Online Exams Debate
News Kashmir Exclusive.
With most educational institutions offbound due to covid crisis world over , exam season this year is likely to be unprecedented . Many are looking at tech-enabled proctoring solutions, despite concerns about keeping a close vigil to at least ensure some sort of evaluation of students before promoting them to next class. The coronavirus becoming more severe leaves just option of online exams in hand.
A report of UK suggests that by 2025, digital exams should take the place of pen and paper booklets in order to make exams more accessible and relevant to the modern world.
Online exams also called ‘E- Exam’ or ‘Digital Exam’ is an online test for judging student’s . Debate is now on in Kashmir too that has time come to go for online exams and prepare ourselves for same .
Sheikh Sameer, an education expert states , while talking to the News Kashmir states :”Online classes has provided an opportunity for students to get exposed to technology based education..In this part of world ,where strikes and curfews have consumed much of our time,and students and experts later on have to persuade the govt to reduce syllabus to 20_ 50 % or even mass promotion to students .. Covid lockdown provided an opportunity to think tanks to experiment online education via different means be it zoom or Google classes to complete syllabus therefore , provided little room for students to demand curtailment of syllabus.. However,Online schools require online interactions and the submission of written materials to help show evidence of learning. Some results, however, cannot be measured by the written word. How does an instructor know if the student wrote the report or if someone else wrote it for them? There are fewer checks and balances.Many students don’t have access to technology especially students belonging to underprivileged section of society . Network issues, frequent internet shut down too may cause inconvenience to students in this part of globe.”Some other voices are heavily in favour of conducting online exams.
Showkat Shafi, Deputy Director Internal Quality Assurance Higher Education, Kashmir University, while talking to News Kashmir states :” During the Covid times and post Covid times we need to learn importance of online exams.The big universities of world are already going for online exams. It is in Vogue already. Examination is conducting to know students understanding and Knowledge of the subject, we should in this regard have online exams with multiple choice exams. The online exams will help us in effective automatic grading system and yield flawless scoring. Online exams would help us also in fair examinations. It would also help us in saving papers. There are no reasons thus why we can’t go for online exams both at national and international level. “
With pandemic Coronavirus wrecking havoc on all sectors especially on the all important education sector it looks clear that online exams is the only option left.
