Open-book examination:
What? How?
---- Dr.
K.J. James
Recently R.
Bindu, the Minister for Higher Education Kerala told about the desire of her
government in favour of Open-book examination as a solution to several crucial
issues in the evaluation system implemented by the colleges and universities. Against the opinion of the Minister, who was
once an HoD and the Vice Principal of an aided college, hue and cry have been
started among the academia, including: teachers, students and the general
public. It’s quite natural that positive and negative posers emerge from the
society, especially a society, doubtful and adamant to any changes in education.
The members of the society share among themselves, the apprehensions about the what and how of it. Their anxieties would
melt out when they got answers to the what
and how they asked and to seeing scientific
and well-thought out alternatives in the colleges and universities in Kerala.
This author,
chiefly a teacher of English language & literature and a teacher educator of
core subjects, understands that the open-book examination is one existing in
various colleges and higher education institutions abroad, and even in some
colleges in India on a limited scale. But in order to suggesting as a new
concept, he has not made any attempt to tracing back to any model existed
anywhere in India or abroad.
What is open-book examination?
The
word ‘open-book’ has no much importance in defining it literally. Open-book
means, any reference material in manuscript, print or non-print form to be allowed
to the examination hall as an outside materials. There is no much variation
between the print and non-print reference materials when used an umbrella term
the ‘open-book examination’. Hence ‘open-book examination’ means, an evaluation
method that gives chances for the examinee to use unlimited sources in any form:
manuscript, print and non-print for completing the specified task demanded in
the question paper or task sheet. Whatever be the task for examination, all
types of manuscript, print and non-print sources, are allowed into the examination
hall.
Before
writing in detail the how of Open-book examination, this author likes to share
certain concerns that, the teachers and learners might feel open-book
examination as a mad concept The main concern is how it works in the current context,
where the student community is not disciplined and not tamed to accept such a
reform which requires more evidences and feedback from the examiners and
examinees. To show the workability of open-book examination, the writer likes
to give, examples one by one from different areas: Language & literature,
Bio-science, Chemistry, Physics and History, respectively. Please read the
following examples, for which the main themes to formulating questions are
taken from different syllabi of graduate courses. The task may be given to the
course-appropriate examinees by teachers as experiments to test the validity
and reliability of the concept proposed in this article.
An example for
language & literature
Task 1 --- Maximum score is 20
In the present
prescribed text book, there is a poem of Robert Frost, titled ‘The road not
taken’. Students, please search print or
non-print sources for a poem with almost same size, but near to the theme of ‘The
road not taken’.
Write an essay comparing both the poems on
the following grounds:
a) What are the objectives of the two poets while
writing these poems?
b) Which sentence/lines clearly represent the
objectives of the poets?
c) Though seem similar in themes, aren’t they
slightly different in the presentation and structure? What are they?
d) What are the differences in the images
created in both the poems?
Now plan 7 or 8 paragraphs on a sheet of
paper and then expand the plan into an essay on four or five pages
(approximately 750 words).
Time allotted to complete the task is
one-hour. Within this one hour the examinees can use their own text books,
journals, library books, internet and anything they find beneficial to complete
the task.
The
method of evaluation of the essay is the most critical point here with the example.
For that, preparation of indicators in the way to rate the responses is an
option. Look at the following example of creating indicators with 5 points.
a) Appropriateness of any five
relevant comparisons as demanded: 1/2/3/4/5
b) Appropriateness of expression and
usages: 1/2/3/4/5
c) Appropriateness of paraphrasing
the references from outside: 1/2/3/4/5
d) Cohesiveness of the points/claims:
1/2/3/4/5
An example for Bio-science
Task 2 --- Maximum score is 20
It has been
proved that there are micro-organisms beneficial for humankind’s day to day
life, as well as detrimental. Suggest any two plans that you may initiate to
isolate and name the newly identified micro-organism beneficial /detrimental to
humankind’s life. Suggest protocols that
may get international acceptance. Evaluation of the output would be based on the
following indicators:
a) Suggesting any
two different scientifically provable methods: 1/2/3/4/5
b) Comparing
the effectiveness between the two methods: 1/2/3/4/5
c) Appropriateness
of paraphrasing the references from outside :
1/2/3/4/5
d) Explaining
how the newly found out micro-organisms would be beneficial or detrimental to
humankind’s day to day life: 1/2/3/4/5
An example for Physics
Task 3 --- Maximum score is 20
Avoiding transmission loss to the least is
a challenge in the distribution of power in any country. Suggest a code/set of rules for house
electrification plans to be to reducing transmission loss to minimum in Kerala.
Consider cost effectiveness, weather and other factors for suggesting a set of
guidelines for house wiring.
