Mangalore University to introduce challenge valuation for PG students

Mangalore, June 29: Students who join postgraduate courses of Mangalore University from the academic year 2011-12 will have an added advantage pertaining to evaluating answer scripts. They can ask the university to get their answer scripts evaluated again under “challenge valuation”.

In reality, if a student opts for “challenge valuation” his or her answer script undergoes evaluation either for the third time or fourth time as the case may be.

This marks a major shift on its academic front for the university which recently went for the choice-based credit semester system (CBCS) for most of its postgraduate courses from this academic year. The CBCS regulations offer “challenge valuation” facility for students.

Guidelines

According to Vice-Chancellor T.C. Shivashankara Murthy, the university was yet to frame guidelines for “challenge valuation” which were expected to be ready after a month. Prof. Murthy told The Hindu that the guidelines would have to be in place when evaluating the answer scripts of first semester examinations after December.

The Vice-Chancellor said two evaluators evaluated an answer script of a postgraduate student. Of them, one was an internal evaluator and the other an external one in what was called the double evaluation. Results would be declared taking the average of total marks. In case there was a difference of 20 per cent and above in marks given by evaluators, then the university referred the script to a third evaluator and declared the result later by taking the average of nearest two marks.

For example, if the internal evaluator and the external evaluator gave 40 marks and 70 marks, respectively, it would have to be referred to the third evaluator as there was a difference of 30 marks. If the third evaluator gave 60 marks, then 70 marks given by the external evaluator (the one closest to this number) would be added to it and the total (130 marks) would be divided by two.

Prof. Murthy said if the student was not satisfied with the marks, he or she under the “challenge valuation” could apply for evaluating the script again.

The candidate would have to pay a prescribed fee “within 20 days after the publication of results or 10 days from the date of despatch of the marks cards by the Registrar (Evaluation) to the department/colleges whichever is later.”