The new evaluation system will focus more on continuous assessment and projects, rather than a heavy emphasis on exams
New Delhi: In response to the recent rise in student suicides at IITs, the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi has decided to revamp its evaluation system and drop a set of mid-semester exams. This is in an effort to reduce student stress and improve their mental health. The new evaluation system will focus more on continuous assessment and projects, rather than a heavy emphasis on exams. This is expected to give students more flexibility and reduce the pressure they feel to perform well on a single exam, a report in news agency PTI said.
Relief For Students
The decision to drop a set of mid-semester exams is also a significant step towards reducing student stress. Mid-semester exams can add to the workload and pressure that students already feel, and they can also be a source of anxiety for students who are struggling with their studies.
“Now there will be two sets of exams besides routine evaluations” Director Announces
“Earlier we used to have two sets of exams during a semester, final exams at the end of each semester and several continuous evaluation mechanisms. We conducted an internal survey and based on feedback from all students and faculty, we have decided to drop one set of exams. So, now there will be two sets of exams besides routine evaluations,” Director Rangan Banerjee told PTI in an interview.
“We felt that the exam calendar was too packed and hence decided to reduce student burden and stress. The decision has also been approved by the Senate and will be implemented from the ongoing semester. A maximum cap of 80 per cent weightage has been kept for the two examinations,” he added.
Rising Cases of Student Suicides
Focusing on the rising cases of student suicides, Banerjee said, “Students in IITs come through an extremely competitive process, they have come into a classroom where there are so many people who are very intelligent…We have to be able to tell people how to cope with failure…this is something we are focusing on.
“We have expanded our counselling set up, we have students as well as professional counsellors in our hostels. We want to track students whose performance is deteriorating so they can be mentored accordingly,” he said.
The hope is that these changes will help to improve the mental health of students at IIT Delhi and make the university a more supportive environment for learning.
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