Choice based credit semester system (cbcss)

CHOICE BASED CREDIT SEMESTER SYSTEM (CBCSS)

Tiji Thomas

Head of The Department

Department of Computer Applications

MACFAST , Tiruvalla

[email protected]

NEED FOR ACADEMIC REFORMS IN INDIAN HIGHER EDUCATION.

Are we effectively transforming our students as knowledge practitioners?

Are our students merely loaded with information and compelled to memorize the whole lot of them?

Have we been successful in elevating our students to such a level that they could critically assimilate and comprehend whatever they have gathered?

Are our students endowed with talents to acquire skills so that they can make things happen?

RECOMMENDATION OF THE UGC IN ITS ACTION PLAN FOR ACADEMIC AND ADMINISTRATIVE REFORMS (REF. UGC LETTERS JANUARY 2008; MARCH 2009

“……. Curricular flexibility and learners’ mobility is an issue that warrants our urgent attention. These can be addressed by introducing credit based courses and credit accumulation. In order to provide with some degree of flexibility to learners, we need toprovide for course duration in terms of credit hours and also a minimum as well as a maximum permissible span of time in which a course can be completed by a learner… The Choice-Based Credit System (CBCS) imminently fits into the emerging socioeconomic milieu, and could effectively respond to the educational and occupational aspirations of the upcoming generations. In view of this, institutions of higher education in India would do well to invest thought and resources into introducing CBCS. Aided by modern communication and information technology, CBCS has a high probability to be operationalized efficiently and effectively — elevating learners, institutions and higher education system in the country to newer heights…”

GLOBAL LEVEL

All the major higher education providers across the globe are operating a system of credits. The European Credit Transfer System (ECTS), the ‘National Qualifications Framework’ in Australia, the Pan-Canadian Protocol on the Transferability of University Credits, the Credit Accumulation and Transfer System (CATS) in the UK as well as thesystems operating in the US, Japan, etc are examples of these.

WHAT IS CBCS

CBCS is an instructional package developed to suit the needs of students to keep pace with the developments in higher education and the quality assurance expected of it in the light of liberalization and globalization in higher education.   CBCS essentially implies a redefining of the curriculum into smaller measurable entities with the hours required for studying/‘learning’ these – not ‘’teaching’ - being at the primary focus and the development of a mechanism whereby theses modules can be combined in different ways so as to qualify for a Certificate, Diploma or Degree 

CBCS Represents a much-required shift in focus from teacher-centric to learner-centric education since the workload estimated is based on the investment of time in learning, not in teaching. CBCS Helps to record course work and to document learner workload realistically since allactivities are taken into account - not only the time learners spend in lectures or seminarsbut also the time they need for individual learning and the preparation of examinations etc.

Advantages of CBCS

CBCSS – KEY TERMS

1. 'Programme' means the entire course of study and examinations (traditionally referred to as course). In order to use common terminology, therefore, let us refer to BCA ,BA, B.Sc and B.Com as Programs, not Courses

2. 'Duration of programmes means the �time period required for the conduct of the programme. The duration of an undergraduate degree programme shall be six semesters distributed in a period of 3 years.

3. ‘Semester’ means a term consisting of a minimum of 6 months including the days of examination.

4. 'Course' means a segment of subject matter to be covered in a semester (traditionally referred to as paper).

Example : Problem Solving and Computer Programming in C

5. 'Common Course' means a course that comes under the category of courses, including compulsory English and additional language courses and a set of general courses, selection of which is compulsory for all students undergoing undergraduate programmes.

6. 'Core course' means a compulsory course in a subject related to a particular degree programme.

Example : Accounting & Programming in Cobol( BCA Syllabus)

7. 'Open Course' means a course which can be opted by a student at his/her choice.

(The Open Courses that can be chosen by the student shall be from among the courses prescribed by the respective Board of Studies)

8. 'Complementary Course' means a course which is generally related to the core course (traditionally referred to as subsidiary paper).

Example : Mathematic and Basic Stattistics in BCA programme

9. 'Repeat Course' is a course that is repeated by a student for having failed in that course in an earlier registration.

10.'Improvement course' is a course registered by a student for improving his performance in that particular course. Improvement should be made in the first immediate chance.

11.Credit.(Cr.) of a course is a measure of the weekly unit of work assigned for the course.

12. Letter Grade. or simply grade in a course is a letter symbol (A,B,C,D,E) which indicates the level of performance of a student in a course.

Grading Systems

Deficiencies in the existing marking system

13.Each letter is assigned a Grade Point (G) which is integer indicating the numerical equivalent of the broad level of performance of a student in a course.

14. 'Credit Point (P) of a course is the value obtained by multiplying the Grade Point

(G) by the Credits (Cr.) of the course P = G x Cr.

15.'Semester Grade Point Average' (SGPA) is the value obtained by dividing the sum of Credit Points (P) obtained by a student in the various courses taken in a semester by the total number of Credits taken by him/her in that semester. The Grade Point shall be rounded off to two decimal places. SGPA determines the overall performance of a student at the end of a semester.

Example

16. 'Cumulative Grade Point Average' (CGPA) is the value obtained by dividing the sum of credit points in all the courses taken by the student for the entire programme by the total number of Credits and shall be rounded off by two decimal places.

Example CGPA -

BCA Syllabus

BCA Sheme

PATTERN OF QUESTIONS

Example

Example Question Paper

ANSWER SHEET CALCULATION

Example

MR. SAM PITRODA, CHAIRMAN , THE NATIONAL KNOWLEDGE COMMISSION (NKC)

 it is important for us to recognize that there is a quiet crisis in higher education in Indiawhich runs deep. And the time has come to address this crisis in a systematic, forthrightmanner. …. There is today a need for a transition to a course credit system where degrees are granted on the basis of completing a requisite number of credits from different courses, which provides learners with choices….

THANK YOU