A Study to Compare the Preferences regarding Semester and Annual System of Examination (as per INC guidelines) among Nursing Faculty and its Opinions from students studying in selected Nursing Colleges of State Punjab

Background of Study: The purpose of this study is to pin point the differences in academic performance between the annual system and semester system of examination. It will clearly show the variations in grading between these two systems. The semester system, typically dividing the academic year into two or more parts, emphasizes continuous evaluation and a structured, modular approach to learning. On the other hand, the annual examination system assesses student’s knowledge at the end of a full academic year, often focusing on cumulative learning over a longer period. Objectives: To compare the preferences regarding Semester and Annual system of examination (as per INC guidelines) among Nursing Faculty. 2. To find the opinions regarding Semester and Annual system of examination (as per INC guidelines) of Nursing students. Methodology: A comparative (descriptive) study was conducted on 71 nursing faculty and 792 nursing students in the year of 2024 in selected nursing colleges of state Punjab. The subjects were selected by using convenience sampling technique. A self-structured checklist was used for assessing the notion regarding annual and semester system of examination. Data was collected by self-report (pen and paper) method Result: This study revealed that out of 71 nursing faculty and 792 nursing students majority of the subjects 66 (93.0%) from faculty and 606 (76.5%) from students had preferred annual system; however, 5(7.0%) faculty and 186 (23.5%) students had given preference to semester system of examination, with majority believing that annual system helps in better evaluation, learning, performance, workload distribution, co-curricular activities, revision. Preparation of exams and result declaration. Conclusion: It has been concluded that majority of nursing faculty and nursing students were found to be giving preference to annual system of examination over semester system. As annual system of examination decrease the overall stress and workload on the faculty and student. Moreover, allowing them to manage their time more efficiently and providing more clinical exposure.