challenging as- have to define the COs and map ed and students are also happy signments, a large number of the them to the POs and PSOs which because they get regular feedback latter search Google for answers necessitates a fair understanding from faculty and peers about their rather than trying to figure them by every teacher as to ‘why they performance. out for themselves. teach’ a topic. • Placements: Outcomes were This over dependence on tech- • Clarity for the learners: The devised with necessary inputs nology hinders their learning on learners are quite sure why they from the corporates. The academ- many occasions. attend a session. All sessions are ics also focused on demonstrable outcome based. After the comple- skills rather than encouraging • Clarity of Outcomes: Though out- tion of a course or a programme, rote learning. Therefore, the comes are set at different levels, every student is able to state students will be able to success- 17

fully come out of a Programme dance’ to all Marianites, which is in • NBA. (2021, May 9). National with enhanced skill sets than the line with the Marian vision. Board of Accreditation. Retrieved traditional method of teaching. from Accredited Programmes: This will boost the placements of Works Cited https://www.nbaind.org/accredi- students. • Delors, J. (2021, May 5). Education tationprogram Feels proud to be a Marianite for the Twenty First Century: Issues • Raja Roy Singh. (1991). Educa- and Prospects. tion for the Twenty -first Century: The transition from the traditional Asia-Pacefic Perspectives. Bang- method of “teaching and testing” to • Fontenoy: UNESCO. Retrieved kok: UNESCO Principal Regional implementing outcome based learn- from http://www.unesco.org/ Office for Asia and the Pacific. ing curriculum framework, was the new/en/education/themes/lead- most exciting journey in the academic ing-the-international-agenda/ • UGC. (2014, 11 12). Instruction- career of the college. From compre- rethinking-education. al Template for Implementation hending the idea to executing it com- of CBCS. Retrieved from UGC mendably, was the real celebration of • Green-Armytage, P. (2002). Colour Website: https://www.ugc.ac.in/ the strong thread of relationship that Zones -- Connecting Colour Order pdfnews/4426331_Instruction- existed in the institution. and Everyday Language”. SPIE. al-Template.pdf 4421, pp. 976-979. Congress of the The feeling of togetherness kept us International Colour Association. • UGC. (2020, January). Learning strong and going amidst tiring and Outcomes. Retrieved from Learn- sometimes quite sceptical situations. • KSHEC. (2019). What is OBE? ing Outcome based Curriculum The strong relationship among us Retrieved from Overview: http:// Framework for Undergraduate Ed- which we often proudly state as ‘Mari- www.kshec.kerala.gov.in/index. ucation: https://www.ugc.ac.in/e- an family,’ gave us enough space for php/activities/ongoing/out- book/locf/mobile/index.html openly expressing the doubts or dis- come-based-education agreements of everyone, and hence, • UGC. (2020, November 6). Re- the decisions were clarified or revised • Mahatma Gandhi University. vision of Curriculum based on on general consensus. (2020, February 12). Outcome Learning Outcome based Curricu- Based Education. Retrieved from lum Framework. New Delhi, Delhi, The Marian academic fraternity, IQAC Order: https://www.mgu. India. therefore, passionately expects that ac.in/uploads/2020/02/828-IQAC- the fruits of their hard work will cer- 2020-MGU.pdf?x18327 tainly contribute to the revolutionary result of ‘full flowering of life in abun- Dr Roy Abraham P. is a veteran academician, visionary and pioneer of academic reforms. He is an indisputable authority on academic autonomy and serves as a resource person for colleges in India. He is also a gifted orator and team leader who inspires his crew to scale great heights. 18

“I hacked into the school computer and changed all my grades. Then the school hacked into my computer and deleted all my games.” 19

Importance of OBE for The overwhelming Academic Stakeholders importance of restructuring the curriculum and the teaching-learning- evaluation strategies to comply with the needs of the stakeholders cannot be overemphasised.OBE aligns each part of the education system around predetermined goals or outcomes. Dr Jose James [email protected] +91 9447150789 20

There is a huge cry for are not updating their curriculum for Degree granting institutions need Outcome Based Education restructuring, upskilling and to consider effective curriculum all over the country, especially reskilling its courses and programs revision in the field of higher education. As so that graduates can be job ready part of the Washington Accord, with skills required to be successful Universities face stiff resistance and signatory countries have decided to in their work and career. Hence, most challenges from different corners give an outcome-based specification of the graduates of our universities/ for effective revision of the existing for the Engineering programme. colleges spend their time, energy and syllabus and curriculum. Teachers resources in finding a suitable and academic administrators are now Indian higher education, in the career, and despite graduating from comfortable with the prevailing present structure, is at the top institutions and programs, most syllabus, teaching-learning and crossroads. There is a vagueness for of them end up compromising with evaluation methodology. If we the educa-tors, students and their choices. critically analyse, we can undoubtedly parents as to the outcome of what the state that the curriculum now being students learn. The issues are Students want jobs, not followed in many of our colleges and manifold; there is a significant knowledge alone universities are outdated. Teachers mismatch between the career the and students need more academic students want and those that they The prime reason for the students to innovation and freedom through actually end up with. learn is to get a decent career with academic flexibility and autonomy. financial stability. Despite low Most of the teaching hours are now To transcend the realities of the unemployment, losing jobs and spent in indoctrinating the philos- present pandemic scenario, underemployment etc., it is reported ophy and theories of the courses, education also has to be transformed that almost one third of the rather than encouraging the students to the digital world where we need university graduates who are to learn through applications and to teach every student how to learn, employed do not actually require hands-on training. Besides, unlearn, and relearn the knowledge, their present teachers and students are skills and attitudes in order to qualifications. complaining of heavy workload. transform the future of work and career for which they are to be Students undergo courses and Students and parents have moulded. programs without the actual unrealistic expectations process of acquiring the knowledge Students, parents, the community and the skills required for a future Students, in many cases, join the and the government etc., invest time, job and profession. It is also quite university programs not by their own resources and money in education. unlikely that they value the actual choice or decision. There are several However, our universities and colleges process of learning. other factors in choosing academic 21

