Considering The Changing Role of CoE – A Camu Perspective
One of the most significant examples of technological growth within the education sector has been the metamorphism of traditional classroom/paper-based exams to online examination modes.
This growth has been catalysed even further with the onset and spread of the novel coronavirus, propelling institutes to either go digital or go home.
Given the need to rebuild pedagogy wholly and completely, governing agencies across the world have responded with appropriate policy changes, like National Education Policy 2020.
In this blog, we take you through the evolving role of the Controller of Examinations (CoE) – the autonomous institutional authority figure responsible for all activities pertaining to examinations – amidst key developments in the educational landscape.
1. Adapting to the rapid changes brought about by NEP 2020
National Education Policy 2020 recognises the need to evaluate higher-order skills such as creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving, data analysis, research, visualisation, and idea generation.
This new pedagogical mandate has created higher performance benchmarks for the CoE, demonstrated through varying degrees of competency across programmes and courses.
The focus of assessments has shifted from theory to application i.e., learning facts, understanding facts, inferring facts, and connecting facts to other concepts. Taxonomies have transformed to incorporate learner centrism and industry-specific knowledge.
As such, universities have had to reimagine their approach to evaluation, which can be reflected in a continuous assessment system, a form of educational tool that evaluates a student’s progress throughout a prescribed course, as opposed to a final examination system that measures performance at the end.
Emphasis on achieving student outcomes and goals is the guiding force behind the CoE, at present.
2. Establishing a seamless process with Academic Operations
Academic planning plays a critical role in the smooth functioning of the CoE, providing a singular and unified forum to update, track, and approve functions related to assessments.
For instance, scheduling an examination, curating an MCQ question paper, grading a dissertation, modifying a rubric, or any other action that impacts the university’s evaluative offerings.
Exam Scheduling 🡪 Exam Facilitation 🡪 Grading 🡪 Publishing Results
From a student’s perspective, academic planning empowers learners to create a scholastic roadmap of the future, tapping into the unique benefits of educational models like Outcome Based Education (OBE) and Choice Based Credit System (CBCS).
Students can select their courses, faculty members and subject slots. Additionally, they may set up their own timetables and study plans, and even transfer credits across programmes and centres.
Building a blueprint for faculty and students ensures that the CoE can put its best foot forward, streamlining processes, from curriculum definition to results publication.
3. Integrating EdTech to simplify and support
Empowering the CoE with the right software and tools is a requisite, given the shift from traditional to virtual to hybrid campuses.
As universities scramble to adapt to the new normal, they are becoming increasingly dependent on online examination systems, virtual platforms that automate all processes involved in a paper-based examination.
Investing in a sound digital solution leads to optimisation of resources, as the platform eliminates the need for manual question papers and answer scripts, hall tickets and ID cards, exam rooms and invigilators.
It also allows for auto-grading and instant score generation, significantly cutting down the time and effort taken to equate scores, build a rankers list, and upload marks to e-transcripts.
Will the CoE continue to evolve from here on out, or has it reached self-actualisation?
We, at Camu, are constantly innovating to bring to you, the best features and capabilities for your institute.
So, stay tuned for more updates on the state of CoE!
