Course: Secondary Education (827)

Semester: Spring, 2022

NAME: MUZHER HUSSAIN

REG NO : 12KMD01995

Assignment No. 02
Q.1 Discuss conventional, field based and distance learning teacher education programs.
Distance education is a form of learning that doesn’t require the students to physically attend the classes.
Classes are conducted either by sharing videos, modules and notes or by conducting online classes where
teachers and students can have live interaction.
In distance education courses the exams are also conducted online. This allows students from one part of the
world to enroll and participate in any courses being conducted in another part.
Distance education allows people from all walks of life to complete their education and pursue courses and
develop skills they are keen on. One of the Great Advantage of distance learning is its affordable fees, student-
oriented learning.
Since the introduction of education, the regular education system has been the basis for education and learning
across the world. Regular education involves the physical presence of students in classes.
Distance Education is a form of education in which course content is delivered and interaction provided by the
technologies and methodologies of the Internet. The online environment allows people to interact with others
asynchronously or synchronously in collaborative environments; to gain access to remote multimedia databases
for active, resource-based learning; and to manage self-paced, individualized learning in a flexible way.
Moreover, the Internet allows students to enroll in courses from anywhere in the world at almost any time.
There is a new vision developed during the past 15-20 years, strongly influenced by the social and cognitive
sciences. The educational system now focuses on learning rather than on teaching. The focus of learning theory
has changed to learning styles and perception. Knowledge is considered as socially constructed through action,
communication and reflection involving learners (Huebner and Wiener, 2001).
To design effective distance education programs, it is important to understand how learning occurs and the
factors that influence motivation, communication, perception, and learning. Learning strategies may consider 1)
cognitive learning strategies 2) metacognitive activities for planning and self-regulation 3) learner’s goals and
motivation. Cognitive strategies can not be divorced from learner’s purpose in using them. Therefore, learner
goals and motivation highly influence the cognitive strategies. The distance education requires intrinsic
motivation to support skill development, intellectual interests, challenge or personal growth consistent with the
results of relevant research (Gibson, 1997).
Moore and Kearsley have enumerated design considerations for distance education:
  Good structure

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  Clear objectives
  Small units:
  Planned participation
  Completeness
  Repetition
  Synthesis
  Stimulation
  Variety
  Open-ended
  Feedback
  Continuous Evaluation                
Reflection in distance education means engaging individual students to explore their experiences to lead to new
understanding and appreciations. Holmberg (1995) handled the guided didactic conversation between teacher
and student as pervasive characteristic of distance education;
 Those feelings of personal relation between the teaching and learning parties promote study pleasure and
motivation.
 That such feelings can be fostered by well-developed self instructional material and two way
communication at a distance.
 That intellectual pleasure and study motivation are favourable to the attainment of study goals and the
use of proper study processes and methods.
 That the atmosphere, language and conventions of friendly conversation favour feelings of personal
relation.
 That messages given and received in conversational forms are comparatively easily understood and
remembered.
 That the conversation concept can be successfully translated, for use by media available, to distance
education.
 That planning and guiding the work, whether provided by the teaching organization or the student, are
necessary for organized study, which is characterized by explicit or implicit goal conceptions.
Learner autonomy should be the goal of distance education. It is good for students to be self-directed,
motivated, evaluative, and responsible for their own learning. This changes the traditional role of the teacher
from disseminator and manager to designer, moderator, guide and coach. Learner autonomy is realized when
distance learners participate in setting learning objectives, implementing their program of study, and evaluating
their personal learning and performance. Instead of face-to-face instruction, distance educators design learning

