Sambalpur: Authorities of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Sambalpur has announced to conduct the end term examinations of first-year students using online proctoring systems in the month of June, amid the COVID-19 outbreak.
This will be a first-of-its-kind initiative taken by any IIM across the country.
Addressing a press conference Thursday, Director of IIM-Sambalpur Prof Mahadev Jaiswal said the annual examination of the first-year students is usually held in the second and third week of March. However, the students had to vacate the institute following the nationwide lockdown.
He further said that as it will take time for a normal situation, we have decided to adopt the online proctoring examination for the first-year students which will allow them to appear for the examination online from home.
Online examination will be also a low-cost affair, added Jaiswal.
“For this students can appear for the tests by logging in through their laptop/desktop at their home in different parts of the country. About 100 students will be appearing for the term end exam of 10-12 subjects. This system of conducting tests online allows more transparency in the process,” stated Jaiswal.
Jaiswal clarified that with the help of artificial intelligence, there is no scope of human error in invigilation during the exam. “There is no wastage of paper and we can send the answer scripts to our visiting faculties sitting at their homes online, for scrutiny, quickly and more safely, instead of sending them via the postal system,” he said.
However, the students are urged to not seek any external help while answering the papers and the institute will strictly monitor their movement through the video camera either on their laptop or a mounted camera on their desktop.
Sources said that the faculty of IIM will evaluate the answer sheets.
Jaiswal further said quotations have been invited for a third party who will conduct the examination.
PNN