MU’s rules on paper patterns, question banks still unclear for upcoming exams, say Mumbai colleges

Almost a week after the University of Mumbai (MU) issued a circular with guidelines to conduct the upcoming semester exams, city colleges are still unclear about

Almost a week after the University of Mumbai (MU) issued a circular with guidelines to conduct the upcoming semester exams, city colleges are still unclear about several issues. While some course heads under the Bachelors in Mass Media (BMM) and Bachelors in Management Studies (BMS) faculties are confused about the paper pattern, absence of clarity on the system of question banks for the exams has left many teachers in a spot.

University of Mumbai is yet to clarify the guidelines for the upcoming exams. (HT Photo)

As per guidelines issued by the university last week, exams for undergraduate and postgraduate traditional (arts, commerce, science) courses will constitute a 60-mark theory paper. This will include 50 marks of multiple-choice questions (MCQs), of which students could attempt 40. Each question will carry 1.5 marks. Similarly, for professional courses, exams will constitute of a combination of 40 marks of MCQs and 40 marks of descriptive-type questions, making up an 80-mark paper for each subject.

“Confusion lies for interdisciplinary courses because as per the MU guidelines, exams for interdisciplinary courses will also be conducted in an MCQ and descriptive-type question format, each section holding 30 marks. While BMM falls under the arts faculty, TYBMM is an interdisciplinary course, so colleges are currently unsure what paper pattern to choose,” said a BMM faculty coordinator of a suburban college.

“Different colleges under different clusters are interpreting the university guidelines differently, and this is leading to more confusion. In some clusters, colleges are asking their faculty to put together a question bank of almost 400 questions in each subject, whereas in some cases, teachers are being asked to simply put together a question paper for their respective college and ignoring question banks,” said a senior faculty member of the mass media department of MU.

At present, several colleges are busy conducting meetings and ensuring exams are conducted within the prescribed deadline. “We have to follow the rules and ensure that all traditional course exams are conducted by December 31, while professional courses need to be completed by January 15. As of now, our focus is on putting together the question papers and conducting exams as smoothly as possible,” said Anju Kapoor, principal of Usha Pravin Gandhi (UPG) College, Andheri.