There is a significant programs. It is also reported that number of graduates is increasing but mismatch between parents are one of the primary the job-readiness and potential to add students’ dream job and deciding factors, knowingly or immediate value to the workplace of what they really end up with. unknowingly, in the selection of the graduates are not growing Application and hands-on academic programs of their wards. proportionately. In many cases the training While enrolling for courses and employers need to train them to suit should substitute mere programs, the students and the their specific needs and requirements. indoctrination of the parents have high anticipations and theory of a course. OBE will expectations about the future. Regulatory bodies to consider a transform the However, it is not feasible for value-added Degree/ Diploma present academic scenario. everyone to fulfill these high expectations, and this results in It is very difficult to predict how much frustration, rejections and negations. of the curriculum would be revised Though it is not possible to give in the future, except for the fact that everyone their dream job, most of the they might require a diverse range students expect flexible and of attitudes, knowledge and skills meaningful careers or self-employ- than those the students acquire in ment/job creators after graduation. the present education scenario. The It is seen that a large number of outcome of what they learn is more graduates end up in careers that are important than the certificates they not even aligned with their earn from the university. qualifications. Education planners and providers Entrepreneurs are looking for need clarity talented and knowledgeable human resources with skills and The present-day curriculum and the positive attitudes, not mere teaching-learning-evaluation process bookish knowledge or titles do not give any clarity on measuring the extent of the knowledge and the There is not much scarcity of jobs, skills a student acquires from the but businessmen and employers need program they undergo. Education appropriate job ready manpower. planners and providers are confused There is still a significant mismatch as to what to teach and how to teach, between the jobs people want and and also how to assess the progress those that are actually available. The and the final outcome of the students. 22

Government needs a futuristic strategies according to the needs of The New Educational Policy 2020 approach all the stakeholders. It is not (NEP 2020) is a forward-looking dogmatic with respect to method overhaul in this direction that will There is much need to reconsider the and strategies. As it is highly produce far-reaching and mostly existing model of higher education. student-centred, the teachers and the constructive changes in the Tomorrow belongs to those academic providers assume the role educational structure and delivery of individuals who are prepared to face of guide and mentor who inspires the the country. challenges in the job and career students for the effective outcome of market by continuously approaching what they learn in the most education that matches with work and productive manner. the future domains of learning and acquiring new knowledge, skills, OBE is an educational approach which techniques and attitudes that are aligns each part of the education required in a given situation. Success system around predetermined goals in the future will not be defined by a or outcomes. This approach ensures university degree, but by the that each student, on completion of a potential and the ability to learn, course or program, should be able to apply, and adapt knowledge and skills know or do what the course or with appropriate attitude. It is for program has set as a goal or outcome the individual student to decide the in a futuristic perspective. The OBE outcome, and not the parent or the model rejects the traditional teacher. Teachers are facilitators only. attention on what the courses and the programs provide to the student; it It is in the light of these facts that focuses instead on making the Outcome Based Education (OBE) student demonstrate what he/she is gains paramount importance. OBE able to do on successful completion of provides more room for flexibility for the given learning experience. the teachers, the students and the education providers. Here, learning Dr Jose James PhD, DSc, Director, LUC Marian Research Centre becomes need based, so that the Formerly  academic planners, the • Registrar, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam Kerala India administrators, the providers and the • Dean Academics, Royal College of Applied Science & Technology, RAK, UAE teachers will be able to structure the • Director Academics, Island Development Company, Male, Maldives curriculum and the teaching-learning • Member of the committee constituted by the Govt. of Kerala, in 2015, to study the feasibility for and evaluation (assessment) establishing Private Universities in Kerala 23

1969 Explain these bad grades Today explain these bad grades THEN AND NOW 24

The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you. B. B. King 25

OBE Implementation Experience at Marian College Kuttikkanam Dr Binu Thomas [email protected] +91 9446845140 26

This is a chapter which When the NAAC came up with Objectives VS Outcomes shares the first hand the Revised Accreditation experience of the OBE Framework (RAF of NAAC) In the OBE framework, the boundaries implementation at Marian in 2017, to our surprise, we found between objectives and learning out- College. The training that the first question itself was this: comes are vague, and still continues methods adopted and “How do your POs, PSOs and COs to be a matter of confusion for many various terminologies of reflect the local, national, regional of the institutions. If we happen to go the OBE framework are and global development needs?” We through the course outcomes framed explained here. had a vague concept about Course by institutions, it is evident that these Outcomes (COs), but Programme Out- outcomes are merely the objectives of comes (POs) and Programme Specific the course. Outcomes (PSOs) were new concepts to Marian College. In the initial days, Marian also was not different; the sample outcomes Our first priority was to develop a designed by the departments were clear idea about the concepts like categorized as objectives by the PO, PSO and CO. We formed an IQAC experts we had consulted. Giving a team to study about OBE. The team differentiation between the had consultation with experts from objectives and outcomes was the first Engineering Colleges that had already objective of our training strategies. implemented OBE and also with foreign collaborating universities. It The objectives are the expectations also referred to guidelines of the UGC, and aspirations of the teacher about the NBA and the NAAC, etc. the course he is going to teach. He has to clearly mention what he is First, we had a meeting of the Board planning to teach in the course and it of Studies Chairmen and the Heads of becomes the objective of the course. Departments to introduce the concept of OBE, and in the meeting it was The outcomes are the skills, the abili- decided to implement the ties and the knowledge level that the OBE curriculum on the campus. student is going to demonstrate after Three days of residential workshop completing the course if the teacher on OBE was planned for the entire meets the objectives. To give a better faculty of Marian College in April idea to the teachers in this regard, we 2018. defined the objectives of the 27

