Kerala's answer to exam delays: Health University’s digital marking system sets benchmark

Pathanamthitta, Kerala: At a time when concerns over errors in digital evaluation systems have surfaced, Kerala University of Health Sciences (KUHS) is being hailed as a successful model for technology-driven exam assessment.

The university has completed six years of conducting On-Screen Marking (OSM), a system that allows examiners to evaluate scanned answer sheets digitally without physically handling them.

Introduced in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic to minimise contact with physical answer scripts, the system has since evolved into one of the fastest evaluation mechanisms in the country. Remarkably, the entire process is managed by the university's own staff without relying on private agencies.

When the system was first implemented, only Karnataka's Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences had a similar model, but it was operated through an outsourced private contractor. Then Vice-Chancellor Dr Mohanan Kunnummal insisted on an in-house approach to avoid external intervention. In 2022, after taking additional charge of the University of Kerala, he extended the system to postgraduate examinations there as well.

How the on-screen marking system works

• Answer scripts from medical colleges are sent to the university headquarters in Thrissur.
• Upon arrival, all papers are scanned and uploaded to a secure digital platform.
• Evaluation camps operate in medical colleges across the state.
• Examiners and supervisors receive password-protected access to scanned answer sheets.
• Every answer script is evaluated independently by two teachers using separate digital copies.
• The system allows evaluators to award fractional marks such as ¼, ½ and ¾.

Built-in accuracy checks

To ensure fairness and consistency, the university has introduced a multi-level verification process.

• If the marks awarded by the two evaluators differ by 15 per cent or more, a third examiner is assigned another scanned copy of the same paper.
• The final score is calculated using the average of the two highest evaluations among the three assessments.

Fast results, automated tabulation

The digital platform automatically tabulates marks once evaluation is completed, significantly reducing processing time.

According to university records, one of its fastest achievements was publishing nursing examination results just two days after the examination concluded.

Students can also apply for a digital copy of their evaluated answer script by paying the prescribed fee, allowing greater transparency in the assessment process.