2 Kerala students win top prize in global hackathon

Two students of Government College   of Engineering, Kannur, won the first prize of $10,000 (Rs 7.5 lakh approximately) in a global competition for developing a virtual classroom amid the coronavirus lockdown.

Abinand C and Shilpa Rajeev, both doing second-year BTech (computer science) from the institution upstate, emerged toppers in the #CODE19 (against COVID-19) Hackathon for their ‘iClassroom’, a release issued by Kerala Startup Mission said here on Saturday.

A learning platform built for the millennial generation, it is backed by social media and enables peer-to- peer communication. The international #CODE19, which aims to support young entrepreneurs across continents, was organised by charitable organisation Motwani Jadeja Family Foundation and software solutions firm Hackerearth.

The event with ‘Education and awareness for fighting against COVID-19 as the theme, was held last month as part of an Industry Student Connect Programme at Malabar Innovation and Entrepreneurship Zone, Kannur.

‘iClassroom’ facilitates lecture recordings, online assignments and similar projects that can be the only viable option during an exigency like the lockdown, the release said. PTI

AI-driven student assessment solution for colleges

In a bid to help educational institutions keep the learning systems moving, online testing firm HireMee has unveiled artificial intelligence (AI)-based mid-term student assessments solutions like organising an online test live without any cheating possibilities for colleges.

 Although colleges have adopted digital tools for online learning, the key challenge now is how to administer assessments and tests, and ascertain the learning outcomes.

 HireMee provides a Cloud-based digital platform for employability enhancement for students and conducts assessments that employers can use, the company said in a statement.

 The company said that to date, it has completed nearly a quarter million AI-proctored attempts, with a rejection of around 5 per cent attempts in the past 18 months in over 3,000 colleges in the country.

 The AI/ML system is trained to process and compare images of the examinee taken during the test with candidate information provided and flag discrepancies to prevent impersonation.

 “Face detection and recognition algorithms work in sync. The system captures any movement of the candidate eyes or ears and highlights such instances with corresponding images. Similarly, it can identify presence of other individuals nearby and ascertain if any external help is being sought by a candidate,” the company informed.

 The system also locks down the application on which the assessment is being taken, thus restricting the navigation of candidates away from the assessment.

 Several colleges have already tested these capabilities and are in the process of rolling out their mid-term assessments through the platform. IANS

Deadline for online application forms submission pushed to June

Keeping in view the hardships being faced by candidates during the COVID-19 lockdown, the Ministry of Human Resource Development has decided to extend the date of online application forms submission for various entrance exams including JNU, IGNOU Ph.D and Hotel Management.

 Union Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank said:  “The Director General of National Testing Agency (NTA)  has been advised to extend the last date for submission of online applications for various examinations”.

 Nishank said , “This includes entrance examinations conducted by JNU, IGNOU Ph.D, ICAR exam, NCHM G and management course.” According to an order issued by the NTA the date of filling the form for the entrance examinations of Jawaharlal Nehru University has been extended till May 15. The date of filling the form of the National Council for Hotel Management ‘G’ has also been extended till May 15.

 Similarly, the date for submitting the form for Ph.D and MBA from IGNOU has been extended from  April 30 to  May 15 as has the date for the Indian Council for Agricultural Research. The All India AYUSH Post Graduate Entrance Test form can be filled till June 5.

 The Ministry of Human Resource Development has also directed the CBSE, NIOS and NTA to prepare a revised schedule of examinations. Along with this, autonomous bodies and NCERT have been asked to prepare an alternative academic calendar.

 In view of the lockdown, the central government has also decided to postpone the NEET examinations. Admission cards were to be issued for NEET examinations, but these were not issued and the Ministry issued a notice to postpone the exams.

 Students will no longer have to travel to other cities to write the entrance exams. This facility will be provided for the entrance examination of various academic programmes including the main entrance examination of ‘G’. The NTA has made the necessary provisions for this. IANS

JGU admissions go fully online

O.P. Jindal Global University has announced that admissions to all degree programmes, both undergraduate and postgraduate, will be conducted online under the aegis of the Jindal Scholastic Aptitude Test (JSAT) administered by Pearson Virtual University Enterprises (VUE).

 The exceptions to this are the five-year law programme of the Jindal Global Law School (JGLS) and the five-year architecture programme at the Jindal School of Art & Architecture (JSAA).

 Candidates from India and around the world can now take the JSAT exam at their convenience from home starting May 11, the university said.

 “As an Institution of Eminence, it is our endeavour at O.P. Jindal Global University to offer the best of educational opportunities to our valued students,” C. Raj Kumar, Founding Vice Chancellor of O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU), said in a statement.

 “This is a technologically advanced admission solution, which allows students a seamless new system to complete the admissions process into the various courses of their choice,” he said.

 Pearson VUE is one of the leading players in computer-based testing in the world. It is the first time in more than 25 years of existence of Pearson VUE that an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled, home-proctored online solution has been made available in this format.

 “In addition to the AI-assisted, remote proctoring solution, which includes the recording of the candidate’s entire examination for review to ensure that the exam is terminated if misconduct is detected, JGU in collaboration with Pearson VUE has implemented a rigorous data forensics programme to identify and act on misconduct and other validity issues,” the JGU VC said.

 Like centre-based testing, an AI-enabled testing solution requires candidates to complete a virtual self-check-in process, which includes enhanced identification, authentication and, after successful validation, the candidate will be approved to take the test.

 Candidates will be monitored live through their device’s webcam with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools.

 “The online JSAT exam is rigorous and is built with technical features to ensure that there is no security breach,” said Professor Arjya Majumdar, Dean Admissions and Outreach at JGU.

 “The system has been built on the latest AI-based platforms which have been globally tested and offer the candidates an efficient and advanced technical solution for admission.”  Candidates will still need to schedule their online exam ahead of time, but appointments are offered 24x7 so that candidates can find a time convenient for their schedule.

 The registration process remains the same i.e. the candidate must first select online JSAT along with their preferred date and time to take the test.

 After successful completion of the registration process, they will receive an automated confirmation email of the appointment within 24 hours, the university said.

 Additionally, the university said that it has added seven new programmes for the 2020 academic year, including BA (Hons.) in Political Science, BA (Hons.) in Social Science and Policy, BA (Hons.) Legal Studies, BA (Hons.) Environmental Studies; Bachelor of Design (Interior Design), MA Economics and the Jindal Fellowship Programme (JFP). IANS 

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