Anna University: Proctored exams, digital valuation for MBA students

CHENNAI: For the first time, Anna University has decided to conduct online proctored examinations and digital valuation for MBA students, who pursue courses through distance education programmes of the institutions.

An online proctored exam is a timed assessment through a digital platform in which the student’s desktop activity, webcam video, and audio are monitored constantly.

Stating that the invigilator will observe the candidates in real-time during the exam, a senior professor from Anna University told DT Next that supervisors have remote access to the candidates’ desktop activities and can also monitor and hear them through webcams, allowing them to spot signs of test irregularities.

He said the online proctoring system will compare the candidate’s facial recognition with the photo on the identity card and authorise the examination takers (candidates) while attempting the examination.

“The identity of all students is checked to prevent others from impersonating them and taking the exam on their behalf,” he added.

“The photo, name, and date of birth will be verified by the online proctor of the system before allowing the candidate into the examination,” he said adding, “every screen of the candidate will have a photograph visible to the candidate”. Stating that the procedure of online proctored exam will be explained to the students appearing for exams, he said, “This includes that students will not be allowed to speak to others, referring to notes, using other software on a computer or copying down exam content to share with their counterparts”.

With regard to the digital valuation system, the professor said that there would be a centralised valuation which would be conducted at the office of the controller of examinations of the university.

He said the evaluation software will provide a unique login ID for the examiner and allocate dummy numbers of the answer scripts, which will be assigned randomly.

“In addition, the minimum and maximum marks of each question will be inputted so that the examiner cannot be able to allocate more marks than the specified numbers,” he said adding after publication of results, the software will facilitate the revaluation of answer scripts.

He said during re-evaluation the original marks that were awarded by the examiner in the central valuation will be hidden and the revaluation will be like the original valuation.