IIT Bombay revises exam malpractice rules ahead of October 10-11 mid-semester exams

Ahead of its midsemester examinations scheduled for October 10 and 11 IIT Bombay students have received revised examination guidelines that roll back penalties for malpractice to the 2015 version and introduce a structured process for handling suspected violations according to an email shared by students with middayThe email states that a committee comprising four students and four faculty members will revisit the examination guidelines with a focus on a studentfriendly approach The committee will also consider multiple rounds of feedback before finalising the revised rules students saidUnder the revised procedure if a case of suspected malpractice is reported during the examinations the invigilator will collect the relevant material and the studentrsquos original answer book The student will be provided with a fresh answer book to complete the examinationFaculty members will be required to record details of the incident in Form 01 while students may submit their version of events through an optional Form 02 according to the emailThe forms do not automatically establish that malpractice has occurred Students will have an opportunity to explain their actions before a committee which may impose a penalty if deliberate malpractice is established the email statesGadgets found during the examination will be collected by invigilators and returned to students at the end of the exam students said The institute will also alert its Wellness Response Team to provide support to students involved in such casesTwotier system to handle malpractice casesAccording to the revised guidelines shared by students suspected malpractice cases will be handled at two levels the departmentallevel Departmental Academic Disciplinary Action Committee DADAC and the institutelevel Academic Disciplinary Action Committee ADACThe DADAC will handle cases for which the maximum recommended penalty is a fail grade Its recommendations will be forwarded to the Dean AP who may approve them and send them to the academic office or refer the matter to the institutelevel committee for consideration Decisions at the institute level will then be forwarded to the director according to the emailldquoAn instructor cannot independently impose a malpractice penalty outside this process ordinary academic evaluation remains separate as per the emailrdquo an IIT Bombay student told middayStudents will be required to submit a written response to allegations If the evidence remains unclear they will receive the benefit of the doubt according to the guidelines The invigilator who files a complaint against a student will not be part of the committees examining the caseThe revised process will also allow students to appeal against disciplinary decisions Appeals against departmentallevel decisions will be referred to the institutelevel committee while appeals against institutelevel decisions will be considered by an apex committeeRestrictions and instructions for studentsThe guidelines also outline examinationday rules for students and invigilators Teaching Assistant invigilators have been instructed to report suspected unauthorised activities to the faculty invigilator Only one student will be permitted to leave for a bio break at a time students saidStudents who are not appearing for an examination will not be allowed inside the examination building during exam hours Those taking the exams have been instructed to carry only essential items with bags notes loose papers and books prohibited inside the buildingMobile phones smartwatches laptops and other electronic devices are also prohibited inside the examination area or must be left at a designated location Students may be checked for possession of prohibited items according to the email shared with middayThe revised guidelines come ahead of the October 1011 midsemester examinations with the institute set to review student and faculty feedback before issuing the final examination rulesThis is a developing story and all the updates are yet to be confirmed by IIT Bombay