OMS in Class XII, CBSE
The CBSE will have a section of its Class XII answer scripts examined through the onscreen marking system or OMS.
For the uninitiated, OMS improves the accuracy and efficiency of marking remarkably. In this system, answer scripts are scanned and the images are uploaded on a server, which enables an examiner to evaluate the booklet on the computer with the help of specially developed software.
Though practically unheard of in India, this technology is being used abroad in countries such as the US, UK, Australia and China.
This novel experiment, however, is limited to the Class XII candidates from Delhi appearing for the English (core) paper next month. The Class XII Board examinations begin on Tuesday and the English (core) paper is scheduled on March 11.
"Close to 80,000 candidates in Delhi will take the English (core) examination this year. We will use OMS to evaluate their answer scripts. If this is successful then the numbers will go up next year," a senior CBSE official said.
The OMS has an edge over the manual method as it reduces the margin of error in tabulation of marks and the scope of leaving any answers unevaluated.
The OMS software will calculate the total marks and also highlight any answers the examiner may have missed.
The CBSE's decision to use OMS for Delhi candidates has come only after the success of the By Ritika Choprain New Delhi pilot project last year. "Last year, about 200 answer scripts of the Class XII Board exams were evaluated manually as well as with OMS. After positive feedback from the examiners, the CBSE chairman decided to extend this to a larger number of students this year," the official added.
To implement this on a larger scale, the CBSE has specially designed answer booklets for the Delhi students. Each booklet has a unique serial number and 24 pages, all of which are numbered.
That apart, each answer has a designated space, that is, students will have to write answers against the question numbers printed in the booklet.
These features make it easier for the OMS software to detect and retrieve the scanned answer booklets for the examiner.
All Delhi schools affiliated to the CBSE were informed about the newly designed answer booklets through a circular dated February 24, just a week before the exams are to commence.
This has created panic among students. The fact that all answers are being given a designated space is the biggest cause of concern.
OMS or onscreen marking system has been developed for improving the security, quality, reliability and efficiency of marking. In this method, answer scripts are scanned and their images are saved and transferred to assessment centres where examiners evaluate answers on a computer with the help of the OMS software.
What are the Benefits?
- There is no totalling error as marks are calculated by the software.
- There is no scope of any answer remaining unevaluated in the booklet as the software will point out if the examiner has omitted an answer by mistake.
- In the manual process, wrong marks can be entered at the time of transferring total marks from the answer booklet to the award list. With OMS, errors at this level are eliminated.
- Since each answer booklet has a unique serial number, the OMS software can enable easy retrieval of the answer script.
Courtesy: India Today
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