THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the introduction of four-year undergraduate courses and other key reforms in the higher education sector, discussions surrounding open book exams, which allow students to refer to notes, texts, or resource materials during a test, have re-emerged in academic circles. While the open book format has been hailed as a reform that could be a break from the convention of exams being a mere test of memory power, academics have cautioned against its implementation across the board.
Higher Education Minister R Bindu told TNIE that there was no proposal to implement an open-book exam system in all universities. “The government is considering all practical recommendations to reduce the exam load on students,” the minister said adding that a commission on exam reforms has given certain suggestions in this regard which universities could consider.
The exam reforms commission had recommended the open book format only for internal or practical examinations. “Our recommendation is that open book exam can be one of the many assessment methods used to measure learning outcomes as universities shift to Outcome Based Education mode,” said C T Aravandakumar, chairman of the commission.
A P J Abdul Kalam Technological University (KTU) was the first to start discussions on adopting the open book exam format back in 2019. However, the proposal was not very well-received by academia though its implementation in practical examinations for certain subjects was welcomed. “At present, we have given the open book option only for the practical examinations in Design Engineering,” said Ananda Resmi S, Controller of Examinations, KTU.
According to academicians, adopting open book exams would demand questions of higher standards that are analytical, focusing more on the applied aspects of a particular topic. This, they caution, could prove tough for average students. “Instead of implementing the reform across the board, academic bodies of varsities should thoroughly discuss the subjects for which it can be applied,” said R Jayaprakash, a former executive council member of the Kerala State Higher Education Council.
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