The timetable for winter exams has revealed that a significant number remain online despite covid restriction being lifted.
A large number of exams scheduled for this December will take place online despite the majority of covid restrictions being lifted. Data from the timetable shows that online exams remain the majority in some schools, with an overall average of nearly 40% of examinations remaining online.
There is a significant disparity between which schools have returned to in-person exams and which have chosen to keep theirs online. On the whole, schools which reasonably fall under the category of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths) have mostly in-person examinations. For example, the James Watt School of Engineering, School of Chemistry, and School of Computing Science, all have moved back to predominantly in-person examinations. Whereas on the other hand, the School of Law, School of Social and Political Sciences, and School of Social and Environmental Sustainability have predominantly maintained online examinations.
In total, of the 431 exams scheduled for this December at the University, 168 will take place online whereas 263 will take place on campus and in person. This is however fewer online examinations than took place this time last year, where 14 of 23 schools held all exams online.
A spokesperson for the University of Glasgow said: The University does have a learning and teaching strategy that speaks to our drive, at institution level, to reduce reliance on exams and to adopt technology to enable more inclusive approaches (including online exams where appropriate): The internal drivers underpinning this strategy are core values that students and staff have identified as important motivators for our priorities and that underpin our ability to respond appropriately to external challenges, which include: ensuring that our learning and teaching is inclusive and supports a diverse student community whose needs and aspirations vary substantially, and that our academic policies and practices support and promote student and staff wellbeing and inclusion; maintaining and promoting academic integrity and respect in terms of our behaviours and the approach we take to academic standards and quality.
“These core values, together with the nature of the different disciplines that are relevant in schools, means that decisions about the most appropriate forms of assessment for programmes are taken at School level.”