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 Course: Secondary Education (827)
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environments that stimulate productive learning activities. Students use these activities to achieve course goals
and meet their individual needs.
Learning environments range from teleconferences to interactive multimedia via the Internet. They are designed
to engage the learner. For example, in audio conferencing there are four major strategies for the teacher:
 humanizing and relating to the learner
 participation and interaction
 message style presentation of information
 feedback to determine effectiveness of learning and teaching
Television and computers are tools used by educators to disseminate and manage instruction. It is important for
educators to know the values and limitations of different communication media and techniques.
The coordinator of distance education should establish competence, continuity, control and confidence. Large
group one-way communications should be supported by small group activities and interactive computer
experiences. Even in distance learning, there may be a need for individual tutoring with real time interaction
between students and teachers, or peer learning where students work together and support each other. Students
need guidance, encouragement and reassurance; constructive criticism and advice, fair and objective grading,
and timely response from the instructor.
For the most part, distance education students are adult learners. Compared to school-age students, they are self-
reliant and responsible for their own learning. They should be encouraged to assume responsibility for setting
objectives, self-direction, personal responsibility, personal experiences, making decisions, learning to solve
problems, and maintaining intrinsic motivation .
Research in distance education encompasses the changing roles of teachers and students, the role of interactive
technologies, and its global impact on traditional and underserved populations of learners. It describes distance
education as synchronous and non-synchronous, anywhere and anytime, and learner focused. It adds a
vocabulary of technical terms related to computers, television, and interactive multimedia.
Some studies compare the quality of learning; others examine the quality of the learning experience. For
example, a study of Ohio’s distance education courses via microwave television compared student perceptions
based demographic variables (İşman). “The level of student satisfaction in the class was not high. More than
50% of the observational data indicated that students did not agree that they learned as much in the interactive
television class.” Test results revealed no relationship between gender and students’ perceptions. Age and
college classification were strongly related to perceptions of interactive television courses. Less significant
relationships were found between academic major and graduate/undergraduate status (İşman).
Teachers should share their knowledge and experience with students by providing consulting, helping,
directing, and advising. Distance Education embraces whole of the student activity, responsibility and
willingness for formulating and asking relevant questions and seeking answers. Many Distance Education

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programmes use discussion and question-answer type media, or decisions based on short scenarios or
simulations. The main consideration is here to define and measure role effectiveness of teacher-student
communication on learning at a distance (Willis, 2002). Distance education is new technological power for
developing a dynamic self-concept for students. The constructivist approach changes the role of educators.
Distance Education emulates this approach by leading the students (learner) to develop his or her own
strategies, objectives, evaluation, implementation under guidance of a teachers.
Q.2 What measures can be taken to deal with the problems of secondary education in Pakistan?
The right to education is enshrined within the Constitution of Pakistan. Article 25-A Pakistan states: “The State
shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of five to sixteen years in such manner as
may be determined by law.”(“The Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan”, 2012)
Following the 18th amendment, education has largely become a provincial rather than a national issue, and each
province has made progress in developing reforms to their respective education systems. However,
implementation of these reforms has remained a huge challenge. There is no doubt that steps have also been
taken to strengthen the facilities and services for primary, middle and secondary schools, as well as an
admirable effort directed towards the expansion of non-formal education. Unfortunately, major issues and
challenges continue to hinder the end goals of these initiatives from being achieved.
 Some statics on the state of education in Pakistan
To share a few examples of the obstacles faced, the population of Pakistan has reached 208 million individuals
as of 2018. 38% of this population currently lives below the poverty line (Jamal, 2017), while 43% of the adult
population (i.e. aged 15 and above) remains illiterate. For portion of adults mentioned, the percentage can be
further broken down to reveal a substantial gender gap wherein 51% of adult women compared to 30% of men
are illiterate(AEPAM, 2016). Several other factors also directly affect the state of education in the country. A
low annual education budget, over 90% of which goes for teacher and administrative salaries, is one example.
Poor infrastructure that hampers productive learning environments, poor teaching and learning resources, and
an assessment structure that operates in non-native languages are several more.
Further insights into statistics on the matter paint a grim picture on the country’s aspiration of education for all.
For instance, there are 51.17 million children in Pakistan between the ages of 5 -16 years out of which nearly 23
million are categorized as out of school (Khan, 2017). There is also a shortage of schools, wherein for every 13
primary schools, there is only 1 middle school (“National Education Policy”, 2017). Finally, there is a shortage
of teachers — around 50% of primary schools in Sindh and Balochistan and 29% in Pakistan as a whole have
only one teacher (“Pakistan Education Statistics”, 2017). When it comes to the quality of education and learning
outcomes of students, the numbers are even more distressing. For grade 5 students, 44% of school children
cannot read a story fluently either in Urdu or provincial languages. 48% cannot read a sentence fluently in
English, while 49% cannot carry out simple two-digit division.

