School.
Those wonderful years of our lives that we miss to this day and which created
the foundation of our position in life today. School was our first step towards
the learning environment and forms the basis of our educational development.
How we experienced our schooling days and our first touch with nationalized
exams (boards) gave us the head start to face examinations and life in general,
till date.
But
did it really? In today’s time, most exams, some interviews and general
procedures have mostly been transferred online. The transition from paper exams
to giving online exams was a major challenge for most of us and it took
considerable time to adapt to these changes. Coming from a minority government
funded schooling environment, candidates now face vast issues in meeting
expectations of computer knowledge.
Isn’t
it time that the next generation should start enjoying that edge right from day
one? The requirement for online school exams is the need of the hour. If
students get to know the online way of preparing and sitting for exams, the
future will not be as difficult to cope with. From the time we or our
generation went to school, the learning culture has drastically changed over
the years. It is speed and innovation which has replaced rote and our long
memorizing sessions in delivering schooling results for students. Also, the way
today’s kids are computer savvy and internet friendly, it will be very easy and
fun for them to adapt to online examinations as the primary way of passing school.
With
the advent of online learning centers and examination preparation centers like
Meritnation, online learning and assessment services are providing wonderful
and dynamic opportunities for students to prepare for schooling exams as well
as keep a very open and clear mind for online testing environments.
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| Image source: www.slideshare.net |
So
what are the benefits of an online exam?
Saves
paper. The number of sheets of paper utilized per year for exams is staggering.
On an average, there are about 200 students per class year. Each student
utilizes at least one 5-page answer booklet per exam. If there are 5 exams in a
year, which is 5000 sheets of paper (200 X 5 X 5) used, and that is for just
one class, in one school, in one class year! Online exams will decrease the use of paper by a huge margin, thus deeming it
environment friendly.
Time.
Conducting school examinations require a coordinator, an invigilator, checking
staff and the teachers handing out the results. Online exams are automatically
compiled, checked and can be distributed instantaneously to all students in a
matter of minutes. This will drastically improve the time and effort
utilization.
Money.
Online learning is fun, interactive and hugely progressive in transferring
knowledge. Students don’t have to fill dozens of application papers, carry
admit cards and save on spending loads on tuition centers.
Computing
skills. Students nowadays are immensely technology friendly. They know about
the latest internet trends and display amazing interest for learning different
computer applications. Students, who do not have these skills, mostly from
rural areas, need exposure to it as well for future benefits. Online
examinations help students utilize their technological know-how to learn
faster, better, and with renewed interest. Students lacking computer skills
will get immense exposure to this environment and will seamlessly adjust to
technical requirements of many high demand jobs nowadays.
Invigilation.
Online exams have done away within invigilation needs in a big way. No more do
teachers need to spend hours sitting in a hall and monitor student activities
to avoid cheating. Automated unique questionnaires and randomizing algorithms
make sure all question papers are unique and different in order and design than
the next student. This facilitates removal of cheating possibilities and can
involve lakhs of students in one sitting from all parts of the country.
Statistics.
Detailed results with graphical annotations allow teachers to easily understand
the student’s weak areas and help in improvement of these areas very easily. A
lot of effort can be saved as such by focusing on problem areas and delivering
result oriented trainings instead of run-of-the-mill teaching techniques. The
landscape of delivering quality education will evolve b leaps and bounds.
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| Image source: cjonline.com |
How to inculcate this into the existing
learning system?
It will definitely be a long and tasking
procedure, however, once implemented, will serve generations of kids with
greater learning opportunities. The system needs to be a gradual development.
Starting with demo exams, one school year at a time, with audience feedback
gathered; slowly transfer all data into centralized servers and keep an
updation team handy to input any further information as and when required. Once
students start getting used to the online learning environment, an easy monthly
assessment can be done to know what is difficult, what is necessary and what
intrigues students. Based on findings, software will generate data ready to be
used for defining exam papers. This information will save not only time and
energy of the teachers, but they will get a true idea of the learning capacity
of students and which information is of the highest importance in a particular
topic. Knowledge transfer will become a dynamic and engaging process and the
end results will be fair and cognizable. Some companies like EduSpark are well
known designers of such software. An example of such is provided below:
However, it is essential to understand
that there is a substantial investment in this transition and facilitating it
will be a task to be reckoned with. It is crucial to understand and strategize
effectively before launching an online platform. A lot of testing, feedback,
experiments, learning and intuition are required to be considered for such a
venture. India can surely look up to first world countries like USA, Canada,
Australia and others to learn how they made the transition and inculcate
healthy tips. Bureaucracy is the back bone of this nation and that needs to be
heavily jittered to realize digital India.