Outcome Based Education (OBE): Defining the Process and Practice for Engineering Education

Abstract

Outcome Based Education aka OBE is one of the de-facto standards for modern educational system. An outcome is a culminating demonstration of learning that the students should be able to do at the end of a course, and in process at end of the degree program. Therefore, OBE is an approach to education in which decisions about the curriculum are driven by the exit learning outcomes that the students should perform in their professional life. An engineer is a unique combination of different skill sets that must be mastered to resolve nontrivial real-life engineering problems. Consequently, the adoption of OBE in engineering education is the compelling necessity. This study offers a comprehensive, ready to adopt OBE framework for tertiary level engineering programs complying with the benchmark mandates of the OBE and the guidelines of Washington Accord. Additionally, the framework is successfully deployed in the department of CSE, IUB for the design and implementation of the undergraduate CSE program, a transcript of which is also documented. This will assist the concerned institutions to design their program in OBE model to gain international academic equivalency and accreditation.

Keywords

• Outcome based education (OBE)
• program educational objective (PEO)
• program learning outcome (PLO)
• course learning outcome (CLO)
• rubric
• continuous quality improvement (CQI)