Online Examination- What an experience!!

Online-Offline As Divisive to Learning/No Learning

Technology Company has a world view which is very different from Academic Institutions. The stakeholders in an online examination and also in online learning are multiple- ranging from electricity company and mobile service providers to parents and even grandparents. Teachers, Students, University/College Administration, technological devices, parents, physical space, time from 'regular life'- Everything that was taken for granted has gone for a toss!

As one of the Associate Dean of my University following were my learning from the GREAT Online Exercise that we undertook.

1. Communication is serious business. i never valued role of communication during this exercise than ever before in my life. People can tolerate anything once they know that 'someone' is there listening to them.

2. Indians are not the people who are perfectionist. We have a tendency to allow 19-20 and technology is either 19 or 20! it can not be 19-20.

3. There are DIFFERENT worlds all together. Technocrat, programmer, administrators, academic come from diverse directions and its critical that people ACCEPT to work together respecting the other. Each feels their work is more important than the other whereas EACH had to work in alignment with the OTHER for better results.

4. Technology can be extremely frustrating. It does not necessarily help every time. It can be a nightmare. Especially where there is no economy of scale, its worthless. 

5. It is necessary to take people in confidence and leadership is critical and careful skill, not everybody's cup of tea. Leaders actually can make dramatic difference; good or bad, empowering or frustrating. 

6. Technology can complicate unless carefully planned. There is more human effort gone in technology based interventions unless advance planning and loopholes were anticipated. 

7. Answerability is important. Accepting one's mistakes is important. Respecting other point of views is important. Listening is important. Asserting is important.

Students who are getting degree with online exams need to recognize that the Life is not MCQ!