OBE

A question was asked to find out cordingly. The department has to stand it ‘often,’ and 34% are able whether the OBE teaching-learn- design strategies to bring in the to understand it ‘sometimes.’ ing process had initiated a change 9% (‘very little’) and 3% (‘never’) These figures are encouraging in the learning process of the to the OBE bandwagon. given the fact that these students students. The results are present- were exposed to the OBE-based ed in Fig. 3. III. Understanding of the OBE- assessment for the first time. based semester end questions Count of has OBE changed your The faculties have to address learning process? Semester end assessment was the 17% and the 2% of students done by preparing OBE-based who have responded ‘rarely’ and 9% 3% questions. Students, being ex- ‘never’ with regard to their level posed to this type of questions of understanding about the OBE- 32% 42% for the first time, responded in a based questions. varied manner. 14% IV. OBE equipping students to Count of are you able to interpret apply conceptual knowledge in Never Somewhat To a great extent and respond to the OBE based a practical situation To a moderate extent Very little semster end questions? The objective of the OBE ap- Fig. 3 34% 3% 2% proach is to ensure that students gain conceptual knowledge with 14% of the respondents said that 44% clarity so that they could apply OBE brought about a change in it with effectiveness in a given their learning process. 42% said 17% situation. The results related to ‘somewhat’, which is an indica- the question to assess the same is tion of the beginning of a change. Always Never Often Rarely given in Fig. 5. 32% of the respondents said, ‘to a Sometimes moderate extent.’ This response is In Fig.5, 66% of students are of also encouraging and shows that Fig. 4 the opinion that the OBE ap- a good number of students have proach will make them better accepted the OBE approach in a Only 3% of the students said that equipped to apply the conceptual positive manner and have started they understand it to the fullest knowledge earned in a practical to alter their learning process ac- ‘always.’ 44% are able to under- situation with great effect. 12% agree to the same in a very strong manner. Attention should be 52

Count of do you think that OBE Count of how OBE transform stu- helped the students to acclima- base approach will help you to dents attitude towards learning? tize to this pedagogy is depicted apply the conceptual knowledge in Fig. 7. in a practical situation? 29% Count of how OBE transform stu- 2% 15% 2% 46% dents attitude towards learning? 12% 13% 66% 30% 5% 10% 5% 46% 19% Agree Disagree Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree Undecided Agree Disagree Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree Undecided Strongly Disagree Undecided Fig. 6 Fig. 5 Fig. 7 kindled a change in the learning extended to those who responded process. 46% ‘agree’ and 13% In Fig. 7, 46% ‘agree’ that the in a negative manner to this ques- ‘strongly agree’ to the statement. OBE approach has simplified the tion. A matter of concern is that 29% teaching learning process and remain ‘undecided’ in this regard. 5% ‘strongly agree’ to this state- V. Change in attitude towards The ‘disagreement’ of the 12% ment. 30% of students have less learning is significant and needs to be clarity regarding this. 19% of the addressed. respondents think that the OBE The primary objective of the OBE approach has not simplified the approach is to transform the stu- VI. OBE approach simplifying the teaching learning process. dents’ attitude towards learning. teaching-learning process The results of the question asked VII.Understanding the concept of in this regard is depicted in the Yet another goal of the OBE ap- OBE Fig. 6. proach is to chasten the teach- ing-learning process. During the I The effectiveness of the OBE ap- The Fig. 6 brings out inspiring Semester of the 2020 – ‘21 batch, results. The majority of students the department dispersed the cur- feel that the OBE approach en- riculum keeping this goal in mind. To what extent have these efforts 53

proach is directly correlated with just one semester under the OBE ministration. It enabled the research- the proper understanding of the approach. er to make significant inferences with same. Responses were collected in regard to the same. this regard from the students. The Methods of teaching responses are presented in Fig. 8. Students’ understanding of the course Students were asked to suggest the outcomes of each course is encourag- Count of to what extent you are curriculum disseminating methods ing especially since they were being able to interpret the concept of they like the most under the OBE exposed to this mode for the first OBE? approach. The results are shown in time. The majority has made a sincere Table 1 attempt to comprehend the course 10% outcomes published and elucidated 19% Students were given the liberty by the faculty. The results point to the 3% to choose more than one method. fact that the OBE approach has acted Results indicate that each method as a catalytic agent in bringing about 68% adopted by the faculty has gained a change in the learning process of acceptance among the students. the students. Never Somewhat To a great extent To a moderate extent Very little Major findings and suggestions When it comes to understanding the assessment mechanism, especially the Fig. 8 An analysis of the data collected OBE-based semester end questions, throws light on the level of receptive- students are not at ease. The major- From Fig. 8, it is clear that the ness of the OBE approach in teach- ity find it a bit difficult to compre- level of understanding of the ing-learning among the beneficiaries hend the questions to their core. The students with regard to OBE of the Department of Business Ad- beneficiaries are confident about the is at a ‘moderate’ state. 68% of the responses suggest that. 22% Method Count of Students (19%+3%) of the students have Case Studies 18 a ‘better’ understanding of the Lecturing + Case Studies 27 concept. Here, the majority Discussions & Presentations 29 having ‘moderate’ understanding Mini Projects 30 is a positive indicator because Management Games 33 the students have completed Table 1 54

end result of the OBE approach. The ing the fact that the students were puts much emphasis on the learning majority believe that this approach exposed to the OBE approach for the process being actively pursued and will help them apply conceptual first time after having been trained in managed by the students themselves; knowledge in a much effective way in the traditional system for quite a long the lecturers only act as facilitators a given situation. time. Moving ahead, more focused in the students’ quest for knowledge. orientation is needed for the stu- Marian College Kuttikkanam has led At the end of the semester, students dents to adapt themselves to the OBE the movement in the higher educa- need much more clarity about the approach. tion scenario of the state. OBE approach. The results regarding question number 6 are an indicator Incessant perusal is required to After completing a semester under towards the same. Further, the results ensure familiarization of OBE and its OBE, the Department of Business Ad- suggest that students realize that the nuances to the students. The depart- ministration made an effort to know OBE approach is adept at simplifying ment and the institution as a whole the experiences and challenges faced the teaching-learning process. should not restrain from measures by its faculty team, and to assess the needed to make the OBE approach a level of receptiveness of OBE among The primary goal of the OBE ap- veracity on the campus. its beneficiaries. proach is to bring about an attitudinal change in the learning process of the Training sessions to faculty and The study is an eye opener towards students. The results of the survey students by external and internal the veracity of the efforts taken by bring out a positive note on this. The resource persons should be sustained. the institution and its faculty. It has majority of students have responded Interdepartmental sharing of expe- conveyed a true picture regarding that OBE has ignited a change in their riences in this regard will also light the students’ understanding of OBE. attitude towards learning. up the whole process. As the stu- A very encouraging study, it throws dents progress through the imminent light on the shady areas where greater The faculty have followed diverse semesters, relentless efforts would effort is required to acquaint the stu- methods in disseminating the cur- ensure the strengthening of the OBE dents. Experiences of the faculty also riculum to the students. The results approach as the mechanism of the point towards the same. More focused of the survey indicate that lecturing teaching-learning process at Marian. endeavour would certainly strengthen + case study, discussions + presenta- the process of the OBE approach. tions have gained great acceptance Conclusion among students with regard to the References: OBE approach of teaching-learning. Outcome Based Education (OBE) is the latest paradigm shift sweeping • Spady, W. (1994), “Outcomes Across the board, findings of the through the education system. In con- based education: Critical issues study are encouraging, consider- trast to the traditional education, OBE and answers”. Arlington, VA: 55

American Association of School and its effect on student learning, Administration curriculum development, and as- sessment’, Journal of Information • McDaniel, E. A., Felder, B. D., Gor- Technology Education, 2, 203–14. don, L., Hrutka, M. E. & Quinn, S. (2000). “New faculty roles in Dr Joshy John, Ms Melby Joseph, Fr Dr Sibichan Joseph, Ms Simi John learning outcomes education: The Faculty team of the Department of Business Administration, Marian College Kuttikkanam. They have experiences of four models and an average experience of more than 15 years in Management Education. institutions.” Innovative Higher Education. 25(2). 143-157 56 • Adedoyin, O. O., Shangodoyin, D. K. (2010) ‘Concepts and practices of Outcome based education for effective educational system in Botswana’, European Journal of Social Sciences, 1392, 161–70. • Harden RM, Crosby JR, Davis MH. 1999. “AMEE Guide No. 14: Out- come based education: Part 1 - an introduction to outcome-based education”. Med Teach 21:7–14 • Bouslama, F., Lansari, A., Al-Ra- wi, A., Abonamah, A. (2003) ‘A novel outcome-based educational model and its effect on student learning, curriculum develop- ment, and assessment’, Journal of Information Technology Educa- tion, 2, 203–14 • Faouzi, B., Lansari, A., Al-Rawi, A., Abonamah, A. (2003) ‘A novel outcome-based education model

