Cluster Mapping for NBA Accreditation

Cluster Mapping for NBA Accreditation

Sep-15-2025, Articles

Simplifying CO–PO Mapping in Outcome-Based Education

Accreditation by the National Board of Accreditation (NBA) is a mark of quality and credibility for engineering and technical institutions in India. One of the core elements of NBA evaluation is Outcome-Based Education (OBE), which ensures that programs not only deliver content but also measure how effectively students achieve defined competencies and graduate attributes.

At the heart of OBE lies CO–PO Mapping:

• CO (Course Outcomes) define what a student should achieve at the end of a course.
• PO (Program Outcomes) represent the broader skills and competencies a graduate is expected to possess.

For large programmes with multiple courses and hundreds of COs, direct mapping becomes complex and unwieldy.
This is where Cluster Mapping comes in — a structured approach to simplify, standardise, and strengthen traceability in CO–PO mapping.

What is Cluster Mapping?

Cluster Mapping is a technique used to group related courses or COs into logical clusters based on common themes, skills, or knowledge domains.
Instead of mapping each CO directly to every PO, institutions first map courses to clusters and then map clusters to POs.

This creates a two-step process:

CO → Cluster → PO

By introducing clusters, the mapping becomes more manageable, transparent, and NBA-friendly.

Why Cluster Mapping is Essential for the NBA

NBA emphasises realistic and defensible mapping. Without clustering, programs often face challenges like:

Challenge	Impact
Hundreds of COs across semesters	Mapping becomes overwhelming and error-prone
Overlapping or similar COs	Leads to repetitive mapping
Faculty confusion	Inconsistent data entry and reporting
Unrealistic mapping (everything → everything)	Inflated results that fail peer review
Time-consuming audits	Difficult to justify mapping decisions

Cluster Mapping solves these problems by introducing structure and clarity.

Benefits of Cluster Mapping

Benefit	Why It Matters for NBA
Simplifies complexity	Groups courses into 5–7 clusters, reducing COs to a manageable level
Prevents over-mapping	Only relevant clusters are mapped to specific POs
Enhances transparency	Easy to explain to NBA peer review teams
Improves traceability	Clear line of sight from course to program outcomes
Supports continuous improvement	Cluster-level data guides curriculum review and faculty development

How to Implement Cluster Mapping

Step 1: Identify Clusters

Begin by grouping courses based on similar objectives or domains.
A typical engineering programme might use these clusters:

Cluster Code	Cluster Name	Example Courses
BS	Basic Sciences	Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry
ES	Engineering Sciences	Mechanics, Programming, Electrical
PC	Professional Core	Thermodynamics, Fluid Mechanics
PE	Professional Electives	AI, Renewable Energy
DP	Design & Projects	Mini/Major Projects, Design Thinking
HM	Humanities & Management	Communication, Ethics, Leadership
II	Internship & Industry Interaction	Internship, Industry Visits

Pro tip:
Keep clusters between 5–7 for clarity and better reporting.

Step 2: Map Clusters to POs

NBA specifies 11 Program Outcomes (PO1–PO11) aligned with graduate attributes such as engineering knowledge, problem-solving, communication, ethics, and lifelong learning.

Each cluster is mapped to POs using a weight scale:

• 3 = Strong correlation
• 2 = Moderate correlation
• 1 = Low correlation
• 0 = No correlation

Example:

Cluster	PO1	PO2	PO3	PO4	PO5
BS	3	2	1	2	0
ES	3	3	2	2	2
PC	3	3	3	2	3
DP	2	3	3	3	3

Step 3: Calculate Cluster Attainment

1. Collect Direct Attainment Data:
   • Semester exams
   • Labs and practicals
   • Projects, viva voce, assignments
2. Collect Indirect Attainment Data:
   • Student exit surveys
   • Alumni feedback
   • Employer feedback
3. Combine direct and indirect using weightage from Config (e.g., Direct = 90%, Indirect = 10%).

Weighted Attainment=(Direct×0.9)+(Indirect×0.1)

Step 4: Derive PO Attainment

Finally, PO attainment is calculated by aggregating the weighted attainment of clusters using their respective mapping strengths (3/2/1).

Formula:

POi = ∑(Cluster Attainment × Cluster →PO Weight) 

This approach ensures accuracy and defensibility, crucial during NBA audits.

Example Scenario

Imagine a Mechanical Engineering department:

• 50+ courses spread across 8 semesters
• 300+ COs total

Without clustering, mapping each CO directly to 11 POs would result in 3,600 mapping entries!

Using Cluster Mapping:

• Courses grouped into 7 clusters
• Only 7 × 11 = 77 entries needed for cluster-PO mapping
• Massive reduction in workload while maintaining quality.

Best Practices for NBA-Ready Cluster Mapping

1. Faculty Involvement:
   Engage faculty from each cluster area to ensure realistic mapping.
2. Document Everything:
   • List courses under each cluster
   • Show how clusters were formed
   • Maintain meeting minutes for NBA records
3. Use Rubrics:
   Standardise assessment rubrics for direct and indirect evaluations.
4. Review Annually:
   Revise cluster mappings as curriculum or industry requirements change.
5. Leverage Tools:
   Consider OBE software or Excel templates to automate calculations.

Addressing Common Questions

Q1. Can a course belong to more than one cluster?
No. Each course should belong to only one cluster to avoid duplication.

Q2. How many clusters are ideal?
Between 5–7. Too many clusters can defeat the purpose of simplification.

Q3. What if two departments share a course?
The course is mapped to the cluster within its primary programme, with collaboration notes added for transparency.

Why NBA Prefers Cluster Mapping

During NBA peer reviews, evaluators look for:

• Clear justification of mappings
• Logical grouping of courses
• Realistic correlation between curriculum and graduate outcomes

Cluster Mapping demonstrates maturity in OBE practices and helps institutions:

• Defend mapping decisions with evidence
• Streamline audits
• Show continuous improvement

Conclusion

Cluster Mapping is more than just a time-saver — it’s a strategic approach to managing complex OBE processes.
By adopting cluster-based CO–PO mapping:

• Institutions can simplify reporting
• Enhance data transparency
• Build credibility during NBA accreditation visits

As engineering education evolves, Cluster Mapping offers a scalable, sustainable way to connect what is taught in classrooms to what is expected in the professional world

Take Action

If your institution is preparing for NBA accreditation:

1. Identify 5–7 core clusters.
2. Map all courses logically to these clusters.
3. Use tools to automate calculations and dashboards.
4. Train faculty in OBE and NBA documentation standards.

Remember: Simplification leads to clarity, and clarity leads to success in accreditation.

At IPSR, we’ve used our custom tools to generate ready-to-use templates featuring cluster-level data entry (direct & indirect), auto-generated PO attainment, dashboards with charts, and a printable NBA one-page summary, all designed to reduce preparation time and simplify accreditation reporting.

Connect with us to explore our OBE support services tailored for institutions preparing for NBA.