No learn-by-rote, GTU students will now have to think
Instead of questions straight from books, tech varsity plans new pattern that will test aspiring engineers’ reasoning, creative thinking and critical understanding
Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Monday, April 14, 2014 http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/article/2/20140414201404140253086713c50e3a0/No-learnbyrote-GTU-students-will-now-have-to-think.html
Engineering students will have to tax their reasoning and creative faculty as against the current rote learning to clear their university examinations. This, because Gujarat Technological University has planned a fundamental change in question pattern that universities in the state have been following for close to a quarter century. The changes will be notified on GTU website in the first week of August, officials said.
Even teachers will have to work harder on preparing the papers. Instead of drawing questions directly from the book, which encourages memorising lessons, now the questions would be more logical in nature, pushing the student to think creatively and address the questions in a more fluid manner. Explaining the change, GTU Vice Chancellor Akshai Aggarwal said, “For many years, students are being asked questions which are straight-forward and predictable. These questions do not encourage thinking among students. Students currently write the papers and clear the exams.
However, it does not serve the purpose of higher education. This pattern must change now.” The university is also planning similar change for management examinations. Aggarwal added, “The new questions would test the reasoning and creative ability of the students. They would be factual questions, which would be roundabout and would challenge and develop students’ creative faculty, imagination, etc in a much better manner. These questions would help examiners judge and evaluate the students in the real sense.” The exercise is largely a result of the report of a workshop on the theme of “Art and science of designing question papers” on April 5 this year. Around 40 persons, including deans, principals of various colleges and faculty had shared their the views on the subject.
‘DEMANDING BUT HELPFUL’
According to the vice chancellor, “The new pattern would be different and more demanding on the teachers as well. Right now, teachers can prepare question papers within two hours, but the new style of papers would engage their entire day as they too would have to think a lot.” He added that currently 8,000 question papers are prepared for various courses in engineering alone every year. The new pattern will be employed in the first year engineering (for the upcoming session) examination as a pilot project and would be extended if it is successful. GTU also offers undergraduate, graduate and research programmes in pharmacy, management apart from engineering and computer applications. This change in the question pattern is part of a larger change, which GTU has been making over the last few years to make education system more vibrant.
“The first major change was re-designing the engineering syllabus to better suit the requirements of industry and to link education to technological developments in the field. The second change was implementation of ALCE (active learning and creating excitement) in laboratories, workshops and classrooms, meant to alter the atmosphere at study places. And the third one is this,” said Aggarwal.
THE NEW PATTERN
FACTUAL
Assume that it is a question paper on the basics of electrical engineering systems. The question may be about calculation of power and energy in a home, if the specifications of devices like a refrigerator, fans and lighting systems are given.
UNDERSTANDING, APPLICATION AND ANALYSIS
The question may be about re-designing a given system so that energy consumption may be reduced by 20% (say), without affecting its functionality .
CREATIVE OR INVENTIVE
If the subject does not include a study of non-conventional sources of energy, the basic data about one such system may be provided. Thus for solar photo-voltaic system, the students may be asked to design the size of the system and the associated storage system, if electrical energy is not to be obtained from the grid.
COMPARING CRITICALLY
The solar photo-voltaic systems generate electrical energy in DC form. The devices used at homes and offices are designed to be used with electrical energy in AC form. The question may be about the efficiency of a system using DC energy directly with devices designed for it versus a system, which requires conversion of DC to AC
Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Monday, April 14, 2014 http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/article/2/20140414201404140253086713c50e3a0/No-learnbyrote-GTU-students-will-now-have-to-think.html
Engineering students will have to tax their reasoning and creative faculty as against the current rote learning to clear their university examinations. This, because Gujarat Technological University has planned a fundamental change in question pattern that universities in the state have been following for close to a quarter century. The changes will be notified on GTU website in the first week of August, officials said.
Even teachers will have to work harder on preparing the papers. Instead of drawing questions directly from the book, which encourages memorising lessons, now the questions would be more logical in nature, pushing the student to think creatively and address the questions in a more fluid manner. Explaining the change, GTU Vice Chancellor Akshai Aggarwal said, “For many years, students are being asked questions which are straight-forward and predictable. These questions do not encourage thinking among students. Students currently write the papers and clear the exams.
However, it does not serve the purpose of higher education. This pattern must change now.” The university is also planning similar change for management examinations. Aggarwal added, “The new questions would test the reasoning and creative ability of the students. They would be factual questions, which would be roundabout and would challenge and develop students’ creative faculty, imagination, etc in a much better manner. These questions would help examiners judge and evaluate the students in the real sense.” The exercise is largely a result of the report of a workshop on the theme of “Art and science of designing question papers” on April 5 this year. Around 40 persons, including deans, principals of various colleges and faculty had shared their the views on the subject.
‘DEMANDING BUT HELPFUL’
According to the vice chancellor, “The new pattern would be different and more demanding on the teachers as well. Right now, teachers can prepare question papers within two hours, but the new style of papers would engage their entire day as they too would have to think a lot.” He added that currently 8,000 question papers are prepared for various courses in engineering alone every year. The new pattern will be employed in the first year engineering (for the upcoming session) examination as a pilot project and would be extended if it is successful. GTU also offers undergraduate, graduate and research programmes in pharmacy, management apart from engineering and computer applications. This change in the question pattern is part of a larger change, which GTU has been making over the last few years to make education system more vibrant.
“The first major change was re-designing the engineering syllabus to better suit the requirements of industry and to link education to technological developments in the field. The second change was implementation of ALCE (active learning and creating excitement) in laboratories, workshops and classrooms, meant to alter the atmosphere at study places. And the third one is this,” said Aggarwal.
THE NEW PATTERN
FACTUAL
Assume that it is a question paper on the basics of electrical engineering systems. The question may be about calculation of power and energy in a home, if the specifications of devices like a refrigerator, fans and lighting systems are given.
UNDERSTANDING, APPLICATION AND ANALYSIS
The question may be about re-designing a given system so that energy consumption may be reduced by 20% (say), without affecting its functionality .
CREATIVE OR INVENTIVE
If the subject does not include a study of non-conventional sources of energy, the basic data about one such system may be provided. Thus for solar photo-voltaic system, the students may be asked to design the size of the system and the associated storage system, if electrical energy is not to be obtained from the grid.
COMPARING CRITICALLY
The solar photo-voltaic systems generate electrical energy in DC form. The devices used at homes and offices are designed to be used with electrical energy in AC form. The question may be about the efficiency of a system using DC energy directly with devices designed for it versus a system, which requires conversion of DC to AC