I’ve taught I can’t hear him I said that I’d snoopy whistle. taught him, not to whistle. he’d learned. 57

An Experience of an Experiment with OBE Dr Chackochan J. Njavallil Ms Neethu Anil [email protected] [email protected] +91 9447572513 +91 9061206209 58

The article narrates the The context - Marian College Start-ups, Innovation and Entrepre- story of an Kuttikkanam decided to adopt neurship. As this unique course was experiment undertaken by the Outcome Based Education offered only at Marian College Kuttik- a team of faculty members derived from the policies formulat- kanam (Autonomous), there were no along with students in the ed by the Government of India, the prescribed text books or study materi- context of the OBE University Grants Commission and al available. implementation. the affiliating university. In tune with the above decision, the faculty were The following were the five provided with several orientation and outcomes identified for this course: training sessions and were asked to revamp the syllabus, methodology of • Understand the concepts and teaching, examination patterns, etc. framework of small business It was not easy as the faculty them- enterprises. selves were new to the concept, there were practically no models to look up • Get familiar with the managerial to or people to consult with, yet all aspects of small businesses the faculty members made an earnest effort to redesign the syllabus keeping • Apply theoretical knowledge in the outcomes in mind. The examina- the setting up and management tion question papers also had to be of small businesses. redesigned to suit the new methodol- ogy and evaluation. • Formulate and implement strat- egies for sustained growth of The experiment - The information small businesses. I am going to present before you is in connection with the Course • Design innovative business mod- PMM2002 Enterprise Innovation els on existing and emerging and Small Business Management, business areas. one of the courses for the Master of Commerce (M Com) Post Graduate Achieving the outcomes was a chal- programme in the first semester. The lenge, and for that purpose the number of students in the class were following things were done under only fourteen (nine girls and five the supervision of the faculty. “Don’t boys). This was a very unique course teach but make sure that they are which incorporated elements of learning” was one thought which emerged in consensus after a faculty 59 training session on OBE at the col- lege, and thus the innovative idea was developed keeping that in mind.

The independence given by the Some helpful factors - The inde- Methodology - There were no teach- Principal of the college to pendence given by the Principal of ing sessions in the traditional sense. experiment with new and the college to experiment with new The idea was to ‘teach without teach- innovative teaching and innovative teaching methodolo- ing’, but there was a weekly feedback methodologies, the gies, the atmosphere of freedom and and evaluation session modelled on atmosphere of freedom and entrepreneurship, positive feedback, a director board meeting. It was a entrepreneurship, positive encouragement and support from the time for updates, course corrections, feedback, encouragement and faculty, the ownership, hard work, questions, answers, addressing the support from faculty, the dedication and cooperation of the concerns, handling discouragements, ownership, hard work, students, positivity and other factors clarifying doubts, etc. dedication and cooperation of significantly unique to Marian, con- the students, positivity and other tributed to the effective implementa- Result factors significantly unique to tion of the idea. Marian, contributed to the 1. All the students participated in effective implementation of the Task - Keeping the outcomes in mind, the Entrepreneurship-related idea. the students were asked to do three MOOC courses and produced the things: certificates. 1. Produce a certificate of successful 2. The e-book was published with completion of a MOOC course the title Start-ups - A Dream to related to entrepreneurship and Reality. This e-book contains a start-ups within the specified host of useful material for any- time. one interested in initiating an enterprise. The following are the 2. Prepare and publish an e-book different segments which can be containing all the topics included found in the book: in the five modules of the course, PMM2002 Enterprise Innovation • Text material and Small Business Management. • Summary points For that purpose, the students • Objective type questions identified a person-in-charge, di- • Application oriented questions vided themselves into five groups, • Case-lets with each group working on a • Reference material, etc. module. The book was subjected to pla- 3. Launch a business of their own giarism checking, and it emerged which generates revenue. 60

within approved limits. porting the proposed busi- confidence. As the faculty, we felt the ness activities, promoting students were losing assurance in us. Scan the QR code for reading start-ups and entrepreneur- the e-book ships, with information about Then the breakthrough books, write-ups regarding happened – to offer a course for 3. The most challenging part was films with related themes, those interested in the same topic, initiating a revenue generating glossary of terms, contact ‘Start-up - Dream to Reality’. After business. After considering a lot information for start-ups and that everything began falling into of ideas and proposals, it was entrepreneurship guidance. place. Announcements were made, decided to build a support facility posters were circulated and google for start-ups. In connection with Then came the roadblocks. Any fur- forms were shared for registrations. that the following specific activi- ther progress with the idea required All the materials prepared earlier ties were decided upon: the creation of a permanent web- were useful to conduct the course. In site which required the purchase of addition to that, various video ses- • Creating an e-mail id server space, etc., and that demanded sions were prepared. The promotional [email protected]. capital investment. We had to set up a videos, creatively prepared by the professional website to build market students attracted many. There were • Starting a YouTube channel acceptance and generate revenue. 184 registrations, much to the exhila- for sharing videos, with the Though we were confident about our ration of the student team that organ- intention of monetising it idea, more time was needed to build ised the course, ‘Start-up – Dream to later, through which start- a reputation in the market which we Reality’. up support materials can be were sure was not possible in the made available with the name short run. Finally, the Principal of the College ‘Startup Seva’. inaugurated the course – the time pe- The capital investment needed to set riod for which was 30 hours – in early • Creating a website for sup- up the website and other legal re- February 2021. quirements was not very huge but for the batch of students, primarily from The participants were divided into humble backgrounds and especially in four WhatsApp groups for effective the context of the financial struggles coordination, while the student men- due to Covid-19, was not easy to mo- tors continued with follow-up on the bilise. We, the faculty, offered to share batches. the cost but that also was insufficient. The scheduled course completion It was a morale draining situation was on the 1st of March 2021. On that and the students were losing their date, 88 students (48%) had suc- 61

Start-Up- Dream cessfully partaken of the course. On Enterprise Innovation and Small to Reality later inquiry, it was found that one Business Management course is major reason for the less-than-sat- over, but they are isfactory completion percentage was planning to continue the initiative of the semester-end examinations that offering the course to larger segments had concurrently taken place for the of people with the intention of gen- majority of the participating stu- erating revenue. All the experiences dents. In light of this, the organisers gained out of the present experiment are planning to give them another will be tremendously useful in its opportunity to complete it post their future conduct. examinations. Benefits gained by the The revenue model - The course students: was offered entirely free to students, with a fee of Rs. 500/- charged for the • Application of management certificate issued by the college, if re- principles in real life, which oth- quired. (But being the first batch, the erwise would have been limited participants were offered a discount- to theoretical knowledge from ed rate of Rs.100/- for the certificate). textbooks. We are yet to implement this part of the plan. • Practical experience of constant- ly collaborating with the college Result – For the faculty and the stu- authorities, faculty, participating dents, this pilot study was definitely students, etc a learning experience on several levels. By the end of the semester, • Hands-on experience of effec- all the set outcomes for the course tively developing and imple- were achieved without practically any menting a business plan. teaching in the traditional sense. The faculty and students together not only • Undergoing the stress and learned the concepts and principles of struggles of an actual business, entrepreneurship but actually experi- thus learning from doing to enced the life of an entrepreneur. better appreciating the life of an Plan for the future - For the entrepreneur. M Com batch students, PMM2002 • Acquiring skills of multitasking 62 as they had to concentrate on the studies of all other courses too, publish papers in Scopus

and UGC Care listed journals losing: A word of gratitude. As faculty (another practice of the Depart- members we are extremely grateful ment). • In the initial stage, when the to the batch of students who were • Development of alternative students were extremely scepti- actively involved in the endeavour, all business ideas generated in the cal about the whole concept. the faculty members who encouraged process, which provided options and supported the efforts, and the to choose, if they want to ven- • At the point where the stu- support and encouragement extended ture into a business of their own. dents were unable to and lacked by the authorities of Marian College, • Greater teamwork, especial- confidence to investicate the especially the Principal. ly in the context of Covid-19, minimum amount of capital. As The culture of Marian which always where physical meetings were faculty, we offered to take up a supports innovation, initiative and not possible. Some of them met 40 per cent share in the project, industriousness is something that has each other for the first time after but the students were still not helped it to become a notable pres- months of working together on convinced (each student had ence in the Higher Education segment this project. The enthusiasm of to invest only less than five per in India, in its rather short span of 25 the students proved that ‘dis- cent in the plan). years’ existence. tance’ and being ‘strangers’ were not a hindrance if they were The new proposal to offer a course, SAMPLE QUESTIONS enthused by an idea. making use of all the resources mo- • All these activities were in bilised (non-financial) was a break- CO1: Understand the concepts and connection with one of the through.When finally, the semes- framework of small several courses for MCom, with ter-end examinations came around, business enterprises. the students involved in other more than the students, it was we initiatives too – e.g. these very – the faculty - who were more con- BLOG CONTENT WRITING students were resource persons cerned about it. BUSINESS - in a webinar, ‘Research for Busi- ness Students’. The results in terms of grades scored, A professional content writer’s skills however, showed that there was no are in demand. Business blogging Faculty experience – As faculty we significant difference between the and content marketing are effective are well pleased that our students who underwent the practical methods to enhance website viewing. visualisation of a plan, without re- lab and those who only had theoret- One can work as a freelance content sorting to traditional teaching ical learning. It is unfortunate that writer or blog writer for companies. methods had a successful there is no system of examination for The more active you are on social outcome. There were at least two this course that measures the acqui- media, the more likely your followers situations where we felt like we were sition of practical knowledge, experi- will be to recommend your content. ence and skills. 63

