Pondicherry University on Friday announced that end semester examinations for students will be conducted in an open book format. University officials have said that students will be allowed to refer to books, notes and other study materials to answer questions.
According to a statement from the university, “In order to ensure fair and equal opportunity for students appearing in online/offline/blended mode; it has been decided to conduct end semester examinations under the ‘Open Book Examination’ mode as per UGC guidelines on ‘Examinations and Academic Calendar’ issued in the month of April 2020.”
It further said that, “Students are allowed to refer to books/notes and other study materials to answer the questions; answers should reflect their understanding of the concept not verbatim copying from sources. The chief superintendents are expected to ensure that the reference materials are not exchanged between students to avoid COVID infection.”
Other instructions for conducting the exam were also provided by the university. The pattern of the question paper and the duration of the examination will remain the same. Students will have to answer in A4-size paper with black ink. Answers will be written from the second page. The registration number, subject, course, date and full signature will be mentioned on the first page.
All written pages are to be scanned and saved sequentially in a single pdf file, and the scanned papers should be sent to the respective colleges within 30 minutes of completion of the exam.
The University Grants Commission (UGC) had earlier issued revised guidelines for universities to hold end semester or final year exams by the end of September. It also said that final year examinations could be conducted through pen-and-paper, online, or blended mode, which mixes online and offline methods.
However, the Supreme Court observed that it was not compulsory to hold examinations before September 30. It also granted states the liberty to approach the UGC to seek an extension of the deadline.