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 Course: Secondary Education (827)
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Improving student learning is one of the key outcomes that all stakeholders of an education system should focus
on. A good understanding of student learning is important for teachers, so they can focus their efforts on key
areas that need to be improved and enhance teaching-learning practices in the classroom. Examination and
assessment data is also useful for policymakers to understand what factors hinder effective learning, to inform
future policies. In addition, examinations are used to signal student performance for admission to higher studies
and for the job market. A sound assessment and examination system is thus integral to a good education system.
The education system in Pakistan is categorized as primary (grade 1-5), middle (grade 6-8), secondary (grade 9-
10) higher secondary (grade 11-12) tertiary education. Those entering secondary and higher secondary
education go through high-stake examinations conducted by a Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education
(BISE). The secondary school education system, particularly exams, plays a major role in both teaching and
learning attitudes that affect the entire system. If assessment and examinations are not aligned with the
curriculum and continue to focus on textbook based examination (i.e. memorizing the content of the textbook),
then eventually assessment starts to drive learning and has a trickle-down effect on the entire education system.
There are currently 29 government run BISE bodies in Pakistan (Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan, KPK, and a
Federal Board), along with one private, local board (Aga Khan University Examination Board), and two foreign
boards (Cambridge Assessment and the International Baccalaureate system).Teachers follow the pattern set by
various BISE bodies, and as such most are preparing students to rote learn as they know that the students will be
tested on their ability to memorize. This directly leads to student’s own learning attitudes becoming a lifelong
behavior. It is worth noting that out of the total body of students set to take their secondary or higher secondary
examinations, over 90% are doing so in government schools that follows various BISE curriculums.
In this regard, government BISE bodies are widely criticized for not aligning their examinations with the
National Curriculum of Pakistan — although the National Curriculum of 2006 is based on learning outcomes,
many BISE bodies are still following 2002 curriculum. Another practice that has come under scrutiny is their
inability to assess higher order learning, as well as a propensity to drive students to rote learn, rather than
understand and apply concepts. Several studies conducted at both a national and international level (Rind,
2017), (Awan, Aslam, Muzaffar, Khan, & Rashid, 2016), (Burdett, 2017) have shown poor quality of
examination questions concentrated at the knowledge rather than application level that are also frequently
repeated over the years.
Furthermore, while there are major issues in quality of examination papers, there is also a lack of compatibility
between grades/marks and student’s demonstrated skills, which directly impacts how the public views both the
methods and validity of assessment. Meanwhile, rampant malpractice and cheating in examinations make the
system unreliable and unfair for all. Through such poor practices, the system loses credibility for the
qualification it offers and does not prepare students for higher learning. These students also face challenges for
admission into university, as they are unable to clear the entrance exams.

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 Course: Secondary Education (827)
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To summarize: This is the harsh reality that we live in. While poverty and adult illiteracy hampers the progress
to provide basic education, the quality of education and assessment is another major battle that Pakistan faces.
To say that the education system of Pakistan is fraught with considerable challenges would not be accurate.
Rather, it is necessary to be blunt and say that Pakistan continues to face an educational crisis.