Successful content writers are active, corporate communication, PR on her own would be high, and being public and friendly. articles a lady, she would find it tough to 2. Customized content require- move on. However, from the day of • Investment required- Up to Rs 3 ments her campus interview she had been Lakhs 3. Generating fresh content for feeling that she was destined to do websites bigger things in life. She had consult- • Suitability- Persons with great 4. Can serve as copywriters, ed some professors and visited some writing skills and good command proofreaders, academic writ- successful business women. over the language. ers After much deliberation and thought, • Monthly margin- 10-15% CO2: Familiarized with managerial she decided not to accept the job offer aspects of small business and, instead, planned an e-business A. Suggest the type of enterprise venture of her own. She decided to that a person can register under Ms Maria has just completed MBA start a mini cafe with the USP of tra- the new MSME scheme 2020, and from a reputed Management Institute, ditional and homely taste. Most of the say why. and has been offered a job in an MNC recipes were decided by her grand- with an attractive salary package. mother. The cafe which started as a Marks: 2 weight However, she has been in a dilemma small outlet with no seating capacity as to whether to accept the offer or became popular within a short span B. Identify the scope of business in to start a venture of her own. It was of time. She was very particular about the area of online blog content her dream from childhood to start maintaining the quality and taste of writing business. a business and become a successful the products, and since it was guided business woman. by her grandmother, the traditional Marks: 4 weight taste could be maintained. However, organizing the capital, Answer key: running around for getting various The fact that they prepared the items mandatory clearances and arranging at home, the incidental cost due to A. Micro enterprises –Investment finances have been an area of con- intermediaries could be saved. Thus, must be less than 1 Cr, and annual cern for her whenever she thought she could maintain the quality and turnover less than 5 Cr. of setting up a business on her own. the price. Soon the business became Her parents have been advising her to a success. However, many people in B. Scope of online blog content writ- accept the job as it offers the comfort the vicinity got inspired by the idea ing business information gather- of a secure job with no major uncer- and started trying the same business ing and research on a particular tainties. There were suggestions that model. This led to a stiff competition. topic the pressure of handling a business She has realized that the profits from 1. A content writer could write 64 for business blogs, websites,

the business are decreasing due to the 7. Vision MSME, since Mr Shone wants reduced volume of sales. She is now in 8. Goal mindset to avail himself of a loan of Rs 3 a dilemma as to whether to increase 9. Risk-taking Lakhs. the price of products at the risk of 10. Decision-making losing some customers to her compet- 11. Money management Marks: 2 weight itors who may sell them cheaper, or 12. Adaptability and the level of to keep the price steady at the risk of B. Analyze the above-mentioned incurring loss. innovation case and advise him about the procedures involved in starting an A. Does Ms Maria possess the major 2. Strategies adopted to sustain enterprise in the field of Consult- qualities that are required to be- in the market in view of stiff ing. come a successful entrepreneur? competition (3 weight) Marks: 4 weight Marks: 3 Weight 1. New level of innovation 2. Diversification Answer Key: B. Explain what strategies she 3. Expansion of existing busi- should adopt to sustain her busi- A. Micro (2 weight) ness in the market in the light of ness the stiff competition she started 4. Differentiation of the product Investment less than 1 Cr to face? 5. Targeting of new market Annual turnover less than 5 Cr Small Marks: 3 Weight CO3: Apply theoretical knowledge Less than 10 Cr in the setting up of and manage- Less than 50 Cr Answer Key: ment of small business Medium Less than 50 Cr A. Major qualities required to be- Mr Shone is a person who is doing Less than 250 Cr come a successful entrepreneur his CMA studies and specializes in (3 weight) the field of GST. He wants to start a B. Procedure for starting MSME (4 consulting enterprise with the help of weight) 1. Creativity his friends. His friends agreed to share 2. Passion the capital and the responsibilities 1. Selection of a project 3. Motivation associated with the firm. 2. Selection of the product or 4. Product or service knowledge 5. Self-confidence A. Which type of enterprise is suit- service 6. Optimism able to start under the new MSME 3. Selection of the location Act in this case, and why? Sug- 4. Project feasibility study gest the possible schemes under 5. Preparation of the project 65

profile B. Is this an appropriate option to Ravi is doing postgraduation in Hos- 6. Selection of form ownership increase the company’s sales and pitality Management. He is planning 7. Registration earn more profit? Justify your to start a Hospitality business in his 8. Clearance from specific de- answer. beautiful village in Ramakalmed. partments Marks: 3 weight As a nodal officer of The Innovation 9. Arrangement of infrastruc- and Entrepreneurship Development Answer Key: Centre (IEDC), help him to prepare a ture business plan. Hint: Prepare a busi- 10. Applying for obtaining fi- A. In the above-mentioned caselet, ness plan related to the Hospitality Ripple Tea, to increase its sales business, including all the compo- nance and profit, is planning to adopt nents. 11. Implementation of the various growth strategies. It is planning to collaborate with Ap- Marks:6 weight project and obtaining final ple Valley Tea. The growth strate- clearances gy adopted in this case is merger. Answer Key: MSME loan is under the Kishore It is also planning to enter into Scheme the garment manufacturing Business Plan Content business. The strategy adopted • Introductory Page Loan amount – Rs 50,000 to Rs here is conglomerate diversifi- • Executive Summary 5,00,000 cation. Other possible answers • Industry Analysis are product development, market • Description of Venture CO4: Formulate and implement expansion, etc. • Production Plan strategies for sustained growth of • Operation Plan small business B. Yes, here the company has adopt- • Marketing Plan ed various growth strategies to • Organizational Plan Ripple Tea is a famous tea manufac- increase their sales and profit. • Assessment of Risk Financial Plan turing company. In order to increase its sales and profit, it is planning to CO5: Design innovative business collaborate with Apple Valley Tea. It models on existing and emerging is also planning to enter into garment business areas. manufacturing so that its business will flourish and earn more profit. Dr Chackochan J. Njavallil is Associate Professor, Research and PG Department of Commerce A. Analyze the above-mentioned Ms Neethu Anil is Assistant Professor, Research and PG Department of Commerce caselet in the strategic point of view. Marks: 3 weight 66

RECPAORRDT “Why is an A or B better than a C or D? Aren’t all letters equal in the eyes of God?” 67

OBE in Human Resource Management: An Evolutionary Teaching Experience Dr Ajimon George Dr Shinta Sebastian [email protected] [email protected] +91 9446919482 +91 8848467840, +91 9746353274 68

