"A New System of Examinations and Education for All”

Dear All,

This is a special post regarding the research work of A.P.Sathe (Retired ) Professor of Physics, Institute of Science. Email Address : apsathe20025@rediffmail.com

Please read the following article. This is a research work from Proffesor A.P Sathe who has come up with a solution to the problem of RESERVATION and other blazing issues related to the present system of education in India.

Please mail in ur ideas and views on the same on the following id

apsathe20025@rediffmail.com AND itproffmumbai@yahoo.co.in

Here are some excerpts from his Research Work :

" These are the key ideas in the article “ A New System of Examinations and Education for All”. by the above author. The full article is about sixty pages. A compressed but reasonably detailed version of about one third the size was published under the title: “ Ideas for a New System of Examinations and Education for All “ in the June 1993 issue , Pages 64-72 of “Physics News” the journal of the Indian Physics Association .

1. It is possible by making suitable modifications in the existing system to have (i) excellence & (ii) low cost (by a fuller utilization of (a) time & energy of students & faculty & (b) of the educational material, books & equipment). The cost can be reduced to such an extent that the students will be able to (work if they so desire and) pay for it. A system which is paid for by the direct beneficiaries allows the lifting of controls, and there will be scope for market forces to keep up the quality of education.

2. The key step which makes the above feasible is to have high quality, cost effective and student friendly examinations. The examinations will be (i) very thorough & (ii) the student will be able to choose the date on which he wishes to appear for any paper (see 3(d)) (presumably after his preparation is complete (iii) decide on the grade (i.e. whether he wishes to demonstrate high proficiency or is satisfied with a general idea of the subject (see 3(g) (iv) take the exams as many times as he wants (i.e. if he fails).

3. All this is achieved as follows:
(a) The questions (Q) in the Q-papers are selected by making a random choice from a Q bank.

(b) The Q bank i.e. QB will consist of a large number (see 3(f)) of good questions (see 3(e)) which really require the students to think.
©The QB will be open i.e. available to the students in advance.

(d) The Q papers will not be printed, but the entire QB will be made available to the student at the time of the exam. Just before the exam a single set of random numbers will be announced which will correspond to different Q for the different Q papers from different QB for the various subjects/papers/levels. Since, now, drawing up a Q paper consists only of drawing up a set of 25(see 3(h)) or so random numbers, it will be possible to schedule exams as frequently as desired.

(e) The preparation of the QB will require an enormous amount of effort. But, since the Q papers do not have to be printed each day, we can easily have Q, the text of which is long but the answer may be short. The Q may incorporate diagrams, graphs, tables. In this way a thorough probing of the proficiency achieved becomes possible. Thus we can get very high quality Q papers. But the cost will be less than the cost involved in the existing system wherein hundreds of examiners (in the different universities, institutions etc ) labour independently (respecting the confidentiality of Q papers) preparing Q papers on more or less the same syllabi year after year.

(f) Large QB. The QB will be large i.e. they will contain so many Q that though they are available to the students in advance it will require a great deal of time and energy to prepare answers to all of them. It will be easier (i.e. less time consuming) just to understand and study the subject thoroughly. Thus, as a bonus, we will be assured that, in their own interest (to pass as quickly as possible), students will develop the capacity to think independently.

(g) Grading : There will be Q banks with many difficult questions which require the candidates to have an excellent comprehension of the subject. These will be used by the students who want to demonstrate a high proficiency in the subject. For those, content to display merely a general understanding of the subject, there will be Q banks with simpler direct Q. The grading will be, in either case, only pass/fail, passing marks 70 %, no choice, and the certificate will display whether they attempted the difficult or easy QB. Students will be allowed to appear for the exam as many times as they want till they pass. In effect then, it is for the students to choose what grade they want and for the authorities to decide, simply, whether or not they have earned it. Having a passing of 70% will imply that the students really know the subject to the level as reflected in the Q bank.

