1. Title of the Best Practice 1: Paper Seeing Process
2. Objectives of the Practice

To ensure transparency in the valuation of semester end/final examinations answer scripts and to avoid revaluation of scripts.

1. To Context

The examination process is one of the key areas for any educational institution or university. It is a crucial evaluation process to grade students. In the case of theory exams, there is a traditional way of evaluating answer sheets. It is being followed by many universities and education institutes.

The Honorable Supreme Court of India in its landmark judgement has allowed for the full disclosure of exam answer copies to the applicant. Evaluated answer sheet now falls under the definition of “information” under the powerful Right to Information (RTI) Act. This judgement is a welcome step for the lakhs of students who receive wrong results due to negligence of examining bodies or their members. All the exams conducted by government bodies, including all those by individual state and central governments are covered by this law.

This Act can be extremely beneficial to the student community by allowing such transparency. A student in any university or school can demand inspection of his answer script and take its certified copies. There are many decisions and discussions on obtaining evaluated answer copies under RTI

There are no one set of rules or standards that apply in examination evaluation by Universities or Education Boards. There is no countrywide accepted norms or any legal rights for the students over fraudulent practices or biased marking. This has created nightmares for millions of bright students and destroyed the future or promising students across India. Maintaining and Giving Answer Copies may be extra workload for the educational institution, but it is not a reasonable excuse to deny this information under RTI. Evaluated answer copies have to be open to the public to ensure transparency in our education system. Any student who got unexpected low marks or failed even after answering questions properly, is a grieved citizen. This student can demand to inspect his results so that the evaluators cannot use unjustified means to act against any student.

   After every semester end examination, there were many students applying for revaluation of their answer scripts with the ambition to get higher marks.  This trend was seen both for makeup and supplementary examinations also.  It was a laborious process for examination section to complete the revaluation and re announce the results.

1. The Practice

Physical handling of the answer sheet has many logistical and administrative activities. The following are some of the key stakeholders of the answer sheet evaluation and result processing. Allowing students to view their answer scripts prior to results announcement is the goal of this practice. They can include the question number in the complaints area if they identify any errors in the assessment or the totaling of the marks. Students can also confirm that the grades awarded follow the evaluation criteria. Students will receive extra marks if their complaint is valid. This kind of practice is more beneficial, increases pupils' consciousness, and demonstrates the fairness of the evaluation process.

A decision is taken by the administration of our college to stop the revaluation process and to make valuation process more transparent, the paper seeing process in introduced.  Under this process, all the students are allowed to see their answer scripts and permitted to write them grievances for their marks to change, based on the scheme of valuation supplied to them.  The claimed scripts are again valued/corrected by the respective course faculty and it should be approved in the department academic committee.  The modified marks are then submitted to examination section through the proper channel.  After this process, results are re announced.  This process is carried out without charging any fee for students.

Paper seeing facility is provided, before the announcement of the results of SEE or Make-up examinations. A student could apply for viewing of his/her answer script after the declaration of the result. An application form for the same with detail of subjects whose answer scripts are to be viewed is duly filled by the candidate and submitted to the office of COE with the fees duly paid. The student on the announced date and time of the paper viewing would be accompanied by the faculty mentor/parent to view the script. The answer script along with the scheme and solution would be shown to the student with the marks evaluated.

The student needs to write his/her comments in a register provided after paper viewing.

•     The dean (Exams) shall announce the date and time of seeing the answer scripts by the students after the announcement of the provisional examinations result.

•     The students are allowed for paper seeing only their valued answer scripts on the specified date and time, course wise as per norms.

     •  The concerned faculty member shall show the answer scripts to the students on the scheduled         date/time. Faculty/students shall not be allowed to do any corrections/ modifications during paper seeing. 

•     The students shall put forth the grievances if any, through an application to the department academic committee.

•     There is no revaluation of the answer scripts, however challenge valuation is allowed as per norms.