“The change was chal- In the academic year 2020-2021, We hope that giving ample time and lenging to students and Marian College Kuttikkanam decid- a comfortable learning environment teachers; it was an oppor- ed to adopt the system of Outcome will aid this transition. tunity to elevate educa- Based Education, with the aim of tion to a new realm where equipping students for the new age Owing to the pandemic, the first stage students are enriched of postmodernism. A closer under- of OBE was implemented through an with curiosity, standing of the implementation, the online platform. We took due care competence and responsiveness of students and the and diligence in familiarising the confidence.” overall effectiveness can be gained students with the new system as well as we observe the Outcome Based as the novelty of a digital classroom. Classroom for the subject ‘Human The subject ‘Human Resource Man- Resource Management’, one of the agement’ was introduced through courses included in the Master of orientation activities in the comfort Commerce (MCom) programme in the of e-classrooms. The students were first semester. soon well-acquainted with the subject as well as the OBE system. For a teacher, the joyous journey of learning never ends. In order to reap We introduced the flipped classroom the best results from this new system, approach, which saw the reversal of we underwent vigorous training and roles from a traditional classroom set- preparation to revise the syllabus, the ting. The students, from being passive methodology of teaching and the ex- observers, took on the roles of active amination pattern. Under the system learners and peer teachers, while the of Outcome Based Education, specific teacher moved from the traditional outcomes were set for each module role of lecturer to mentor. Imparting and various teaching methods were knowledge transformed from being used to attain each Course Outcome an educational system to a learning (CO). This helps to overcome the experience. challenge of helping the minds of stu- dents to transition from the tradition- Instead of the standard classroom ap- al mugging up of facts to the practical proach of assigning a single textbook, application of knowledge. Students students were provided with access to need to be accustomed with devel- credible e-resources like e-journals, oping answers based on situations textbooks, research publications, etc. at hand, rather than on mere facts. This persuaded students to explore 69

OBE: Facilitates student centric world class reference materials and corresponding to each outcome. For learning through inculcated enjoyable reading habits, example, • Flipped classrooms prompting a curious mind. Virtual • E-resources aids in the form of videos and Power- CO: Apply scientific techniques for • Group discussions Point presentations were generously planning, recruitment, selection and • Analyzing caselets used for learning each topic. training of human resources. • Role plays • Powerpoint presentations Students were also encouraged to Question: Recruitment from internal • Video presentations share real life experiences, obser- sources is the most reliable source for • Team building exercises vations and ideas which helped to small businesses because the cost factor • Peer evaluation increase awareness of the surround- involved in it is less when compared to • Mentoring ing world. They were divided into that of external groups, and tasks like seminars, group sources. The Human Resource Manager discussions and presentations, etc. of Grant Thornton, Ms Sylvia Tadore were assigned to them. This also who is the product of the prestigious helped the mentor provide personal Trinity College, Dublin, proposes that attention to students and teams. An the cost involved can be minimized and improvement in soft skills, teamwork it is economical while considering the and learning spirit, while at the same quality of candidates who are selected time preserving the individuality of from external sources. Imagine a situa- each student, was visible. tion where your small start-up software company is in need of four employees With regards to the receding pandem- for various positions like Software Tes- ic, the next stage was implemented ter, UI Designer, Data Analyst and App as offline classrooms on the campus. Developer. What all sources would you Students were assigned more inter- rely on for the recruitment of candi- active sessions, where they would dates? analyse real life situations and derive possible solutions. They were also Another important method adopted given the opportunity to study case- was role playing. Students were asked lets which gave insight into how to to create a hypothetical organisation function in a real organisation. Stu- of their choice and enact different dents were assessed through exam- scenarios. Creativity and innovation inations conducted with the help of were seen at their finest as students questions framed based on situations performed, recorded and presented 70

role plays in attractive videos. fidence in public speaking and team building and problem solving skills Regular meetings were held as teams has increased tremendously. They and as a class to discuss progress, now willingly participate with enthu- analyse performance and raise con- siasm, vigour and curiosity. cerns. The mentor As teachers, we are proud to be wit- constantly voiced support, provid- nesses to this evolution in education. ed guidance, regularly conducted We strongly believe that the future an evaluation of performance and will be much more exciting and com- encouraged self and peer evaluation petitive in the hands of these students of individuals and teams. This boost- emerging from OBE. The vibrant ed positivity and healthy criticism classroom is now a lively playground among students and served as a bond- for the teacher, and we are eager to ing experience. But most importantly, explore more opportunities under the strategy that proved to be the OBE. most promising was that of an open forum. The mentor provided a space Dr Ajimon George is Associate Professor and Vice Principal. Member of the Board of Studies - for students to contribute to their Commerce (UG) and Research Guide in MG University. Member Secretary of Marian Academic own education by encouraging them Council. Author of textbooks for BCom, BBA Programmes. Has 22 years of teaching experience. to explore innovations around them Dr Shinta Sebastian is Assistant Professor, Research and PG Department of Commerce. Has five and to propose new ideas to the class. years of teaching experience. This helped students to find enjoy- ment and a sense of belongingness. 71 As evident from these words, our department witnessed a change in the very attitude of students towards education; they have now become active participants in the learning ex- perience which is perhaps the great- est indicator of the efficiency of the OBE system. The students’ positive responses to OBE is reflected in the visible change in their activities.Their involvement in co-curriculars, con-

Redeveloped Education aims at creating a Learning teaching and learning Process environment that would bring about the desired changes in learners Mr Jelit Mathews Joseph to be more knowledgeable, [email protected] develop better skills and influence +91 8330830008 their attitudes and values positively. The essence of teaching and learning is to plan teaching contents and strategies, and ascertain the extent to which learners have acquired the intended competencies. Therefore, producing a 21st century graduate requires a redeveloped and updated learning process. Outcome Based Education (OBE) is an educational system that focuses primarily on student participation so as to enhance the student’s performance. Student centered learning is a method of learning that keeps the learner in the center. In this method there is a shift of focus from the academic teaching staff to the learner. It is an effective means to measure whether the teaching objectives of the course have been achieved. The core of OBE is to establish processes based on output, establish training objectives based on future career needs and development expectations of students and carry 72

Student involvement in the out continuous progress and growth involved in academic ‘guessing classroom is a key part of driven by teaching evaluation. games’. OBE. Increased student Student involvement in the classroom involvement allows is a key part of OBE. Students are to Hence, we see that Outcome Based students to feel do their own learning so that they Education allows students to clearly responsible for their own gain a full understanding of the apply what they have learned in their learning, and they should material. Increased student course, and know how it helps them learn more through this involvement allows students to feel use their education to tackle problems individual learning. responsible for their own learning, when it comes to their career. and they should learn more through this individual learning. From my experience, the suggestion is to improve OBE to set Detailed, well-written learning the curriculum according to industry outcomes or competence descriptors standards. Teachers should inspire allow both teaching staff and learners and encourage the students so that to have a clear picture of the they can maintain enthusiasm and behavior that is expected of the latter take initiative in learning, raise their at the end of a course. This can help confidence level and improve their to provide direction and can also help communication as well as to guard against overreliance on a presentation skills. The teacher particular staff member or an must stimulate the consciousness of idiosyncratic interpretation of the students by optimizing the teaching syllabus. It is, of course, strongly structure, teaching methods and recommended that the students creating a holistic teaching should always be included in this environment. prior-knowledge of objectives. All too often in the past, their only clue as to what was required of them came from a study of previous exam papers - a situation that is difficult to defend, since students have enough problems to face without being Mr Jelit Mathews Joseph is Assistant Professor, Research and PG Department of Commerce 73

A New The article narrates the For the things we have Vision experience of the first year to learn before we can to a Better B Com students of Marian do them, we learn by Future College regarding doing them. Outcome Based Education. It also shares Aristotle some examples of the benefits of Outcome Iam here to discuss the benefits Based Education achieved acquired from Outcome Based by the students. Education (OBE) at Marian College Kuttikkanam. Ms Jomol Mathew [email protected] The first semester classes which +91 9400171373 started from 15 September 2020, had something special waiting for the students. It marked the commencement of Outcome Based Education at Marian College. In the beginning, most of us had a fear of the new mode of education because it was completely unfamiliar to us. The classes were so interesting as we were exploring ourselves through the subjects and new topics. Each day we had a task assigned from a particular topic. All these topics were related to 74

The real time the real world which made us eager to made us perfect. experiences of find more about them. Our teachers students regarding were always with us, answering our Example: We were given a group ac- Outcome Based queries and supporting us in our six tivity to introduce a new Education and the month journey. product and design its 4Ps. benefits acquired by them We divided the topic among us, clear- through the Earlier, we used to mug up things ly studied it, researched and same are recollected here. for the exam, which was of no use designed a new product and the 4Ps afterwards. But, thanks to the new and presented it before the entire educational system, it made us clearly class. This activity helped us to un- understand what we learned. Mar- derstand the 4Ps and use them as if ian campus also provides various in a real market. opportunities to apply these lessons through various internships and The new system freed the students programs. from the old technique of mugging up. We were not at all asked to mug Example: I have studied marketing in up things. This also made the process Business Management classes. I was of learning easier and simpler. The able to apply that knowledge when I teachers ensured that we met the tar- worked as a sales marketing intern at gets through continuous assessments ‘My Captain’. and semester exams. After each exam, teachers gave us feedback, and point- There are many benefits that we ac- ed out areas for improvement. quired from the OBE mode. We were asked to prepare projects, assign- In short, the outcome-based exam ments, case-lets, Film-clippings, etc. pattern helps us in achieving goals which helped us to always be a part and makes us ready for the corporate of the classroom, and made the learn- world. ing process very interesting. Each of us had the opportunity to present our own views about the topics that were discussed with our faculty who gave us suggestions and corrections, which Ms Jomol Mathew is a first year B Com student at Marian College Kuttikkanam Autonomous. 75