(h) The Q paper will include many small Q and so, though the Q will be selected randomly, it is very likely that they will cover many topics in the syllabus and since passing is at 70% the students will have to study the entire syllabus well.

(i) This feature will also be valuable for potential employers who will know exactly the level achieved by students.

(j) Employers can be associated with the design of the system so that education can be as job-oriented as desired.

(k)In effect then, we will have achieved a high quality, thorough, and yet cost effective, evaluation. And this will be done in an extremely student friendly manner which will make it easier for most students to attain excellence.

4. Fuller utilization: Self Study – A fuller use of student & faculty, time and energy.

(a) Voluminous lecture notes which can detail all the (tricky) logical steps in the development of the subject will be made available to the students. Then most of the time of the students will be spent in self study at exactly the pace they desire. They will of course be free to study with their friends if they so desire. They will receive help from teaching assistants (the brighter students or the senior students) and the faculty who will be available to provide inspiration, guidance and the discussion of the subtler points.

(b) More faculty time will then become available for the preparation of better self study material, and also to help the students on an individual basis, or lead stimulating discussions with groups of students who have already studied the basics and also for their own study, research or work on collaborative projects with industry etc.
(c ) Some faculty members can deliver excellent lectures which can be inspiring and a pleasure to attend. The students will be encouraged to attend but they will also have the freedom to study on their own, if they so decide.

(d). Since the student can take the exams whenever he wants he will be free to concentrate his attention on a single paper at a time, master the material and pass the exam with a minimum of expenditure of his time and energy.

5. Economy in Educational Material : Since the examinations will be spread over the whole year a given copy of the expensive books or lecture notes can be shared easily by many more students so that the cost per student will be low.

6. Economy in Lab Equipment : Since most of the students time will be at their disposal (i.e. no fixed time tables consuming a large part of their day) it will be possible for them to work in the laboratories at all times of the day & year, so that a fuller utilization of the laboratory space and equipment will be possible. The students will have to make an advance reservation for the use of a given experimental set up at a given time of their choice and they will have to pay for the time they reserve the equipment for their use. It will naturally be in their interest to come fully prepared with the knowledge of the experiment and work systematically & diligently & accomplish their tasks. They will also receive help from the teaching assistants. Students who enjoy working in the laboratory and wish to do what they want can either pay for the extended use of the lab or agree to work as teaching assistants so that they get as much opportunity (free of charge) to be in the lab as they want.


7. Teaching Assistants : The involvement of the teaching assistants is an important and valuable feature of the proposed system. It is possible in this system as the entire program is flexible in time. Teaching assistants are valuable in three ways (i) They can provide effective help to students at a lower cost. (ii) In the process, they acquire a deeper understanding of the subject. (iii) They earn money to help pay for their own education.

8. Advantages of a “Not Time Bound” Program : Since the entire program is not time bound, students can :

(i) work day and night on a topic or project that they find exciting.
(ii) participate in extra curricular activities.
(iii) go into as much depth as they want & study related topics.
(iv) work as teaching assistants.
(v) work on collaborative projects with industry which may have their own deadlines.
(vi)If they so choose, they can just go through the entire program much more quickly and move out into the world.

The important point is that the students have the choice to do any of the above without having to worry about getting lower grades.

9. Lifting of Controls – Scope for Market Forces
It can be seen that cost reduction can be achieved and avenues opened up for students to earn and learn without in any way compromising on the quality of education they receive.

It will then become possible for students to pay for the education they are seeking without having to depend on govt. subsidy. This has a very important consequence, namely, when education is paid for, directly by the beneficiaries, then controls can be lifted and plenty of flexibility can be introduced. Also market forces can be allowed to come into play which in turn can maintain the quality of education imparted without having to rely on cumbersome controls.

10. Conclusion : Thus, by exploiting the scope for economizing in education (by a fuller use of student & faculty time and of the educational materials & equipment), we have reduced the cost so much that the doors of education to the poor need not be closed. Thus we will achieve excellence at a low cost."

Posted By
Ashish K Gupta
www.itproffmumbai.blogspot.com