Mercer-Mettl launches web-based examination platform in India

Addressing challenges posed by physical examinations given the current COVID-19 pandemic, Mercer-Mettl has launched a new web-based examination platform. Digitising academic exams, the platform claims to replicate each step of the offline examination process into an online examination system.

This all-integrated online examination platform will enable educational institutes to conduct end-to-end online examinations, including setting up of question papers, scheduling online exams for multiple courses and classes, managing the entire online examination process along with AI-enabled and manual remote invigilation to prevent cheating, managing the end to exam evaluation process, and finally, declaration of results. Mercer-Mettl claims to have deployed this platform with 4 large universities in India.

"The key USP of this solution is that it brings various disparate solutions that cater to different stages of examination process under one single seamless online examination platform. This all-integrated examination system is designed to replicate every single key aspect of offline examination into a secure and seamless online process. Proctoring solutions fit in as one of the pieces in this solution that cater to "exam-taking" part of the examination process," says Siddhartha Gupta, CEO, Mercer-Mettl.

While the solution has been designed keeping in mind the needs of global digital education and assessment system, Mercer-Mettl claims that a lot of focus has also gone into catering to the unique needs of the Indian education ecosystem. This includes the ability to handle large scale and accessibility of this platform in low internet bandwidth areas.

While the company did not divulge the cost involved in the deployment of the solution, it did explain that the deployment of this online solution for conducting examinations is expected to notch below the cost of conducting the examinations in the physical setting.

Explaining it further Gupta says, "One of the key value proposition of this solution is to automate every single process of offline examination into a seamless and integrated online solution. In this process, the online solution automates a lot of cost heavy and logistics-intensive offline tasks for the universities."

Gupta claims that this solution caters to each of the 3 key stakeholders of any examination process - the professors or examiners, the students, and the exam administrators. For examiners, teachers or professors, it enables the ease of setting up online question papers for various courses and classes and then enabling them to evaluate them in a systematic manner. For students, it provides an online examination platform to write online exams from any time, anywhere while being invigilated remotely. For exam administrators and controller of exams, it automates multiple exam processes, like scheduling of exams, managing exam-taking process, managing the process assigning evaluators and declaration of results.

With schools and universities opening up gradually, there might a decline in such solutions. Contrary to this, Gupta avers, "Education sector, both in the instruction and assessment, has undergone tremendous change in the past year. Adoption of technology and adopting digital means to conducting examinations was already taking place even before the pandemic, however pandemic accelerated the shift towards adoption of online mode and provided universities the necessary proof of concept regarding the successful online exams. Even after schools and universities open, the need for online alternative will be on strong rise as universities start adopting these mediums as a matter of choice rather than compulsion to safeguard the education continuity against any future disruptions."

The company has partnered with over 400 educational institutes, universities and colleges across over 40 countries globally.

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