Next Generation Learning through OBE Ms Megha Susan Rajesh Ms Treesa Siby Joseph [email protected] [email protected] +91 7034933076 +91 9902471412 76

Changes are always The introduction of Outcome sive view and a better learning ex- for the best, and the Based Education (OBE) in the perience in order to foster a sense of change through curriculum is a big step for Mar- clarity and overall skill development. Outcome Based ian College towards modern educa- The methods used to incorporate the Education has impact- tion. This method has been in use for Outcome Based Education model in ed the learners in the over a decade and has shown great each subject of the curriculum proved best way. results and impact on the students. to be effective in achieving the goal In contrast to conventional teaching of student centered learning. The methods where teaching is the most college’s trained faculty came up with important factor, Outcome Based innovative ways to guide students Education focuses on how well the through this process. The professors students learn. The contributions of had a simple plan regarding how to this method are impeccable that it lead the students in this course. completely changes the way a student approaches learning. The first and most important step in implementing the Outcome Based While the traditional system focuses Education programme was by intro- on what is taught, OBE places em- ducing it to the students in the most phasis on what is learned, and this comprehensible way possible. This distinction is very important. The initial orientation helped students to latter being a student centric model become aware of the academic stan- which involves the restructuring of dards that they needed to achieve. curriculum and assessment practices, reflects the achievement of high- or- Enterprises, Innovations and Small der learning as opposed to the tradi- Business Management: tional system of learning. Designing effective teaching techniques is the Diverse kinds of teaching techniques foundation for providing quality edu- were used which included the follow- cation to students in the most effi- ing: cient way possible. Our faculties were given training by the college adminis- 1. Every student was assigned to tration prior to the introduction and create a business plan which is a implementation of Outcome Based strategic tool for entrepreneurs. Education, the aim of which was to PowerPoint Presentations were provide students with a comprehen- used for the preparation and pre- 77

OBE has changed the sentation of the same. criterion for grading. perspective of learning 2. Activities undertaken on a regular 5. Preparation of teaching notes by through the following: basis included case study analysis students was encouraged. • Business plan and recommendation of appropri- • Caselet formation and ate solutions to issues that could Quantitative Techniques: arise in a real-life situation in the solving field of entrepreneurship. Conceptual clarity on the subject was • E-resources 3. Caselet formation by students. ensured by implementing the follow- • Real life examples 4. Encouraging the use of reference ing techniques: • Group discussions books and e-resources for im- • Role plays proved learning. 1. Gaining an understanding of • Seminars 5. Promoting innovative thinking real-world applications of quanti- • Presentations and creativity in all tasks. tative techniques through assign- • Soft skill development ments and class discussions. • Examinations Advanced Corporate Accounts: • Training sessions 2. Practising problem solving by The focus was on ensuring student using various quantitative ap- involvement and greater participation proaches. by introducing the following tech- niques: Research Methodology: 1. Conducting question and answer Various student centric approaches sessions on previously discussed were employed with the objective topics to keep students up to of changing the way students ap- date. proached issues. 2. Providing a plethora of practice 1. The subject was taught using questions with the aim of deep- several real life examples which ening their understanding and made it easier for the students to increasing their pace. understand the topic at hand. 3. As instructional tools, PowerPoint 2. Practical information was put presentations and course texts to use by requiring students to were used. select a project topic from any field of interest, and by develop- 4. Important notes were dictated in ing appropriate objectives and class, and notebook completion hypotheses. was considered an important 78

3. In order to ensure a better under- 1. Role play- The real life manage- continuous assessment tests and standing, learning exercises were rial situations were role played the semester end examination used so that the students would by the students and videos were which was particularly designed become acquainted with many presented. This activity offered with the purpose of testing the of the key concepts of Research them practical thinking and students’ ability to apply their Methodology. Students were understanding. Till then, they had conceptual understanding and given a list of terms and were only studied the situations, but practical knowledge of the subject. expected to grasp the basic mean- now they were practically apply- ings with examples and real world ing what they learnt. Soft Skill Development: applications. 2. Visual aids- Students used pre- Group discussions on relevant Human Resource Management: sentations and maps to pique the topics pertaining to various fields attention of learners and quickly of information were conducted to The flipped classroom method was illustrate concepts. develop students’ critical thinking used where the students took and analytical skills. The students over the teaching role and used teach- 3. Case analysis-. All the concepts were divided into groups and ing materials given by the subject and theories in the course have assigned with different topics for instructor.From the very beginning some practical approach. So, in the discussion. Students actively of the courses, students were divid- order to build the problem solving engaged themselves in the discus- ed into groups and were expected to skill, caselets were solved indi- sions relating to their respective complete all of the tasks assigned to vidually and in groups. These topics. them as a group. They held classes, discussions helped in realising seminars and presentations to help the different aspects or points of Current affairs and Proficiency the teacher’s idea get off the ground. view of different persons. This in English: They were able to refer to a variety of positively widened the thinking books, journals and documents. As a level of the students. Students To improve the students’ ability result of this, it helped them gain a also prepared caselets themselves to keep up to date with everything deeper understanding of the topics. that helped them much more in important happening in the world, thinking than it usually does in they were divided into groups and At the end of each session, there were solving a situation. regularly made to prepare and discussions in which students added present reports on current affairs up more points and solved real life Continuous Assessments and End pertaining to a particular time problems. The students were advised Semester Examination: frame. The students were given to use the following approaches to the option of selecting the mode complete the task at hand: The results and impact of the Out- of presentation that was most come Based Education programme was evaluated with the help of three 79

convenient for them. The improve- extremely beneficial in fostering an transformed ‘studying’ into ‘learning’. ment of English speaking skills was environment of meaningful learning We are able to connect the real life prioritised, and as a result, various in which students took on duties and situations or the practicality of what exercises were carried out in the class did their very best to complete the we study, through the method. Also, to promote public speaking. roles assigned them by the subject the methods directed to this prac- teacher with enthusiasm and profes- tical approach make us learn things Viva Voce: sionalism. more deeply – the benefit of flipped classrooms and other creative tools It was conducted as an integral part The Outcome Based Education policy like role plays and discussions. The of assessment for all the subjects. The has instilled in students the ability end result of all these is the improved viva was carried out by the Head of to bring theoretical knowledge into practical thinking of each student, the Department, Department facul- practice in order to solve problems in which was not a focus earlier. ties and an external faculty. The viva real life scenarios. It has also in- evaluated the confidence level of the spired students to be innovative and We used to mug up anything we were students and the accuracy and pace has raised their self-confidence to a told to learn, which made it mere with which it was executed by them. whole new level. It has assisted them studying, just so the information in understanding the significance would be somewhere in our brain. Other Activities: of teamwork as well as the need to improve strong communication skills. “Tell me and I forget. The Department organised a variety The change was definitely a challenge Teach me and I may remember. In- of other programmes for its students to both the students and the teachers, volve me and I learn.” to help them develop their skills such as it was new. But that gave us oppor- as quantitative aptitude courses, bank tunities to implement the approach Benjamin Franklin coaching, outbound training sessions together by finding out creative and so on. methods to achieve the results. This is also what great minds say. So, as the students get involved in the Students were assessed at the end of The immense support from the learning process and not merely listen the semester based on their cumula- faculty clearly filled confidence in us to what the teacher says, the Outcome tive results in all subjects and other that helped us in successfully moving Based Education will surely change tasks, taking into account the level forward with the roles that we had their perspective of learning, which in of realistic approach they had taken to perform. The best result of this turn would certainly contribute to the under this newly implemented curric- approach that I could see is that OBE quality of their life. ulum of outcome based learning. Ms Megha Susan Rajesh and Ms Treesa Siby Joseph are vibrant students currently pursuing studies All of these approaches proved to be under the Department of M Com PGDM 80

“How can I trust your information. When you’re using such outdated technology?” 81

A Classroom Under OBE Ms Salini Mathew Ms Simran Raju [email protected] [email protected] +91 9995 527449 +91 7902 213798 82

