Makerere University Vice Chancellor, Professor Barnabas Nawangwe has assured students of a stable network throughout the online examination period via the eLearning platform MUELE-Makerere University eLearning Environment.
Students will access their examinations and upload their work to the same platform upon completion. Ever since the University council approved the online assessment scheduled to start today and run to September 30, 2021, students have been expressing concern about the poor connectivity on MUELE based on their previous experiences during tests.
The students complained that each time they were required to do tests and quizzes on the site, messages would pop up, something that reduced their trust in using it for examinations. When the University council made the decision for online examinations last month, it promised to upgrade the system.
Now, Prof. Nawangwe has allayed the fears of the student about the issues of the network. He says that they have installed new servers to support wider coverage. With this, he notes that the Directorate of ICT Support team anticipates network stability for students.
Nawangwe further notes that students have no cause to panic as all issues are being worked upon since colleges have been granted permission to commence with examinations even after Monday as long as it’s still within the assessment period.
Ivan Sssempijja, the Mak Student Guild president says that the Directorate of ICT Support-DICTS will avail helplines every day from 2:00 pm during the examination season to handle student’s queries as they arise.
The Directorate of ICT Support-DICTS has run different meetings with students to assist in opening up accounts on MUELE and clarifying issues that hinder students from penetrating the system. Lecturers were the first to receive training in July on how to administer online examinations to be able to manage arising challenges since this is the first attempt by Makerere to use this mode.
Continuing students at Makerere University were just about to start exams on June 7, 2021 when the president announced the closure of learning institutions following a surge in the spread of COVID-19. In order for the institution to proceed with learning activities as it awaits reopening, online assessment was adopted as an alternative to physical examinations.