There’s a piece of good news for all engineering students. The All India Council for Technical Education or AICTE has introduced a number of reforms for engineering colleges, which are bound to transform the face of education in the country.
According to the reforms, training programmes for the professors, mandatory internships and open book examinations have been included as part of the curriculum. However, it is up to the universities and the colleges to choose the particular courses for which open book examinations will be held.
Is this for real? We’re pleased to inform you, YES!
The main problem with traditional education policies and examinations is that it lays greater emphasis on bookish knowledge and rote learning. This means that students study only to secure good marks, without actually gaining knowledge that would be necessary in the long run.
There is also the question of immense pressure on engineering students, with the rate of depressive disorders and suicides among them being at an all time high. Keeping that in mind, the AICTE has introduced the new reform to reduce the stress that an engineering student has to go through.
During the open book examination, the students will be allowed to refer to their textbooks, their notes and other material. This reform must be lauded because it ensures that students put to use their analytical and evaluation skills, which traditional examinations inhibit.
Of course, this does not mean that all exams and all questions in a particular exam would be open book. There will obviously be some questions to test the memory of the students. However, the open book examinations are to be encouraged since it would promote learning, knowledge sharing and innovative thinking in the students.
In fact, the AICTE has also made it mandatory for the universities and colleges to provide a minimum of 600 hours of internship for the B.Tech and BE students. This motion has been much appreciated and readily accepted by a large number of colleges in Karnataka already.
Better days are coming, you guys!