Mandatory electronic marking system draws mixed response

Egypt’s higher education authorities this month ordered all universities in the Middle Eastern country to apply electronic marking systems starting from the next academic year with the aim of saving time in the assessment process and ensuring fairness to students.

The decision was announced by the Supreme Council of Universities, a state body in charge of setting policy for academic institutions in Egypt, reported Al Watan. The move is obligatory for all academic institutions in the country.

The council added at a meeting in Cairo last Saturday that it is necessary for universities’ teaching staff to be “adequately trained” in the computerised marking system.

The system replaces the manual checking of students’ examination answers. The scope of teachers’ assessment role in the new system was not immediately clear.

Egypt, the Arab world’s most populous country at nearly 95 million people, has more than 40 public and private universities. Some of these institutions have already applied the e-marking system on an optional basis – “achieving great results”, according to Higher Education Minister Khaled Abdel Ghaffar.

However, the mandatory introduction of the e-system has drawn mixed reactions from lecturers.

“The electronic system can [be of] benefit in terms of marking examinations, but there must be a clear mechanism that suits the nature of each subject,” Khaled Samir, a professor at the state-run Ain Shams University’s medical school, said.

“If this system is to make a lasting impact, there should be qualified experts who can handle the software programmes related to the correction of university exams,” Samir told Egyptian news portal Masrawy.

In the opinion of Mohamed Hamed, an assistant science professor at Cairo University, Egypt’s biggest public academic centre, applying the e-marking system will help improve relationships between lecturers and their students.

“Many students believe the lecturer unfairly reduces their marks out of bias. The electronic marking will bring this belief to an end,” said Hamed.

“This system has already proved its worth after its introduction in some faculties of government-run universities. Applying it nationwide is becoming a necessity in view of the spectacular technological advances in the world,” he told private newspaper Al Shorouk.

However, Mohamed Kamal, a professor at the provincial Kafrelsheikh University, had reservations about the e-marking process.

“This computerised system may be fine for scientific subjects, as their exam questions require specific and straightforward answers. This is not the case in theoretical subjects where there can be no model answers for exam questions,” he said. “Therefore, the electronic system does not suit these majors.”

Students have also expressed varied views.

“The application of the electronic marking system should go hand in hand with changing the shape of exams,” said Hani Sabry, a law student at the Ain Shams University. “Most questions in exams require long answers that show students’ critical thinking and different approaches. If this exam system remains as it is now, then the electronic [marking] system will be unfair to students and their answers.”

Suzan Mansour, an arts student at the same university, was enthusiastic about the e-marking system. “It will end errors or bias related to the manual process,” she said. “Some teachers are biased against their students for one reason or another and do not treat them fairly when they check and mark their exam answers. I think this will end with the electronic system, which knows no bias or favouritism.

“There should be enough training for those who will operate the electronic marking devices. Students should also be guided on how to make the proper answers that suit the new system,” said Mansour.