Dr. Ghanbari, the Deputy of Education at the University: Student evaluation is not solely based on virtual exams.
The Educational and Research Vice President of Qom University of Technology stated that the evaluation of students during the pandemic is not solely based on virtual exams, and faculty members will determine the final grade of students using methods of continuous classroom assessment, administering short quizzes, and defining research projects. According to the public relations office of the university, Dr. Jafar Ghavami, in an interview with the educational and research reporter of the university news agency, emphasized that at present, the health of students, considering the recommendations of the National Anti-Corona Headquarters and the status of Qom as a holy city regarding the spread of the virus, is a priority. He noted that to reduce student movement, the decision to conduct final exams virtually was inevitable and received the approval of the university's board of trustees.
He added that student evaluation and the final grade during the pandemic are not solely based on virtual exams, and each course instructor will use various methods such as continuous classroom assessment, administering short quizzes, defining research projects relevant to the course topic, and other assignments to determine the final grade of students.
The Educational and Research Vice President of Qom University of Technology stated that the non-in-person final exam does not constitute the entirety of the student's final grade, resulting in a reduction of error margin. Moreover, Take Home Exams for graduate-level education have been a common evaluation option in reputable universities even during in-person instruction, and the variety of issues in these types of exams does not undermine their scientific validity.
Ghavami mentioned that the potential for cheating exists in all exams, and the cheating individual will ultimately find a way to execute their actions. However, measures have been taken in conducting virtual exams to minimize this possibility, including randomly selecting questions for each student from the question bank of each course. This method ensures that the questions each student encounters differ from those seen by others, thereby rendering the sharing of answers in common student groups across virtual spaces ineffective.
He continued: In the virtual exam, students will only have one opportunity to answer each question, and the ability to change their previously submitted answers will not be available. Additionally, the final grade of students will not be solely determined by the virtual exam; the course instructor will assess the academic level of the students using the aforementioned evaluation methods, consequently reducing the error margin in the final grades.
The Educational and Research Vice President of Qom University of Technology emphasized that according to the university’s board of trustees' resolution, if a course instructor requests to conduct an in-person exam for justified reasons, the matter will be reviewed by the university's educational council, and if approved, the conditions for holding an in-person exam will be arranged.
