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Of Marks and Memories—Academics in Manipal 2021

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This article is current as of 2021 and will be updated with new information shortly. If you are looking for more information, head over to our official Freshers’ group of 2021 to have your doubts cleared.

Manipal Institute of Technology, being a renowned destination of academic excellence, aims to shape its students into professionals who can ace their careers. The academic system in Manipal follows a routine of continuously evaluating students throughout each semester. Here is a comprehensive list of everything you should know about studying in Manipal.

Subjects

The first year is common to all students, and the entire batch is divided into two cycles, namely the Physics and the Chemistry cycle. Students belonging to the Physics cycle in the first semester are switched to the Chemistry cycle in the second semester, and vice versa. Through the course of the two semesters, students study subjects from each branch of engineering, which revisit certain concepts as an extension of the eleventh and twelfth grade. The most recent course outline for the first year syllabus can be found here. The curriculum is updated every four years. The most recent update was in 2018. The subjects each cycle comprises are listed below:

Physics Cycle

  • Engineering Physics
  • Mechanics of Solids
  • Basic Mechanical Engineering
  • Communication Skills in English
  • Basic Electronics
  • Engineering Mathematics I
  • Physics Lab
  • Workshop Practice
  • Communication Skills in English Lab
  • Engineering Graphics Lab I
  • Creativity, Problem Solving and Innovation

Chemistry Cycle

  • Engineering Chemistry
  • Problem Solving Using Computers (PSUC)
  • Biology for Engineers
  • Environmental Studies
  • Basic Electrical Engineering
  • Engineering Mathematics II
  • Chemistry Lab
  • PSUC Lab
  • Environmental Studies Lab
  • Engineering Graphics Lab II
  • Creativity, Problem Solving and Innovation

Engineering Mathematics I and II and Engineering Graphics Lab I and II are followed in both semesters. All the labs except Engineering Graphics lab (two credits) are for one credit. Communication Skills in English and Environmental Studies are also for two credits each, including the lab, and barring Engineering Mathematics (four credits), the rest of the subjects are for three. The Environmental Studies and Communication Skills in English courses are taught as a weekly three-hour lab and one-hour theory class, with the grading for lab and theory combined. Each lab is for three hours, whereas for theory subjects, the hours equal the credits. The number of credits directly correlates to the subject’s weight in GPA calculation.

Apart from these courses, a new subject called Creativity, Problem Solving and Innovation(CPI) was introduced for the first two semesters, which aims to improve the critical thinking and problem-solving skills of students. It does not carry any weight-age in GPA calculation.

The workload in both semesters is more or less the same. The Chemistry cycle is more theory-based and provides students with the opportunity to go back to subjects like Biology and EVS. The Physics cycle is more conceptual and requires a relatively higher grade of problem-solving, whereas the Chemistry cycle is much more theoretical, with the exception of PSUC.

With the most basic knowledge about every branch of engineering, students, at the end of their first year, are provided with an option to change their branch based on their CGPA and the vacancy of the seats in the department they wish to switch to. Each of the first-year sections includes students from different branches instead of branch-wise divisions. Students from CSE, IT, CCE, EEE, EnI, Biomedical and Chemical begin with the Chemistry cycle, whereas ECE, Mechanical, Mechatronics, Automobile, Aeronautical, IP, Media Technology, Civil, and Biotechnology begin with the Physics cycle. The cycle that you start with depends on your branch prior to the intra-sliding round.

Image result for manipal institute of technology labs

Courtesy: The Post Staff

From the second year onwards, the courses specific to your branch begin. The counselling booklet contains the course plans of all branches. The newest addition to this years’ courses— Artificial Intelligence and Machine learning, trains aspiring data scientists students on core Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning topics. The course outline for each of the branches can be found through the following links:

Online Classes

Due to the restrictions imposed by COVID-19, Manipal Institute of Technology has started conducting online classes for students of Semester 3 and above on Microsoft Teams. The online classes, as of now, are being conducted from Monday to Saturday for theory subjects only. The schedule for online classes is as follows:

  • Each day is divided into two slots—morning and evening.
  • Each subject gets two slots in a week
  • The slot timings vary according to the subject’s credits. 4 credit subjects are divided into two slots of 2 hours each, 3 credit subjects are divided into two slots of 1.5 hours each, and 2 credit subjects are divided into two slots of 1 hour each.

The third Saturday of every month is a holiday and other than this, other holidays are given as per the MAHE calendar.

Assessment System

Please note: The current assessment and examination pattern may be changed due to classes being conducted virtually. The following information will be updated and informed to the students and their parents by the Academic Section of MIT Manipal.

The assessment system in Manipal is two-fold, including internal assessment and the end semester examination, with each being given equal importance.

