After back-to-back meetings on Saturday i.e. September 06, 2020, Mumbai University (MU) decided to hold all of the final theoretical exams, including ATKT, in the multi-choice question (MCQ) format online. Students will be able to give the exams from their home.
Each test will be held for an hour and students will be marked from 50 marks. Practical and live viva voce exams to be conducted by colleges will also be available online, either via phone calls or via a digital platform.
Almost all state universities are moving toward this format. Most of the exams will not be proctored or digitally supervised, except for the Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) which has carried out such tests earlier this year.
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Experts, however, raised doubts about the credibility of such examinations. Practice exams for the new format of MU will begin on September 15, 2020.
Colleges will hold backlog exams for final year candidates from September 25 to 30, 2020. Theory examinations will take place between October 1-17, 2020 with commerce — the largest student cohort — being the first.
MU will soon share detailed guidelines of the examination. Colleges will work in clusters (41 for MU's traditional colleges) with each college in charge of eight to ten of its constituent institutes.
The Faculty was asked to set up question banks and submit them to leading colleges. For students, a round of mock exams would take place to help them with a new mode and help solve their doubts.
Autonomous colleges will also follow the MCQ format but will set up their own question banks and work independently.
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Step one, college heads were directed to map their students and to obtain details about the gadgets they have (smartphone, laptop, computer).
For candidates who are unable to take the exam, a second round would be held, the details of which will be drawn up later.
"As these are just one-hour online exams, we've been told that we can run other exams at the same time. Three to four tests can also be carried out in one day. But all UG and PG exams must be completed by September 17, "said the Principal.
The MCQ format will allow scores to appear on the leaderboard immediately after the completion of the exam, and colleges will have to send all scores to the MU within two to three days of the completion of the exam.
Similar decisions have also been taken at Nagpur University, despite a number of doubts. "How do we keep the MCQ for English literature or history," asked the board member of Nagpur University.
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Deepak Mukadam, the governor's nominee for the MU Board of Directors, said, "I think the state government and the vice-chancellors have wasted immense time in the last few months.
If they had stepped up and prepared, the exams could have been done in a better way without any compromise.
Some universities that have connectivity issues in large parts of their electoral districts, such as Gondwana and Amravati, still consider their options.
Several universities will hold their statutory body meetings on Sundays and Mondays before they freeze their options.
By Monday noon, all state universities will submit their final plans to the state government and the governor.
