Visvesvaraya Technological University develops mobile app to track social responsibility activities

Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU), Belagavi, has developed a mobile application (app) to prevent engineering students from submitting fake certificates to get ‘Activity Points’. 

The app will track the activities of the students. 

As per the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) norms, similar to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) for companies, the students pursuing technical courses have Student Social Responsibility (SSR), an activity-based and mandatory requirement to earn Activity Points and receive their degree certificates.

“The submission of fake certificates is increasing as it is mandatory. To prevent it, we have developed a mobile application that has to be installed by every student, and their activities will be monitored,” said an official of
VTU.

The Activity Point Tracking System (APTS) is an app that students must download to their phones. While engaging in activities, they take geo-tagged photos to confirm their attendance.  

As explained by the officials, until now, the students used to submit certificates or photos to their mentors as proof of participation in activities. Some misused this by submitting certificates without actually participating in any activities. To prevent such irregularities, VTU has created this mobile app, and it will be released soon. 

“AICTE introduced Activity Points with the good intention of instilling a spirit of service in engineering students during their course. To manage this, we have developed a mobile app,” said H R Sudarshan Reddy, director, VTU Bengaluru Regional Office.

How does the app work?
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 participate in. The app will record how many hours the student spent on the activity.

According to AICTE Activity Point Coordinator Meera Rajagopal, this will prevent students from giving false information.  

After developing the app, the university has tested it in three colleges. “The students used it without any technical issues. Hence, it will soon be made available for all students,” the official added.

The university has 212 engineering colleges under its jurisdiction, with 3 lakh students.  

What are Activity Points?

AICTE introduced Activity Points to encourage students to engage in extracurricular activities alongside academics. AICTE has identified 16 different activities, and students must participate in at least five of them.  

The university has clearly stated that without earning the required points, the students will not be awarded their degree certificate in the final year. Participation in activities is mandatory every year. The points earned will be recorded in the marks card. These are non-credit points and will not affect the existing CGPA scores.  

Key activities

Visiting local schools to encourage children’s learning, achieve good results and enrollment

Developing sustainable water management practices  

Methods for energy conservation  

Skill rural population 

Preparing an actionable business proposal for enhancing village income

Facilitating 100% digital transactions

Developing and managing an efficient garbage disposal system

Assist marketing of rural produce

Food packaging and preservation