Recently, the Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS) has been in the news for the changed evaluation system which has resulted in several Commerce students failing the exam. On May 2, several students and parents staged a protest at the campus urging the Union Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan to seek his intervention in solving this by implementing a backlog system.
The students and their parents alleged the implementation of online computer-based evaluation has failed many commerce students. Additionally, other concerns were the faculty of Navi Mumbai campus not being permanent, frequent changes in teaching faculty, failure of completing the portion on time and the post of dean being vacant.
When EdexLive reached out to the institute seeking reactions to the above allegations, the institute said, "Experienced faculty members create the exam papers, which are then reviewed by senior subject matter experts before being finalised. The evaluation process follows predetermined marking schemes and model answers, making the evaluations less subjective."
"In some subject areas where answers can have options, the model answers include alternative perspectives that are accordingly evaluated. To reduce variations, we offer training and awareness programmes for evaluators," it added. Further refuting the allegation of having a lack of experienced faculty, the institute said, "Most of our faculty members hold PhD degrees and possess relevant experience in their respective fields."
Change in the evaluation process or assessment criteria?
As per a press note shared by students, "The University changed the evaluation pattern this year resulting in an inter-campus evaluation system where all the papers belonging to all the NMIMS campuses were jumbled and sent across to other campuses for an online computer-based evaluation."
Commenting on this, the institute said, "Our examination-setting procedures and assessment approaches have not changed significantly. We emphasize on evaluating students' conceptual comprehension and practical application based on Bloom's Taxonomy rather than merely assessing their memorization and rote learning skills." Now what is Bloom's Taxonomy? This instructs and examines students at multiple cognitive levels. "Our examination formats are designed to evaluate students' comprehensive and profound knowledge of the subjects at hand," it added.
Further, clearing the air about computer-based evaluation, it said it has adopted to facilitate the task of examining while evaluating answer books. Similarly, disclosing details about the backlog policy at the university, it said: "According to NMIMS Policy, students who do not pass certain subjects are provided with extra time and support within the same academic year to improve their performance." Also, remedial classes are arranged to provide additional assistance for those who have received an F grade, it added.
Are students' concerns being met?
When asked about how the institute is planning to address students' concerns, it said, "The academic processes are designed in such a way that if any specific concerns are raised, we carefully investigate them and take appropriate measures to address them." Moreover, "We maintain an open-door policy for students to approach their respective faculty and programme heads," it stressed.
