Outcomes based education is a process that involves the restructuring of curriculum, assessment and reporting practices in education to reflect the achievement of high order learning and mastery rather than the accumulation of course credits. Thus the primary aim of outcomes education is to facilitate desired changes within the learners, by increasing knowledge, developing skills and/or positively influencing attitudes, value and judgment. Outcome based education embodies the idea that the best way to learn is to first determine what needs to be achieved. Once the end goal (product or outcome) has been determined the strategies, processes, techniques and other way and means can be put into place to achieve the goal.
The workshop was inaugurated by Hon’ble Chancellor, his Excellency Dr. S.C. Jamir Hon’ble Governor of Odisha.
Hon’ble Governor and Chancellor of BPUT emphasis on the term quality. In his statement The Governor said that the workshop on various facts of quality gathers immense importance, awareness that some of the best minds are present here who during the course of the workshop would dwell on the subject and develop deep insight into various analytical as well practical dimensions of it. His Excellency also to focus on the quality in our lives in general and in the field of education, particularly in technical education, he assumed that it is a difficult proposition but not impossible to achieve. In his conclusive statement his Excellency added that now we have arrived at a point where we have to find out the correct balance between the material and nonmaterial, the physical and the moral, the technical and the ethical, the scientific and the spiritual. Our scientists, innovators, plan and policy makers need to join hands to come up with a holistic approach to this. Intellectual and free thinkers can contribute to the process. We all know how technically innovative products bereft of ethical sense and scientific discoveries bereft of morals values can cause harm to human beings and lead the society to devastating effect.
The workshop was headed by Prof. A. K. NASSA (Member Secretary, NBA Govt. of India) with his team members, Prof. S. C. Sahashra Budhe, (Former Director DAIICT, Gujrat), Dr. Abhichal Kapur (Director General, MGI Nagpur) and Prof. I. K. Bhat (Director MNIT, Jaipur).
The programme was started at 10:30AM with three important sessions:
- NBA Accreditation – Introduction, Assessment Methodology, Guidelines, Benefits, Quality Initiative and Membership advantages and NBA future plans.
- Key components of outcome based education and accreditation, vision and mission.
- Essentials of Self Assessment report (SAR) in outcome based accreditation and significance of mapping the assessment.
The important part of the workshop was that – The Deans, Directors, Principals and Professors of 150 Colleges participated and deliberate interacted, asked queries and acquainted themselves with latest tools and techniques, policy and programmes for going ahead in calculating quality education and to have accreditation. There is no dearth of technocrats and professionals but the missing part is quality among the professionals. The quality improvement and accreditation of colleges will help the country to get professionals with professionalism.
The country grows professionals or producers of high quality manpower with professionalism and ethics. In order to achieve that, the first step is awareness workshop on outcome based education and accreditation has been conducted.
Accreditation is market-driven and has an international focus. It assesses the characteristics of an Institution and its programmes against a set of criteria established by National Board of Accreditation.
NBA’s key objective is to contribute to the significant improvement of the Institutions involved in the accreditation process. Accreditation process quantifies the strengths, weaknesses in the processes adopted by the Institution and provides directions and opportunities for future growth. NBA accredited Institutions may be preferred by funding agencies for releasing grants for research as well as expansion etc.
Students studying in NBA accredited Institutions can be assured that they will receive education which is a balance between high academic quality and professional relevance and that the needs of the corporate world are well integrated into programmes, activities and processes. It signifies that thus have he has entered the portals of an Institution, which has the essential and desirable features of quality professional education.
Accreditation helps in gaining confidence of stakeholders and in giving a strong message that as a country, our technical manpower is of international standards and can be very useful in enhancing the global mobility for our technical manpower.
If the country grows, it will be possible only by high quality professionals or by producing of high quality manpower and ethics. In order to achieve that, the first step is awareness workshop on outcome based education and accreditation.