Online Examinations Archives - DU Beat - Delhi University's Independent Student Newspaper

Protests took place in University of Delhi to demand the conduction of OBE for the even
semester students. However, protesting students found themselves amidst police brutality.
Read to find out more.

On 4 April 2022, a protest demanding the Open Book Examinations (OBE) broke out at the
Arts Faculty Gate-4 at the University of Delhi (DU). This protest took place in light of the
forthcoming even semester examinations that are scheduled to take place in the month of
May and June 2022, in physical mode. Students gathered in large numbers to demand the
examinations take place in online mode (OBE). However, it soon turned into a site of
brutality that was discharged by the Delhi Police. The protesters were manhandled by the
Police, which was followed by their detention.

Video Credits: Nikhil Kumar for DU Beat

In their press release, the All India Students’ Association (AISA) displayed their solidarity
with the protesting students demanding the OBEs for the upcoming examinations. AISA also
condemned the police brutality unleashed upon the common students.
To increase the support for the protest, AISA activists mobilized hundreds of students across
the campus to join in the call for demanding OBEs. Still and all, the Delhi Police went on the
offensive against the common students, detaining two of AISA’s activists.

The Delhi University’s administration showed its characteristic indifferent attitude while
hundreds of students contested its policies for their future. This behaviour towards the
common students is absolutely unacceptable. The DU-VC (Delhi University- Vice-
Chancellor) must answer for these grave offences against the common students.
-All India Students’ Association (AISA)

Further, AISA resolved to continue the struggle unhindered and unafraid of the malicious
intent of the Administration and the constant use of police to curb students’ movement.

https://twitter.com/TheShaStories/status/1511261865678360576?t=7CSiVFAZVxv9DWl7GWZMfQ&s=08

As the protests are progressing, the students of DU have various reasons in support of the
OBEs. In conversation with a student from Kamla Nehru College, DU, told DU Beat, on the
grounds of anonymity, that it is quite unjust for the students to appear for exams in the
physical mode. She stated that the decision was absolutely inequitable because more than
half of the syllabus has been covered in the online mode, in most of the courses across the
colleges in the University. Moreover, the final year students, in all the courses offered by DU,
are also appearing for the physical examinations which put a big question mark on their
future, as stated by the student. She believes that the final examinations which would denote
the end of college life for many students are quite valuable and to toss it off onto the factors
of uncertainty that are carried by the physical exams is intolerable.

I have a practical course and yet more than half of the things have been taught to us
through the screens of our laptops. How can the university expect that the students are
ready to appear for physical exams, given the situation where none of us appeared for one
in over a year. This step intends to jeopardise our academic future.

-Student from Kamla Nehru College, DU

https://twitter.com/your_pratyush/status/1511209262562742274?t=5inbAAFdBqMSDkbEkTFZQg&s=08

Another student who was present at the protest told DU Beat, on the grounds of anonymity,
that offline exams would have been justified if the classes were conducted in the physical
mode. However, given the situation that the classes were conducted on virtual platforms, like
zoom, where both students and the teachers faced network issues quite often, along with the
fact that the past 3 semesters were completely online, this is a sudden change and it
became a routine to not completely comprehend what was taught, as stated by the student.

Moreover, the student expressed her concern over the sudden reopening of colleges where
they were stuck between finding new accommodation, labs, projects and exams. The
student informed that almost 80% of the syllabus has been covered in the online mode
where the professors were not very concerned if each student was attending the class. It is
becoming very difficult to cope up with these sudden changes along with the offline exams,
as expressed by the student. In addition to this, the students at the protest told DU Beat,
how the students were threatened by some professors to appear for the physical exam in
place of their demand for online mode. The students at the protest further mentioned that if
they resort to online papers, the teachers will fail them.

