A new way to conduct subjective Exams

A New Way to Conduct Subjective Exams

Introduction

Institutions are identifying new ways to manage academic exams with the help of technology. Online exams can be easily managed with the help of a secure online exam platform for multiple-choice objective questions.

However many of the institution courses are not suitable for conducting multiple-choice based exams. It requires theory exams-based evaluation.

Conducting online exams for theory-based assessment seems difficult for the institutes as they are not used to adopting new technology. Subjective or theory-based online exams must be suitable for all students including those who do not have good typing skills or computer handling skills.

Theory exams might include special symbols related to mathematics, and chemistry. It can also include diagrams where the student is supposed to draw diagrams in the answer sheet.

Subjective Exams – A Brief Overview

Subjective exams, in general, aim to assess complex and qualitative areas of students’ performance. They are conducted using subjective questions that may have more than one correct answer or more ways to express them.

Subjective questions for assessments have gained immense popularity over the years, and rightfully so. Preparing subjective questions is time-effective, and it also allows the students to express their viewpoints creatively and in more than one manner. 

Subjective assessment questions include asking students to:

  • Respond with concise and accurate answers.
  • Elaborately construct responses.
  • Define a term, concept, or significant event.
  • Respond with a critically thought-out or factually supported opinion.
  • Respond to a theoretical scenario.

Subjective assessments are deemed excellent for subjects like writing, reading, art/art history, philosophy, political science, or literature. Besides, subjects that encourage debate, critical thinking, interpretation of art forms or policies, or applying specific knowledge to real-world scenarios are well-suited for subjective assessments.

Online examination systems, now, can be leveraged for conducting subjective exams online in an easy, quick, and hassle-free manner. Further, we will cover how exactly that’s done-

Conduct Subjective exams

Here are 5 key features of online subjective exams that can help you to switch to online theory exams instead of the traditional pen-and-paper-based assessment process.

5 key features of online subjective exams

5 key features of online subjective exams

1. Voice-to-Text Conversion

Now you can easily manage your subjective exams for theoretical answers. The student just needs to talk on the microphone attached to the computer or laptop. 

The system would convert the entire speech into text format and it would save it as an answer response. So imagine, if you are solving mathematical problems or questions where there are multiple steps, as a candidate you can easily speak those steps and it would be saved as an answer for that particular question.

Students with limited typing speed can overcome the issue of typing an answer by speaking the answer. The system would dynamically convert the speech into text format and display it in front of the screen.

Speech to text for subjective online exams

2. Support for Mathematical Symbols

Typing special symbols related to science, and mathematics can be challenging while conducting online subjective assessments.

Here is one simple editor available for online subjective exams. Students can easily define mathematical symbols using a rich text editor. Students can also type the steps taken for the execution of a particular problem.

Mathematical symbols on subjective exams

3. Option for Diagrams

In traditional pen and paper-based exams, students can easily draw diagrams, graphs, and charts as a part of the answers written. Marks are assigned based on the accuracy of the diagram/ chart. 

In an online exam context, using tools like paint or any other drawing tool can be difficult as it would involve providing suitable training to students for the effective usage of the drawing tools.

The online subjective exam feature of the Eklavvya platform provides the option to select a suitable diagram from the pool of diagrams. Diagrams are essential to check to check the understanding of the student about a particular topic, it is not essential to check the drawing skill of the student in this context.

While typing an answer or speaking the answer, if a student feels that there is a supporting diagram for this answer then the student can click on the add diagram button as shown to select a suitable diagram related to this answer and attach it with the individual answer spoken or written for the particular question.

Option to add images during Online Subjective Exams

Exam candidates can also draw diagrams on the paper and it can be uploaded for respective answers. Here is one of the screenshots of the exam screen with the image upload option-

Upload scan copy for answer of subjective online exam

4. Digital Evaluation by the Examiner

In the case of online subjective exam evaluation, examiners have their logins to evaluate answers digitally. Examiners can log in to the system and see individual answers written by the students. Examiners can assign marks to individual questions. 

The system also calculates the total score of the candidate. There is a facility to download the individual scorecards and downloading multiple scores in the Excel format is also available.

Simplify Answersheet Checking with Onscreen Evaluation
  • Eliminate manual answersheet checking.
  • Check answersheets from any location.
  • Automate result processing using technology.
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5. Ease of Result Processing

Result processing becomes easy in the case of online subjective assessment. The system can calculate the total and it can be fed to the result-generation system for mark sheet preparation. 

Entire evaluation and result processing can be achieved in a paperless manner quite easily with the help of online subjective evaluation.

Interactive Descriptive Test using Generative AI

Leveraging the capabilities of Generative AI, you can facilitate interactive, dialog-oriented, descriptive examinations. In these assessments, questions are dynamically presented to candidates based on specific scenarios. Candidates respond either by typing their answers or through voice input. Generative AI then uses these responses to generate subsequent questions, creating a continuous, interactive dialogue.

Generative-ai-assessment

This process not only enhances engagement but also enables a more nuanced evaluation of the candidate’s understanding and analytical skills. Throughout the interaction, the system automatically assesses the candidate’s responses, culminating in a comprehensive evaluation and rating.

If you are looking to conduct descriptive tests that are case-study oriented or require interactive question-and-answer formats, exploring Generative AI-based descriptive test conduction can be highly beneficial. This approach ensures a more robust assessment, providing deeper insights into the candidate’s abilities and performance.

How Generative AI is Transforming Assessments
  • Evaluate skills with real-world case studies.
  • Instant feedback with skill ratings and areas of improvement.
  • Dynamic assessment questions based on candidate responses.
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What are subjective test questions?

Subjective questions are questions that require responses in the form of explanations as elaborate as possible. Unlike objective questions, these are not fact-based questions. All in all, subjective questions can consist of essay questions, short answers, scenario-based questions, opinion questions, etc. 

What are the advantages of subjective tests?

Some of the key advantages of subjective questions are:

  1. These help evaluate a candidate’s understanding of the concepts and subject matters
  2. These help gauge the creativity level of the candidates in approaching a similar set of questions
  3. Help gauge the analytical, thinking, and problem-solving abilities of the candidates 

Is the subjective test reliable?

Yes, subjective tests are as reliable as objective tests. Subjective questions help the evaluator gauge the creative, thinking, and explanation capabilities of the candidates. Subjective questions are also formulated logically to assess the candidates. 

What is the disadvantage of subjective methods?

Subjective questions come with their set of challenges too. Candidates need more time to attempt such questions. Subjective questions can be framed by subject matter experts only, and not all subjects are good candidates for subjective evaluation. 

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