The OBE system was It was with much eagerness and Excellence and Current Affairs and completely new to us. Our anticipation that we walked the Proficiency in English. These were experiences, in terms of steps to Marian, for what would complemented by activities under how we be the very last stop in our eventful Continuous Assessment for Research accepted it, the journey of institutional learning. We Skills and Continuous Assessment for challenges we faced, and deemed the chance to study under Deepening Learning. We were also how it proved to be of the Department of MCom PGDM, a awarded ‘activity points’ for great advantage to us, gem of an opportunity, and wanted involvement in extracurricular have been shared in this to make the most of it before being activities of all sorts. Each course article. ushered into the hustle of a corporate was designed based on the set course world. outcomes, and we were able to understand how effectively each Our introduction to the Outcome outcome was achieved by the end of Based Education system was through the semester. various online orientation classes, where we were given an outline on To facilitate e-learning in the first how our five core courses would be stage, we were each allotted a taught by our teachers. It was all so personal account and e-space, where new, especially since we would have we were individually assessed. to first unlearn years of cramming Quizzes and tests were conducted and exam intensive studying that had on a regular basis to analyse our been drilled into us. progress. We were also provided with access to e-libraries and other Our teachers, sensing our inhibitions, online resources like visual aids such patiently guided us through a new as videos and PowerPoint world of interactive sessions, peer presentations. The MOODLE platform teaching, presentations and problem allowed us to track our progress and solving activities - all to the rhythm of clear doubts. practical application of knowledge in place of mere factual learning. The course, ‘Advanced Corporate Accounting’, was taught in a most For the first semester, we were creative manner. OBE was assigned five Core courses, Viva Voce implemented through a series of and two Non- Credit courses: Soft discussions and Q & A sessions to Skill Development for Professional strengthen our foundation in 83

This article unfolds our Accounting with the help of imagination. Live discussions, perspectives on: PowerPoint presentations and seminars, video presentations and • Implementation of OBE advanced study materials. We were preparation of caselets and introduced to questions solutions - all contributed to the under different courses specifically framed to give us an effective moulding of the HR Manager • Setting and achieving of outlook on how the various aspects in us. of Corporate Accounting would be Course Outcomes applied in different firms. Practical The course ‘Research Methodology’ • Challenges and benefits problems that were replicates of was enriched with real life real-life case studies were also used. illustrations of the numerous OBE served as a platform for us to concepts of research. Students were equip ourselves with a comprehensive made to research everyday problems understanding of Advanced and constantly encouraged to share Accounting. ideas and observations. We were able to formulate real life research ‘Enterprises, Innovations and Small problems and carry out the research Business Management’, brought OBE process, all while developing clarity to life by taking us on a very exciting and deepening our knowledge journey to explore and create our own regarding Research Methodology. business ideas. We were encouraged to formulate For the course ‘Quantitative business plans, discuss possible Techniques’, OBE was implemented challenges and develop elaborate by presenting the students with an growth strategies. This motivated opportunity to solve problems based many of us to venture into small scale on their application in the field of businesses of our own. Commerce. We also applied different techniques to data very similar to Yet another OBE strategy was adopted that of real firms. This instilled in us a in the form of the flipped classroom sense of confidence to use approach for the course ‘Human quantitative tools in the right Resource Management’. We actively manner. participated in teaching our peers and brought to life various dimensions A Viva Voce examination which was of managing human capital through conducted in the nature of an role plays of companies of our interview enabled us to develop 84

conceptual clarity, and our ability to entrepreneurial and managerial derive practical solutions was skills. enhanced manifold. The driving force behind the Internal evaluation of our success of OBE in our Department progress was made through can be attributed to the perseverance Continuous Assessment and commitment exhibited by our Examinations. Semester End dear teachers. We witnessed each and Examinations analysed the course every one of our talented teachers outcomes achieved by each student. taking on spirited roles as tutor, Daily discussions regarding current trainer, researcher, manager, affairs and public speaking exercises entrepreneur, professional accountant of different forms as well as group and, most importantly, innovator. discussions were conducted under the non-credit courses. Innovative We are grateful to be part of the OBE teaching aids, PowerPoint system and hope to grow to greater presentations, preparation of heights under the watchful eyes of teaching notes and open discussions our inspiring teachers. were an integral part of every course, both in online and offline classes. “Give a man a fish and you will feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish Despite our reluctance to come out and you will feed him for a lifetime”. of our shell of traditional learning These words of wisdom reverberate methods, our teachers patiently and with truth, as we, the students of the skilfully guided us through the new Department of MCom PGDM, strongly system of OBE. Although we initially believe that when we descend the faced difficulties due to this change, halls of Marian, we will be ready to we gradually became accustomed to face the rising challenges and de- the same. We experienced mands of the world with confidence tremendous results as we were able to and vigour and a flair of individuality. polish our soft skills as well as develop a better subject knowledge Ms Salini Mathew and Ms Simran Raju are currently pursuing studies under the Department of M and deeper learning. Most Com PGDM importantly, we were able to improve our employability and nurture our 85

The Experience of Team The article narrates Gladiators Regarding OBE the experience of the 1 MCom Aided students with regard to Outcome Based Education Ms Milcah Elizabeth Shibu [email protected] +91 7902410889 86

We, a group of youngsters was something very new as it did not cessfully completed work on our book studying in the youngest include anything that needed to be and had it published. autonomous college in learned by heart from the textbooks. Kerala - Marian College Kuttikkanam - We were given five outcomes. The third activity was the most have named ourselves Achieving these outcomes was a real challenging of all. We, however, ‘Gladiators’. Our M Com program challenge. Another daunting feature were consumed by a strong desire to under the supervision of our was that there were no textbooks accomplish the task. The journey was instructors, was truly dazzling. Since available for the subject. Besides, a very difficult one as we had to cope we are the smallest class of Marian there would be no traditional method up with the new syllabus in an online with fourteen students, nine girls and of teaching. mode. After considering a lot of five boys, it was an effortless task proposals and ideas, we decided to to find harmony and maintain unity Apart from studying the notes given start a business that would support among us. It is through this harmony by the teachers, we were asked to do other start-ups. But we had no idea and unity that the entire class hold three things: where to start these activities. After hands together and grow together. accepting and rejecting different 1. Provide a certificate of comple- opinions, we planned to work as an We are one of the first PG batches tion of an online course related to online start-up supporting agency. We of Marian reaping the benefits of entrepreneurship. gave a name to our business - Outcome Based Education. At first, ‘START-UP SEVA’. we had no idea as to what was going 2. Prepare and publish an e-book on to happen. But the instructions and the subject which covers all the Our next task was to build a support received from the faculties five modules. professional website for getting removed our doubts. Besides, the market acceptance for our business togetherness of our class made it 3. Start a business and generate which required capital investment. possible to adapt ourselves to any profit. We were not in a position to spend changes that would be made in the money on the website because of syllabus. The first task was an easy one. We financial constraints. It was a completed the online course and struggling situation, and we felt like If I wished to share a wonderful submitted the certificates. This made losing confidence. Various opinions experience regarding Outcome us more capable and serious about arose from the members of our team, Based education, then it would be in the importance of the subject in this and we were doubtful as to how we connection with one of our courses entrepreneurial era. would complete the semester. ‘Enterprises, Innovation and Small Business Management’. When this The second task was a little tougher Then, the breakthrough happened. course was introduced to us, we felt it than the first. We divided our class Our class decided to raise the funds. into five different teams and each team worked on a module. We suc- 87

The experience We offered an online certificate all these opportunities only because is not confined course ‘STARTUP – A DREAM TO of the implementation of Outcome to mere bookish REALITY’ for all students of the Based Education by the college. As a knowledge but college. Announcements were made, student of this wonderful batch, I am knowledge that posters were distributed, and google extremely grateful for the support lasts a lifetime. forms were shared for registration. that we got from our Department There were 184 registrations. The (Research and PG Department of Principal of the college inaugurated Commerce). We could, without doubt, the one month course. We conducted testify to the fact that the days at classes through our YouTube Marian were meant for our channel and completed all the online self-identification and development. course-related activities through the The college and the facilities it Moodle platform. 88 students offered acted as a mirror that completed the course and applied for reflected the best in us. This short their certificate. We charged a small period proved that nothing is amount for the certificate and thus impossible if you are willing and have generated the much needed fund. a listening and supporting crowd, because we had one like that here Now, our website was created who always listens, suggests, and through google sites and we, then, supports. The lessons we learned built a professional website. This from Marian in this short time are not helped us in successfully completing confined to books but would last us our third activity. The motivation for life. that was given by the faculty helped us enormously in accomplishing the assigned tasks by the end of the first semester despite the difficulties of online classes. This accomplishment made us self-sufficient and better entrepreneurs. We the 1 MCom Aided students got Ms Milcah Elizabeth Shibu is a first MCom (Aided) student of Marian College Kuttikkanam (Autonomous) 88

“Alright, just three more power stars, and I can escape the enchanted forest, battle the wizard master and rescue the princess from the dungeon of eternal fire.” How will this ever apply to my real life. 89

