Parvatibai Chowgule College has always striven for academic excellence and overall development of its students. With this vision, the institute applied for the status of ‘Academic Autonomy’ and was granted the status of an Autonomous Institute in August 2014 by University Grants Commission (UGC) and Goa University.
Chowgule College has become the first college in the state to attain the Autonomous status. It will begin functioning as an autonomous college in the academic year beginning June 2015, enrolling the first batch of students under a new curriculum.
Students who were admitted to the undergraduate programmes during the academic year 2014-15, under Goa University’s semester system, shall continue to be under the same affiliating system as they progress to the second year in 2015-16 and the third year in 2016-17.
Talking about this accomplishment, Dr. R. V. Gaonkar, Principal, Parvatibai Chowgule College said, “It is a moment of pride for Chowgule College to being granted the autonomous status. The autonomous status will allow us educators to guide our students appropriately, which will in turn help them becoming better educated citizens of the state and of the nation. I would like to thank all the staff, administration and the students for their continuous support”.
Under the academic autonomy, the college will have academic freedom in providing education that is globally relevant. It will also allow the institute to design its own programmes, courses, methods of instructions as well as evaluation system.
Choice Based Credit System (CBCS):
The new course structure being offered by the autonomous College provides the students an opportunity to study under the Choice Based Credit System (CBCS). Under the CBCS students will be able to choose subjects of their choice based on their individual aptitudes and career goals. The CBCS ensures compatibility with the academic objectives and norms followed by leading institutions in India and abroad.
Under the CBCS the undergraduate degree programme is of three years’ duration and consists of six semesters. A student needs to offer a minimum of 130 credits to complete the programme. The B.A. programme is offered in twelve different subjects and the B.Sc. programme is offered in nine different subjects.
The programmes are structured into four components: Component A (Core and Elective courses. 21 courses of 4 credits each), Component B (Foundation Course. 9 courses of 4 credits each), Component C (extracurricular activities. 3 activities of 2 credits each) and Component D (Internship of 4 credits)
Choice of subjects in the B.A. programme: (i) Languages- French, English, Hindi, Konkani, Marathi and Portuguese; (ii) Social Sciences: Economics, Geography, History, Philosophy, Psychology, Sociology.
Choice of subjects in the B.Sc. programme: Botany, Biotechnology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Geology, Geography, Mathematics, Physics, Zoology.
A student can choose to do a single major, major-minor or double major in subjects of his/her choice during his/her graduation.
Grading system:
The final grades of the student will be determined by the credits earned under Components A and B only. However, the students will have to complete all credits under all components for the award of the degree.
With respect to gradation, a uniform grading system will be implemented, given its significant benefits over the conventional marks system. Numerous educational institutions of repute in this nation and abroad have also opted for grading, given its merits. The grading system at Chowgule College will facilitate student mobility across institutions within and across countries, while also enabling potential employers to assess the performance of students. The college has formulated guidelines based on the UGC recommendations to produce uniformity in the grading system and in the computation of the cumulative grade point average (CGPA) based on the performance of students in the examinations.
Though Autonomous status has been granted by UGC, the college continues to be affiliated to Goa University and degrees will be awarded by Goa University indicating the name of the college. The college recently got accredited by National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) with a cumulative grade point average of 3.41 out of 4, which is the highest for any college in Goa.
Goa Newswire 