Q.3 What decision were made to achieve the objective of Education Policy 1972-80?
The 1972-1980 Education Policy was drafted in a somewhat matter of fact tone and refrained from
philosophical pronouncements. It aimed at “eradicating illiteracy within the shortest possible time through
universalization of elementary education and a massive adult education programme” and at “equalizing access
to education through provision of special facilities for women, under-privileged groups and mentally-retarded
and physically-handicapped children and adults in all areas in general and the backward areas in particular.”
It declared that “education will be made free and universal up to Class X for all children throughout the
country ... in both Government and privately-managed schools. Private schools will be suitably supported for
the loss of fees incurred by them.” It was anticipated that “primary education up to Class V will become
universal for boys by 1979 and for girls by 1984" and further that “elementary education will become universal
up to Class VIII ... for boys by 1982 and for girls by 1987.” The earlier objective of compulsory education was
discarded. The Policy proposed to construct 61,000 additional class-rooms for primary classes, train 150,000
teachers, and recruit an additional 75,000 teachers through the National Literacy Corps.
The 1972 Policy identified 40 million adult illiterates in the country and declared that a "massive literacy
programme will be undertaken in every town, and village (and) literacy centres will be established all over the
country in schools, factories, farms, union council halls and other community places." A target of establishing
276,000 literacy centres to educate 11 million persons was fixed for the period 1972-80. The 1972 Policy was
overtaken somewhat mid-stream by the military coup d'etat in 1977, leading to significant shift in priorities. The
egalitarian principles enunciated by the ousted government had yet to see the light of the day in
practice.However, they were literally "expunged" under the new dispensation. The Fifth Five Year Plan was
prepared and launched a year later. However, the new education policy was not announced until two years later
in 1979.
The Fifth Five Year Plan also lamented the past neglect of primary education thus: “As a consequence of
neglect of primary education, Pakistan has a high illiteracy rate (78 per cent of population above 5 years was
illiterate in 1971). Illiteracy has been a major factor contributing to economic and social backwardness." It,
therefore, claimed to mark “a fundamental reordering of national priorities in favour of primary education” and
aimed at “a comprehensive approach towards primary education, which would include not only the
augmentation of physical facilities but also measures to reduce the drop-out rate, improvement in the quality of
teaching and better supervision.”

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 Course: Secondary Education (827)
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The Plan proposed to earmark 33 per cent of the development expenditure for primary education. It also
proposed to raise per capita expenditure on education from Rs. 43 in 1977-78 to Rs. 88 in 1982-83 and, thereby,
increase the outlay on education from under 2 percent to 3.1 per cent of GNP by 1982-83. It aimed at
"increasing enrolment at primary stage so that all boys of Class I age, are enrolled by 1982-83 and universal
enrolment for the entire age group (5-9) is attained by 1986-87. An essential feature of the plan is reduction in
the drop out rate from 50 per cent to 40 per cent.”
High priority was also given to rapid expansion in girls education. It stated that "enrolment of girls is expected
to increase at the rate of 9.6 per cent per annum as against 7 per cent for boys. Girls’ schools will receive
priority in the programme for construction and improvement of schools. All schools will be open for admission
of girls and separate girls’ schools shall be opened where essential”. As a result, “enrolment of girls will be
increased by 9.95 lac or from 33 per cent to 45 per cent”, it said.
To accommodate the proposed additional enrolment, the Plan provided for:
“renovation and expansion of 17,166 existing schools. In addition, 12,641 new primary schools would be
opened ... In about 10 per cent of the new schools, furniture will be provided as an experiment to determine
whether seating helps to improve school performance ... The selection of new schools would be based on
detailed survey and mapping to ensure optimum locations. To ensure that schools are within the easy walking
distance of small children, village and mohallah mosques will be utilized to teach primary classes both in areas
where existing schools are not suitably located, and in areas which are without schools. Buildings in urban areas
will be more intensively utilized by increasing double shift working which is particularly important if targets for
increased enrolment of girls is to be realized. It was also estimated that about 75,748 teachers -- 45,054 male
and 30,694 female -- will be required to cater for the additional enrolment. To resolve the problem of non-
availability of teachers for schools in the rural area, it stated that “a beginning shall be made towards
construction of residences and 5,800 units will be constructed during the Plan period."
The 1979 Education Policy was presented one year after the launching of the Fifth Five Year Plan, with a
change of target dates. While the Fifth Plan proposed to enrol all boys of Class I age by 1982-83 andachieve
universal enrolment for the entire age group (5-9) by 1986-87, the 1979 Policy proposed to achieve the same by
1987 and 1992, respectively. In other words, within one year the government had shifted forward the two
targets by 4 and 5 years, respectively.
The Policy was presented as “the first in recognizing the great potentials of our indigenous institutions and
patronizing them for bringing about greater educational development”. It claimed that “deviation from alien
models and building up on what we already have, will make a great impact”. The Policy aimed at providing “a
minimum acceptable level of functional literacy and fundamental education to all citizens of the country
particularly the young, irrespective of their faith, caste, and creed in order to enable them to participate
productively in the total national effort”.

