The largest distance learning universities in India with over 28 lakh students is Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). It offers 228 bachelors, masters, diploma and certificate programme and now The university is planning to take a Great initiative on its part by giving the students an OPTION OF TAKING THE EXAMS ONLINE. The university is holding talks with the HRD ministry and University Grants Commission (UGC) regarding the same.
IGNOU has opted for Online Application & Other Modalities and now it is turn for the online exam
The University this year itself adopted the Online Admission Application process due to which it received somewhere around 3 lakh applications for the academic session 2015-16.
Nageshwar Rao who is the Vice Chancellor of IGNOU said, “We are actively considering offering the examination online to make the process smooth and easy for students. Government is also examining the proposal and the modalities are being worked out. We are in talks with HRD ministry and UGC regarding the same.”
Further he added, “We started online admissions this year and got a massive response. At present we have the entire process in online mode including the registration, issuing of admit cards, schedule updation but the examination is still conducted in the traditional paper mode where students have to go to their respective study centres.”
Online Examination is Challenging for University
No doubt the task would be very challenging and full of hurdles for the university if large number of students who are enrolled from different states across the country are taken into consideration. However, the Vice Chancellor was further of the view that if we look at the distance learning system in other countries of the world who have already adopted the Online Examination System, then it must also be noted that they have small student strength of 4000-10,000.
But if the case of IGNOU is taken into consideration the fact is that the strength of the students is large and the people are spread all throughout the nation with different backgrounds and demographic issues. Moreover out of those enrolled there are housewives, some are poor, some are working, some are located in remote areas so in this type of case feasibility has to be taken into consideration.
The Vice Chancellor further quoted that the University is yet to figure out whether the option will be made available at its centres or students will be able to take the examination from anywhere. "The modalities are being worked out. Working out on the examination pattern as well as the infrastructural issues, is a challenging task but the experts are on the job," he said.
In 2010 Online Exam was launched but later scrapped
Earlier in the year 2010 IGNOU has started the Online Examination for 27 courses with student strength of not more than 300, on an experimental basis and even though the response was good but the same was withdrawn after two years as UGC raised the objection that it doesnt recognise the online examination sysytem. "Now, they (UGC) will be taken onboard to find a way out which is also recognised by the commission," the VC said.
