Curriculum Convention on Outcome Based Education for Nursing

Manipal College of Nursing Manipal organized 5th curriculum convention of the institution on 23 October 2019 on ‘Outcome Based Education (OBE) for Nursing’ to improve the teaching learning activities and to be in par with the international standards. Mrs. Judith Vasan, Nursing Superintendent, Manipal Hospital Bangalore and Mr. Sujith Thankachan George, staff Nurse, Accident and Emergency, South Tyneside District Hospital, UK & Health and Safety Representative of Royal College of Nursing have deliberated their views and experiences on employer’s expectations from graduate nurses in India and in United Kingdom respectively. Both of them expressed that cognitive abilities, technical, communication and emotional skills are the basic necessary requirements of every graduate nurse and it needs to strongly built up during curriculum implementation.

Dr. Shankaranarayana Bhat, Associate Director, Faculty Development and Welfare Program, Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal oriented the participants about OBE and its importance in the current competitive education. Dr. Bhat highlighted on OBE as an educational theory that bases each part of an educational system around goals (outcomes). It is a student-centered instruction model that focuses on measuring student performance through predefined outcomes. By the end of the educational experience, each student should have achieved the goal. The goals include knowledge, skills and attitudes. Its focus remain on evaluation of Program Educational Evaluation by stating the knowledge, skill and behavior a graduate is expected to attain upon completion of a program and maintain after 3 – 5 years of graduation.

Dr. Srikanth N, Professor and Head of Oral Pathology and Microbiology, Manipal College of Dental Sciences, Mangalore addressed on constructive alignment of curriculum. Dr. Srikanth highlighted that there is no single specified style of teaching or assessment in OBE; instead, classes, opportunities, and assessments should all help students achieve the specified graduate outcomes. The role of the faculty is to adapt into instructor, trainer, facilitator, and/or mentor based on the outcomes targeted.

The faculty members of MCON Manipal, alumni, final year under graduate students and post graduate students prepared Program Educational Outcome (PEO) and Program Outcome (PO) for basic B.Sc. Nursing and Post Basic B.Sc. Nursing program based on the Course Outcomes (CO) prepared for each courses taught in the undergraduate curriculum. The convention resulted in fine-tuning of COs, POs and PEOs for undergraduate courses of MCON Manipal.

Dr. Anice George, Dean Manipal College of Nursing Manipal welcomed the gathering and gave the closing remarks at the end of the day. Dr. Judith A Noronha, Associate Dean gave an overview of the program. Dr. Latha T, Assistant Professor and Convener of the program thanked the speakers and the participants. Mrs Savitha, Assistant Professor compered the entire day’s event.