The internal assessment includes two forms of evaluation:

  • Sessionals: Over the course of the semester, two sessionals or one mid-term will be held, where all the theoretical subjects are tested, and these exams are out of fifteen and thirty marks respectively. In total, they account for 30% of your final grade.
  • Assignment Tests: Due to the restrictions imposed by COVID-19 and online classes, there are some changes to the original assignment pattern. Currently, for the higher semesters the assignment pattern is as follows:
    • Assignment 1 is for 10 marks and is conducted online through MS Forms. There will be three quizzes consisting of MCQs and fill in the blanks each of 10 marks each, based on topics covered in the immediate previous two weeks. These marks will be then averaged out of 10.
    • Assignment 2 and Assignment 3: These are of 5 marks each and are conducted on MS Teams. These will have descriptive questions and portions are based on the topics covered in the immediate previous 3 weeks.

The internal assessment pattern for Communication Skills in English and Environmental Studies varies from the rest of the subjects. One sessional test of 15 marks is conducted for both. For Communication Skills in English, the rest of the marks are accounted for by writing and grammar tests, speeches, group discussions, literature and listening exercises. For Environmental Studies, the most recent assessment pattern required the completion of five projects of four marks each during the semester and a group presentation for 15 marks. It must be noted that these assessment patterns are subject to change.

The end semester exams are out of 50 marks and account for the remaining 50% of your final grade. The syllabus includes everything studied throughout the semester. For most of the labs, continuous internal assessment accounts for 60% of the grade while the lab end semester examination accounts for 40%.

Incoming students need not buy reference books beforehand. The study material for all subjects is provided to the students and any additional books can easily be borrowed from the well-stocked library.  Since the coursework does not have a single prescribed book, teachers will usually suggest chapter-wise reference books.

A typical lecture hall in MIT (Courtesy: The Post Staff)

Credit System

Each course, theory as well as practical, is expressed in terms of a certain number of credits. The number of contact hours per week determines the credits. In the case of theory courses, the number of credits is equal to the number of contact hours (lectures & tutorials) per week. For practical courses, one credit is assigned for every three contact hours per week.

A student successfully completes a particular semester when they earn the specified credits for that semester and passes (i.e., obtains letter grade E or above) in any Audit course prescribed in the curriculum. A student earns full credits for a registered course if they secure a letter grade E or higher in that course.

Grading and CGPA

Your final grade in a subject is generated on a relative scale. While it is a requirement to clear the written exam (minimum of 18 marks out of 50 in the end semester examination), the final passing mark depends on how the batch has done in a given subject.

A 10-point grading system is used for awarding a letter grade in each course:

Letter Grade Grade Points
A+ 10
A 9
B 8
C 7
D 6
E 5
AP 0
F/I/DT 0

AP: Audit Pass
F: Failure
I: Incomplete
DT: Attendance Shortage

Starting from the 2018-2022 batch, Open Elective subjects will not be considered for GPA & CGPA calculation. However, the credits earned in open elective subjects will be considered for promotion to higher semesters.

The overall performance of a student in each semester is indicated by the Grade Point Average (GPA), which is the weighted average of the grade points expressed as:

The cumulative performance of a student is indicated by the Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA), which is expressed as:

For a more detailed analysis, check out How to Calculate your GPA and CGPA?

Attendance Requirements

In order to be eligible to write the end semester examinations, a student must also have a minimum of 75% attendance in every subject. The aggregate attendance of the student in every subject is also entered in his/her grade sheet for the semester.

Promotion to Higher Semesters

To be eligible for promotion to the third semester, that is, the second year, a student should have earned a minimum of 26 credits at the end of their first year. Similarly, to be eligible for promotion to the third year, a student should have earned a minimum of 72 credits at the end of the second year. To be promoted to the seventh semester of a four-year program, a student should have earned a minimum of 118 credits at the end of the third year.

Transfer of Credits

The courses credited elsewhere, in Indian/Foreign Universities/Institutions/Colleges/certified MOOC by students during their study period at MIT Manipal may count towards credit requirements for the award of their degree. B. Tech students with consistent academic performance and CGPA > 7 can credit the courses approved by the concerned Department Curriculum Committee (DCC) and ratified by the Board of Studies (BoS) in Engineering of Manipal Academy of Higher Education.

While the credits transferred will not be used for GPA/CGPA computation, they will be considered for the overall credit requirements of the program. Students can earn external credits only from Indian/Foreign Universities/Institutions with which MAHE/MIT has an MoU for the above purpose. Credit transfer can be considered only for the courses at the same level or above, the details of which must be provided along with the acceptance letter. The maximum number of credits that can be transferred by a student is limited to 20. The students have to get minimum passing grades/marks in the course for which a credits transfer has to be made.

Academic Management System Portal

Students can check their grades, attendance, and marks in the SLcM portal provided by the college. It is also a good way to track attendance which is regularly updated by professors. Change in the timetable, as well as other relevant information about the events happening on campus, is regularly updated on SLcM. The details of the Teacher Guardians are also available.

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