Universities will begin to conduct the first term exams of the current academic year 2020-2021, on February 27, according to the decision of the Committee for the Management of the New Corona Virus Crisis, in the Council of Ministers, and confirmed by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, provided that the activities of the second term of study begin immediately Colleges finish exams.
Tomorrow, Saturday, the Supreme Council of Universities will hold its periodic meeting, headed by Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, and in the presence of the heads of government universities, to discuss preparing for the first term exams and preparing for the study map for the second term.
Universities are applying the hybrid education system, which combines distance education and face-to-face education, to reduce student density in lecture halls and lessons to limit the spread of the epidemic, which was applied in all colleges at the beginning of the current academic year, in light of what was imposed by the pandemic, and the Supreme Council announced For universities, taking care of the health of students, faculty members, and all university employees and university hospitals is the first priority, while taking all necessary measures to implement this.
Al-Ahram Gate is unique with the map of the Supreme Council of Universities, for conducting the first term exams and the study map for the second term, and all strict, preventive and health precautions to limit the outbreak of the new Corona virus.
Universities apply a hybrid education system, which mixes traditional education and "online" education.
Hybrid Education Objectives:
1- Reducing student density inside universities
2- Achieving the maximum benefit from the experience of faculty members and the infrastructure of universities
3- A gradual transformation of the student into a life-long learner, in application of the methods of performance and ensuring local and global quality
4- Achieving the maximum benefit from the technological capabilities outside the classroom to achieve the desired goals of the academic content
5- Providing content in different technological ways to take into account individual differences between learners and help students with special needs The learning process:
Students are divided and teaching times rotated to reduce student density to observe social distancing, while applying all precautionary measures:
1- Dividing students into small teaching groups based on the nature of the faculty, theoretical or scientific. Students of each batch are divided into small groups, with a maximum of 50 students in practical faculties and a maximum of 100 students in theoretical faculties.
2- Directing each faculty member and support staff to assign him to teach a group or several groups of students in his department.
Teaching times:
Teaching in colleges is distributed on all days of the week from Saturday to Thursday from 8 am to 6 pm, provided that it is as follows:
- Colleges of the health sector, colleges of engineering and scientific colleges: The schedule of each teaching group is fixed on 3 days a week (Saturday - Monday - Wednesday or Sunday - Tuesday - Thursday) from 8 am to 6 pm.
Theoretical colleges: The schedule of each teaching group is fixed on two days a week (Saturday - Tuesday or Sunday - Wednesday or Monday - Thursday) from 8 am to 6 pm.
Applying all precautionary measures as follows:
Taking all precautionary measures and disinfecting the stands and classrooms daily
Sterilization and disinfection of laboratories before each laboratory or scientific classes
Daily sterilization and disinfection of student waiting areas
Emphasis on wearing protective masks (students - faculty members - employees)
Presenting and announcing the instructions of the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization regarding preventive measures against infection with the emerging coronavirus on an ongoing basis and by using posters.
The ratio of face-to-face learning to distance learning in hybrid education is determined according to the nature of the faculties, according to the knowledge and skill content required to be achieved in the courses for the different sectors:
- Scientific faculties from 60 to 70% for face-to-face learning and from 30 to 40% for distance learning
Theoretical, human and literary colleges range from 50 to 60% of face-to-face learning and 40 to 50% of distance learning.
- Techniques and elements of e-learning (or distance learning)
The scientific departments use the various distance learning means through the e-learning platform and the faculty members through the director responsible for the production of electronic courses for each university or use the electronic courses available on the learning management system of the National Center for E-Learning at the Supreme Council of Universities for free, and the number of which is more than 700 electronic courses .
In addition to the scientific-clinical lessons, panel discussions and problem-solving sessions that must be studied face-to-face, course coordinators and faculty members in the different faculties must do the following:
Availability of scientific and local sources for carrying out and studying
- An audio recording of the lectures explained and uploaded to the students
Availability of videos recorded by the teaching staff to explain the lessons
Activating electronic systems and programs for laboratories, virtual experiences and enhanced website programs
- Applying formative and recurring assessments for the continuity of the student and with the aim of formative or structural assessment to the student’s learning and tracking the course of the teaching process to improve teaching, give feedback, and train students for exams via the electronic system
- Activating the virtual classes and endowing a virtual environment for learning where the professor of the subject meets the students to explain what is difficult to understand during the lectures and through which the student can ask questions to the teacher directly and then find the answers to them, and the participation of every student can be followed through, and agreements have been made between the Supreme Council of Universities And international companies such as Microsoft to activate virtual classes and discussion seminars through the programs available to them and the use of some other programs for free such as Zoom. The first term exam plan in universities
The plan included, that the course test be in one period as much as possible so that justice is observed among all students with the distribution of students to all college halls, provided that a distance of 1.8 meters is left between each student and student. Balance between exams in the difficulty and discrimination coefficients for all questions, and it is preferable to accommodate each student in a separate room in the university dorms.