The teachers told us that they’ll make difficult papers that we won’t be able to pass. They
showed us two papers and said that if you give offline paper you’ll get good marks, else
you’ll get barely 10 out of 30 in internals if you appear for online exams. Later on when
students checked those papers, both the online and offline papers were the same. Now, how
are we supposed to trust them?
-Student of DU

Earlier, the university had issued a notification where all the students, who are appearing for
the exams in May and June, were notified that the university will be providing them with extra
30 minutes which is a one-time measure in the given circumstances. In addition to this, the
university requested the faculty of various departments to provide the students with
additional choices in the question paper, along with the directions of conducting mock tests
as a part of the Internal Assessments, with the intent to prepare the students for the physical
exams.

Image Source: University of Delhi

Read Also: OBE System: A Harrowing Time for DU Students Lessons From The Last OBE and Tips for The Upcoming One The 101 Guide to Nail Your Open-Book Examination

Featured Image Credits: Himasweeta Sarma

Ankita Baidya
[email protected]

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A series of guidelines for setting question papers were circulated by Delhi University (DU). The Varsity actively considers conducting Open Book Examinations for final year students.

In a letter dated 13th May 2020, Professor Vinay Gupta, Dean of Examination addressed to all the Head of Department (HODs) of Delhi University and laid out certain guidelines to be adopted for setting question papers for the proposed exams. With the introduction of Open Book Examination, students can refer to books, notes and other study materials to answer the questions. This comes after suggestions to conduct online take-home exams for final year undergraduate and postgraduate students enrolled in the School of Open Learning (SOL), Non-Collegiate Women’s Education Board (NCWEB), and regular classes.

Students are expected to appear in these exams from their homes. Question papers of respective courses would be downloaded from a common portal, which would be attempted on plain paper. The answer sheets would then have to be uploaded on the portal within three hours from the start of the exam.

The letter was widely circulated amongst teachers and students. Following guidelines have been assigned for setting up the question paper.

Since it would be an Open-Book examination, the questions need to be framed in a manner which would test the understanding and analytical skills of the students and there should be NO/minimum scope for verbatim copying from books and study material.
The duration of the examination would be for two hours. One hour additional would be given for downloading the Question Paper, scanning the answer sheets, and uploading the answer sheet.
For ease of evaluation, it is requested that the question papers should have 6 questions out of which 4 are to be attempted by the students in 02 hours. All questions should have equal marks. There should NOT be parts to any question. Maximum marks would be 75 (100 for SOL/NCWEB papers).
The three sets of question papers for each course of both UG and PG programs related to each department would be set and subsequently moderated.
Moderated question papers to be uploaded on to the Examination portal, the login credentials of which would be shared shortly with the HODs.
Exams would also be conducted for 1^st / 2^nd year / 2^nd Sem /4^th Sem simultaneously for repeaters who are in 3^rd year / final year.
All the question papers may be uploaded/sent at the earliest but not later than 3^rd June 2020.

The decision to conduct Open-Book online exams, however, has been widely criticized by students and teachers across the country. Academics for Action and Development (AAD) demanded that this letter must be withdrawn immediately. “The pedagogy of DU and it’s Examination system is neither structured nor cultivated for open book examinations and to be taken at one’s home. We have three fourth of students coming from SC, ST, OBC, EWS, PWD and remote areas like north-east and Jammu & Kashmir, who are on the receiving end in the digital divide. Apart from the availability of network and having 4G mobile problems, the biggest challenge is to frame those questions which will test understanding and answer will be out of books and notes. The students are not trained or taught for these types of questions,” Press Secretary, AAD, said in an official statement.

It added, “Moreover, framing three sets of questions out of books and notes, without parts and for equal marks is not possible for all courses. In many science papers, there are derivations, numerical of chemical equations where finding questions from books and notes will be extremely difficult.”

Students’ Collectives and Unions from across colleges have joined hands against the conduction of online examinations. A common forward circulating amongst college groups said, “The Twitter trend is against the attempt of the administration to conduct exams through online mode. It will create a divide among students as many of us have issues with proper internet connectivity, reading material, laptop, atmosphere of study etc.”

Through a series of tweets on Twitter with the hashtags #DUAgainstOnlineExams and #EducationWithoutExclusion, students are demanding the university to step back from adopting such exclusionary methods.

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat Archives

Aishwaryaa Kunwar
[email protected]

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