Evaluation of Attainment of Outcomes

In order to continuously raise the bar and achieve high standards, focusing on Outcome Based Evaluation (OBE) is an important step. St. Thomas College Palai has a system of evaluating the attainment of Programme Outcome, Programme Specific Outcome and Course Outcome, and the lacunae are bridged by planning suitable remedies in all the relevant activities. Every faculty member is responsible for calculating and tracking the attainment level of COs and PSOs for their course. There are many tools like Written examinations, Oral examinations or Viva-voce, Presentations, Seminars, Assignments, Projects, Snap Tests for evaluating the attainment of the same.

The evaluation procedures are broadly classified into two: the formative evaluation and the summative one. Feedback of outgoing students are also taken into consideration as they serve as a litmus test of CO attainment.

I. Formative Evaluation Techniques

  1. Unit Tests : - After completing each module, a written examination is usually conducted class-wise by the teachers concerned. Teachers get full freedom to fix the time and syllabus for the examination but always in consultation with the students. Evaluation on the performance of the students in the test is given by the teacher personally to each student. Suggestions for improvement are also provided to each student.

  2. Internal Examinations : At least one internal examination is conducted in a centralized manner by the college every semester. Students get a chance to confront examination related anxiety in a very systematic way and the expected outcomes of the courses can be evaluated this way.

  3. Seminars: Students are asked to make a presentation on a topic from their syllabus in the class room as a part of their internal evaluation. Students’ interest on the subject, capacity of reproducing the content with new insight, presentation skills and ability to relate theories to real situations are evaluated by the teacher through this process. The presentation time, topic and other requirements for conducting the presentation of the students are entirely managed by the teachers and they are permitted to conduct any number of presentations in a particular semester.

  4. Assignments: Another method of outcome-based evaluation is Subject Assignments on the topics covered in class. Students have to submit a written document based on the topic assigned by the teacher from designated modules. Assignments may be given on the same subject and these may be compared and evaluated on the basis of the clarity of the content, style of explanation, relevance of the topic in real life situations, examples framed, conclusions derived and the number of references used for the preparation of the assignment. Usually, teachers give assignments on different topics from different modules, checking them, giving corrections and making suggestions to students on how to improve their performance in this regard.

  5. Report on Industrial Visit: Student’s interest on the subject, their keen observations on its relevance and its applicability in real life are evaluated by the teachers through industrial visits and the ensuing report to be submitted to the teachers concerned. At least one industrial visit is permitted in a year for the students and, the location and nature of the host organization are decided by each department on the basis of academic needs, interest of the students and availability of the industries.

  6. Report on Internship: The top performers in each class may be given the facility to do internship to let them explore the prospects and possibilities within their chosen field of study. This facility is availed by the departments depending on the nature of the subject. The evaluation can be made on the basis of the work completed by the students in the internship programme, the opinion made by the organization and the real attitude of the student after completing the internship.

  7. Snap Tests: This method is usually practiced by the teachers as part of day-to-day class room activities to evaluate the understanding and retention level of the student. Sometimes class tests are conducted by the teachers on the topics discussed during the previous day.

II. Summative Evaluation

  1. Projects: At least one project during the programme period is compulsory for all students. Highly motivated students are taking very good initiative and making quality projects related with their area of specialization. The student’s performance is evaluated on the basis of the quality and relevance of the projects completed. Students are permitted to select their guides on the basis of their subject of specialization. It is the responsibility of the mentor and the mentee to ensure that advice and suggestions for the progress of the work are duly given and received.

  2. Viva-Voce : All students undergo a viva-voce examination as part of their final year university examinations. Internal viva-voce examinations are also held to train the students. Students and teachers have the freedom to fix the time and syllabus for the internal viva voce.

  3. Model Examinations: At the end of each semester, model examination for every subject is conducted by the college as part of summative evaluation of programme specific outcome and course outcome. Each faculty is required to set question papers according with the COs of that particular subject as per the university norms.

  1. University Examinations: University examinations, though not the definitive word on the attainment of course outcome, do play an irreplaceable role in assessing the final outcome of a course, as the academia knows it. These exams, of a conventional and conservative type for the time being, are conducted with religious rigour in scrupulous pursuance of university directives.