A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technological University, which has been facing an intense campaign against its decision to hold offline examinations, has set its sights on introducing a full-fledged online examination system within a year.
Its Syndicate decided on Thursday to formulate a permanent mechanism for digital examination based on open-source software.
ICFOSS to be roped in
The International Centre for Free and Open Source Software (ICFOSS) will be roped in as the technical consultant for the project. The agency’s technical expertise will be utilised to choose a proprietary software that could be used for the proposed online examination system.
The decision was made on the basis of a recommendation made by an expert committee chaired by Model Engineering College Principal Vinu Thomas on the technical concerns of proprietary software.
Laptops to students
The Syndicate meeting, chaired by Vice Chancellor Rajasree M.S., decided to distribute laptops to nearly a thousand students in affiliated colleges as part of the university’s efforts to bridge the digital divide.
Sanction was also given to utilise ₹4.5 crore for the first phase of the endeavour.
