AUT to conduct assessment tests for first year BE students

Updated on: Sunday, September 12, 2010

Recently joined first year engineering students in over 150 engineering colleges affiliated to the Anna University of Technology (AUT) in Chennai will have to undergo tests to assess their skills in mathematics and employability skills.

First of its kind, AUT Chennai has ventured on this university-level initiative to ascertain the skill levels of each student and closely monitor their progress.

"From our past experience, we know that the performance of students in the subject of mathematics warrants special attention. In this regard, we are proposing to conduct a test for all first year students to know or assess their level of knowledge in mathematics. The results will help us to devise teaching methodologies in our university. This will also help us to propose alternative strategies for teaching mathematics in schools," AUT Chennai vice chancellor C Thangaraj said in a circular sent to engineering college principals.

Addressing a meeting of principals a month ago, the vice chancellor touched upon the same problem and regretted that the school education system laid more emphasis on rote learning with students being given questions out of a blue print. As a result, most students failed in mathematics in colleges.

Pointing out the fact that a majority of the students who had joined BE courses this year were first generation degree learners, Thangaraj said that special attention must be paid to enhance their competency levels about their employability.

"Based on this test, we can profile the students and group them into different categories and devise strategies for enhancing their skills and also can monitor the same continuously," Thangaraj said.

The university will send a standard question paper for mathematics to colleges to assess the performance of students. In addition, it has proposed to conduct an online test to assess the analytical and communication skills of the students.

This test can help to find out the profile of the students and group them into different categories and devise strategies for enhancing their skills and also can monitor the same continuously, told Thangaraj.

AUT to conduct assessment tests for first year BE students

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