And it leaves each college the freedom to determine the exams between online or attendance according to what is determined by the college council, with and to expand the questions with electronic correction (Babel Sheet) such as multiple choice, true and false, and if it is not possible to place it, it is possible to resort to questions with short essay answers that measure the level of understanding And application and analysis, and to hold electronic tests in halls designated for this in universities, according to the capabilities of each university and college, and if it is not possible to resort to traditional methods.
Evaluation mechanism and final exams with the need to apply all the following precautionary measures:
Theoretical tests:
Table setting:
Dividing the batch, as it is preferable that the course test be in one period as much as possible to ensure justice among all final year students, with the need to distribute students to all college halls or neighboring colleges, provided that 1.8 meters are left between each student and the student next to him in each direction with the application of The precautionary conditions and procedures mentioned later, and in the event that this is not achieved, the batch is divided into different successive periods, with the necessity of achieving balance between the various successive exams in terms of the difficulty and discrimination coefficients for all questions and the distribution of questions on learning outcomes.
Exam time, as it was emphasized that the exam time would be shortened if the provisions of the bylaw allowed for that.
- Announcing the schedules.. The schedules are announced electronically, mentioning the distribution of students to the different committees, and drawing up a map of the locations of the committees, with announcing the need for students to be present an hour before the exam date to measure the temperature and to conduct a virtual medical examination on them and to ensure their commitment to the required precautionary measures before entering.
Back to school in the second term
The plan included, in addition to receiving students and starting studies, disinfecting and preparing facilities and university facilities, and the plan for disinfection and sterilization in facilities and university facilities, included 10 procedures, which came as follows:
1- It is taken into account to put clear commendable marks for students to guide them to the headquarters of the examination committees to organize the movement and take into account the lack of crowding
2- Thermometers for students, observers and faculty members shall be provided before entering the university campus
3- Hand sanitizers are provided in public places, committees and toilets
4- Providing masks in sufficient quantities to suffice the numbers of students, workers and members of a teaching staff daily
5- Sterilization and disinfection of all university facilities and facilities at the beginning and end of the day and between successive examination periods
6- The presence of waste baskets in close places inside the examination committees, with the need to follow infection control procedures during garbage collection and disposal.
7- Hanging posters of preventive measures to combat infection in accordance with the instructions of the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization in the college and examination committees
8- Examinations are held in spacious halls with a natural source of ventilation
9- Establishing an infection control team of specialists in each university to be responsible for following up and completing the readiness of all university facilities and facilities. It also supervises the preparation of separate isolation rooms that conform to the specifications as special committees
10- It is preferable to accommodate students enrolled in university cities, each student in a separate room, and when it is not possible, a maximum of two students are accommodated in the room, while following all precautionary conditions and measures to combat infection, sterilization and disinfection. Precautionary measures in exam committees:
The plan included emphasizing the need to follow all strict, preventive and health precautions to limit the outbreak of the new Corona virus during the exam marathon.. The precautionary measures were as follows:
1- Training a number of employees on measuring thermometers for students, faculty, and faculty members
2- In the event that a high temperature is detected, any of the faculty members or employees shall not participate in the examination work at all
3- In the event that a student’s temperature rises, he will either be tested in an isolated committee, or the exam will be postponed
4- Ensure that students are committed to wearing a mask after identifying your identity
5- Obligation of observers and faculty members to wear masks
6- The student signs his attendance with his own pen
7- Students enter and exit sequentially while maintaining social distancing of at least 1.8 meters between each student and the other
8- The necessity of keeping the student seats at a distance of 1.8 meters between each student and the student next to him in every direction
9- Observers must wear medical gloves while distributing and receiving examination papers and answering to and from students and from and to the control
10- In the event that the exam is electronic on computers, students must wear medical gloves during the exams
11- Ensuring the safe disposal of waste in accordance with infection control conditions. Quality of examination questions
The questions depend on the nature of the study in the college, with an expansion of questions with electronic correction such as multiple choice - pairing - true and false, and if not possible, it is possible to resort to short-answer questions, provided that the questions measure in their entirety areas ranging from remembering and understanding to application, analysis and problem solving with The need to cover all learning outcomes.
