The winter semester exams for all traditional and professional courses will be conducted online, the University of Mumbai announced on Wednesday evening.
Vinod Patil, director of the examination and evaluation board, issued a circular detailing the guidelines for taking the first, third and fifth semester exams.
The circular provides a respite to universities already nearing the end of the winter semesters. Similar to the final semester exams that were taken online using a combination of multiple choice and subjective questions, the winter semester exams will also be taken online.
Similar to the semester final exams held in October, the university has mandated colleges to survey students to assess their ability to take exams online. The survey aims to map those students who do not have access to smart devices or Internet connectivity. In such cases, universities have been asked to make arrangements for students in coordination with local authorities.
The universities will be divided into groups led by one university in each group. Exam times will be similar for each group and will be announced soon.
However, building on the previous method of only 25 Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ) adopted in the exams held in October, the winter semester exams will have more MCQs. For traditional courses such as arts, science, and commerce, students will have one hour to answer 50 frequently asked questions for their theory papers. For professional courses such as engineering, master’s and pharmacy, the 80-point theory articles will be divided into two parts: frequently asked questions and descriptive questions, of 40 points for one hour each.
All live and practical exams will also be held online this year for the sake of student safety. Online meeting requests will be used for such exams, the university told the universities.
The leading universities, in coordination with the other universities in the group, will receive a call on grace grades and the way forward for students, who cannot take their theory exams due to technical failures.
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