Assess their skills

Instead of marks-based exams, colleges should start linking student performances to specific learning objectives

The education system in India tends to focus on rote learning and gives secondary status to skills, despite various discussions on including the latter.

One topic of recent debate is whether college assessments should be based on skills. According to a study in Vanderbilt University, assessment is a critical aspect of the teaching-learning process, and teachers can measure their effectiveness by linking student performance to specific learning objectives.

College assessments have, so far, been based on marks in written exams. Today, traditional ways of conducting classroom exams alone are not enough. A student’s real potential may lie in a skill set he/she possesses. A gradual shift towards skill-based assessments can help identify a student’s innate abilities. Therefore, effective verbal and written communication and presentation skills, digital marketing, designing, critical thinking, and problem-solving need to be assessed. This can be done by revising the pedagogy to incorporate these skills while keeping the main syllabus intact.