Odisha Govt Announces Alternative Evaluation Methods For Cancelled UG, PG Final Year Exams

Bhubaneswar: A week after the cancellation of Under Graduate (UG) and Post Graduate (PG) final semester and final year examinations (except medical, para-medical and pharmacy courses) in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Higher Education Department of Odisha government on Thursday released details of the alternative evaluation method.

For UG and PG Final Year/FinaI Semester’2020 students

— The universities and autonomous colleges will adopt an alternative evaluation method in place of cancelled examinations and declare the results by August 2020.

— Marks for the final year/final semester papers will be awarded on the basis of the internal marks as per prescribed weightage + practical mark as per prescribed weightage if applicable + average of marks obtained in all previous semesters/years in the corresponding papers of that subject for the remaining weightage.

— Where practical examination has not been conducted, average of marks obtained in practical papers of all previous semesters/years in the corresponding practical papers of that subject will be awarded as practical examination marks for final year/final semester.

— Dissertation/project/internally evaluated papers shall be evaluated by the internal examiners out of full marks allotted for the papers.

— There will be no viva-voce/presentation for these papers. These papers shall be collected from the students either by post/e-mail/WhatsApp.

— If a student feels that she/he could have secured higher marks than the marks awarded to him through alternative evaluation method, then she/he can appear in a special examination which will be conducted by the universities/autonomous colleges by November and the results of the same will be declared by December. The final mark sheet shall be revised as per the student’s performance in the special examination, irrespective of whether she/he secures more or less mark than what is awarded to him through alternative evaluation method. To that effect, an undertaking must be obtained from the student before allowing him to appear in the special examination.

— The alternative evaluation method shall not be applicable if the UG and PG final year/final semester examinations have already been conducted. In such cases, the normal evaluation method shall be followed.

— Pending back paper examinations for final year/final semester UG and PG students shall be cancelled if a student has a maximum of two back papers. Instead, the university/autonomous college may adopt the proportionate quotient method or any other acceptable method to evaluate the student. However, if a student has more than two back papers, she/he has to appear regular examination in all the back papers as and when will be conducted.

— If a student has already appeared in back paper examinations, but the result is awaited, then the normal evaluation will be done in case of those papers.

—  The passed-out UG and PG students willing to appear in improvement examination in any paper shall have to appear in such examination as and when will be conducted.

For UG and PG Intermediate Semesters/ Year Examinations, 2020

— The intermediate even semesters/year(s) examinations shall not be held for the current academic session 2019-20. However, in case of the yearly system (annual) of examination, there will be regular examinations for the first-year students of 2019-2020 session as per schedule will be notified by the university/college.

— The universities/autonomous colleges will decide alternative methods to evaluate the performance of students as per their examination regulations or prevailing practice elsewhere conforming to the UGC guidelines.

— The students of the aforesaid semesters/year(s) shall be automatically promoted to next semesters/Year for 2020-21 academic session. However, for them, Back Paper examinations shall be held as usual.

— These decisions are also applicable to the final year/final semester examinations of DDCE (Utkal University and Fakir Mohan University), all types of Teacher Education programmes (two-year B.Ed. Degree/three-year Integrated B.Ed and M.Ed Degree/four-year Integrated B.A, B.Ed/B.Sc, B.Ed. programme)/ all self-financing courses/PPP-based self-financing courses.

However, these decisions are not applicable to the courses run under the aegis of other departments of the state government, the notification added.