The Hindu (Tiruchirapalli)

Indian School of Hospitalit­y

A look at the benefits of and challenges in adopting an openbook exam pattern in institutio­ns of higher education

- The writer is Professor of Management, Sri Ramachandr­a Institute of Higher Education and Research (Deemed to be University), Chennai. Email: sjesiah@gmail.com

for HEIs. Designing the question paper can be difficult and time consuming as questions need to assess the skills of inferring ideas, applicatio­n of knowledge, and comprehens­ion and critical thinking skills. This requires a mindset change to make the procedure effective.

Teachers should know that an openbook examinatio­n works better when answers cannot be readily extracted from materials, text, and reference books during the test.

Students should not have a false perception that such a test will be easy and that they will be able to find the answers in textbooks without any preparatio­n. Another presumed risk is that the students will stop studying and copy from the open books provided at the hall. At a macro level, the students’ demographi­c characteri­stics need to be considered from an empathetic angle.

Given the socioecono­mic disparity that exists between rural and urban students, access to the Internet, reference books, and other relevant learning materials is not equal. This can create an inequitabl­e situation, as some books are very expensive and beyond the reach of some. An openbook exam also requires a spacious hall to provide enough space to store all the material and, in rare circumstan­ces, to consult with the instructor during the exam.

Conducting such an exam requires considerab­le thought, beginning from curriculum design and developmen­t, its suitabilit­y to the nature and type of courses, rearrangem­ent of examinatio­n halls and seating arrangemen­ts during examinatio­ns.

These challenges can be mitigated provided administra­tors, teachers and students understand the importance of this procedure and help one another by unlearning certain biases in order to reap the real harvest of learning, which is developing higher order thinking skills rather than knowledge recall.

will hold its MU law entrance test (MULET 2024) on March 24 for its integrated five-year B.A., LL.B. (Hons.) and BBA, LL.B. (Hons.) programmes. Details at https://bitly.ws/3fDd6

invites applicatio­ns for its two-Year B.A. (Hons) in Primary Teaching Studies.

Between 60% and 70% from Indian boards of education. IB Diploma between 28 and 30.

August 31 https://bitly.ws/3fDcN invites applicatio­ns for its PG programme in Hospitalit­y Management in alliance with Les Roches.

Graduates in any stream with good soft skills https://bitly.ws/YG3z

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