In a bid to make evaluation a more transparent affair, besides seeking to put an end to the involvement of ‘substitute evaluators’, Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) has decided to webcast the evaluation process.
This follows complaints of substitute evaluators working in the place of lecturers tasked with correction of papers. To that end, web cameras will be installed at evaluation centres, which will allow varsity officials to monitor the evaluation process in real-time. A facial recognition system will be used to verify the identity of evaluators thereby making it next to impossible for substitute evaluators to take their place. The entire process will be supervised from a central office in Belagavi.
Although evaluation centres were equipped with closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, they only registered the time of the evaluators’ entry and exit. However, there was no system in place to prevent instances of substitute evaluators taking on the job of lecturers or ensure that evaluators were not shirking their duties.
Thousands of evaluators from the 253 affiliate colleges, which boast a cumulative strength of 300,000 students, are pressed into the job of evaluation each semester.
The VTU has already rolled out a digital evaluation system, wherein scanned answer scripts can be evaluated on computers.
“Web cameras are being installed at the evaluation centres and by January, the work will be completed,” said VTU registrar (evaluation) Dr U J Ujwal.
VTU Vice-Chancellor (VC) Dr S Vidyashankar said that the decision to instal web cameras at evaluation centres was but one of the many student and evaluator-friendly measures taken by the varsity. “This will put an end to illegal activities,” said the VC.