With the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) releasing the draft model curriculum for BCA/BCA (Honours) and BCA (Honours with Research) programs for public feedback, higher education institutions (EES) are prepare a strategy to implement the new program. Experts say the introduction of a draft model curriculum for BCA and its variants is necessary to ensure uniformity and quality among educational institutions.
The proposed curriculum for all intents and purposes includes: A blend of IT fundamentals and industry-relevant courses; a mandatory three-week induction program; summer internships; industrial visits; workshops; integration of the Indian Knowledge System (IKS) and flexibility to offer a three-year (120 credits) or four-year (160 credits) program in addition to courses on socially relevant topics, professional and open electives. Since the program has been developed with feedback from industry experts, it focuses on industry requirements, market trends, employability and problem solving.
As Professor TG Sitharam, President, AICTE, points out, “The quality of technical education depends on many factors, but largely on a result-oriented, socially and industrially relevant curriculum. , motivated and good quality teaching staff, teaching-learning process, effective industry placement and student evaluation. depending on the desired results. Therefore, a model curriculum was to be prepared by the best experts from academia and industry, keeping in view the latest industry trends and market requirements, and made available to all universities/boards technical education and engineering establishments in the country. AICTE has constituted a team of experts to prepare the model syllabus for the UG degree course in Bachelor of Computer Application (BCA).
Since this is a recommended program, higher education institutions should build on this approach and be flexible in readjusting courses to accommodate between 120 and 160 credits.
Elaborating on the outline of the program, Muralidhara BL, Senior Professor, Department of Computer Science and Applications, Bangalore University, Bengaluru, and Chairman of the BCA Model Program Committee, says, “There has been a transformational change in the approach of the BCA program and the model program give it shape. Three specializations have been planned in the program, including Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), Data Analytics and Full Stack Development. The goal is to have students ready to work at the end of their courses.
A committee (consisting of six members) and 19 sub-committees (with 4 members each) took over a month to conceptualize the program which is a pan-India initiative. Prof Muralidhara said BCA was not previously under the purview of AICTE and hence each of the higher education institutions had its own BCA programme. Only two years ago, the program, like the MBA, came under the control of the technical education regulator and the need was felt for a model program.
“Each subject in the proposed program has a practical component to make students more employable in the job market. The first two years will be based on basic courses, followed by specializations from the third year. HEIs will have the responsibility to include the recommended specializations and add a few more based on the availability of faculty, resources and industry demand,” says Muralidhara. According to him, the new program is not mandatory but constitutes a model, which can be refined and customized to meet the needs of HEIs.
The draft program will likely be finalized in about a month after stakeholder feedback. “It is a healthy mix of industry-relevant courses and core courses, as technologies are constantly evolving and our students should not be left behind without adequate knowledge of core disciplines,” explains Muralidhara.
“Since language courses are a necessary part of the BCA curriculum in states like Karnataka, the flexibility of offering multidisciplinary courses will make the curriculum more comprehensive. Additionally, the integration of various subjects is in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and its approach to more holistic education,” says Muralidhara.
The model program also offers multiple entry and exit options to help students chart their career path and improve their skills based on their chosen subjects. “This will enable BCA students to be on par with BTech (CS) students as both streams have the same program format,” adds Muralidhara.
The new curriculum will bring uniformity across all higher education institutions and streamline the teaching-learning process. Ashok Kumar TA, Professor and Head, School of Computer Science and Studies (SSCS), CMR University, Bengaluru, says, “All higher education institutions will follow the same syllabus so that the assessment of knowledge and skills of students can be measured on the same basis. standardized scale.
Highlighting the challenges BCA students face in the current legacy curriculum, Kumar explains, “One of the major concerns is the outdated focus on technology, which often fails to address critical emerging areas such as AI, ML and cybersecurity. As a result, students graduate without possessing the necessary skills required by employers in these rapidly evolving fields. Additionally, the program does not place enough emphasis on practical experience, limiting opportunities for internships and practical projects. The current curriculum’s close alignment with industry trends means that students cannot become familiar with modern tools and platforms, such as AWS and Python, which are essential to success in today’s IT landscape. The former curriculum also tends to overlook the importance of developing soft skills that are essential for effective communication and teamwork in professional environments, which the program models, with its interdisciplinary focus, seeks to address. The research orientation, particularly in the four-year Honors with Research (BCA) course, will enable students to work on cutting-edge projects and publish research articles that can significantly improve their career prospects, particularly for MTech, PhD or R&D positions in technology companies. .
However, the transition to the model program may not be easy, as Kumar points out: “Faculty training is essential, as instructors will need to familiarize themselves with the new course structures, teaching methodologies and the Industry-relevant content. Some higher education institutions may also struggle to integrate internships and industrial visits due to logistical constraints, particularly colleges located far from major industrial hubs.
