Innovative evaluation methodology at SCDL

Swati Mujumdar
Symbiosis Centre for Distance Learning
Pune, India

The Symbiosis Centre for Distance Learning (SCDL) is a private, single-mode ODL institution in Pune, India, which has offered distance learning programmes for over a decade and has more than 100,000 active students enrolled from all the states of India and 40 different countries. It is known for its excellence in distance education and has been appreciated by stakeholders for its innovative education delivery mechanisms, using ICT effectively.

This paper describes an innovation in SCDL which resulted in significant institutional advancement. With its very large number of students, the institution faced the major challenge of managing student examinations effectively, keeping the highest standards of quality, consolidating marks accurately and declaring results in a reasonable time period. All these issues had to be handled simultaneously, while providing convenience and flexibility to our distance learners.

The institute embarked on a mission of using ICT to develop a large software system to handle examinations of thousands of students who enrol in various programmes. Over two years, it developed a computerized assessment system which enables students to have on-demand examinations throughout the year at their own convenience in terms of date, time and place.

This innovative system, for which the institute owns the copyright, provides students with tremendous convenience and flexibility. At the same time, the institute has also benefited significantly by improving operational efficiency around the examination processes and reducing its overall costs.