posted by Shaila Kagal
As a student, woes of evaluations never end, whether in favourable or unfavourable circumstances. At UW, in the 1960’s, while I was still getting through the slang of my American friends and assignments of my professors, our quarter-end Final Exam was announced. It was indeed a revelation.
My professor said his exam would be “Open Book”. I was at my wits end trying to manage ordinary assignments and here was something unheard of. Never in my life before did I imagine that books would be allowed in the examination hall which could be referred by students to write answers. My fellow classmates worried that it meant a tough test. I was still not clear why it should be; particularly when we could check out any answer. But real meaning dawned on me when the professor also announced only the starting time and no closing time.
The Indian examinations truly create a huge awe, with notices after notices on what we should not do; or how we might be punished if anything went wrong; and of course students suspiciously resourceful on ways and means of going around the rules; or those harsh sounding exam bells. And here everyone like any Indian student was busy brushing up and ready with “Blue Books” to write answers in, waiting for the professor to walk in. Surprise of all surprises was “Blue Books” –answer books were procured by students and not supplied by the university. The Professor himself came to the class; wrote the question on the blackboard and said he would return after 3 hours but we could take time as long as we needed. He left the class with doors open. Not a single student moved. Total silence. Everyone buried their heads in to their bluebooks. The first to leave kept his bluebook on the table. Still no one stirred. I was totally at bay on how to refer to books and answer. I took time. Finally I left my bluebook on the table, hoping that even if the professor returned to an empty class, all blue books would be intact. I was aghast. No one to see that students did not copy; neither did student make any attempts to look over the shoulders or blatantly copy. Utter silence. Books to ourselves while writing answers; no time limit and on the top of it, no watchdog. Even today that feeling of unspeakable amazement still weighs me down. After all, I had been giving exams throughout my school and college life in India.
I tried the same thing on my students here in India and failed miserably. To make it work, I had to install an invigilator and a set of intimidating rules.
We I dont know why are totally result oriented… This at times seems less useful compared to the process based approach… In our country its the result that matters… parents compare their childrens results regardless of the fact that one was in commerce and other in B.Tech. How can we compare two separate systems. If it would not have been for the results and the final mark sheets… the whole process of learning would have been entireley different… “I learn the way I want… becoz results dont matter to me…” Failure should also be an option just to understand why things fail…There is nothing as sure shot success…Passing the exams is just a small fraction of the learning experience and studying just to pass the exams and score in final mark sheets is no learning if you ask me… Do what it takes to understand and learn…whatever be the result…Keeping in mind the result… nothing can be learned out of the process…
It all needs to start from the classroom. i think then only it will percolate to the examination room also. Teachers should be encouraged to ask the students to study normal textbook theory on their own and in classroom only case-studies should be done.Then the question papers should consist of minimal theory part and more case studies, so that even if the exam is an open book one will need to apply what he/she has learned during the semester.However he/she wont have to memorize basic principals as he/she can always take help of the book. Culture of honesty(ps-for their own good) while giving exams can be built over time.
We need to take the step of taking education to levels where the kind of discussion the professor has in the class makes the class think and research. We need to make sure that success of someone is not measured by marks and grades, and they just become a way for an individual to realize what he knows and not for the world to judge what he does. Education should become wholesome, we need to get out of books and start teaching subject. Its upto the mentor to initiate the interest of the student and then things will automatically fall in the place. The more the exam makes you think more respect you have for what you have learned and more effort you put in next time.
In 2008, when gujarat govt. annoucned open-book exams lots of hue and cry was there and it was put on hold.. I guess the differene in evaluation/assessment also comes from the perception realting to - teaching, learning, and understanding. “Open-book” in real sense is inside-out approach where students should have digested( understood) the subject matter. The whole perception relating to testing student is different I guess. In India we usually think that if this system is implemented than students will follow unfair means and pass.. but we are forgetting that the paper should be set such that no matter how hard they try.. the anwer will come only if thye have though upon..and not looked upon int he book..
The surprising part is also that in your open-book exam the prof asked studnets to procure “blue-book” and secondly no closing time.. I really wish we should upgrade our standards of evaluation..and train facuties too to come up with quality papers .. Lets make learning stress-free for our students with only some perception change and strong supportive actions by academic fraternity.. I guess we(including students) remember only those exams which were hard.. to crack..and challenging