Latest

UoP exams a click away

This is just the first step by Pune University. More papers will be added later. And don’t worry about a Cat-like crash as officials say they are well equipped to handle the load

Arundhati Ranade

Posted On Monday, January 04, 2010 at 02:44:00 AM

How online exams work

In the virtual exam system, every student is given a unique login ID, which is generally his/her exam number. The external examiner, along with the internal supervisor and an expert in the laboratory, conduct the test online at
college levels. A college server acts as the local base and communicates with the University server continuously. The question bank, student’s record and result generation are controlled by the University server.

The University of Pune (UoP) has taken a bold step into the future. After conducting a pilot project last year in which exams for ‘Fundamentals of Computer Programming Languages’ were held successfully in a CD-based format, UoP will conduct an online exam for one subject for first year engineering (FE) students on January 6, 2010.

Pressure lifts
After the success of the pilot project, the UoP has decided to add two more engineering subjects to the online exam format.

Also, this time round, the exam will not be CD-based but virtual in the true sense. The UoP is hoping that the initiative will help with the assessment process and reduce the pressure on the examination department.

The engineering department of the varsity will conduct the third online exam for FE students between January 6 and 10.

Last year, it had con-ducted a CD-based examination successfully. In July, another online test was conducted for a limited number of repeaters. Now, for the second consecutive year, the UoP will conduct online test for FE regular students.

No CAT-like crash
Prof G V Garje, chairman of the Board of Studies for Computer Engineering, who is co-ordinating the committee for the online exam, told Pune Mirror, “This year, 11 new colleges have been introduced but we are sure we can handle the additional number of students for the online exam. We are confident about conducting the exam online for about 25,000 students from FE.

Providing the infrastructure for an online test was a challenge, especially at the rural centers, as a specific minimum bandwidth is required for the internet connectivity.

UoP teams visited every engineering college and confirmed the compatibility of the system. So we are sure that the online examination will pass smoothly.”

When asked about the possibility of server problems, identical to the one which plagued the CAT exam, Prof Garje said, “We have developed a software and the system is compatible for the number of students expected.”

In fact, this year, the UoP is ready to introduce an online exam for two more subjects in the engineering branch.

“The proposal has already been passed and the exams will start from the next term, that is June-July. The software is ready for the Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ) exam.”

Complete online shift
University sources said that authorities are trying to introduce online exams for all the subjects in the engineering branch. All these exams will follow the MCQ format.

Exams for 50 per cent theory paper, which cannot be accomodated in the MCQ format, will be carried out separately.

	Mail this article Print this article Translate this article	Rate me....
	Share Share Share Share

Contribute/ Share your Opinion