The task depends on the analysis made
on the following order:
a) Identify the
loss of resources, if transmission loss is happened:
b) Present the
general reasons for transmission loss of power:
c) Analyse the specific reasons, if any for transmission
loss of power in Kerala:
d) Examine KSEB
Code/Rules to evaluate the effectiveness of the provisions to prevent
transmission loss:
Following
can be the indicators for evaluating the response in the form an essay/lengthy
answer.
a) Suggesting a set of guidelines
for minimising transmission loss in the electrification of houses: 1/2/3/4/5
b) Scientific and proven knowledge
on preventing transmission loss reflected on the guidelines suggested:
1/2/3/4/5
c) Appropriateness of paraphrasing
the references from outside : 1/2/3/4/5
d) Explaining the newly formed set
of guidelines to reducing transmission loss of power in household
electrification: 1/2/3/4/5
An example for Chemistry
Task 4 --- Maximum score is 20
Some days before there happened to read
about a new movement emerging in different parts of the world. It’s in slow
pace now, the moment is known as ‘anti-wash movement’.
This is an association, members of which
stand for not washing dresses or reduce the frequency of washing, as washing
process creates certain problems to the green concept.
You may examine the issue of the
‘anti-wash movement’ with the help of following guidelines.
a) Can you
guess, how does washing of clothes affect the green concept?
b) What are the
chemical changes usually happen in washing of clothes using detergents?
c) What are
your suggestions for supporting the green concept as a whole?
d) What about avoiding
problems of washing clothes if it creates harm to the green, any alternatives?
Your answer (750 words) would be valued on
the basis of the following indicators:
a) Analysing
the need of the green concept in different walks and scenes of day-to-day life:
1/2/3/4/5
b) Examining
scientifically the chemical changes happen during washing process using
detergents: 1/2/3/4/5
c) Examining
the need for developing alternatives in support of the green concept: 1/2/3/4/5
d) Suggesting
any two plans to reducing/avoiding the consequences while washing clothes using
detergents: 1/2/3/4/5
An Example for History
Task 5: Maximum score is 20
There is an argument that Indian
Independence in 1947 was the consequence of certain events in Europe after
1939. What are they and how they became triggers for Indian Independence?
An enquiry into the consequences of World
War II is expected, in which an analysis is a must to show the following
discussion to reach the conclusion:
a) What are the
prolonged consequences of World War II in Europe and Asia, in general?
b) What were
the immediate consequences reflected on foreign policy of the countries?
c) What are the
decisions taken in British parliament about Indian Independence?
d) What
conclusion do you reach after the analysis of the above three problems?
Evaluation of the answer (750 words) will
be on the basis of the following Indicators:
a) Analysing
the prolonged consequences of World War II: 1/2/3/4/5
b) Analysing
the immediate consequences on foreign
policy: 1/2/3/4/5
c) An
appropriate analysis of the decisions of the British Parliament: 1/2/3/4/5
d) Findings
about the consequences of World War II and Indian Independence: 1/2/3/4/5
Presumptions
Open book
examination has been looked upon down as something to be carried out by the
real implementers (teachers) without proper knowledge and confidence. Because,
the present teachers of the colleges and universities are not generally trained
to plan appropriate classroom processes and assessment system for each lesson
to be taught and evaluated. They follow or reconstruct the methodology they had
experienced or they visualise certain methodology in its rude form where they think
as the best choice. Their un-fashioned attempts have no backing of
Cognitive/Pedagogical Science, which turn their teaching as a matter of
readiness and commitment only, rather than a skilled activity.
Take an eye-opener from the Nursing
Science as an example: out of readiness and commitment to the fellow beings,
one can dress the minor wounds of a patient or spread the sheet neatly over the
bed of the patient. But, whatever be the level of readiness and commitment, can
anyone change the artificial respiratory tube or excretory tube fixed to the
patient’s body as an attempt of treatment? To do it scientifically and thus
successfully one wants the knowledge in Nursing Science. Same way, teaching and evaluation require
appropriate training and experience before the teacher enters into the actual teaching
job in colleges and universities.
