When I graduated from engineering in 1981, there were only 8 engineering colleges in Tamil Nadu. When I started working as a teacher in Puduvai in 1987, there was only one engineering school in Puduvai. In the 1990s, the United States government realized the need for new engineering schools. Taking into account the economic situation of the country, the government encouraged private educational institutions. That information technology It was a time of growth. This led to a proliferation of engineering colleges over the next 15 years. In Tamil Nadu alone, the number of universities has exceeded 500 and in Andhra Pradesh it has exceeded 700.
Selection method
The predominant exam system in engineering schools is 25% for the internal assessment and 75% for the term exam. A student must score at least 50% in each subject to be successful on the exam.
How is the internal evaluation carried out? The internal assessment score is awarded through two or three exams and assignment training. The tests we took for introspection in the late eighties were very standard. Back then, the difference between the maximum score and the minimum score within a class was minimal. At the end of the season, when the internal score is calculated at 25%, only between 5% and 10% of the students will have a low score. Almost the same level persisted in the college term exam. This situation continued for more than a decade.
Commitments
During the heyday of universities information technology More in oriented fields job Was. The students chose those fields. They gave priority to the field of their choice. They do not take into account the quality of the university. That is, they studied computer science at a modest university instead of studying mechanical engineering at a good university. Therefore, there was a big difference in the quality of education between students in the same class, even at standard universities. As a result, the slope of the students’ intelligence, which was gentle in a classroom, began to change vertically. This was reflected in the results of the internal examination. The number of low scores has reached 60-80% if the exam is taken by asking standard questions in the above manner. Previously it did not exceed 5 to 10. This situation was a challenge for us.
In addition, the number of those who failed the final exam of the season caused mistrust. We started individual training classes to rectify this situation. We seek to provide additional attention to students in need. None of them were very well received by the students. In this dilemma, asking easy questions on internal assessment exams has become a contemporary solution. This was the first commitment that indirectly entered the quality of education. Selection of the next season. One must get at least 40% of this. (That is, a score of 75 out of 30). But if you get a score of around 35%, it is acceptable to raise it to 40%. This is the second commitment. Finally, the sum of this internal assessment score and the seasonal exam score should reach 50. But if it reached 48, he was allowed to add two ‘grace marks’ and increase the total to 50 marks.
On what basis was the measure of a minimum of 50% required for a student to pass determined? The need to touch the 50% threshold in some way causes some students to go the wrong way. Existing technology also favors bad algorithms.
Exam innovation
Now let’s pose a question. Why should a student get at least 50 points? You can ask this question a little differently. Why say that a student passed or failed the exam? He provided an excellent education; The examinations were carried out systematically; The answer sheets were scored correctly. Aren’t these important? We must give them full guarantee. One student got 30 points out of 100 and another 90 points. What happens if I take the exam and issue a certificate? Why say success or failure? Let time tell who won and who failed. All we have to do is make sure the students’ score of 30 or 90 is the correct measure for their grades.
The student with the lowest score can, if he wishes, rewrite the exam and freely decide how many times to write. In general, students are less likely to achieve the same level of grades in all subjects. The default is to get high grades in some subjects and low / consistent grades in other subjects based on your ability. If a student classifies and certifies the grades he has received, it will be a reflection of his true ability. This will also lead to a tendency to consider student scores in specific subjects for specific tasks.
Quality, independence, responsibility
Quality control should come to life when study sites multiply. Classroom tutoring is likely to decline significantly in the near future. Students’ ability to listen for a long time is declining in higher education classes. The required topics can be provided on the website. The key role of future teachers will be to showcase students’ talents through innovative exams. We will hand over responsibility together with complete independence among the students. Hence, it results in dramatic changes. The quality of engineering education will increase. The country’s human resources will flourish and the economy will grow.
– C. Gothandraman, former director of the New Delhi College of Engineering and professor in the Department of Architecture. Contact: [email protected]
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