EXAMINATION

NMKRV has endeavored to strengthen the “Examination – Evaluation” (E-E) process since 2006 as Autonomy offers ample scope for improvisation. The completion of each Examination–Evaluation phase, has thrown up new challenges thus prompting us to strategize a new.

OBJECTIVES

We place on record the Examination Reforms that have been put in place since 2015. They are

  • To ensure that students graduate within the stipulated three years, irrespective of the variables that affect their performance
  • To enable the Examination-Evaluation Process to be completely enabled by ICT, thus enhancing efficacy and reliability.

Context

Due to the stringent eligibility criteria, many students were seen to stock up papers that were not cleared and also lost a year in-between even semesters. Since diffidence and loss of morale prompted many to drop out of the course, the eligibility criteria were suitably altered in 2017.

The revised eligibility criteria for the under graduate students from 2017 onwards:

  • To be promoted to II year – 50 % of both I and II semester subjects should be cleared
  • To be promoted to III Year – 75% of both I and II Semester subjects and 75% of both III and IV Semester subjects should be cleared.

Failure in just one subject or poor percentage, stagnated many students after their VI Semester examination, and they had to wait a whole year to progress otherwise.

Practice

To Counter this the following measures were taken:

  • Supplementary exams were conducted for both odd and even semesters during End Semester Examinations
  • ‘Fast Track’ and ‘Improvement Examination’ are being conducted after the VI Semester Examinations
  • Instances where a student failed in clearing just one paper or could not appear for one paper, she is given one opportunity to write for that subject immediately after her placing the request to the COE during even semester as ‘Special supplementary Examination’.

This Fast Track /Improvement Examination is conducted and results declared before admission dates are announced by PG institutions.

Evidence of Success:

The Fast-Track exam has helped outgoing students over the years as they have not lost a year waiting to clear backlog. The following chart shows details of the numbers who have been helped due to the Fast-track provision of the college.

Special Supplementary-Online ESE 2019-20

In 2019-20 (COVID 19 situation), ESE were online in MCQ pattern. The special supplementary provision was brought in to take care of cases of students who were unable to submit the answer form online due to technical issues. On request to COE, such students were given another attempt to take up the exam. The special supplementary exam was conducted using Google meet with descriptive question paper and was Procter enabled.

Problems Encountered

Total integration of ICT in exam processes: – Several examination processes of coding, decoding, generation of bar codes etc, were completed using EKA software. However, this resulted in a partial integration of ICT in exam processes. There was a need to create a higher level of integration of ICT in all exam processes to ensure transparency and timely announcement of results. This was also recommended by the NAAC peer team Vide NAAC Peer Team Report dated 7.10.2015, under section IV: Recommendation for quality enhancement of the Institution: – ‘ICT to be fully implemented in Academic and Administrative functioning’.

This Integration process has taken place in 2 phases: –

  • Introduction of IPOMO, A cloud-based app in 2015-16: This helped us to generate Register numbers, obtain candidate list, upload internal assessment marks and record attendance. It also helped us retrieve legacy data
  • Introduction of ERP software, Systems Application and Products (SAP)-SLcM in 2019-20: The Management of the Institution -RSS Trust, implemented SAP software and initiated a training program for Exam Centre staff so as to build inhouse technical capability and ensure that all processes, work and documents are system driven. This has ushered in a streamlined, integrated approach to all aspects of the functioning of the Exam Centre
  • The biggest challenge was to schedule all the papers, subjects, odd and even semesters, fast track and Improvement Examinations, Theory and Practical which usually takes up 8 weeks cumulatively. Scheduling the exams for all the semester is a daunting job. The examination committee, through trial and error, has been able to successfully design and implement the examination timetable
  • A few students find it difficult in clearing all the subjects, even after getting 4 attempts, after the completion of course, due to varied reasons.

To Counter this the following measure is taken: Students are asked to submit a request letter along with the supporting documents for the reason of not clearing such papers. The same is discussed in the committee meeting, which comprises of Chief Controller of Examinations, Controller of Examinations and Concerned Head of the Department. For genuine cases requests are approved to take the exam in order to encourage women who wish to continue their studies even after marriage or Childbirth.