Implementation of Outcome Based Learning in Computer Science UG Programme - A Case Study Dr Rajimol A. Dr Juby George [email protected] [email protected] +91 9447092562 +91 9447902092 90

Outcome Based Education (OBE) Process of transformation into OBE syllabus, we incorporated learning rapidly gains attention outcomes to each and every course worldwide as a systematic Marian College initiated discussions, in the Programme. The academic approach for evaluation reforms in arranged training and conducted year 2018-2019 exposed the teaching higher educational institutions. workshops so that the faculty would faculty to a series of brainstorming Outcome Based Education is a get adapted to the paradigm shift to sessions. Resource persons even from student centric teaching-learning Outcome Based Education. The international universities were process in which course delivery and University Grants Commission (UGC) available on the campus to clarify assessments are planned to achieve had initiated the mission of doubts and equip the teachers. In the the stated learning outcomes. improving the quality of higher 2019 syllabus, we incorporated It focuses on measuring the education in India through its Quality modified Outcomes and mapped attainment level of outcomes of Mandate in the year 2018. In the 2018 Course Outcomes (COs) to students. Different assessment methodologies can be combined to gCourse assess Course Outcomes(COs) that will eventually contribute to the Content assessment of Programme Specific Outcomes (PSOs) and Programme gReviews gCourse Design gLearning Outcomes (POs). and Feedback Outcomes This way, outcome based learning and evaluation ensure the attainment of Curriculam institutional level Vision and Mission by its graduates. Clear gtransaction understanding and articulation of the and intended course outcomes facilitate Assessments the design of an effective curriculum and appropriate assessment methods 91 to measure achievement levels, and to plan the learning process for individual students. The Program Specific Outcomes (PSOs) are road maps for describing career objectives that the graduates are intended to achieve through the Programme.

Programme Specific Outcomes (PSOs) successful completion of this course, it had to be reframed. and Programme Outcomes (POs). students should be able to understand the basic concepts of COUBC2003.04: Analyze the The Department of Computer Operating Systems common to most techniques employed for memory Applications restructured the BCA computer systems which interface the management in computer systems. Programme in tie-up with the Tata machine with the programmer. This Consultancy Services Limited (TCS) in lengthy CO was changed into a short Course 2: UBC2004 Object Oriented the academic year 2020-2021. In the one so that the outcome was clearer. Programming using C++ first semester, we had two Computer The reframed CO was courses, viz. Operating Systems and Let us have a look at the new Object Oriented Programming using COUBC1921.01: Acquire the basic outcomes: C++. understanding of Operating Systems. UBC2004 CO1: Outline the concept In this article, we explore how However, in the academic year of Object Oriented Programming and ‘Outcome Based’ teaching, learning 2020-2021, the institution decided to the features of C++ Programming and assessment were implemented for implement the OBE in its full sense (M1). the two courses, and so, we had to move to the final 1. UBC2003 Operating Systems stage, i.e. OB evaluation. The need to Previously this outcome was defined 2. UBC2004 Object Oriented make the COs measurable becomes a as “Describe Programming natural requirement in that phase. As Paradigms”. Now the outcome was Programming using C++ a result, the very same outcome revised to make it clearer and precise. statement has been reframed into, It was framed based on the content of Fine Tuning of Outcomes and the first module (M1) which explored Course Content. COUBC2003.01: Describe the role of the details of the comparative study Operating Systems in the working of a of Procedure Oriented Programming The restructuring of the syllabus computer system. and Object Oriented Programming, was done by incorporating feedback Basic statements and features of C++ from experts in the field of Computer Yes, now it has become simple, clearer Programming. Science, the alumni, experts from the and measurable. TCS and peer instructors. UBC2004 CO2: Define Classes, Func- Another example is, tions and Arrays of objects, and Course1: UBC2003 Operating explain their characteristics (M2). Systems COUBC1921.04: Analyze various memory management techniques. In the previous syllabus, it was In the 2017 syllabus, the learning This statement was not complete, so “Define Objects and Classes”. The outcome was stated thus: Upon 92

revised outcome focuses more on the to apply the Object oriented concept Continuous Assessment (CA) details of how to define Classes and specified in CO4 to solve real case Objects which is the basic step in Ob- scenarios. Continuous Assessment is the key ject Oriented Programming concepts. method of assessment that can be It again focuses on how objects can UBC2004 CO5: Explain the used to ensure the attainment of the be passed as arguments and how to organization of Files and Streams in required outcome. The freedom of manage an array of objects and all Object Oriented Programming (M5). the course facilitator in designing the features with Objects and Classes. evaluation pattern is very crucial. The previous outcome, which was UBC2004 CO3: Illustrate the just understanding the concept of Thanks to the institution which concepts of constructors and Files and Streams in Object Oriented identified this sufficiently early and destructors and show how to con- Programming, was changed in order gave a certain level of struct two-dimensional arrays (M3). to equip students to organize data in freedom to the course facilitator in files, and to use appropriate input and the continuous evaluation. In the previous syllabus, it was output streams. For all theory courses, the “Illustrate and use the concepts of evaluation method for 50% of the CA Constructors, Destructors and type The revised outcomes and course marks could be set by the facilitator. conversions in programming”. It contents give a clear picture of the For all practical courses and projects, replaced the verb ‘Understand’ with intended learning outcomes in the CA assessment pattern could be ‘Illustrate’, which necessitated that Outcome Based Education. set by the Department, and the mark the students use different is 60 out of 100. constructors appropriately and Curriculum Transaction and destruct those after their use. Assessment All assessments will evaluate any one or more of the Course This module also enables the students When the learning gets shifted to Outcomes which then would to use multidimensional arrays using ‘outcome based’, definitely the way of lead to mapping with the C++ language. transacting the curriculum also needs Programme Specific Outcomes and to be revisited. When a core concept the Program Outcomes so UBC2004 CO4: Demonstrate the is discussed, a practical situation that it would ultimately lead to the application of Inheritance, Pointers, must be created before the students Vision and Mission statements of the Virtual Functions and Polymorphism and discussed. Institution and meet the Higher in Programming (M4). Education Objectives. This can automatically initiate a For the courses, the following Through different teaching learning thinking process and lead them into assessment strategies were adopted methodologies, students must be able an implementation level idea. which would help the students to 93

The process of attain different outcomes: students demonstrating all the given transformation, fine concepts clearly, and the evaluation tuning of Outcomes and In these Assessment methods, after of the attainment of outcome was Course content, finishing each module a quiz was made by setting rubrics. Such Curriculum transaction and conducted to evaluate each outcome. methodology leads to not only the Assessment, Continuous Peer teaching through advanced evaluation of course outcomes but Assessment and learners was used as a tool to also the assessment of PSOs and POs. Semester end accomodate students from diverse Assessment are streams. As students from the Such a method of evaluation ensures highlighted in this article Biology background were not that the students automatically grab familiar with the computer the concepts clearly and provide fundamentals, the advanced learners solutions to real world scenarios. were trained to help those students to attain the outcomes. As an Semester End Examination (SEE) experiment, it was decided to divide the entire 57 students into 20 groups Semester End Examinations are con- with three students in each group. ducted using questions banks. As it The instructor then evaluated all the was the first time that the groups and the level of attainment of evaluation followed the OB pattern, outcomes of individual students. the college decided to go with a ‘buddy’ system, where each course After completing each module in the facilitator would get a buddy. Programming course, the students were given tasks for analysis This buddy system proved to be a and error identification in the given boon during the framing of questions Programmes. This process enabled as well as during the valuation of the identification of the students’ answer scripts. capability to develop computer programs, and thereby, the evaluation Sample Questions of intended outcomes. As another evaluation strategy, each student In OBE, questions need to be framed group was asked to prepare a video in such a way as would lead students content based on the Object Oriented into high cognitive levels. We have to Programming concept. Excellent vid- deviate from the usual blunt way of eos were developed by each group of asking questions just to make the 94

