GTU students can set own study pace, get degrees sooner
University to implement flexible system where bright students can complete course sooner by choosing to clear more number of papers per semester
Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Wednesday, March 20, 2013
(http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/article/2/2013032020130320032252953f5206fbe/GTU-students-can-set-own-study-pace-get-degrees-sooner.html
Students of Gujarat Technological University will soon be able to set their own pace in securing their degrees. With the varsity planning to implement a more flexible credit system, students can complete their course in half or double the allotted period. Under the current system, students usually take four years to receive a bachelor’s degree. The anticipated overhaul means that bright students will be able to complete such a course in two years by choosing to clear more number of papers at a go, while slow learners can take up to eight years by giving fewer exams per semester till they gather enough credit needed to pass a course. Students can move at different speeds and graduate at different times of the year. This also means they would not all be looking for work at the same time.
ARREST FAILURE
The university is mulling over this system to bring the evaluation system at par with global best practices, said Vice-Chancellor Akshai Aggrawal. An insider, however, revealed that the move has been made to arrest number of failures. “The percentage of students failing courses is quite high in GTU. Only 30-35 per cent students clear all papers every semester. The rest continue to struggle at clearing the backlog of exams. In the end, a student is burdened with excessive work. The new system will help curb this as a student will appear for an exam as per his learning needs, interests and aptitude.” According to the new system, a student can choose not to appear for a subject he is weak in, till he has cleared other subjects.
This will leave him with enough time to prepare for the subject he is inept in. Aggrawal said, “Many universities in the country offer a choice-based credit-based system but students are not free to make their own choices. He has to appear for exams as per the schedule drawn up by the varsity. To change this, we set up a five-member committee who took a year and a half to arrive at a final draft of how the system should be implemented. It gives a student the freedom to decide how to earn his fixed credits, just like it happens in foreign universities.”
System also benefits slow learners who can appear for fewer exams per semester till they have enough credits to graduate
PILOT PROJECT
The system will be implemented as a pilot project in MBA courses from June 2013. GTU has over 10,000 students studying in its 114 MBA institutes. “After reviewing the advantages and disadvantages, we will implement it across all courses,” said the VC. He, however, clarified that students will have to chart their course and tell us at the onset how they plan to appear for their examinations. And they will also have to clear pre-requisite subjects to gain basic knowledge before opting for choices. About the technicalities, Aggrawal said, “We will have to strengthen our resources. Credit system will help bring in a much-required shift in focus from teacher-centric to student-centric education. To offer flexibility, colleges will have to hire more teachers, increase infrastructural facilities.”
HELPS MOBILITY
The system also facilitates mobility to learner from one institute to another. “A student from another state or university can gain admission mid-way. He need not waste an entire year. His credits will also be adjusted, so he does not have to start afresh,” said the VC. Educationist R S Patel said, “This system has been a success in foreign universities but has not been adopted whole-heartedly by Indian institutes yet. The University Grants Commission has asked universities under it to implement this system by 2020. However, GTU falls under All-India Council for Technical Education which has not issued any such guidelines. So it is a bold move for them.” Baldev Patel, Dean of Gujarat University’s Science faculty, said, “GTU’s move will benefit fast and slow learners. However, it will need good infrastructure to make this a success.”
Students of Gujarat Technological University will soon be able to set their own pace in securing their degrees. With the varsity planning to implement a more flexible credit system, students can complete their course in half or double the allotted period. Under the current system, students usually take four years to receive a bachelor’s degree. The anticipated overhaul means that bright students will be able to complete such a course in two years by choosing to clear more number of papers at a go, while slow learners can take up to eight years by giving fewer exams per semester till they gather enough credit needed to pass a course. Students can move at different speeds and graduate at different times of the year. This also means they would not all be looking for work at the same time.
ARREST FAILURE
The university is mulling over this system to bring the evaluation system at par with global best practices, said Vice-Chancellor Akshai Aggrawal. An insider, however, revealed that the move has been made to arrest number of failures. “The percentage of students failing courses is quite high in GTU. Only 30-35 per cent students clear all papers every semester. The rest continue to struggle at clearing the backlog of exams. In the end, a student is burdened with excessive work. The new system will help curb this as a student will appear for an exam as per his learning needs, interests and aptitude.” According to the new system, a student can choose not to appear for a subject he is weak in, till he has cleared other subjects.
This will leave him with enough time to prepare for the subject he is inept in. Aggrawal said, “Many universities in the country offer a choice-based credit-based system but students are not free to make their own choices. He has to appear for exams as per the schedule drawn up by the varsity. To change this, we set up a five-member committee who took a year and a half to arrive at a final draft of how the system should be implemented. It gives a student the freedom to decide how to earn his fixed credits, just like it happens in foreign universities.”
System also benefits slow learners who can appear for fewer exams per semester till they have enough credits to graduate
PILOT PROJECT
The system will be implemented as a pilot project in MBA courses from June 2013. GTU has over 10,000 students studying in its 114 MBA institutes. “After reviewing the advantages and disadvantages, we will implement it across all courses,” said the VC. He, however, clarified that students will have to chart their course and tell us at the onset how they plan to appear for their examinations. And they will also have to clear pre-requisite subjects to gain basic knowledge before opting for choices. About the technicalities, Aggrawal said, “We will have to strengthen our resources. Credit system will help bring in a much-required shift in focus from teacher-centric to student-centric education. To offer flexibility, colleges will have to hire more teachers, increase infrastructural facilities.”
HELPS MOBILITY
The system also facilitates mobility to learner from one institute to another. “A student from another state or university can gain admission mid-way. He need not waste an entire year. His credits will also be adjusted, so he does not have to start afresh,” said the VC. Educationist R S Patel said, “This system has been a success in foreign universities but has not been adopted whole-heartedly by Indian institutes yet. The University Grants Commission has asked universities under it to implement this system by 2020. However, GTU falls under All-India Council for Technical Education which has not issued any such guidelines. So it is a bold move for them.” Baldev Patel, Dean of Gujarat University’s Science faculty, said, “GTU’s move will benefit fast and slow learners. However, it will need good infrastructure to make this a success.”
