Many educational institutions and testing agencies that are conducting examinations online are finding that students are taking advantage of the system to indulge in malpractice. While some institutions are debarring guilty students from examinations, others are opting for a fine and a warning.
Fr. Abraham V., vice-chancellor, Christ deemed to be University which is conducting online examination, said that they have roped in a third party agency to conduct the examination. “Students can switch on the camera, take a pen and paper test, and upload answer-scripts on the portal. Or, they can type the answers on their laptops. In either case, their faces should be seen on the screen,” he said.
The moment students switch off the video, move away from the screen or try to minimise the screen, they are called out by invigilators monitoring them. The results of as many as 13 final-year students, who appeared for the examinations in June, were cancelled. “Their marks have have been withheld,” he added.
Sarasu Esther Thomas, Registrar, National Law School of India University, Bengaluru said that the university conducted an online open book examination in June. For a three-hour paper, students were given either six or eight hours to type their answers and send it to their professors. “The extra time was given keeping in mind the challenges that some students may face due to poor internet connectivity,” she said.
Answer-scripts are bar-coded to prevent a teacher from knowing the identity of candidates. The examination department downloads the papers and runs them through a similarity software.
“If two students have used similar words or answers, they are marked zero for that paper,” said Ms. Thomas, adding that action taken against students was based on the extent to which their answers were similar.
Examinations for NLSIU’s distance education programme will begin next week. The university will use a remote exam proctoring software. Candidates can appear for the examination using a pen and paper. They can upload their answer-scripts or can write the answers on a computer and submit them.
