Universities spell out their plans for exams

Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) students will write their exams on campus.

Stellenbosch University is also planning to conduct face-to-face assessments, while  Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT) in Durban is looking at offering only final-year students a sit-down exam.

Many other institutions have indicated the country’s lockdown level will determine whether exams will be offered in-person or online.

At least 20 of the 26 universities have responded to a survey conducted by Sunday Times Daily on the year-end exams.

TUT spokesperson Phaphama Tshisikhawe said they did not have online exams “due to the risks and cost associated with proctoring software and the current system we have”.

“Formative assessments are taken in person for all programmes and they are invigilated at all times.”

Many departments have shifted to continuous assessments. Where face-to-face assessments are scheduled to take place, strict safety protocols will be in place.

—  Cape Peninsula University of Technology spokesperson Lauren Kansley

MUT spokesperson Bheki Hlophe said most of the exit-level students in the faculty of management sciences will write the final exams in person.

“However, students doing the postgraduate diploma and advanced diploma in human resource management, as well as first- and second-year students, will be subjected to continuous assessment.”

Stellenbosch University spokesperson Martin Viljoen said while faculties are free to decide which exams will be face-to-face or online, the university is planning for in-person exams “until we are advised to the contrary”.

Rhodes University’s Veliswa Mhlope said most exams will be online, with the exception of a few courses.

“In-person exams will be mostly in pharmacy, where all students are vaccinated and a few identified science and information systems courses.”

Nelson Mandela University spokesperson Zandile Mbabela said that all programmes with accreditation requirements will be written in person.

Walter Sisulu University spokesperson Yonela Tukwayo said they are ready for both scenarios, adding: “If the current lockdown level 3 is still in place by the time of writing the exams, they will be written online, except a few cases that explicitly require practical assessments.”

Central University of Technology spokesperson Dan Maritz said students enrolled in programmes that require laboratory and practical work will be required to write exams in person.

Alan Khan, speaking for the Durban University of Technology, said only those students who require access to laboratories for assessments are permitted to have in-person exams.

University of Cape Town spokesperson Elijah Moholola said some exams will be held in-person, while others will be online, “depending on the needs of the course and discipline”.

“For the June exams, students in the faculties of commerce, engineering and the built environment, along with students in preclinical and clinical years in the faculty of health sciences, sat for invigilated exams.”

He said faculty of science students in most programmes had invigilated exams, “where there was a high potential for collusion, which could threaten the integrity of UCT qualifications”.

Takalani Dzaga, spokesperson for the University of Venda, said under lockdown level 2 or 1, physical exams on campus will be considered.

“Certain professional programmes have an in-person exam requirement, for example, the Saica-accredited (South African Institute of Chartered Accountants) B Com accounting programme.”

Buhle Zuma, spokesperson for the University of the Witwatersrand, said they are prepared for online and in-person exams, depending on the lockdown level at the time.

Lauren Kansley, spokesperson for the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, said while face-to-face exams continues to be the preferred mode of assessment, contingency plans are in place for online assessments.

“Many departments have shifted to continuous assessments. Where face-to-face assessments are scheduled to take place, strict safety protocols will be in place.”

Tlangelani Ubisi, spokesperson for the University of Mpumalanga, said they are considering online exams where feasible and that students will be expected to write in-person exams for programmes such as hospitality.

Rikus Delport, spokesperson for the University of Pretoria, said some assessments will be online, while others will be in-person.

Sol Plaatje University spokesperson Kashini Maistry said a hybrid model is envisaged for the Kimberley facility, depending on the lockdown level.

Normah Zondo, spokesperson for the University of KwaZulu-Natal, said there are 46,000 students across four colleges and more than 2,000 programmes “requiring varied and blended assessment approaches”.

“Some disciplines have opted for shorter, more contained assessments at frequent intervals in line with the continuous assessment model and thus mitigated the need for long, drawn-out assessments at the end of the year.”

She said other programmes require exams that are conducted on campus and that these are mostly exit-level modules.

University of Johannesburg spokesperson Herman Esterhuizen said most assessments will continue online, with the exception of 12% of students who are required for in-person exams.

Gasant Abarder, spokesperson for the University of the Western Cape, said most assessments and exams will be online. “Assessments that would have normally been a sit-down exam will be reworked into an online or take-home assessment, or some other type of submission.”

He said there will be a limited number of contact assessments for dentistry, community health sciences and the economic and management sciences faculties.

Louis Jacobs, spokesperson for North West University, said the approach to teaching and learning last year and this year has been continuous assessment. “This means that we do not offer exams, but a series of assessments which are weighted differently in terms of complexity and purpose.”

Meanwhile, Unisa spokesperson Tommy Huma said they will implement various measures to identify and prevent copying and other forms of cheating.

“Randomisation of questions is commonly used to mitigate cheating. Special software and proctoring/invigilation will be used to identify dishonesty.”