The final evaluation will also be carried out according to the nature of the study in the different faculties, taking into account their relevance to the educational outcomes to be measured in order to meet the knowledge and skill requirements in these courses. In theory exams, with the recommendation in exams, the necessity of following the most important characteristics and controls of designing electronic exams, if applied, with 10 controls that must be followed during exam work, namely:
1- Adherence to the ideal design rules for multiple choice questions “m cqs”, with the multiplicity of dispersions, the strength of their formulation and quality, and the adequacy and comprehensiveness of the questions available to evaluate the course.
2- Building the test from a question bank so that a certain number of questions are chosen at random to confirm academic integrity and to ensure quality, taking into account the proportion of difficult, easy and medium questions.
3- Designing short and essay questions in a way that ensures the identification of criteria for evaluating the outputs for the student, with the addition of an evaluation rule to the electronic database.
4 - Taking into account the cases in which it is not possible to adopt the electronic assessment, whether for the nature of the course or the condition of the student, such as students with special needs, so that they are excluded, and then an assessment option is provided that is commensurate with their situation.
5- The examination schedule is officially announced on the university and college website, giving full and clear instructions to students, specifying the grades assigned to each test and the assessment rules for essay tests.
6- Testing all students registered in a particular course at the same time.
7- Activating special programs to identify the student’s image while registering to enter the exam, while monitoring the student electronically throughout the exam period through the device’s camera and in the event that the infrastructure is available.
8- Setting a timing commensurate with the nature of the test and activating the closing of the test session with the end of the specified time.
9- Activate the random order feature for questions and options in multiple questions.
10- Hide the test link available to students after 15 minutes of the test time, which prevents students from entering. Method of holding oral exams
The plan included preparing 5 procedures that will be followed during the students’ oral exams, including:
1- Taking into account all of the above in terms of preparing schedules, preparing college facilities, and precautionary measures in exam committees.
2- Students are divided into committees, each of which does not exceed 10 students, and each committee is assigned to a faculty member.
3- Replacing the oral exam for each committee with objective questions such as multiple choice or others, which are electronically corrected.
4- Taking the exam in one of the large halls to ensure the distance between the student and the faculty member.
5- Announcing a timetable and fixed dates for each committee distributed on the student lists to prevent students from arriving at one time.
Practical exams:
It was directed to adhere to all strict precautionary measures to limit the spread of the Corona virus epidemic, which came in the following steps:
1- Preparing schedules, preparing college facilities, and precautionary measures in each of the examination committees, control and correction rooms, while conducting practical exams.
2- Dividing students into small groups, and more than one laboratory is prepared to hold the exam at the same time to prevent students from congesting and when needed, the exam is repeated at successive intervals, provided that the labs are sterilized between successive periods.
3- The practical exams are conducted in the system of stations, taking into account the distance between each station and the other 1.8 meters, which achieves the required distance among the students, while drawing a single itinerary that prevents overcrowding and overcrowding.
4- Focus on measuring important and necessary achievements and skills.
5- Taking into account the similarity of exam methods with methods of teaching practical skills throughout the semester. Practical and clinical exams are conducted in each college according to its requirements with one or more of the following:
1- The tests are carried out in the laboratories designated for this by the traditional method.
2- Using one of the following electronic systems and programs (after the student receives training on it during the semester).
3- Clinical exams are conducted using skill labs, simulation models and role representatives, provided that exams are avoided in hospitals. Most patients are excused from exams:
The mechanism for accepting apologies submitted by students who are afraid of taking the first term exams, given the current circumstances and the repercussions of the Corona virus, that to accept apologies submitted by students who are afraid to take exams due to the current conditions, those who have not been proven to be infected with the new Corona virus must apply for an apology for performing all the exams scheduled for the semester For students who are proven to be infected with the new Corona virus, a medical report approved by the competent medical authority at the university must be submitted. exams. Additional not granted by regulations for students applying with acceptable excuses.