Outcome Based Education

“Outcome-Based Education” (OBE) is considered as a giant leap forward to improve quality education in India and help students to compete with their global counterparts. OBE is a student-centered instruction model that focuses on measuring student performance through outcomes. Outcomes include knowledge, skills and attitudes. Its focus remains on evaluation of outcomes of the program by stating the knowledge, skill and behavior, which a graduate is expected to attain upon completion of a program, after 3 – 5 years of graduation. In the OBE model, the required knowledge and skill sets for a particular degree is predetermined and the students are evaluated for all the required parameters (Outcomes) during the course of the program.

With a focus on establishing quality in education, Bharathiar University is introducing to adopt and implement Outcome Based Education (OBE) – curriculum design with effect from the academic year 2020-2021. Under OBE, Bharathiar University will have the freedom of deciding the final outcome of the courses. Being affiliated to Bharathiar University, SMS College of Arts and Science will switch to OBE Teaching and Evaluation (OBTE), a new learning method will be adopted through a Learning Management Software (LMS) from this academic year (2020 – 21 onwards). 

Designing a Teaching Content and Plan is part of the teaching and learning. It is integral to OBE that insists upon determination of learning outcome as the first step. Precisely drawn outcomes of a Course provide clarity of purpose in teaching/learning. OBE act as a running thread of quality control across the planning of curriculum, selection of instructional strategies, choice of learning experience, and preparation of tests. In informing learners about the outcome well in advance, OBE enables ongoing concurrent self-assessment of learners for making sure of their progress towards attaining the outcome. It provides them with chances to demand new learning experiences that ensure the same. Since the outcomes are stated, the teachers also get to know the progress and they enjoy the legitimate right to test whether the learners have attained the goal.