workshop in OBE as: Without any doubt these could be attainment of these outcomes by the considered as the outcomes of the participants. In the Bloom’s Taxon- • Introduce the OBE framework workshop we planned, but none of omy, different learning levels have • Teach PO, PSO and CO concepts these outcomes were measurable been defined by Benjamin Bloom, and • Introduce OBE based assessment and it would be very difficult for us it is clear that the first two outcomes to assess whether the participants are at the first (‘Remember’) level of Then we defined the outcomes of achieved the outcomes after the Bloom’s Taxonomy . the workshop. These were the skills workshop. So we demonstrated a bet- that we expected the participants to ter way of drafting outcomes which The third outcome is reaching the develop after successfully completing were measurable and observable. The third level and the fourth outcome the workshop. Again, we found that outcomes of the workshop were re- is reaching the fourth level of the most of the institutions were defining written in a better way and presented Bloom’s Taxonomy. In the framework, the course outcomes which were not thus: it can also be shown that the last two directly measurable or may be very outcomes are at the topmost level, difficult to assess whether the Upon completion of this workshop the namely, creating something new. students were demonstrating these participants will be able to When we define our outcomes, it will outcomes. To bring the attention be a good practice to define outcomes of our participating teachers to this • describe various components of as measurable and reach the different common mistake and to avoid such OBE in higher education with levels of the Bloom’s taxonomy. non-measurable outcomes from our confidence curriculum, we first wrote the out- The workshop was held in April 2018 comes of our workshop in the most • enlist major components of OBE as planned, and the college was able common way (inappropriate) of de- • explain the NAAC questions to implement the OBE framework in fining course outcomes. We wrote the its full potential in June 2018. The outcomes like this: pertaining to OBE different components of the OBE • assess learning outcome in OBE curriculum and the way in which we Upon completion of this workshop the • define POs, PSOs and COs in implemented it are narrated in the participants will have subsequent sessions. Arts, Humanities and Engineer- • knowledge of OBE ing disciplines with clarity Purpose of existence of • understanding of PO, PS and CO • develop the POs, PSOs and educational institutions • familiarity with OBE COs for your institution with confidence Every educational institution is terminologies established to achieve its Vision and • understanding of the assessment It is evident from the above set of Mission. The founders of our insti- outcomes that all these outcomes of learning outcomes are measurable, and that it is easy for anybody to assess or observe the 28

tutions started the higher education Mission. The students after gradua- PEOs (Programme Educational institution with a Vision in mind, tion from an institution usually work Objectives) and the purpose of existence of these in the society. institutions is to achieve this Vision. The skills, abilities and attitudes a When they serve in the society, graduate is expected to possess after But the education institutions can through them the institution can three to five years of graduation from do only one activity - teaching our achieve its Vision and Mission. The an institution are called PEOs. These students and sending them out to the OBE framework gives a proper direc- PEOs have to be derived based on the society for achieving the Vision and tive for implementing this concept. Vision and Mission of the institution. Create Combining parts to make a new whole Evaluate Judging the value of information or ideas Analyze Breaking down information into component parts Apply Applying the facts, rules, concepts, and ideas Understand Understanding what the facts mean Remember Recognizing and recalling facts Figure 1. Bloom’s Taxonomy – Levels of Learning 29

D E Vision, Mission A V T ET L Program Educational Objectives (PEOs) A OI PN M Program Outcomes & Program Specific Outcomes (POs & PSOs) M EE N Course Outcome 2 N T Course Outcome 1 Course Outcome... n T Figure 2. Vision Mission to Course Outcomes – Development and Attainment Here, the Vision and Mission of the with the attainment of POs from an BCom, MCom, etc.) college are formulated into institution, then they will be attain- tangible and observable skills which ing the PEOs in the future. Thus, the Course Outcomes (COs) are the the graduates are expected to demon- institution will be finally attaining its observable skills and abilities the strate after three to five years of Vision and Mission when its gradu- student is expected to possess after graduation, and they ates with the expected PEOs work for the successful completion of a course. become the PEOs of the institution. the society. It is a measurable, observable, and specific statement that clearly indi- Programme Outcomes (POs) are Programme Specific Outcomes (PSOs) cates what a student should know and the skills, abilities and attitudes the are the skills and abilities a student be able to do as a result of learning. students are expected to possess at will demonstrate when he graduates Course Outcomes (COs) are central the time of graduation. It is expected from a specific programme from a dis- to your course’s curriculum. They that, if the students are graduating cipline (e.g., BCA, BSC Mathematics, articulate to students, faculty, and 30

MARIAN VISION other stakeholders what students will achieve in each course, and how their PEO Figure 3. The COs are like the learning will be measured. PO & PSO small initial stage rockets which give the initial push So, in the OBE framework, the PEOs to a cryogenic rocket which are developed based on the Vision places a satellite in the orbit, and Mission of the institution. POs and it is only upto the stage and PSOs are developed to attain of reaching PO and PSO. POs the PEOs. The Course Outcomes are and PSOs give the next level developed in such a way that once of thrust to reach the PEO. the COs are attained, the POs and PEOs will finally push the PSOs will be attained by the students. students to their position in Finally, students will be serving the the society where they will society with the expected PEOs to stay for a longer period to achieve the Vision and Mission of the achieve the Vision and Mis- institution. sion of the institution. The Vision of Marian College reads CO thus: We commit ourselves to achieving our vision through relentless pursuit of knowledge, fostering spiritual and human values, networking and collaborating for synergy, establishing campus-community network, promoting sustainable living, ensuring a learning environment of creativity, adventure of ideas, constant innovation, enabling academic ambience and state of the art Information Communication Technology. Based on the Vision and Mission statements of Marian College, nine 31

