University students in the coming years may get to decide the time and place of when they sit for examinations as higher education sector regulator UGC has given a go-ahead to the concept of on-demand testing.
In its latest guidelines on evaluation reforms which were released by Union human resources development (HRD) minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank on Thursday, the University Grants Commission has held that a new national board should be created to conduct examinations on demand.
The guidelines say that initially the new board will conduct exams for popular degree programs across the undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
At the initial stage, the on-demand examinations would be introduced for distance programs to which they are best suited. Popular courses like BA or B Com etc is the distance mode can be the starting point, said a senior official. “It is natural that the process will take some time to formalize and the setting up of a board from such exams is a key step. Once the board is set up, the infrastructure will be in place other procedural details will be worked out,” the official said. Till then the normal exams will definitely continue, he added. This exam would be open to all with no age limit or minimum requirements for eligibility which would mean that anyone can take these tests, according to the guidelines said.
“The idea is to reduce the stress on the students as well as the pressure on the varsities which have to conduct exams for thousands of students at one go. Under this new system, students will be able to decide when they are best prepared and be able to take the test,” said another UGC official, who asked not to be named.
{{/usCountry}}“The idea is to reduce the stress on the students as well as the pressure on the varsities which have to conduct exams for thousands of students at one go. Under this new system, students will be able to decide when they are best prepared and be able to take the test,” said another UGC official, who asked not to be named.
{{/usCountry}}The official, however, added that the new system would require a lot of work before it starts addressing the needs of millions of students countrywide.
Former UGC member Inder Mohan Kapahy said: “In principle, the idea of Examination on Demand is an excellent idea. However the diversities in the academic and evaluation structures in Indian higher education systems makes it a utopian idea at the present time. It shall require huge restructuring and harmonisation within existing diverse systems.”
Earlier this year, a committee headed by MM Salunkhe, a former vice-chancellor of the Central University of Rajasthan, had suggested the examination-on-demand system as a major evaluation reform.
The committee had suggested the introduction of encrypted barcodes to curb malpractice in examinations. The UGC, on Thursday, also came out with guidelines on inculcation of human values and professional ethics in educational institutions.