Friday, November 14, 2025

NBA Program Outcomes (POs) – Revised 2025


PO Title Description Mapped WK (Knowledge & Attitude)
PO1 Engineering Knowledge Apply mathematics, science, and engineering fundamentals to solve complex problems. WK1, WK2, WK3, WK4
PO2 Problem Analysis Identify, formulate, research, and analyze complex engineering problems. WK1, WK2, WK3, WK4
PO3 Design / Development of Solutions Design solutions considering health, safety, societal, and environmental factors. WK5
PO4 Investigation Use research-based methods (experiments, data analysis, interpretation) to provide valid conclusions. WK8
PO5 Engineering Tool Usage Select and apply modern engineering tools, software, and techniques, recognizing limitations. WK2, WK6
PO6 The Engineer & The World Analyze societal, environmental, sustainability, and economic impacts of engineering solutions. WK1, WK5, WK7
PO7 Ethics Apply ethical principles, commit to professional ethics, human values, and diversity. WK9
PO8 Individual & Collaborative Team Work Function effectively as an individual and in diverse, multi-disciplinary teams. WK7, WK9 (interpretive)
PO9 Communication Communicate effectively and inclusively with engineering community and society. WK8, WK9 (interpretive)
PO10 Project Management & Finance Apply engineering management and financial principles to manage projects in multi-disciplinary environments. WK6 (interpretive)
PO11 Life‑Long Learning Recognize need for and engage in independent, continuous learning to adapt to evolving technologies. WK8

✅ Key Notes:

  • WK1-WK9 correspond to the NBA’s Knowledge & Attitude profiles for graduates.
  • Some POs (teamwork, communication, project management) are mapped interpretively, as WKs are not strictly one-to-one.
  • This table aligns with NBA SAR 2025 Tier-I and GAPC 4.0.
  • Institutes can use this directly for CO–PO mapping, curriculum design, or internal assessments.

Absolutely! Let’s break it down carefully.


🧠 What are WKs (Knowledge & Attitude Profiles) in NBA?

In the NBA (National Board of Accreditation) 2025 SAR / GAPC 4.0, WKs are Graduate Attributes that describe what a student should know (Knowledge) and how they should behave or think (Attitude) after completing a program. They serve as the bridge between the curriculum, learning outcomes, and program outcomes (POs).

Think of WKs as the building blocks of graduate competence.


1️⃣ Structure of WKs

  • W = Knowledge: Technical, theoretical, or practical knowledge a student must acquire.
  • K = Attitude: Mindset, approach, or soft skills needed to use that knowledge effectively.

Each PO is mapped to one or more WKs. For example:

PO Example WK Mapping
PO1 – Engineering Knowledge WK1, WK2, WK3, WK4 → Students learn theory, mathematics, science, and engineering principles.
PO7 – Ethics WK9 → Students develop professional ethics, human values, and social responsibility.
PO11 – Life‑Long Learning WK8 → Students gain critical thinking, research, and adaptive learning ability.

2️⃣ Why WKs are Important

  • They standardize what a graduate should know and how they should behave, regardless of college.
  • Help in curriculum design: You map courses and assessments to WKs so students develop the necessary knowledge and attitudes.
  • Help in PO–CO mapping: Each Course Outcome (CO) should contribute to one or more WKs, which in turn support POs.
  • Assessment: When NBA evaluates a program, WKs are used to check if students truly acquire the intended knowledge and mindset.

3️⃣ Examples of WKs

Some common WKs defined in NBA documents:

WK Number Focus / Description
WK1 Basic sciences, engineering fundamentals, mathematical knowledge
WK2 Problem-solving methods, analytical skills
WK3 Technical skills, modeling, simulation
WK4 Experimentation, data interpretation
WK5 Design & innovation, creative thinking
WK6 Practical engineering tools, management
WK7 Societal, environmental, sustainability awareness
WK8 Critical thinking, independent learning, research aptitude
WK9 Ethics, professional behavior, teamwork, communication

So when a PO is “Life-Long Learning,” it primarily maps to WK8, because independent, adaptive learning requires critical thinking and a research mindset.


4️⃣ Analogy

Think of WKs as ingredients and POs as dishes:

  • Each dish (PO) needs certain ingredients (WKs).
  • Different dishes can share ingredients.
  • The recipe (curriculum + COs) ensures the student gets all the ingredients to become a well-rounded engineer.

Perfect! Here’s a clear visual/conceptual diagram for POs and WKs, which helps understand how WKs feed into POs. I’ll describe it so you can picture it, or I can generate a graphic for you next.


🌐 Conceptual Diagram: POs and WKs

           [WK1]  [WK2]  [WK3]  [WK4]
             |      |      |      |
             +------|------|------+
                    |
                [PO1 – Engineering Knowledge]
                    |
            -------------------------
           |            |           |
      [PO2] – Problem  [PO3] –   [PO4] –
               Analysis  Design    Investigation
           |            |           |
        [WK1,2,3...]   [WK5]      [WK8]
           |
        [PO5] – Engineering Tools
           |
        [WK2,6]
           .
           .
           .
[PO6] The Engineer & World → WK1, WK5, WK7
[PO7] Ethics → WK9
[PO8] Teamwork → WK7, WK9
[PO9] Communication → WK8, WK9
[PO10] Project Mgmt → WK6
[PO11] Life-Long Learning → WK8

🔹 How to Read This Diagram

  1. Top Layer (WKs) – Knowledge & Attitude profiles, the raw skills and mindset students acquire from courses.
  2. Middle Layer (POs) – Program Outcomes, which are bigger graduate competencies built using WKs.
  3. Arrows / Connections – Show which WKs contribute to which POs. One WK can contribute to multiple POs, and one PO can require multiple WKs.
  4. Curriculum Mapping – In practice, each course’s outcomes (COs) are mapped to WKs. Completing courses → develops WKs → fulfills POs → produces competent graduates.


Adapted from Chatgpt for personal use

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