This chapter gives Domain Globalized Thrive for Sustainability Critical thinking sufficient expertise citizenship equality values and Research introduction to aptitude various concepts Reflective Holistic Technological appearing in the response to empowerment competency Life long OBE framework. ethical and learning The techniques Social issues through for defining education measurable course outcomes are well Figure 4. POs of Marian College explained here. POs were developed. All the stake- comes. Departments were instructed shall take the example of a course on holders of the college were involved by the IQAC to develop measurable “Maintaining Physical Health” offered in this process. These POs are the and observable course outcomes. Care by the Physical Education Department skills and abilities that the students was taken to ensure that the course of the college. The Physical Educa- are expected to possess at the time outcomes reach the higher levels tion Department had submitted very of their graduation. The nine POs of of the Bloom’s Taxonomy. Several ordinary outcomes; the IQAC refined Marian College are listed in Fig. 4. rounds of refinement were done on them to measurable outcomes so that course outcomes so that they become direct assessment of these outcomes Development of Course measurable and visible. would be possible. The following Outcomes Table 1 shows the original outcomes Sample course outcomes from the submitted by the departments, the Training programmes and workshops Physical Education Department refined outcomes and the questions were organized to create awareness that may be asked for assessing these among teachers about the OBE frame- For a better understanding of the outcomes. work and to develop the course out- development of course outcomes, we 32

Table 1: Refined outcomes for the Physical Education Department Original outcomes Refined measurable outcomes Questions for assessment Knowledge about general con- Ability to describe the need of formal Ability to describe the need of formal physical cepts about Physical education physical education and maintaining education and maintaining physical fitness physical fitness Knowledge regarding health and Suggest a set of exercises to maintain Suggest a daily routine for students to maintain good physical health. effect of exercise good physical health in daily life. Understand the importance of Ability to enlist the food items to be Suggest a menu for your hostel so that students nutrition and balanced diet included in a daily balanced diet can maintain a balanced diet. Scientific knowledge of first aid in Ability to provide scientific first aid when During a rigorous physical training session, sup- daily life a fellow being is in a critical health con- pose one of your friends faints. Explain the first dition aid procedure to be followed. Understanding about various Ability to suggest a lifestyle based on One of your friends has a high chance of becom- hypokinetic diseases and their Yoga and physical activities to prevent ing diabetic due to hereditary reasons. Suggest a management hypokinetic diseases daily routine for him to prevent it. Assessment of Course Outcomes Table 2. Assessment Activities, Marks and Mapping with Course Outcomes For the assessment of course Item Activities and marks Association with outcomes, the assessment activities course outcomes are planned as before. Then these Group 1 Seminar 4 assessment activities are mapped 7.5 marks Assignment 3.5 CO1 to course outcomes (refer Table 2). CO2 Group II Video presentation 4 In the next stage, the marks scored 7.5 marks Group activity 3.5 CO1, CO2 by the students are converted into CO2, CO4 the attainment of COs through a CA1 7.5 Exam 1 5 mapping procedure explained in CO1, CO2 Table 3. CA2 Exam 2 7.5 CO3 CA3 Exam 3 7.5 CO4 ,CO5 In accordance with the mapping procedure explained in Table 3, the marks scored by the students are mapped to the corresponding attainment of COs. This procedure is explained in Table 4. 33

Table 3 Table 4. Assessment marks & CO attainment marks for a student Marks Weightage Association Activity COs % Marks Attainment Awarded Mapping 0% 0 Nil 1 40 3 1-50% 1 Low Seminar 4 CO1 85 2 CO2 70 3 50-70% 2 Moderate Assignment 3.5 CO3 85 CO2, CO4 2 71-100% 3 High Video presentation 4 55 3 CO1, CO2 75 1 From these assessment activities, Group activity 3.5 CO3 40 the final attainment of COs are calculated by taking the average Exam 1 5 CO4, CO5 of CO attainments from all the activities mapped with a particular Exam 2 7.5 CO. It can be seen in Table 4 that CO1 is associated with two Exam 3 7.5 assessment activities; CO2 is associated with three assessment Table 5. Assessment of Course Outcomes activities and so on. Suppose a student got 40% and 55% marks in Course Outcomes Average attainment Final CO attainment two assessment activities associated calculation with CO1, then the corresponding CO1 (1+2)/2=1.5 1.5 mapping values are 1 and 2 for these CO2 (3+3+2)/3=2.6 2.6 activities. The final attainment of CO3 (2+3)/2=2.5 2.5 CO1 for the student is calculated as CO4 (3+1)/2=2 2 the average of these mapping values CO5 1/1=1 1 (refer Table 5). course outcomes with POs and PSOs. the degree of association between After the calculation of attainment Here, only the concerned teachers can the COs and POs/PSOs. A mapping decide the mapping values based on structure for a semester (five courses) of course outcomes, we need to find the activities performed for teaching is given in Table 6. In the table, a cell the courses. The mapping values can value 0 means there is no association the attainment of POs and PSOs. be between 0 and 3 depending on between a CO and a PO. Values from 1 Depending on the course outcomes, 34 teaching-learning and assessment activities, we need to associate the

