GU to adopt restructured undergraduate courses NT Staff Reporter Panaji Feb 11: Goa University today announced its plans to adopt restructured undergraduate BA, B Sc, B Com and BCA courses from the forthcoming academic year, with introduction of the semester pattern, internal assessment and skill-based courses as per the choice of the students. The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof P S Zacharias addressing a press conference, today said that the new structure has been recommended by a committee appointed by the university and chaired by the president of the Principals Forum, Prof Newman Fernandes. "The committee after detail deliberations for nearly two-and-a-half years with university, principals of various colleges, educationists and experts in the field presented its report which was later approved by the Academic Council in 2005," he said, adding that its implementation would begin from the 2006-2007.
The salient features of the restructured undergraduate courses include introduction of 6-month semester pattern, replacing the existing annual examinations, Prof Zacharias said, pointing out that each semester will be independent in syllabus and the syllabus would not be carried out to the next semester. Another highlight of the new system is the continuous internal assessment (CIA) wherein every course will have an integral assessment component having 15 to 25 per cent of the total marks, which is expected to encourage the students to be regular in their academic work. Yet another introduction in the restructured courses is the credit system. "Each course offered in a semester is assigned a certain number of credits depending upon the quality of work required of a student. Credit consists of listening to lectures and active participation in tutorials, seminars, laboratory work and direct library work. Credits represent the proper weightage to each course according to the amount of work desired. only when a student passes a course, he or she will earn the credits assigned to that course," Prof Zacharias said. Speaking further, the Vice-Chancellor informed that most of the countries abroad have the credit system and it is essential that an unified credit system be developed and accepted in India. "However, introduction of a credit system in Goa University would now be very much beneficial to the visiting students from foreign countries who may complete a semester here, earn some credits and later pursue the next semesters in their own country, where their credit would be recognised." A number of skill-based courses have also been introduced for the undergraduate students under foundation courses, in addition to the main core subjects in the faculty. These supplementary short-term courses can be pursued along with the degree education. Prof Zacharias said that it is perhaps for the first time in the country that restructuring of the undergraduate courses is taking place. Following the model University Grants Commission guidelines which state that the university curriculum should have three components namely, subject knowledge, outreach programme and character and value formation, Prof Zacharias said, the Goa University has taken the step. The main objectives of the restructuring are bringing quality to higher education in order to make it internationally comparable, offering relevant and need-based courses, inculcating in students responsibility and self-discipline in the learning process, helping students acquire specific skills in keeping with their area of study and making the student evaluation more objective. It was also informed that the new pattern would be gradually implemented, one year at a time and the entire change would be complete by 2009. Replying to a question, Prof Zacharias said that he has send a proposal to the government that marginal requirements may be needed in some of the affiliated colleges vis-a-vis newly introduced system. "The university would also conduct some workshops for the faculty members as regards the new system," he informed. The registrar of the Goa University, Dr Mohan Sangodkar was also present on the occasion.