If the governments and universities
demand open book examination to be implemented by a set of teachers who are
not: receptive, progressive and committed to, what would be the end result of open
book examination? Teachers of all designations are to be oriented in the
methods of knowledge construction and evaluation of the knowledge constructed through
their facilitation. For that a comprehensive project can be thought out by each
college as a whole or department of the college. In such an orientation,
following are the presumptions to be formulated among the teachers, who are
solely responsible for facilitating the experiences for construction of
knowledge and the evaluation visualised by the curriculum:
a) Construction
of knowledge that happens within the learner is the objective of all classroom
processes and experimentation in the lab or outside. Construction of knowledge
is little incidental, but chiefly it’s a planned exercise controlled
substantially by the curriculum, syllabus, text books, teacher’s interaction
etc. and ultimately by the evaluation.
b) Teacher’s mongering to the class may supply information,
names or data to the learners, as such it doesn’t guarantee construction of
knowledge. According to cognitive science, construction of knowledge is
achieved only when maximum synaptic connections are realised within the
neurons. Hence the impact of teaching is with the thought process or the
cognitive process of the learner.
c) Just
identifying: names, places, authors, or recalling a formula for a mathematical
calculation or reproducing the expansion of a short form etc. are lower level
cognitive processes, for which mental exercises are generated to a minimum. As
such, these type of questions do not activate the cognitive system and thus
they don’t represent the construction of knowledge that happens with each
individual learner. Hence, these types of questions are not at all suitable for
open-book examination, where the knowledge constructed are to be observed and
measured.
d) But, comparison, classification,
reaching inferences, discriminating, predicting, evaluating, suggesting new,
differentiating, establishing cause and effect relationship, deducting, analysing
etc. are considered to be higher order thinking processes which require intense
utilisation of attention and decision taking. Recent researches have
established through brain imaging techniques that a stronger synaptic
connection and thus ionic changes happen at the time of higher order thinking
processes. Need not to say about the
mileage of the above higher order thought processes, if included for open-book
examination. There the learner has to analyse and critically think to write the
answer of oneself, which is unique from other examinees.
e) Yet another
presumption one sees is that, in open-book examination there is an attempt to
integrate the learning experiences of one lesson/unit/chapter of the same subject/paper
with other lessons or chapters. For an example, unit 1 of the Physics text may
be Magnetism, and unit 2 is on Electromagnetism. There is a chance for framing a task for
open-book examination with the wording: Suggest a plan with any five provisions for
the care of appliances/devices using magnetism and electromagnetism.
f) Colleges and
universities can give certain number of models to framing questions for
open-book examination and be presented to the teachers for analysis to frame
new questions for actual use in the examination hall. Static models as
available in the case of traditional question papers, may be transformed to get
new questions. The traditional type of questions
shown at the end of each unit/chapter are not at all useful as such for
open-book examination, as they were formed by the authors to revise learning
only after completing the reading of that particular chapter.
Now
read all the examples once again, for a critical analysis on the basis of the six
presumptions explained above. Teachers may understand that questions
for open-book examinations are not items given to the examinees to reproduce
anything what they have learned earlier as such, where recalling of certain
information or data that had been presented to them through the dry lecture of
the teacher or supplied to them through notes of the lecturer. The task in the
open book examination takes care of the responsibility to construct or generate
knowledge for solving the problem presented to the examinee, which is based on
that particular unit/chapter and/or integrated with other portions of same
subject/paper. Certain tips that seem necessary for the beginners are also
shown below, which be helpful for them to frame certain questions on
experimental platform:
Tips for open-book examination
a) New
production or construction of knowledge is expected from the examinee, rather
than presentation of certain answers set earlier within the mind of the
examinee through earlier practice attempts.
b) Reproduction
or recalling of facts and information shall get only low score in the
assessment of answers as they are not evidences of creation of knowledge.
c) What the examinee
produces or creates as the answer, should be viable for observing and measuring,
then only it would be awarded with appropriate score.
d) Question or
task for evaluation is to be introduced to the examinee only in the form of
problem to be solved, where inquiry or discovery should be the mode of
learning.
e) Encountering
a problem or feeling a problem, forming hypothesis or accepting temporary solution,
planning to analyse the problem, data collection, analysis and reaching
conclusion are the steps for finding answer for the questions in open-book
examination.
f) Otherwise,
each attempt is a mini dissertation, project or investigation into the depth of
the subject for which the open-book examination has been targeted.
g) One more tip
has been included in framing the questions for Open-book examination, i.e. the
problems are asked so as to get solutions/suggestions from the examinee. These
questions are formulated from news reports or studies coming as current affairs
from each area.
Open-book examination makes both
the examiner and the examinee autonomous in the sense that, it provides them a
vast area where they like to dig out new knowledge and to form decisions. The
examiners and the examinees are brought out of the shell of syllabus and
curriculum that straightjacket them. As open-book examination frees them from
all unnecessary controls that bind them, the examiners and the examinees think
progressively and creatively for framing questions and responding to questions,
respectively with challenges. In open-book examination, the examiners and the
examinees are not followers of what their counterparts have accomplished
before. With the creation of new problems for open-book examination, the
teacher is being elevated to the position of a research guide, and the examinee
to the status of a researcher. Together they investigate into the problem, thus
every question of open-book examination becomes a combined research activity.
