VTU to launch app to track activity points for students to prevent fraud

Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) has developed a mobile app, Activity Point Tracking System (APTS), to curb the unethical practice of engineering students submitting fake documents for activity points.

All students will have to download this app and upload geo-tagged photos of their extra curricular activities, which will earn them activity points.

The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) started awarding activity points from 2018-19 for extra curricular activities. Students have to earn at least 75 out of 100 activity points in their four-year engineering course to get their degree. The list of activities a student can engage in to get activity points is designed to develop entrepreneurial capabilities with social commitment, develop soft skills, leadership qualities, and team spirit among others.

They include preparing an actionable business proposal for enhancing the village income, developing sustainable water management system, tourism promotion innovative approaches, promotion of appropriate technologies, reduction in energy consumption, to skill rural population, facilitating 100% digitised money transactions, setting of the information imparting club for women leading to contribution in social and economic issues, among others.

The students must submit the documents or photos to their mentors as proof of participation in activities. However, some students misused this by submitting documents without actually participating.

“According to the AICTE rules, students must earn activity points through their extra curricular activities. However, some students misused this by submitting fake documents and photographs. To prevent such unethical practices, we decided to use the technology and curb it. We successfully tested the app, and it will be launched soon,” said S. Vidyashankar, Vice-Chancellor, VTU.

The APTS app has been developed in collaboration with Youth for Seva and Life Cycle Sports Pvt. Ltd. The students must enter complete details of the activities they participated in. They must also upload the geo-tagged photos and certificate of the school or organisation concerned. The app will record how many hours they spent in the activity.