Degree by Design: SKUASTK Model of Education

The concept of “Degree by Design (DBD)”© is emerging as a transformative idea in the ongoing educational discourse. This innovative term was first introduced by Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K) during their work on the National Agriculture Higher Education Project (NAHEP). The project was aimed at developing an innovative, creative, skill-oriented, entrepreneurship-driven, and business-focused model for Indian agricultural education.

DBD empowers students with unprecedented freedom to design their curriculum for a particular degree program. Students can choose from a wide array of courses offered by their university, with the flexibility to include courses from other universities, both offline and online, where Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) exist. The vision behind DBD also extends to include courses from international universities, thus broadening the scope and global relevance of Indian education. This model seeks to dismantle the rigid compartmentalization that has long characterized traditional education systems, where students are often compelled to follow predefined streams and course combinations, regardless of their interests. DBD also allows students to complete their degree at their own pace, freeing them from the constraints of a university-mandated timeframe. This flexibility enables students to pursue jobs, start businesses, or engage in other activities, returning to complete their studies at a time that suits them best.

Moreover, the DBD model has inspired further innovations such as the Sandwich Model for postgraduate programs and the Dual Degree Model for undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. These initiatives aim to streamline the educational process, increase student participation in their academic planning, and boost enrollment in higher education, which currently stands at only about 25% in India, compared to 60-80% in developed countries. Notably, these are not just theoretical concepts; SKUAST-K has already implemented these programmes, receiving tremendous response and appreciation from students.

In contrast, we have introduced the term “Degree by Default” to describe the current educational system, where students have limited or no choice in selecting their courses or curriculum.

This article delves into the brief description of both the systems.

Degree by Default we refer to a system of education where the courses and curriculum are pre-determined by the university’s syndicate or academic council. The students are compelled to suo-moto register the courses pre-approved in the scheme with no choice for them to change within a particular stream. Compartmentalization of the streams in the Degree by Default is also a bottleneck for students, not allowing them to select the courses from the diverse fields. For example a student from medical stream is not allowed to take a course in mathematics or humanities or accounts.

Similarly, a student from humanities is not allowed to take a course from among the courses under the science stream. This has created compartmentalization of the education system and the most important stakeholders of the system, the students, are deprived of the choice to choose what courses they are interested to learn. This prompted us to call it, Degree by Default and include all such programmes in Higher Education domain which operates on this principle and mechanism of rigidity.

The evaluation system based on rote learning rather than the cognitive, critical and creative thinking, hinders further the flow of learning in this system.

Cognitive and critical thinking and learning outcome based examination evaluation as an integral component of DBD, presently is a difficult transition for the teachers as they are not accustomed to holding this pattern of examination. They need to work harder for a deeper understanding of their subject matter, be akin to changing paradigms and inculcate creativity for developing the resource for such a type of evaluation system. In the changing landscape of education, the role of a teacher for offline classroom teaching has become more difficult and challenging due to booming information technology. The teachers need to change their approach to teaching and learning pedagogy, be dynamic to accommodate fast changing horizons and landscape of knowledge and be swift in adopting new educational tools, technologies and concepts. Unwillingness to change may pose difficulties for them to retain students in the classroom in spite of the stick of compulsory attendance without a carrot of flexibility and mentorship.

These challenges, we too have experienced in our agricultural education system and has been inflicting the learning outcomes. The graduates thus produced out of the present setup of Degree by Default, are neither farmers nor the experts with better and modern skill sets and poor in creative thinking. The experts produced after post-graduation degrees lack the practical exposure and thus approach to problem solutions

The Birth of “Degree by Design”

SKUAST-K conceptualized a proposal for the NAHEP which was under the aegis of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi, with funding from the World Bank in 2018. The proposal aimed to develop a model education system for Indian agriculture, centered on a dynamic knowledge ecosystem that integrates research, innovation, technology, and entrepreneurship. The goal was to promote a startup culture among students and faculty in state agricultural universities, fostering a seamless flow of knowledge, ideas, and technologies, and building organic linkages among stakeholders.

The DBD concept originated from the project’s student-driven slogan, “DECIDE TO LEED,” which outlined several challenging action points:

1. Empowering students to design their curriculum, which required creating a conducive and enabling ecosystem where they could freely choose from a diverse range of materials and courses.
2. Establishing norms and regulations to permit such flexibility.
3. Sensitizing and educating faculty and academic administrators on the radical changes demanded by this new concept.
4. Encouraging students to move beyond traditional, monotonous courses and closed compartments, and instead, develop leadership skills, critical and creative thinking, innovation, and employability.

These action points were meticulously defined, and the project’s focus was sharpened, resulting in remarkable outcomes.

Interestingly, “DECIDE” stands for “Design your Exquisite Curriculum for Interdisciplinary Education” (Student’s Option),

while “LEED” stands for “Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Employment, Discovery” (University’s Ecosystem).

DBD and the New National Education Policy (NEP-2020)

The DBD initiative gained further momentum with the introduction of the New National Education Policy (NEP-2020) by the Union Cabinet, Government of India, on 29th July 2020. The NEP-2020 outlines a new vision for India’s education system, replacing the previous National Policy on Education, 1986. While a detailed discussion of the NEP-2020 is beyond the scope of this article, some key features of the policy given below, align perfectly with the principles of the DBD model:

1. Curriculum: A revised curriculum structure transitioning from a 10+2 system to a 5+3+3+4 system based on children’s cognitive development.
2. Teaching: An emphasis on nurturing students' creative potential, promoting flexibility, multidisciplinary education, and critical thinking.
3. Evaluation: A focus on evaluating actual knowledge rather than rote learning, with less emphasis on high-stakes board exams.
4. Languages: Encouraging the use of the mother tongue as the medium of instruction until 5th grade, with no mandatory language requirements.
5. Other Features: Introducing research methodology in the final year of undergraduate courses, and offering the option to exit the course with a certificate or degree at different stages.

The NEP-2020 introduces reforms that emphasize flexibility, multidisciplinary education, and critical thinking, allowing students to customize their course selections to fit their needs, interests, and strengths. This aligns seamlessly with the DBD model, which facilitates students in choosing their curriculum, offering them the confidence and liberty to pursue their academic passions.

In the 21st century, quality higher education must aim to develop well-rounded, thoughtful, and creative individuals. It should empower students to delve deeply into specialized areas of interest, while also fostering character, ethical and constitutional values, intellectual curiosity, scientific temper, creativity, and a spirit of service. A robust higher education system should prepare students not only for meaningful careers but also for fulfilling and independent lives.

Farooq Ahmad Zaki Former Dean, Registrar and Project Planning and Monitoring officer and  Educational Consultant at SKUASTK, 

Nazir Ahmad Ganai, Vice Chancellor, SKUASTK,