to 3 indicate low, moderate and high Table 6. Sample CO-PO Mapping table correlation. The mapping between CO-PSO is also done in a similar CO P01 P02 P03 P04 P05 P06 P07 P08 P09 manner. 3 2 0 0 00001 CO101.1 0 2 2 3 00031 After the CO-PO and CO-PSO CO101.2 2 0 0 0 32000 mapping, the attainment of POs are CO101.3 3 1 0 0 00122 calculated using the attainment level CO101.4 1 3 0 0 12101 of COs and mapping values from CO101.5 the CO-PO mapping table. The final attainment of a PO is calculated as a Table 7. Assessment of POs weighted average of CO attainment with the mapping values in the Contributing Final CO CO-PO Mapping value PO attainment CO-PO mapping table. In Table 6, the COs attainment from Mapping Table 2.23 COs are mapped with PO1 using the mapping values 3,0,2,3 and 1. Assume CO1 2.16 3 that the attainment of COs are as per CO2 1.85 0 values indicated in the column 2 of CO3 2.52 2 Table 7. Then the attainment of PO CO4 2.01 3 for this semester is calculated as the CO5 2.56 1 weighted average using the equation (2.16*3+1.85*0+2.52*2+2.01*3+2.56 Dr Binu Thomas is Associate Professor in Computer Applications. He also serves as the IQAC *1)/9=2.23 (refer Table 7). Coordinator of the College. He heads the Marian Institute for Innovative Teaching Learning and Evaluation(MIITLE) as Joint Director. This institute has been established at Marian College for faculty The PSOs are also assessed in a training and to implement innovations in teaching-learning. similar manner by taking the weighted average of the attainment of 35 COs and CO-PSO mapping table. The POs and PSOs have to be calculated for all the semesters, and finally an average value will indicate the attainment of POs and PSOs for a student.

“Principle McWit, I don’t care how much you interfaced, interacted, coordinated, arranged or organized last month. Just tell me how many of your students passed their standardized tests.” 36

“And here is our annual message to the alumni.” 37

Assessments in Outcome Based Education Approach: An Insider’s Perspective Mr Biju P. Mani Dr Soosy Joseph [email protected] [email protected] +91 9447 827672 +919446 224723 38

The article ‘ Those who can, do; those one among the many critical steps in describes the who can’t, teach.’ The most the execution of the Marian Model. process of fitting in scathing criticism on the the new mode of teaching community came from the The authors of this article have been Outcome Based Irish playwright and critic George serving in the Office of the Controller Education in the Bernard Shaw a century ago.1 Though of Examinations (CoE) since 2016, the evaluation the teaching community has fought year in which the institution became system of a against the accusation for a long autonomous. This has fortunately giv- traditional Arts and while, the most proactive approach en us an opportunity to be involved Science college. to challenge this criticism would be in the designing of the assessment to prove that the students assigned process and the implementation of to you are made capable of what you Outcome Based Education (OBE). The have taught them. This is the chal- present work seeks to share the ex- lenge of Outcome Based Education periences and insights gathered. The also. article is arranged in various sections. The first section deals with the model Marian College Kuttikkanam, only of assessment designed by Marian. twenty six years of age, is the young- The next section of the article deals est Arts and Science College and the with the challenges faced during the youngest autonomous college in Ker- implementation of the OBE. ala. Though young, the institution has managed to become a path breaker in The key insights and suggestions are the State’s educational scenario. The discussed in the final section, and it is secret of this success is its commit- followed by a conclusion. ment to the cause of education, spirit of innovation and the success in car- 1. Marian Model of Assessment rying along all the stakeholders in its march towards excellence. The first step in this model was the development of an in-house software In the area of assessment, the insti- for question paper generation. The tution has been successful in making then existing evaluation models in a distinctive mark and building a the colleges across the state in gen- Marian Model of Assessment. The eral and the universities in particular, successful introduction of Outcome relied on question papers prepared by Based Education and Assessment is teachers external to the institution, 39

The attempt is to which was projected as a compul- higher order thinking skills of the explain the background of sory requirement to ensure fair and students based on Bloom’s Revised the introduction of OBE and impartial assessment. However, this Taxonomy, brought insights to teach- also the challenges faced model had a serious defect because it ers generally, and the various levels of in the implementation created an artificial divide between taxonomy quickly became the lin- process. The analysis is the teaching and the assessment gua-franca of the campus. No wonder from the perspective of the process. Instead of ensuring an organ- this model is now emulated by many Office of the Controller of ic interlinking between the teaching other autonomous colleges in Kerala, Examinations of an and the assessment process, the and even the parent University (the autonomous college preparation of the final tool of assess- Mahatma Gandhi University, Kotta- ment - the question paper - was left yam) borrowed it from Marian. to an outsider who had no knowledge about the curricular transactions that The second important building block happened in the classrooms. This dis- in the Marian Model is the carefully tortion was addressed by developing a structured Continuous Assessment Question Bank system for generating system. Documents on formative as- the question papers for Semester End sessments prepared by policy bodies Assessment (SEA). like the University Grants Commis- sion, underscore the importance of a The Question Bank system was intro- significant proportion of weightage duced from the first year of autonomy to the continuous assessment system itself, and the system continues till in the overall assessment of student date with necessary modifications achievement. This soon became a and policy revisions. This system battle front which generated a lot of had multiple positive effects in the discussions with regulative bodies. teaching learning process. It equipped Ultimately, Marian turned out to be the teachers to develop a holistic the winner, which is exemplified by vision about the teaching learning the new Ordinance of the State of evaluation process. The quality of Kerala which permits 3:2 as the pro- the question bank developed by the portion between SEA and CA. teachers quickly became an index of the quality of the teaching learning Reasonably high marks for CA com- process itself. Most importantly, the pelled students to learn on a regular exhortation of the institution to set basis instead of resorting to mugging questions catering to assess the up learning material just before the 40

