TN agricultural university conducts paperless exam

Coimbatore: In a first-of-its-kind initiative, the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) conducted a paperless exam using digital exam pads in the city on Wednesday. The digital exam pad was introduced in the university in 2014 and was being used on a trial basis.
On Wednesday, the method was brought into effect in the university and all its 42 affiliated institutions across the state. A release from TNAU said the exam was conducted using digital exam pads in all the colleges at the same time.

The pad needed the biometric authentication of the student. The students should use a stylus to write or draw on the pad. They can also draw diagrams and charts with colours on the pad. On completing the exam, students can get to know their score for objective questions immediately, while for descriptive questions, the answer script could be viewed after evaluation. Answer sheets would be stored in the TNAU exam cloud, said the release.

Controller of examinations K Ilamurugu said through this method, the entire process of conducting exams - from authoring questions, evaluating and declaring results - had been made digital, eliminating the use of paper. He said this was part of TNAU’s green initiative. Vice-chancellor K Ramasamy said the system had received positive feedback from the students. He added that the system was transparent, and evaluation was quicker.