Mumbai University says winter semester exams for traditional, professional courses to be held online

The University of Mumbai on late Wednesday night announced that winter semester exams for all traditional and professional courses will be conducted online. As per Hindustan Times, Vinod Patil, director of board of examination and assessment, issued a circular on detailing the guidelines for conducting the first, third and fifth semester exams. The report cites the circular in stating that the winter semester exams will be held online, much like the final semester exams which were conducted online through a combination of multiple choice and subjective questions. The university has directed colleges to hold surveys of students to gauge their ability take online exams. The survey aims to see whether students without access to smart devices or internet will be able to take the exam. In such cases, colleges have been asked to make arrangements for them in coordination with local authorities. As per a report in The Times of India, for traditional and management courses, the university has set a deadline for 31 December to complete all the exams and 15 January for professional courses such as engineering, law and pharmacy. As per NDTV, students appearing for traditional courses such as arts, science and commerce will get an hour to answer 50 multiple choice questions, while for professional course such as engineering, MSc and pharmacy, students will be required to write 80-mark theory papers divided into two parts: MCQ and descriptive. Students will be appearing in practical and vivca-voce examinations online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.