Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth — The CoBALT Model

Institution Profile

• Name: Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth (SBV), Pondicherry
• Type: Deemed-to-be University
• Departments: Multiple medical and dental PG programmes
• Platform: Academe ePortfolios on Academe Cloud (PostgreSQL)

Challenge

SBV sought to implement competency-based training for postgraduate medical residents before NMC mandated it nationally. The challenge was designing a CBME system within existing MCI regulatory constraints — proving that proactive adoption was feasible without waiting for top-down directives.

Implementation

• Introduced the CoBALT (Competency Based Learning and Training) model
• Defined EPAs with Dreyfus developmental levels for each specialty
• Implemented Multi-Source Feedback (MSF) for workplace-based assessment
• Deployed ePortfolios for continuous monitoring of resident competency progression
• Later advanced to descriptive rubrics for improved EPA assessment objectivity (2023)

Results

Metric	Value
Users	3,611
Portfolio pages	131,000+
Tags	1.66 million
Active since	2017

“ePortfolios for Postgraduate Training — we call it CoBALT (Competency Based Learning and Training) — was presented as Institutional Distinctiveness for our second NAAC Assessment Cycle and it was given full marks for execution and sustained use.”

— Prof. Ananthakrishnan N, Dean of Academics

Lessons Learned

1. Start before mandates — SBV’s early adoption positioned them as a national leader when NMC later required CBME
2. NAAC as a lever — ePortfolio implementation served as NAAC Institutional Distinctiveness evidence
3. Iterate the assessment model — moving from generic Dreyfus levels to descriptive rubrics improved assessment quality
4. Scale matters — 3,611 users and 131K pages demonstrate that ePortfolios can operate at institutional scale in the Indian context
5. Sustained use is key — running since 2017 proves this is not a pilot that faded

References

1. Ananthakrishnan, N., et al. (2019). The SBV CoBALT Model. NMJI, 32(5). https://nmji.in/competency-based-learning-and-training-for-medical-postgraduates-within-regulatory-guidelines-in-india-the-sbv-competency-based-learning-and-training-model/
2. Ananthakrishnan, N., et al. (2023). EPAs with Descriptive Rubrics. NMJI, 36(3). https://nmji.in/competency-based-postgraduate-training-mentoring-and-monitoring-using-entrustable-professional-activities-with-descriptive-rubrics-for-objectivity-a-step-beyond-dreyfus/