All Mumbai University exams to be corrected online from April 2017
Mumbai University
Starting April 2017, all examinations conducted by Mumbai University will be assessed online, the way it is done for engineering papers currently.
“Answer sheets of University examinations for all courses will be scanned and examiners will be given a password, which will allow them to access the papers and evaluate them on the screen itself.” University Vice Chancellor Sanjay Deshmukh said during a press conference on Tuesday.
The university conducts over 400 examinations ever semester across various streams like arts, science, commerce, management and law, leaving around 19.5 lakh answer sheets for evaluation.
The switch to online assessment is expected to reduce cases of malpractice and increase transparency.
“Digital evaluation means lower human interference. Once papers are scanned, there will be no physical copies piled next to examiners. Papers will be sealed as soon as they are corrected. This would mean fewer cases of malpractice, and increased efficiency and transparency. Results could be announced in 15-20 days,” said Deshmukh.
Meanwhile, reports suggest that college authorities are a little wary about the implementation due to sheer volume of papers that need to be assessed, as it would require a robust infrastructure and timely delivery of scanned papers to evaluators.
Deshmukh, however, argued that work on creating the requisite infrastructure is already underway.
“A six-storey building is being constructed for the exam house. There would be centrally AC halls with computers and scanners which examiners can work out of. The infrastructure will be ready by April. What will need to change is the mindset of the evaluators, he said”
Back in 2013, the university had started online assessment of engineering exams for all four semesters. The assessment entailed scanning of approximately two lakh answer sheets per semester.
The university now plans to outsource the job of scanning answer sheets, for all exams, to a third party by inviting tenders.
