One-Day National Workshop on Smart Assessments with OBE Approach: OBE Strategies, Prisise Exam Design, and QnSmart i Implementation for Quality Education – Parul University

One-Day National Workshop on Smart Assessments with OBE Approach: OBE Strategies, Prisise Exam Design, and QnSmart i Implementation for Quality Education – Parul University

As part of Parul University’s continued commitment to enhancing academic quality and assessment standards, a one-day workshop titled “Smart Assessments with OBE Approach: OBE Strategies and Precise Exam Design” was held on 9 June 2025 at the university campus in Vadodara. This impactful workshop was organized as a follow-up to the successful implementation of QnSmart i and the completion of the First Semester Examinations across more than 200 programmes.

The workshop was led by Dr. Mendus Jacob, M.D. & CEO of ipsr solutions limited, Director, Valin Technologies – UK, USA, & Canada, Professor & Director, MCA, Marian College, Kuttikkanam, Autonomous.

Dr. Jacob provided an insightful and practical orientation on how faculty members and institutions can align curriculum design and assessments with the Outcome-Based Education (OBE) model, thereby enabling a robust, transparent, and measurable teaching and learning framework.

A major focus of Dr. Jacob’s session was on the definition and mapping of Course Outcomes (COs), Program Outcomes (POs), and Program Specific Outcomes (PSOs). He elaborated on the interrelationship between these elements and how they serve as fundamental building blocks for a quality OBE framework. Dr. Jacob stressed the importance of creating clearly defined COs that align with POs and PSOs, emphasizing that the accurate articulation and mapping of these outcomes are crucial for meaningful assessments and achieving graduate attributes.

 He introduced effective strategies for precise exam design, including blueprinting, criteria-referenced assessment methods, and mapping assessments to COs using Bloom’s Taxonomy. He also shared techniques for setting question papers that reflect the desired cognitive levels, ensuring that every assessment contributes meaningfully to the achievement of learning outcomes.

The workshop also underlined the importance of data-driven strategies in education. Dr. Mendus discussed how OBE tools and strategies can offer actionable insights beyond student attainment scores. In addition to his session on OBE strategies, Dr. Mendus emphasized that this is precisely where the importance of tools like QnSmart i comes into play. He pointed out that this Question Bank and Question Paper Generation software, designed with a strong focus on Outcome-Based Education (OBE), criteria-referenced quality control, best practices, and cost savings for universities, plays a crucial role in helping teachers design effective assessment strategies aligned with the desired learning outcomes, questions mapped to specific outcomes, distribution of outcomes in question papers visually audited, thereby making the assessment process more transparent and outcome-oriented.

The workshop saw the enthusiastic participation of nearly 500 faculty members from various departments of Parul University. 

These educators engaged actively throughout the session, seeking clarifications and sharing their own experiences related to curriculum design and assessment planning. Their eagerness to adopt advanced tools and methodologies reflects the university’s strong academic culture and collective pursuit of excellence.

The success of the event was made possible by the meticulous planning and coordination of the Examination Cell of Parul University. Special appreciation is extended to Mr. Nirav R. Bhavsar (Controller of Examinations), Mr. Brijesh Dharani (Deputy Registrar), Mr. Akhilesh Dubey (Assistant Registrar – Examinations), and Ms. Tanvi Shirke (Examinations Department) for their unwavering commitment and support in organizing this valuable initiative.

In conclusion, the workshop proved to be a significant step in equipping faculty members with the knowledge, strategies, and tools required to implement smart assessments aligned with the OBE framework. With ipsr solutions limited as the technical partner and the active participation of the university’s teaching community, Parul University continues to lead by example in adopting innovative, learner-centric, and quality-driven academic practices.

Benny John Joseph

Benny John Joseph Manager-Business Development in ipsr solutions limited, with 19+ years of experience as Manager in Production, Quality & Marketing & 7+ years in Printing Technology.