COVID-19 Crisis In India: 4 IITs to Discard Final Year Exams

Four IITs of Kanpur, Kharagpur, Roorkee and Mumbai have come up with the decision to ditch the final year exams as COVID cases in India spike up, abnormally.

Other institutes have given flexible graduating options through new grading systems and early graduations. While some have changed the examination system by introducing open book exams as well.

IIT Kanpur will offer grades A, B, C, and S to students based on mid-term quizzes, projects, assignments or exams. The process will be online and students who do not graduate will be given a chance to improve their grades.

IIT Bombay will evaluate students based on grades in mid-term examination. It will be an online process and evaluation will be on 20% weightage.

The senate of IIT Kharagpur decided on May 27, 2020, that evaluation will be based on mid-term exams, projects, assignment and viva and students will be given grades. The grading scheme and supplementary examination pattern will be set by a committee.

IIT Roorkee will offer both letter and number grades and students can consider it as final or reappear in exams. In case students acquire pass grade D, it can be converted into a Satisfactory S as no grade which will be treated as final. 

Final Year Exam Systems at IITs in Delhi and Madras

IIT Madras meanwhile is evaluating students through online mode and telephonic viva exams. The reason is, the institute wishes to keep options available in case the government allows it to open the institute campus.

As of now, IIT Madras has prioritised course completion for students of the final year as they have to graduate before the joining date of their jobs. 90% of students have completed their final-year IIT-M aided projects from home and submitted them online. 

The process is scheduled to complete by June 15 so as to let them take up jobs easily. 

As per the dean of academic courses, Jagadeesh Kumar V, IIT-M gave students a chance to receive grades based on their papers. However, students chose to have online classes and examinations. 

For other students, IIT Madras has planned to offer online exams if the COVID crisis continues. Students will be given exam centres nearest to their residence. 

IIT Delhi offered two choices to the 2020 graduating batch, that is early or regular graduation. Early graduation will invoke receiving grades whereas regular graduation will have credits or pass/fail options. In case of regular credit options, students need to appear for online tests, assignments, viva and home exams. 

Early graduation process will be online and end by June. Students who are unable to meet graduation requirements will have a fall-back option when semester reconvenes.