final assessment. To install the sys- the beginning of the semester itself, 2. Implementing OBE tem on a firm foundation, a definite after due approval from the monitor- pattern was evolved which was made ing bodies. In the era of globalization, the applicable to all taught courses. For learning process should equip stu- all taught courses, three examina- Introducing a high proportion of dents with multiple skills which are tions were made mandatory. These marks for continuous assessment required to work in a fast changing three examinations named CA1, CA2 poses challenges to the institution in world. Moreover, the skills required and CA3, were allotted marks of 5, multiple ways. One precondition for should be of global standards to make 7.5 and 7.5 respectively. To facilitate its effectiveness is ensuring regular them employable in all parts of the the assessment process, the versa- feedback and assessment from the world. It is obvious that the tradition- tile Learning Management Software faculty to the students. al education system is not capable system ‘Moodle’ was popularised enough to meet the requirements among faculty and students, and CA1 To ensure timely completion of as- of the e-world. Hence, educational and CA2 are most often conducted sessments, an examination calendar institutions adopted the OBE model through the Moodle platform. is prepared by the CoE towards the as their organizational philosophy to beginning of each semester, and the produce students with more techno- Another area of innovation was the timely completion of assessment ac- logical and other skill based compe- space given for introducing innova- tivity is monitored. Faculty members tencies. tive teaching learning tools in the are required to complete the assess- assessment process. As a third step, a ment and publicise the marks of each Outcome Based Education (OBE) is significant portion of marks for each component within a period of five defined as a pedagogical model that taught course (15 %) is awarded for days of the examination. entails studentcentric teaching and student performance in activities learning methodology in which the related to deepening learning and To ensure that these feedbacks reach course design, delivery and assess- assignments that promote research the students, a module was added to ment are planned to set a clear skills. The former set of activities are the examination software with a login standard for observable, measurable termed CADL (Continuous Assess- facility, which ensures verification objectives and outcomes. It focuses ment for Deepening of Learning), of scores as soon as the evaluation is on the pedagogy and assessment and the latter is popularised as CARS complete. The CoE office keeps a tab practices to (Continuous Assessment for Research on the mark entry in the portal. reflect the achievement of high-order Skills). learning as opposed to a mere accu- The college moved on to the mulation of marks and course credits. The nature of activities for these two implementation of OBE only after components of continuous assess- ensuring that these systems as OBE is a pedagogical model that de- ment is shared with students towards described above were in place. mands thorough restructuring of the 41

traditional curriculum. The designing skills. It is a clearly focused and pow- intelligence that truly determines and planning of the curriculum and erful way of organizing, operating and one’s employability. There is no the adoption of the elements of the assessing instructional systems. simple or straightforward method course need clarity, flexibility and to measure the achievements of the measurability in all aspects. Those The knowledge, skills and attributes students. who plan and design the curriculum that students take away at the end of are expected to work backwards once a program or course are more OBE aims to facilitate students to an outcome has been decided upon; valuable than what, or how, have not only deep expertise in one they must determine what something is taught. So, we focused area, but broad working knowledge knowledge, skills and methodology on definitive outcomes as the basis and skills in multiple areas. After will be required to reach the outcome. for curriculum design. Identifying realizing this fact we designed and correctly articulating learning courses with clearly measurable and Therefore, the primary process in the outcomes are difficult as well as achievable outcomes. Courses implementation of OBE was a series time-consuming. We have to decide designed on the basis of identified of workshops to impart thorough on micro outcomes as well. Activities outcomes were subjected to critical knowledge to familiarise the faculty in and out of the classroom can be scrutiny with the help of an in-house with the concept of OBE and the road- designed to help students achieve pool of experts. These dialogues were map of its implementation. Experts in these outcomes. Teachers were helpful to identify areas of agreement the field were brought to the campus, trained to adopt innovative training about course outcomes, outcome and they gave multiple sessions of methods in the teaching learning achievement mapping, and reduce training to the faculty, often in small process. They were also trained to risk factors in mapping. We had groups. Within no time there devel- adopt many online training tools. several levels of discussions to oped a pool of experts within the col- finalize outcomes for each course so lege who were capable of imparting The traditional pen and paper as- that students could develop multiple training at each subsequent step, and sessment of the taught knowledge is skills and interdisciplinary aptitude. this helped the institution in success- not sufficient for the evaluation of We gave emphasis on bench mark fully implementing OBE. outcome achievements and skill as- setting, innovative teaching sessments. It requires diverse kinds of techniques, formative assessment While designing the course, the de- assessments at different intervals as strategies, program organization, signer should keep in mind that OBE well as multiple tools of assessment. CO linked course plan, and software is an educational model that maps In fact, it is a combination of both, supported evaluation and grading, and measures students’ performance theory (traditional) and real-time developing software for formative at every step. The OBE model aims to practice (OBE), which will supplement and summative assessment, as well as maximize student learning outcomes attributes like interpersonal skills, mapping of achievement in various by developing their knowledge and communication skills and emotional stages. 42

The office of the CoE had the oppor- • Designing score sheet templates Another issue is indirect assessment tunity to be involved in the critical for the assessment of outcomes. of outcomes. We identified that the transition period of the adoption of correct approach is direct course OBE on several fronts. Some of those • Documentation of students’ at- outcome assessment, and this raised areas are briefly outlined. tainments in formative and sum- phenomenal challenges which we mative assessment in a dedicated were able to address with the help of a • Redesigning courses with achiev- software which provides students dedicated software. able outcomes and developing ru- login. brics for measuring achievements. The most important challenge was • Designing scorecard to map the the framing of appropriate questions • Revisiting and fine tuning of achievements of outcomes for the question bank. Many of the outcomes after the first stage of faculty members were pushed to formative assessment for each 3. OBE implementation; their limits in the process of iden- Programme with the help of a insights and challenges tifying challenging and appropriate panel of experts. questions that would help the proper In the Indian context, OBE is a new assessment of outcomes. Involve- • Promoting the use of multimedia fad. Though it is often presented with ment of multiple faculty colleagues in tools and information technology lofty ideals, unfortunately it ends up brainstorming on the appropriateness to make learning more accessible, as a farce. Many educational of questions was an innovation that convenient and productive. institutions are content with helped to tide over the issue. Sim- assessing the formative evaluation ilarly, setting a pattern for placing • Giving flexibility to faculty part in the form of continuous these questions for the Semester End members to stretch their lessons assessment alone for OBE, leaving Examination also required detailed beyond the classroom through aside the summative assessments deliberation at various levels. The CARS and CADL. (scores in semester end assessment) traditional models of question papers unassessed. This is a serious drawback which give options to students from • Designing question paper pattern because of the fact that a major part a large pool of questions were found to assess all outcomes in a single of the score in the traditional Indian unsuitable for the OBE assessment question paper of the semester system of education is assigned to because the final outcome should be end examination. semester end evaluation. Marian based on evaluation of all intended dared to link outcome analysis to course outcomes. • Designing model question papers. Semester End Assessment also, and • Designing the question bank this, we hope, makes the process Identifying an appropriate mode for more scientific and comprehensive. assessment of the semester end ex- model with bouquet pattern for However, this has brought in a lot of amination is also a challenging task. software supported question pa- challenges in its wake which we are per generation. addressing right now. • Introducing the ‘buddy’ system for developing question banks 43 and evaluating answer books of semester end examinations.

