New Delhi — India’s university regulator is suddenly paying heed to academics’ suggestions for reforms at universities. Its latest recommendation to all public universities is to begin evaluating students’ performance on the basis of a cumulative grade-point score, as is common in the United States, and to give equal importance to classroom participation in setting a grade, The Times of India reported.

Neither of those practices occurs under the current evaluation system here. Last week the regulator ordered all universities to offer semester-based classes, with a system of course credits based on student choice, within two years.

“Examination(s) only at the end of academic session insulates students from the quest of knowledge, the excitement of discovery, and joy of learning,” said Sukhadeo Thorat, chairman of the regulator, the University Grants Commission, in a letter to all public universities. “Often the annual examination, along with marks, percentages, and divisions, leads to insensitive cramming up of superficial information,” Mr. Thorat said.

The letter added that most institutions of higher education in Western Europe and in North America base their assessment of students on “internal evaluation,” as they believe that “those who teach should evaluate.” Mr. Thorat said that such evaluation should be done here by a faculty member, department, school, or center, and that all public-university courses should make evaluation possible through essays, tutorials, term papers, seminars, or laboratory work. —Shailaja Neelakantan