The CBSE took the decision in the fag end of 2023 to pilot the open book exams which allow access to reference material and test student's understanding of ideas and their ability to apply ideas and concepts to different situations, rather than memorisation and reproduction the answers as the case in closed-book examination currently in vogue.
The piloting of the open book exams system is going to be undertaken for Classes 11 and 12 for Biology, Mathematics, and English as proposed under NEP-2020 and suggested in the National Curriculum Framework (NCF)-2023 document of the NCERT.
However, it is matter of training in understanding the Open Book Examination System right from the CBSE functionaries to school leaders to teachers and students since it would requires reconstruction of classroom practices and study skills for information retrieval and processing towards use of higher order thinking skills during the examination in itself.
According to Prof. Disha Nawani of Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, exploring open-book examinations is a wonderful idea, but an entire ecosystem needs to be reshaped for it by reviewing the 'meaning of learning, selection/orientation/training of teachers, the nature of teaching-learning resources, their use in the classroom, and even the way school inspectors view education, are only a few ways such an ecosystem can be established.'
ABCs of Open Book Testing
A: Ability to apply or understand and analyze information or content rather than just memorize and reproduce it.
B: Being well-versed with 'study skills,' 'read-to-learn skills' or 'information processing skills' and get organized with access to information and its processing with proper understanding of the technical language or disciplinary literacy and glossary
C: Competence in identifying relevant authentic information suitable for questions formulated for testing the 'problem-based learning competence' of students is required by referencing the material available to the material them at home in case of on-line testing
D: Design of the test items is to evaluate the reasoning skills, analytical skills, methodical problem solving skills which require mastery over reading skills of technical English language which requires extensive training of students, teachers and paper setters alike in decoding disciplinary technical language
E:Efficiency in the answering of open-book or open-web on-line testing items in browser-based formats is required through in-house mock-tests, term-papers, topic research assignments and presentations based on problem-solving learning skills.
As for the OBE in maths, the NCF-2023 states, “Open book assessments can go a long way towards reducing anxiety in students. Examinations could provide ‘fact sheets’ consisting of information, such as formulae, and definitions, so that students need not memorise them but use them in actual problem solving.”
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