Only teachers who are well versed in present, our attempts to implement can quote Aristotle who said, “Those a course would be able to appreciate the OBE principles are only an who know, do. Those that understand, the answers given by students. Those extension of traditional practices. We teach.” questions which provoke higher order used a structured and limited thinking skills shall fail to fall into number of outcomes in the first phase any definite pattern which would be of the implementation. We have to anticipated while preparing an answer find ways to improve the approaches key for evaluation. The buddy system for the successful implementation of which we identified helped us to tide well-defined micro and macro course over this critical phase. outcomes in the future. It is observed that by implementing Almost all faculty members had had OBE, in fact, the faculty members’ their education in the traditional potential for higher order thinking, learning environment, and therefore effective leadership, performance, implementing OBE was no easy task. professionalism and capacity of risk It required a leap of faith from a world taking has improved. Every faculty of certainty to an unknown darkness member is compelled to go into a new based on intellectual convictions organizational culture of ‘lifelong alone. The beauty of the Marian OBE learning’. The accountability of course transition is that we had the courage facilitators for the results of their to do it. decisions and classroom practices has also increased. Faculty collaboration, Marian faculty has outgrown the as well as support for the effective criticism of Bernard Shaw. Now we and responsive implementation of the curriculum, is remarkable. 1.The statement is attributed to George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman, (1903). 2. In the case of programmes which assess performance in a direct grading system the weights are 2,5, 4. Conclusion 3,75 and 3.75 respectively out of a total weight of 50 for a course. Marian is aware of the fact that implementing Outcome Based Mr Biju P. Mani is Associate Professor of Law and Controller of Examinations. He has been serving in Education is a challenging journey, the Office of the Controller of Examination of Marian College Kuttikkanam (Autonomous) since 2016. and we have only begun the intellectual exploration which will Dr Soosy Joseph is Associate Professor and Additional Controller of Examinations. She has been take us to the destination. At serving in the Office of the Controller of Examination of Marian College Kuttikkanam (Autonomous) since 2016. 44

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Receptiveness Assessment of OBE: Reference to the Beneficiaries of the Department of Business Administration Dr Joshy John Ms Melby Joseph Fr Dr Sibichan Joseph Ms Simi John [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] +91 9447420027 +91 9447572755 +91 9447127297 +91 9744058000 46

This article is a Outcome Based Education (OBE) Marian College Kuttikkanam (Auton- compilation of the being the latest paradigm shift omous) has emerged as the pioneer in processes adopted by sweeping through the espousing OBE in the Higher Educa- the Department of education system, requires students tion scenario of Kerala. The institu- Business to be responsible for their own tion and the departments which offer Administration while learning. various programmes have toiled hard implementing OBE. to blend program specific knowledge It discusses the In this system, the assessment of along with complementary knowledge various issues of OBE learning is based on outcomes instead areas, skills and attitude, integrated related to its of the contents taught. The increasing with the ability of lifelong learning. enactment and the need to produce more able and Adhering to the policy manual of challenges competitive learners for the Marian College related to the imple- encountered in the globalized world has led to this mentation of OBE, the Dept of Busi- curriculum reform in the education system ness Administration has followed the implementation. whereby learning is no longer a following process in the development unilateral process but has shifted its and delivery of OBE. weight to be borne by the learners. To understand the prime require- In contrast to the traditional ments of OBE – clarity of objectives, education, OBE puts much emphasis pedagogy, assessment tools and on the learning process being actively achievement of targets – the facul- pursued and managed by students ty team partook of various training themselves; lecturers only act as sessions initiated by the institution. facilitators in the students’ quest for Discussions with experts – external knowledge. and internal – were followed by brain- storming sessions in the department. Specific and clearly defined outcomes must be described to the students The faculty team participated and so that they will be able to set their contributed towards framing the own expectations and discover means Programme Outcomes of the institu- to achieve the desired outcomes. As tion. In the next stage, after various such, the role of the lecturers is to rounds of discussions, the Programme guide the students and provide them Specific Outcomes of BBA were directions to navigate their own crafted. Later, the Dept of Business learning. Administration restructured the sylla- 47

bus of the 2020 admissions integrat- Vision POs ing the principles of OBE in their true Mission Principles/Theories of Management. sense. Introducing measurable Course Values Expert opinion Outcomes (COs) for each course of the Programme was the foremost of Workshops on OBE. Programme Framing of Programme the efforts. Experts input outcomes Specific Outcomes. Brainstorming PSOs Coming to the delivery side of OBE, an array of experiments was tried is given below. of learning where they used to mug by the faculty members during the up or merely understand the con- first semester of the 2020 admissions Ms Melby Joseph, faculty. Course: cepts, which alone would take them to (September 2020 – March 2021). The Managerial Economics the heights of academic excellence. efforts taken are shared in the later part of this article. It was truly a Engaging a large class room online, Introducing Course Outcomes to the challenging journey from the where 90% of the students were first-year undergraduates was found germination to the transmission of familiar with the basic concepts of effortless in the beginning, but it be- OBE at the Dept of Business Managerial Economics seemed easy to came tough as the course proceeded Administration. The process is a person who had 18 years of teaching with continuous assessments where depicted in Fig. 1. experience. But the reality differed the students were not able to con- when the teaching-learning process nect the answers with the outcomes Journey alongside the OBE took place under the OBE approach, projected. Approach and the students were those who had come through the traditional method The majority of students had a ten- The faculty team of the Department of Business Administration travelled 48 alongside the OBE approach through- out the entire first semester of the BBA Programme 2020 – ‘21 admissions. They made a focused effort and confronted challenges to ensure that each student of the batch crossed the threshold of the OBE approach. A chronicle of their efforts

