QIP on Quality Question Paper Setting for Outcome-Based Assessment

The QIP programme on “Question Bank Development for Outcome-Based Education (OBE)” is designed to strengthen faculty capacity in developing systematic, valid, reliable, and outcome-aligned assessment practices. In an Outcome-Based Education framework, assessment is not limited to testing students’ ability to recall information; rather, it serves as an important mechanism for determining the extent to which students have achieved the intended Course Outcomes (COs). Therefore, the development of a well-structured and quality-assured question bank is essential for ensuring alignment between curriculum, teaching-learning processes, assessment, and expected learning outcomes.

The event is particularly relevant in the context of the increasing emphasis on OBE, constructive alignment, continuous assessment, and evidence-based measurement of student learning. Faculty members are required to design questions that appropriately assess different cognitive abilities, ranging from knowledge and understanding to application, analysis, evaluation, and creation. The programme will therefore focus on developing a common understanding of the principles and practices involved in OBE-oriented question-bank preparation.

The training will be facilitated by an experienced academic and examination professional serving as Coordinator, Office of Examinations, with more than a decade of association with examination-related processes. The resource person also holds M.Sc., M.Phil., and Ph.D. qualifications and specialises in Linear and Nonlinear Convection in Magnetic Fluids. The combination of academic expertise and extensive practical experience in examination administration provides an appropriate foundation for addressing both the conceptual and operational dimensions of assessment and question-bank development.

The programme will begin by establishing the relationship between Course Outcomes, Programme Outcomes, assessment strategies, and student attainment. Participants will examine how assessment questions can be aligned with the intended learning outcomes of a course and how such alignment contributes to meaningful measurement of learning. Particular emphasis will be placed on the use of Bloom’s Taxonomy to classify questions according to cognitive levels and to ensure that question banks provide adequate opportunities for assessing higher-order thinking.

A major component of the event will focus on the design and quality of assessment questions. Participants will explore characteristics of effective questions, including clarity, relevance, appropriateness of cognitive level, syllabus coverage, conceptual accuracy, and suitability to the expected student level. The training will also distinguish between cognitive complexity and question difficulty, enabling faculty members to create a balanced combination of easy, moderate, and challenging questions.

The programme will include practical guidance on CO–question mapping, in which individual questions are linked to specific Course Outcomes. Participants will also learn how to structure a question bank across units, topics, marks, cognitive levels, and difficulty levels. This will help create a systematic repository of questions that can support the preparation of balanced and OBE-compliant question papers.

An important feature of the event will be its hands-on and participatory approach. Faculty members will work with sample or existing questions from their respective courses, identify their corresponding COs and Bloom’s levels, assess their quality, and revise questions where necessary. Through practical exercises and peer discussion, participants will be encouraged to identify gaps such as excessive reliance on recall-based questions, inadequate CO coverage, inappropriate cognitive-level mapping, duplication, ambiguity, or insufficient representation of higher-order learning.

The programme will also address quality assurance and continuous improvement of question banks. Faculty members will be introduced to processes such as peer review, standardised question-bank formats, answer-key or rubric development, and periodic review. These practices can contribute to greater consistency, transparency, and reliability in assessment while also strengthening documentation required for OBE and academic quality processes.

By the conclusion of the event, participants are expected to demonstrate improved ability to design, analyse, map, review, and refine assessment questions in accordance with OBE principles. The training will enable faculty members to develop question banks that provide balanced assessment across Course Outcomes and cognitive levels and generate meaningful evidence for Course Outcome attainment.

Overall, the event seeks to establish a consistent, systematic, and quality-oriented approach to question-bank development. It will contribute to strengthening faculty assessment competencies, improving the alignment between learning outcomes and evaluation, and supporting continuous improvement in teaching, learning, and assessment practices. The programme therefore serves not merely as training in question preparation, but as a capacity-building initiative aimed at strengthening the broader implementation of Outcome-Based Education and evidence-based academic assessment.