Frontlist | Kolkata schools change format of online exams to stop cheating

Frontlist | Kolkata schools change format of online exams to stop cheating
on Feb 02, 2021

Several schools within the metropolis have taken a quantity of steps — together with giving extra significance to one-on-one viva voce — to guarantee college students can’t make use of unfair means whereas writing online exams. The steps, they mentioned, had been obligatory after they discovered many college students had resorted to cheating, generally even helped by dad and mom, throughout their first foray in online examinations. Most schools in Kolkata are actually designing their exams in such a manner that every little one goes by means of a one-on-one viva, which can have at the least 50% weightage. Question patterns, too, are altering in order that there might be a number of questions that might be “application-based”, the place a pupil has to apply his/her understanding and logic to arrive on the reply. No two such solutions could be the identical, and the way every pupil arrives on the reply will determine the rating. Schools have additionally began counselling classes for fogeys within the new session for partnering as invigilators, together with the trainer. They are being instructed in regards to the significance of free and honest exams for the last word profit of the kid as a result of he/she would in any other case go up to the subsequent class with incomplete information. Some schools are additionally bringing in proctored exams to guarantee a 360-diploma view of the pupil whereas the examination is on, until the tip of reply-script submission. “We are bringing in elaborate one-on-one vivas that might have 50% weightage in the final exams this time. This will take a long time since each child will be assessed individually. We have scheduled these from February 8 to 23,” mentioned Seema Sapru, principal, Heritage School. Authorities of DPS Ruby Park, too, conceded that cheating in online exams was the bane of the system. In order to counter this, an in depth viva, the place every little one faces two senior academics, has been launched. “The new system is such that kids will become aware of where they lag and teachers will be able to get an objective view. The results of the first term made it clear to us that the entire effort had been diluted,” mentioned a senior trainer. The two La Martiniere schools have determined to counsel dad and mom earlier than the exams. From Friday, academics might be again on the campuses, from the place the online courses and exams could be carried out. “We are telling parents that they would be actually harming their kids if they don’t step in and prevent them from using unfair means in exams. We are asking them to supervise on our behalf in the virtual exam at their end, while the teachers are there on ours,” mentioned Rupkatha Sarkar, principal, La Martiniere for Girls. An analogous session is over on the Asian International School, which has launched a “multiple-mode assessment”, the place no direct solutions to a big quantity of questions can be found in textual content books which might be taught at school, mentioned principal Vijaylakshmi Kumar. Since there was a paradigm shift in instructing-studying up to now 10 months, it’s pure that an examination sample rethink had grow to be crucial, too, felt Fr Rodney Borneo, principal, Loyola High School. “We are bringing in exams where the questions will be creative. In each answer, individual thoughts and logic will have to be applied,” he mentioned. Source: Times of India