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 Course: Secondary Education (827)
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It repeated the lament that "nearly half of nation’s children and two thirds of girls do not go to primary schools".
Inter-provincially, the enrolment ratio was stated to be 32 percent in Balochistan, 52 percent in NWFP, 59
percent in Sindh, and 56 percent in Punjab. In rural areas, the enrolment ratio was stated to be 30 percent in
Balochistan, 50 percent in NWFP, 42 percent in Sindh, and 48 percent in Punjab. Among rural girls, the
enrolment ratio was stated to be 10 percent in Balochistan, 14 percent in NWFP, 16 percent in Sindh, and 29
percent in Punjab. Low enrolment was said to be further aggravated by high drop-out, estimated at 50 percent
overall and higher for girls on account of in-school and out of school factors.
The Policy presented a 9-point statement of "National Aims of Education" and a 12-point implementation
strategy. The Implementation Programme was ambitious and proposed to:
 achieve universal Class I enrolment of boys by 1987 and of girls by 1992.
 eliminate wastage to achieve 60 percent retention rate by 1983 and 100 percent thereafter
 reconstruct/improve 17,000 existing primary schools
 open 13,000 new primary schools, mainly in rural areas
 establish 5000 mosque schools for boys
 provide equipment to 12,000 existing schools
 supply text-books to all students at the primary level
 supply at least one teaching kit to all existing and new schools
 experiment with different mixes of inputs to determine direction for large scale investment in primary
education
 carry out a nation-wide school mapping exercise to evolve a process of school location planning
 undertake a nation-wide survey to determine repair needs of existing primary schools and launch a
programme of repairs
In addition to the 5000 Mosque schools for boys, the Programme also envisaged opening 5000 Mohalla
schools for girls, and 1000 Village Workshop schools to impart training in “mother trades like carpentry,
masonry and agriculture” and focus on “appropriate skill development linked with community needs”.
The anticipated problems and difficulties and resource allocation needs were also detailed in the
Programme.
The importance of institutional, organizational and administrative arrangements was again recognized with the
acknowledgement that “even with the fullest government commitment and allocation of required financial
resources, the objective of universal primary education cannot be achieved in the stipulated time without
effective mobilization of community resources and participation ... (which would) necessitate the creation of
strong management capability at the local levels." The Policy also provided for an elaborate adult education
programme. It again lamented that “since the establishment of Pakistan, no serious attempt seems to have been
made to launch a viable programme of adult education in the country, although almost all previous policies and

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 Course: Secondary Education (827)
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plans have claimed to attach importance to this issue”. The programme proposed to set up 10,000 adult literacy
centres to be sponsored by the Ministry of Education, Pakistan Television Centres, IRDP markazes, Allama
Iqbal Open University study centres, and social welfare centres. The possibility of a student volunteer corps,
comprising bachelors and masters level students was also envisaged. It was claimed that the programme will
raise literacy levels from 24 percent to 35 percent by 1983 and attain 100 percent literacy by 2010.”
Q.4 What are the advantages and disadvantages of semester system of education?
Schools, colleges and universities play very crucial role in national building. They play the vital role in
preparing our next generations and bring out professionals who are responsible to drive the nation and its
economy in later stage of their lives. They breed new ideas, innovations in the minds of the students and also
create awareness amongst the people to make them responsible citizens. A nation and its future depend on
imbibing proper education to the young minds of its children and the educational institutions play a role to play
in this noble direction. Ever since the educational system came into being, it has been very difficult to find its
consistency. Through continuous research and up gradation, exposure and elevation in the field of education,
new ideas and concepts came into being in the quest of the feasible manner of imparting education and studies.
Innumerable reforms took place to form a sustainable development in the educational system leading to greater
results to have a comprehensive approach to education. As a result of these investigations based on research and
policies the semester system of education has been introduced in place of annual system. Both semester and the
annual system have merits and demerits. SGPA to CGPA – is Semester End Grade Point Average into
Cumulative Grade Point Average. Universities are very important part of a society. They prepare the
professionals who are responsible to drive a nation. They generate ideas, innovations and create awareness
among the people. Education depends on universities and progress of a country. The system in universities is
responsible to educate the young minds of a nation.
Universities have different systems to educate the youth. Mainly there are two systems, adopted in universe ties,
semester system and annual system. In annual system, exams are conducted after one educationalist year, while
in semester system, exams are conducted after 5 or six months. There are many differences between annual and
semester but here we are going to discuss about advantages and disadvantages of semester system.
Advantages of Semester System in Education
 In semester system, students get a chance to study different subjects.
 In semester system, assignments are given to students which help them to have knowledge other than the
defined syllabus.
 Flexibility in syllabus, and students have option to study some subjects according to their choice.
 Semester system allows to synchronies undergraduate studies with postgraduate courses.
 Teacher and student interaction increases and teachers have more information about their students
 Contents of courses are decided by teachers and they can decide them by reviewing student’s interests.

