Tamil Nadu: No arrears in BE, B.Tech courses from this year

Chennai: Anna University's academic council on Wednesday gave its approval to replace the existing arrears system with the reappearance registration system for engineering courses from this academic year.

As per the new system, the students have to redo the internal exam. “The student who fails in the semester exam can reappear for it only when it is being offered next time. The attendance is not compulsory but he has to redo the internal exam and can only appear for semester exam along with the current students,” said T.V. Geetha, director, Academic Courses, Anna University.

The university also introduced the Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) for affiliated engineering colleges along with the new syllabus.

It also brought another key change in engineering education which allows the students to drop the two subjects (up to six credits) in a semester or study two subjects in advance.

“It will allow the students to study at their own pace. If the students feeling they can't study two difficult subjects in a semester they can study it later. If the bright students feel they can study two more subjects they can do it. If they finish their entire credits in advance, they can go for the full internship or do project work for six months in the 8th semester,” she explained.

At the same time, a student will not be allowed to register for more than 36 credits in a semester including the failed courses.

To prevent the students from accumulating the arrears, the University has put a cap of 3. The students can take one year break to work in the industry or to go for an internship.”The period to get the first class with distinction is being extended to five years from four years.

The students should have got cumulative grade point average (CGPA) not less than 8.50 and should have passed in all the courses in the eight semesters,” T.V.Geetha said. They can also get first class if they finish the course within six years.

The new syllabus has replaced the C, C++ with advanced programming language Python in the first year. “The industry wants that the engineering students to have knowledge of Python. So, we have replaced the C, C++ programme language,” she added. Among other initiatives, students can pursue value added courses which is over and above the total credit requirements and they can also get credits for doing online courses.

But, the students who pursue online courses will get credits only after evaluation through end semester examinations. The employability enhancement courses like the internship, summer project, case study, industrial training were all brought as part of the new curriculum.