It aims to save time, money by doing away with descriptive Q&A pattern for sem 1, 3 of PG courses
The Gujarat University (GU) will do away with descriptive examinations to make way for Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ) for Post Graduate (PG) courses. The move, to be implemented from the next academic year, is part of the ongoing examination reforms. The university had earlier introduced MCQs as a pilot project in two of the five semesters exams of one of the undergraduate courses.
The MCQs will for now be conducted only in Semester 1 and 3 out of four. The move is expected to enable the university to save money and time. With the new system, students are likely to get their results in a few hours after the exam.
Confirming the same, Vice-Chancellor of Gujarat University, professor Himanshu Pandya said, "By the time the admission process gets over, it is the beginning of Semester 1 exams due to which students do not get the time to study the chapters at length. This affects their results. With MCQ pattern in Semester 1, we are taking this load off the students."
He said, "We also used to put in a lot of manpower in conducting the exams and checking the papers which would many times lead to errors in checking and would eventually delay the result. MCQ papers can be scanned immediately and there will not be any delay in results." Heads of PG programmes have been told to design the syllabus accordingly.
This decision will impact 6,000 students studying in 54 post-graduate courses. In terms of cost, the university is expected to save nearly Rs 50 lakhs.
Lauding the initiative, principal of MG Science College, professor BK Jain said, "It is a great move and a much-needed one. Students take a lot of time to write answers in a descriptive format, and not everything what they write is relevant. Many times, they just repeat the same thing and hence only some part of the answer is correct."
In the MCQ format, students will have to study the entire syllabus. There is no room for the grey area here as the answers would be either right or wrong. Also, it would save a lot of time for teachers who check the papers."
The initiative has received a mixed response from students. While many have appreciated it, some students feel that this will add an extra burden on them. "In PG in Arts, we need to write descriptively to showcase our language skills. This pattern (MCQ) is good for other courses, not ours. Also, if I want to pursue a PhD, I would again be at a disadvantage as I will lose practice of writing lengthy answers," said a first-year PG student at GU.
OTHER CHANGES
- Last year, the GU had reduced the examination time from three hours to two hours. Officials felt that three hours is given for a 100 mark paper, but since the university allots only 70 marks, three hours is too much.
- The MCQ initiative received mixed response from the students. Some PG students feel that they need to write descriptively
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