Academic evaluation of students is a very important milestone in any education system. However, the traditional way of academic evolution process where students are requested to gather at the examination center to write the exam is not possible in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak. Without conducting secure exams academic year would become meaningless and motivation for learning might get diminished for the students.
So, with the importance of these examinations acknowledged, how can institutions continue to assess students during this crisis? This edition of Education Today, themed on “Exams in the Period of Pandemic” endeavors to address this concern.
Schools need to set up the policy of an open-book exam with challenging broad and open-ended questions, says Mr. David McCarthy, Director of Education at Sophia High School in his fascinating article. He goes onto explain the advantages and disadvantages of online assessments/exams, and how can we stop students from cheating.
In her illuminating article, Dr. Veena Shrivastava, Principal & Campus Director – Gopi Birla Memorial School examines innovative strategies for conducting exams amid COVID-19.
Dr. Suresh Srinivasan, Professor of Strategy and Accounting and also Program Director, PGDM at Great Lakes Institute of Management talks on the impact of the COVID pandemic on business education in his enlightening article. From a business school perspective, he says, it is challenging to set up exams with very long durations like the way the traditional pen and paper exams are conducted.
Online examination is a concept that is still in its infancy in India, observes education activist Dr Rubina Ahmed. She tries to outline the risks of conducting exams during pandemics.
We present the perspective of Mr. N T Rao, Vice-Chancellor, MIT World Peace on Reopening of Colleges after Lockdown.
Read excerpts from ET’s interview with Mr. Achin Bhattacharyya CEO & Founder Notebook where he discusses the education landscape in India, trends in the market, NEP, Recent Union Budget and much more…
This issue also features thought-provoking articles from Mr. Christopher Hogbin, Global Education Lead – Mathematics at 3PLearning.com; Mr. Meghesh Saini, Cofounder of TinyIvy, Inc; and Dr. S. Raghavan, Visiting Professor, NIT Trichy.