students reproduce what they have access to these printers? Justify list and displays whether it is avail- learnt. your answer. able or not. If it is not, an appropriate b. Formulate the statements for us- message is displayed. If it is, then the While developing the question bank ing semaphore for mutual exclu- system displays the book details and for a course especially one which sion in sharing the printers, and requests for the number of copies focuses on OBE, care should be taken explain them (CO3). required. If the requested copies are to accommodate the entire student available, the total cost of the re- range. Questions need to be clear and Qn 4: There are two types of CPU quested copies is displayed; otherwise unambiguous, and enable analytical schedulers- preemptive and non-pre- the message “Required copies not in thinking leading to implementation. emptive. Which one is more suitable stock” is displayed. (CO3) for the time sharing system? Substan- Operating Systems: tiate your answer. (CO2) Qn 3: A private member of a base class is not inheritable. Is it in any Qn 1: “Though basic functional- Object Oriented Programming way possible for the object of a ities are the same, different types using C++ derived class to access the private of operating systems suit particular members of the base class? If yes, types of environment”. Prove that the Qn1: Design a Class Student that how? (CO4) given argument is true with at least contains appropriate members for four suitable examples illustrating storing name, roll number, age, Reviews and feedback how they suit different environments gender and course. Write the member (CO1). functions for accepting data to data After completing the course, the members. Write a member function feedback and reviews are also con- Qn 2: Protecting the user area and print () that prints the students data sidered which will help to improve the OS area from a malicious program in a formatted manner. the efficacy of the OBE based teach- is an important security concern in (CO1:3 Marks,CO2:9Marks) ing-learning process. While preparing any system. Illustrate a technique question banks, feedback from the that the operating system adopts to Qn 2: Explain ‘Object initialization’ buddy instructor will help to frame check whether all memory access and implement the following: questions that would evaluate out- from a process is legal (CO1). A bookshop maintains inventory of comes directly. books that are being sold. The list Qn 3: In a computing environment, includes details such as author, price, Inferences and conclusion there are five printers which are publisher and stock position. When- shared among the users. ever a customer wants a book, the The complete autonomy given to the a. Which type of semaphore is used sales person inputs the title and the course facilitator, starting from the author, and the system searches the design of outcomes, course contents, to provide mutually exclusive 95

delivery method, assessment patterns deal with diverse students and able to do after the completion of the and finally the valuation, is an different teaching and evaluation course. This makes learning more important requirement. Let us methodologies so as to build a student centric. conclude with inferences and positive learning environment. challenges. In OBE, instead of focusing on what The online mode of teaching and the to teach, the instructors need to think Inferences time limitations were other challeng- from the learners’ perspectives, and es faced by the instructor as well as focus on how they can help the In OBE, the students. The different modes of learners achieve the intended 1. the students learn to effectively assessment by the instructors take outcomes in an effective and efficient extra time to evaluate all the manner. search to acquire the required students’ outcomes either by information. sharing the resource or downloading 2. the student involvement is more. the content and evaluating all 3. everything becomes student-cen- outcomes, and helping the students tric. to clarify their doubts. 4. the instructor is compelled to know and understand what is Another challenge faced by the really aimed by the delivery of the instructor was the lack of clarity in course. the relation between the verb and the 5. open online courses of lesser dif- taxonomy levels while setting ficulty level can be recommended question banks to evaluate the for students as a bridge course. outcomes. 6. the advanced learners can be directed to take certification The OBE helps students to focus on courses to enrich their skillsets. clearly defined course outcomes, and they are clear as to what they are Challenges faced Dr Rajimol A. is Associate Professor, Dept of Computer Applications. Member of the Marian In the process of the OBE implemen- Academic Council and various Boards of Studies in the Mahatma Gandhi University. Has 25 years of tation, instructors face numerous teaching experience. challenges. Well-formed outcomes are not easy to design. The selection of Dr Juby George is Assistant Professor, Dept of Computer Applications, Member of the Board of \\ verbs to formulate measurable Studies at Fathima Matha National College, Kollam, Question paper setter in the Kerala University. outcomes was confusing. Another Has 17 years of teaching experience. challenge the educator faced was to 96

“Algebra will be useful to you later in life because it teaches you shut up and accept things that seem pointless and stupid.” 97

OBE Diary: Our Experiments from the Known to the Unknown Dr Mendus Jacob [email protected] +91 9447053716 98

Making students “Every mountain top is within capable of singing. But none of them demonstrate that they reach if we just keep climb- are able to sing. So, he calls the “know and are able to ing,” is a popular saying teacher and enquires about the do” on completion of and a reality in the frame of the OBE situation. The teacher replies that he the course and the implementation. The journey to scale was asked to teach music but was not Program, is the biggest the heights of OBE started with the specified about making the students advantage we got out first step of knowing what OBE really sing at the end of the class. This was a of OBE. means. A lot of philosophical, real eye opener for me in the context psychological and sociological of OBE. perspectives have created a cloud of ambiguity which really covered the Though it is a cartoon, it is much real understanding of the functional more worthwhile than several dimensions of OBE. These confusions sessions which I have gone through in have really triggered the spirit to drill this regard. The most significant deep into the various perspectives message I understood from the above of OBE and build a realistic model cartoon is that while designing or compatible for the realization of our scheduling a course or an activity the departmental outcome, “Design an first thing to be taken into OBE based curriculum at the MCA consideration is what the students Department of Marian College can do by the end of the program or Kuttikkanam”. activity. All the other processes should be designed Contextually, I would like to mention accordingly, focusing on the end point the theme of a cartoon which came for the fruitful accomplishment of the to my notice those days. The cartoon goal. This realization made us hold sketch portrays the scenario of a various levels of discussions with the music school where a teacher was stakeholders to identify what deputed to teach students the various activities and outcomes are notes of music. After a period, the significant at various levels of their teacher returns to the person who academic progress to make the had assigned him the duty and tells students successful in their life and him that he has successfully career. completed the task. Later, the supervisor goes to the class to assess Accordingly, one of the prominent the extent to which the students are problems faced by the students is 99

We had discussions with employability. Various surveys found that in addition to introducing the stakeholders in conducted in India reveal that 80-85 projects every semester, hackathons order to identify which % of students are not employable. and other tasks and assignments activities and outcomes Considering this situation, when we which are provided regularly prove are significant at became autonomous and began to be quite effective. Domain expert various levels of the working with the priority of the workshops are also included every students’ academic implementation of OBE, our semester to familiarize the students progress to make them department started task-based with various industry domains. Logic successful in their life delivery of courses incorporating building sessions and add-on courses and career. projects every semester. help the students in acquiring the required skill set. More than 25% of In the context of the implementation the syllabus is handled by industry of Outcome Based Education (OBE), professionals. Placement related we have designed and transformed activities like communication skill the curriculum in tune with the OBE development, group discussions and mantra - Making students aptitude training help the students in demonstrate that they “know and getting placements. ‘Creative studio’ are able to do” on completion of the is another program aimed at course and the program. enhancing creativity and entrepreneurial skills. Finally, The issue now is, how to cater to the internships make these students individual differences of the ready for the industry. All the learners. Experimenting with activities have clear and well-defined innovative methodologies and strate- outcomes which point to the gies was challenging since the mantra Program Outcomes that we have of social distancing that was contrib- formulated. uted by Covid 19 always stood as a barrier in the way of the OBE We were very happy and honored to implementation. We have worked incorporate a bowl of methodologies with many blended models to that resembled a fruit salad. Now, the generate better learning experiences next challenge reared its head: “What for our students. are the indicators and assessment strategies to fit the methods and While experimenting with more per- outcomes?”. We had both general and sonalized learning strategies, it was departmental meetings and sessions 100

to cater to the development of course order to have an optimized lifestyle. designs and rubrics appropriate for OBE. Based on detailed discussions, It will not be complete if I do not get we have developed both holistic and into the shoes of the students, analytical rubrics appropriate for especially when I am trying to reflect various courses and methodology. on OBE. Here, definitely the students are the real heroes. Initially, the The development of the OBE integrat- students were skeptical about the new ed automated evaluation system was methods of evaluation and another challenge. The preparation assessment. But later, they realized of question banks to accommodate that this would benefit them when proper and sufficient questions was they seek jobs. a real experience. Like a pendulum oscillating between the Bloom’s It was really a great experience when Taxonomy and the subject content, the door of the classroom opened to a we could tailor out sufficient broader space of high-level questions to build a rich question participation in constructive bank. But at times the pendulum activities. It is worthy to observe that ceased to oscillate. However, with the a few students who had an initial support, guidance and inertia to do something by themselves encouragement from Rev. Dr Roy have been transformed to self-driven Abraham, our Principal, we could responsible scholars. keep up to the expectations of OBE. This does not mean that we have Adverting on Operations research totally explored the full dimensions of curriculum, has a perfect blend of OBE. Bigger elements are yet methodologies and practices unknown and unexplored. As wedded to OBE. The students are mentioned in the introductory state- provided with real life problems ment, “Every mountain top is within which they must formulate and solve. reach if we just keep climbing.” The curriculum gives sufficient space for the students to unlock their cre- We have the passion to climb and our ative potential and to apply the climbing will continue…... cardinal principle of Operations research into their life and career in Dr Mendus Jacob is Senior academician and entrepreneur with over 30 years of experience. 101