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 Students get more vacations because they get a semester break after final exams of every semester.
 In semester system, credit hours are defined and students have to study just according to the defined
credit hours.
Some students have accepted the proposal of introducing the semester system and have a number of reasons in
support of it. While some feel that the semester system will lighten the examination load since they would not
be confronted with vast syllabus as in the annual examinations. In comparison with the annual system, students
perceived the semester system to be favorable and continuous learning and evaluation with a better focus on the
program they have opted for. Some students and teachers are not completely in favor of the new system and feel
semester system will create many unwanted challenges for the students. Some felt that the success of the
semester system being closely related to adequate time available while others felt that it would overburden
them. Some students were under the feeling that the system of examination would become an internal one
which would lead to a lack of uniform standards. Anxiety about the less time for extracurricular activities was
also spoken.
Disadvantages of Semester System in Education
 Students have to manage the syllabus in short time.
 Sometimes, teachers cannot convey the whole knowledge of the subject due to short time
 Students do not get time for extra study; as a result they just have basic knowledge of the subject
 In semesters system, students do not get chance to re-evaluate their papers, so they have to manage and
maintain their grades
 There is less time for research, students do not get enough opportunity to research
 Time passes very quickly and it does not let students to have complete knowledge about the subject
Some of the drawbacks of the semester system are as follows:
 Inadequacy of Time:
The classes under the semester system starts on July and the admission keeps on going till August, which
adversely affect the proper starting of the classes. When there is no clarity in the system it have been decided
that the first semester exam would be held in December. A vacation of 20-25 days before the exams implies that
neither the teachers have enough time to complete the course nor the students have adequate time to prepare
well for the first semester exam.  While teachers in Delhi University reveal that in annual examination system,
teachers have the right amount of time to complete the course and students have enough time to prepare well for
the exam.
 Increasing Work Load:
The Delhi University has many departments and colleges. The declaration of result in every 6 months would
double the work load of departments since semester exam implies more revaluation and on right time the
declaration of results.

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 No extra classes:
The new OBC quota and the existing quota for SC/ST and physically challenged students who have reserved
category need special attention. The compulsory part of the yearly examination mode is to have extra classes
but due to time scarcity in the semester system it is difficult to conduct extra classes. As a result, nearly 50%
students of DU will suffer due to the new system.
 Reduction in Co-curricular Activities:
Earlier in the yearly examination system, students had ample time to participate in the co-curricular activities
which is an essential part for the students overall development. On the contrary, in the semester examination
system, very few cultural activities have been organized for the students. As a result students interested in
participating in these programs will have to miss their classes and no relaxation has been provided by the
university on attendance.
Both Students and Teachers believes that the Semester system effect the students and is not beneficial for them
for their development. The syllabus of the semester system as resulted in the deletion of some of the important
topics and chapters which are very important and vital to enhance the nature of knowledge of the student to
learn.
Q.5 How will you define continuous internal assessment?
Continuous assessment is a form of educational examination that evaluates a student's progress throughout a
prescribed course. It is often used as an alternative to the final examination system.[citation needed] Proponents of
continuous assessment argue that the approach allows tracking of progress and has a chance of offering students
more support, guidance, and opportunities to improve during the course or programme.
esting students on the basis of knowledge that they acquire from classes, books, and videos are not sufficient.
Many times, students are excellent when it comes to studying the course out of a well-written book. However,
the challenge lies in testing the student on something more. This is often in relation to the curriculum and the
course.
If a student is able to score excellent grades in a written test or a viva, this is great! However, it does not show
how the student is able to differentiate themselves with others. In order to be able to test the student on various
skills, continuous assessment is crucial. Also, over the past few years, students have proven that they can burn
the midnight oil and get their grades. But this does not showcase the knowledge that they have acquired over a
period of time from the course. Therefore, continuously and regularly assessing and testing their performance
on the various parameter is critical. Distance education has come to be accepted as well as recognised mode of
higher education which is relevant to the existing educational demands of the society. The standard in distance
teaching and performance of the students in it are fairly high. The term internal assessment denotes a course
teacher to be responsible for the assessment of his students whom he teaches; External exam means the
assessment is conducted by a third party or agent on behalf of the university examinations. The academic