Process of OBE followed by the Department of Business Administration Framing learning outcomes based on Bloom’s Taxonomy Formative/Summative. programme specific outcomes. Technology Integration Partner Quiz Self-Evaluation MOOC Management Illustrations/CA exams. Education Pedagogy Project. Article 2020-2021 Teaching Learning Process Assessment Tools in tandem Design of curriculum Design of delivery mechanism to with Institutional norms. Crafting measurable course outcomes ensure achievement and Moodle Exams Mini Projects measurement of outcome CARS, CADL etc. Fig. 1 ciples of Management’ was an eye achieved at the very outset of the opener for both the students as well semester, enabled the students to dency to stop with the basic concepts as the teacher. As is recommended in be more focused in their pursuit of and were reluctant to go beyond that. OBE, a backward design approach was knowledge gathering. Having the In spite of a series of discussions on used where learning outcomes are outcomes clearly set at the begin- Course Outcomes, rubrics, resource identified first; how achievement of ning made them more empowered to sharing and brainstorming, it was dis- the results would be assessed is deter- tread their journey through various appointing to realize that the achiev- mined second; and how the learning concepts and principles. Principles of ing of outcomes was not registered by activities and instruction methods Management, being a course having the students as intended. would be planned is determined third, direct industry applications, was with the main priority being the made more student friendly through Fr Dr Sibi Joseph, faculty. Course: students’ engagement through active various case studies and simulations. Principles of Management learning. Students were made to look at every concept and principle as if they were Implementing teaching and learn- Identifying the outcomes to be trying to apply that concept in the ing in the context of outcome-based curriculum in a course entitled ‘Prin- 49

organization they are part of. Case the teaching-learning process to course. study-based discussions on ethical reach those outcomes. Being a rookie issues in industries helped students to the OBE approach, I will list down At the end of the semester, from the to get a hands - on sense of ethical the following as the specific challeng- feedback of the students, it was very dilemmas in industries. Application es I faced in this regard: evident that the OBE approach had of management principles developed instigated in them a change in the over centuries enabled them to gain • Initially, I struggled to make sure process of learning. a solid foundation in management that my assessment instruments practices. were feasible, that there were Methodology multiple methods for assessing One of the challenges faced in the student learning throughout the Faculty members who taught cours- implementation of OBE in this course semester. es following the outcome-based has been the lack of clarity and lack approach were asked to share their of in depth-understanding of the • In each class, it was too difficult experiences and the challenges they concepts. As undergraduate students, for me to ask the students to do had faced while disseminating the they need to get into the nuances of exercises and answer questions curriculum. A survey, following the the concepts as much as possible but designed to get them thinking census method was conducted among the focus on application curbs this about how the particular legal the sixty (60) students of I Semester primary objective. principle discussed actually ap- BBA 2020 –‘21 batch. A questionnaire plied in the day-to-day practice was prepared and circulated among Ms Simi John, faculty. Course: Law of business. On a virtual platform, the students through Google forms, addressing a very large group is and the responses collected. Eight Journey alongside OBE – a truly difficult. questions constituted the question- complete stranger to me – was truly naire which was circulated among sore and challenging. But as we • My challenge throughout the the students who had completed the moved a fair distance together, I real- semester was how to connect my I Semester studies under the out- ized that OBE was a philosopher who presentation of the legal prin- come-based approach. The questions would guide and direct us to ensure ciples to the outcomes of the were framed in such a way that the results from our students. course. I believe it worked for my receptiveness level of the beneficia- students. ries could be checked. It included Being the facilitator of the course questions about their understanding ‘Law’, it was really thought-provoking • For semester end assessment, I related to course outcomes, changes to do reverse engineering with regard gathered questions from various implemented in the learning process, to course planning, i.e., identifying sources and modified them to fit transformation of the teaching- learn- the desired outcomes and then design the themes and emphasis of the ing process, understanding of semes- 50

The study is an eye ter end assessment questions and the Count of are you able to under- opener towards the acceptance of teaching strategies. stand the course outcomes veracity of the efforts associated with each course? taken by the Results and discussions institution and the 5% 5% faculty. It conveys a Data collected from the population true picture of the identified was analysed using the 51% 36% students’ simple percentage method. The re- understanding of OBE sponses related to all nine questions 3% and underscores the revealed the level of receptiveness need for sustained of the OBE approach among the I Always Never Often Rarely training sessions for Semester BBA students after they had Sometimes faculty and students. really experienced the same. Most of the responses were encouraging, Fig. 2 and in some other cases, the students spoke of their lack of clarity in this same ‘often’. 5% each responded regard. ‘always’ and ‘never’. The results indicate that students, when in- I. Level of understanding linked troduced to a new system (OBE), to course outcomes find it slightly difficult to under- stand the same to the fullest. At The first question, ‘Are you able to the same time, it is a clear indica- understand the course outcomes tion of the efforts from their side associated with each course?’ was to acclimatize themselves to the asked to gather understanding innovative system. related to the course outcomes of each course. The results are II. OBE as a catalyst of change presented in the Fig. 2. in the learning process Thirty students (51%) respond- Transformation in the process ed that they could understand of learning is needed to produce the course outcomes of various outcomes at the end of OBE. courses to the fullest ‘sometimes’, and twenty-one students (36%) said they could understand the 51