•     The department academic committee shall hold a meeting to address the grievances submitted by the students and submit a report to the dean(exams).

•     The decision of the dean on this matter is final and binding.

1. Evidence of Success

It is observed that after introduction of this process, students are happy and have confidence in valuation process.  Also, the number of grievances by the students have come down drastically. Copy of document with table attached.

1. Problems Encountered and Resources Required

Since examination section has large number of answer scripts, they need to be dispersed to the respective departments for paper seeing. Searching the papers is tedious task since scripts are coded booklets.

1. Title of the Best Practice 2: M-Foundation Award

2. Objectives of the Practice:

    To financially support economically weaker students to complete their course without hassles

3. The Context:

    The college is admitted with many meritorious rural students. Students from this background

    are economically weak as their parents’ income is very low. Due to these constraints, students sometimes could not be able to complete or continue their studies from first to final year.

   As per the assurance made by the M-foundation members, Rs 50000.00 /- is enmarked for this purpose. The children of class IV employees studying in PUC / degree post-graduation with merit or eligible for the scholarship. Applications are to be invited from parents of this children with prof of having pad the fees and copy of marks card of qualifying exam. Depending upon the number of applications received, the amount shall be distributed. The committee shall decide the numbers and amount based on the application received. 

For the best outgoing student award of the year the following conditioned are follows 

• Only UG students are eligible 
• The given applicant is permitted to be considered for award, even if He / She has completed the course in the immediate make -up exam, with X or I grade in the respective SEE. (Minimum percentage of marks: SSLC – 60%, PUC-60%, BE-60% in all semesters) 

4. The Practice:

 The M Foundation (a registered charitable trust) has been set with intention of providing scholarships to such students, who have been able to obtain a merit-based seat but due the economic condition of their guardians, find it difficult to pay such fees as required by the Government/College authorities. 

MEMORANDOM OF UNDERSTANDING 

This Memorandum of Understanding, to be signed between the College authorities and the M Foundation lists the broad terms and conditions under which the scholarship will be awarded. 

The MCE undertakes the following responsibilities. 

 At the beginning of each academic year, a committee constituted by the Principal of Malnad College of Engineering (MCE) will call for applications for this scholarship.  The application will be 

addressed to the committee constituted as above on a plain sheet of paper along with the authenticated proof of marks and economic conditions and prepares a short list of 3 boys and 3 girls. Such a shortlist will be forwarded by the Principal of MCE to the M Foundation office at Bangalore Detailed conditions to be satisfied by a student beneficiary shall be listed separately and forwarded to the foundation within one month of signing this MOU. 

  The meritorious students with this background are identified and they are financially supported

    by a team of alumnus of the college under the scheme, called M-Foundation award. The facility

    is also extended to the wards of D group employees of our college 

For the best outgoing student award of the year the following conditioned are follows 

•           Only UG students are eligible 

•           The given applicant is permitted to be considered for award, even if He / She has completed the course in the immediate make -up exam, with X or I grade in the respective SEE. (Minimum percentage of marks: SSLC – 60%, PUC-60%, BE-60% in all semesters) 

M- foundation scholarship for wards of class -IV employee’s children.

The following conditions are to be fulfilled for claiming the scholarship 

• The ward of class IV employee, identified by the college based on seniority and income to be preferred for scholarship.
• Some if the wards are doing PUC/BA/BSc/BCom/Bed/BCA/MA/MSc/MCA etc. and they need some  funding for their study.
• Application from deserving employees will be taken and on merit and other eligibility criteria the names will be shortlisted and will be recommended to M- foundation for final approval.
• The fee payable towards the study will vary from college to college and from course to course. It may be less than Rs.5000/- in some cases and more than Rs.10000/ for others.

Restricting the total budget to Rs 50,000.00/-, as assured by M-foundation, the committee shall take a decision for distribution among applicants. If the total amount awarded comes to less than Rs.50000/- the balance can be carried for the next academic year.