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programmes of Centre for Distance Education, Bharathidasan University, Tamil Nadu are of both short term
and long term, and belong to the area of general education, management, computer science, etc. This study
discussed the basic principles and components of CIA. It also studied how to record the CIA marks for distance
learners along with steps for successful implementation of CIA in distance education programmes. One batch of
Post Graduate students have completed the Course successfully; the feedback is in fact encouraging.
Features of Continuous Assessment
There are certain characteristic features of continuous assessment that makes it different from the mainstream
tests. They are as follows.
 They are regular and frequent in nature.
 Also, cntinuous assessment can either be an intensive tool or a relaxed yet efficient technique.
 They focus primarily on the course module and ensure that they are treated as regular feedback.
 Moreover, the form of the continuous assessment can be different than usual, considering the final
objectives.
 The continuous assessment technique is an effective instrument to determine and develop competencies.
 This method is comprehensive, cumulative, diagnostic, formative, guidance-oriented and systematic in
nature.
Purpose of Continuous Assessment
Enhancing the student’s learning. Continuous and comprehensive assessment of the knowledge that the
student acquires during the course of the module is very important. Moreover, this ensures that the student
invests considerable time in studying, preparing and building on academic skills. This also ensures that the
students is in constant touch with the curriculum and all that it has to offer. A constant, continuous and regular
assessment of student performance and learning is the key to building a competent and skilled prospective
workforce.
Improving the faculty’s teaching skills. The pressure of continuous assessment can ensure optimum
performance of the teachers as well. Let’s say that a particular curriculum only has 1 final examination for 100
marks at the end of its course. In this case, the students, as well as the teachers, will find the necessity to
consistently perform throughout the term and not only towards the end of the course, making it a great
performance improviser.
Improving the education and institutional assessment system. An education system that understands the
importance of comprehensive assessment is great. Not only does this kind of system portray development but
also shows how serious they are when it comes to providing opportunities and student performance.
Benefits of the continuous assessment are as follows:
 Increasing sense of feeling inclusive
 Early indicator of student performance

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 Course: Secondary Education (827)
Semester: Spring, 2022
 They provide a higher and qualitative learning standards for students
Drawbacks of continuous assessment are as follows:
 Greater study pressure pushing students off to the edge
 Inability of the system to strike a balance between pressure and pleasure of learning.
 Lack of experience in the field can lead to a deviated assessment system
Continuous assessment will often include some form of formative assessment. The formative assessment covers
the range of informal diagnostic tests a teacher can use to assist the process of learning by their students. This
may include activities such as weekly pop quizzes or preparatory assignments. Prescriptive but ungraded
feedback ructional Research and Curriculum Evaluation, likens formative assessment to a cook tasting a soup
before serving it to a guest. Despite its advantages, formative assessment can be time-consuming, and incentives
in education systems tend to favor more objective assessments. An advantage of formative assessment for
learning is that it is ongoing. This allows for incremental feedback to identify problems at their earliest stages.
For example, a student can correct conceptual errors before undertaking work on a term paper. As a student
works on a topic, input from the teacher can inform, guide, and validate each step of the process. Cheating and
plagiarism remain significant problems in academic settings. Compared to graded summative assessments like
final exams, ungraded formative assessments reduce the temptation to cheat. This allows students to focus on
learning instead of grades.

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