Central Board of Secondary Education i.e. CBSE is preparing to conduct Open Book Examination for Class 9 to 12. Currently it can be implemented as a pilot project in some schools for subjects like English, Mathematics and Science for class-9.
While in class-11 and 12 it will be started for subjects like English, Mathematics and Biology. It is being said that the new system may be implemented in November-December this year. Experts have different opinions on what are the advantages and disadvantages of this system.
Announced the launch of a pilot program
Preparations are underway to introduce the concept of open book exam to bring major changes in the education system of the country. CBSE has recently announced the launch of a pilot program for this. CBSE will then review the entire concept and see if it can be implemented simultaneously in schools across the country.
CBSE will evaluate first
During this pilot project, CBSE will assess students' thinking ability, application, analysis, critical and creative thinking and problem solving ability. The trial will also look at how much time students will take for such a test and what is the feedback from those involved. Through this the board will see how beneficial this concept is for the students. What will be the impact on teachers if implemented in the country and what problems may arise.
What is the concept of open book exam?
Although the CBSE has not yet announced the format of the open book exam, students are generally allowed to use books, notes and other study materials in the open book exam. It can be configured both offline and online.
In offline open book exam, students are invited to the school-college to take the exam, while in online open book exam, they sit anywhere and take the online exam through computer.
No need to remember
Open book exam does not require students to memorize any topic. For this, emphasis is placed on understanding the subject and its various topics during the course of study and it is practiced. Because the answers to the questions asked in the exam are not to be copied from the book. After going through the book or notes the student has to prepare an answer in his own language according to the question to know how much is understood about a topic.
What will the students benefit from?
This exam requires students to think and analyze a topic in different ways. If you look at the answers from the book or notes, it is possible that you will not get the marks. So in this method more emphasis is placed on understanding the subject in depth rather than skimming.
This encourages students to fully understand the entire concept and apply it to various situations rather than just grasping and memorizing facts. This promotes better understanding of any subject and gives students an opportunity to understand the entire subject well.
Exam anxiety will be reduced
Om Prakash Sinha, a retired Kendriya Vidyalaya teacher, believes that one of the advantages of open book exams is that it can reduce the anxiety level of students. By looking at the notes and having the opportunity to write the answers in the exam, they will not feel stressed about the exam and will be more confident in their ability to write the answers to the questions. This will create a stress-free environment for the exam and create a sense of positivity.
This concept is not new
Teacher Om Prakash Sinha also says that this concept is not at all new in India. This system has been implemented in central schools once before. Then the focus was on students' analytical thinking. Although there was no provision for carrying books or study material in the open book examination at that time, instead the question paper itself provided subject notes, after reading which the students had to write answers based on that.
Its positive results were not seen in central schools. Maybe that's why this system stopped then. What will be the form of open book examination in the new system is yet to be announced.
This method is applied in many countries
SC Mishra, another former teacher, says this method of examination is better for higher education anyway. Especially for subjects where applying knowledge is more important than memorizing the subject. He said that the open book exam system has been implemented in the A-level examination of the United Kingdom.
Most universities in the Netherlands, some colleges and universities in the United States, some states in Canada, and some colleges in Singapore and Hong Kong also hold exams using this concept at the high school level. In most of these countries open book examinations are used only in higher education.
A challenge for students as well as teachers
Dr Faujdar Singh, a former Kendriya Vidyalaya teacher, says open book exams encourage in-depth understanding of the subject and reduce stress. Through this not only the students but also the teachers have to face some challenges. The biggest challenge is that this exam requires a lot of time.
Students have to understand what types of questions can be asked. They should prepare study material accordingly. It should not happen that after opening the book the student keeps searching for only one answer and the whole time passes. So time management will be most needed in this exam.
The final decision will be taken after the trial
Availability of more and more information simultaneously also creates problems, he said. Then students have to go to the exam hall with more resources for this exam. This method of examination may confuse some students as to what they need to study now. Everything will be found in the book. Due to which they will be deprived of deep study of the subject, which will affect their results.
However, Delhi University also tried it during the Corona period, but it also did not get positive results. This time also after the trial of this exam CBSE will discuss the whole concept with experts from Delhi University. Only after this, a decision will be taken to implement it in schools across the country.
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