Choice-based credits for colleges under AU

Anna University has introduced choice-based credit system (CBCS) for affiliated colleges, which would help students to take courses of their choice.

CHENNAI: Anna University has introduced choice-based credit system (CBCS) for affiliated colleges, which would help students to take courses of their choice, learn at their own pace and adopt an inter-disciplinary approach to learning. This was announced at the 22nd academic council meet on Wednesday.  
The process to formulate the new CBCS regulation began with a series of discussions and consultations with stakeholders in May last year.

Members drawn from university departments, constituent and affiliated colleges, central institutes, industries and alumni held 49 syllabus committee meetings in November. The new curriculum was finalised for 41 UG and 57 PG programmes. The university is also introducing value-added courses to enhance the academic profile of students. They will be listed under value-added courses in the mark list. These courses can be offered by faculty members from other institutes.  

Under the CBCS system, the category of courses include Humanities and Social Sciences, Basic Sciences, Engineering Sciences, Professional Core, Professional Electives and Employability Enhancement courses. It also introduces Open Electives (OE), which are courses from other branches. A student can choose from the list specified in the curriculum of other branches’ BE/BTech programmes, which will help have a more multi-disciplinary perspective. Employability enhancement courses, internship, seminar, professional practices, summer project, case study and industrial/practical training form an integral part of the curriculum.  

The university also said students are permitted to credit one online course of three credits instead of an elective. Online courses would fetch certificates. An approved list of online courses would be provided by the Centre of academic courses. Students having no current arrears with CGPA of 7.5 will be allowed to work on their final semester project work for six months in industry/research organisations. Such students can do their eighth semester courses in the sixth and seventh semesters.  The total number of credits a student is allowed to register per semester cannot exceed 36, including failed courses. The student has to register for all courses in the curriculum of a particular semester with the facility to drop courses to a maximum of six credits from semester three to semester six, for courses for which the student has failed in the earlier semester.

The university further said that for first class with distinction, the student should have passed the examination in all the courses of all the eight semesters in the first appearance within five years. They should have secured a CGPA of not less than 8.50 and should not have been prevented from writing end semester exam due to lack of attendance.
A student can obtain first class if he has passed the examination in all courses of all eight semesters within six years and should have secured a CGPA of not less than 7.

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