Mumbai: After functioning without a full-time exam head, the University of Mumbai (MU) has finally filled the crucial post. Pooja Raundale, a computer science professor at Sardar Patel Institute of Technology at Andheri has been appointed Director, Board of Examination and Evaluation (BoEE) after the university couldn't find a suitable person during a previous selection process.
Second Woman To Head The Exam Department
She is only the second woman to head the exam department of 166-year-old varsity after Padma Deshmukh, who quit as controller of examination (as the post was then called) in 2014.
However, she won't replace Prasad Karande, who is temporarily heading the exam department, until the varsity's annual convocation next month. As the authority responsible for conducting examinations of lakhs of students across more than 800 affiliated colleges, the exam director occupy one of the most critical position in the varsity system.
Timely Declaration Of Results To Be Prioritized
MU has been struggling to declare exam results on time thanks to the sheer number of tests and students, technical snafus and lack of teaching staff to evaluate papers.
Raundale said that timely declaration of results will be her priority at the department. "I have a plan in mind to avoid delay in results. I want to automate the evaluation process using artificial intelligence, data science and machine learning, as I have a background in these technologies. This will ease many a things. We need to identify the time consuming aspects and replace them with faster processes," she said.
More about Raundale
A doctorate in artificial intelligence, Raundale has more than 20 years of experience in teaching and academic administration.
In addition to teaching at SPIT's Computer Science Engineering and Master of Computer Application departments, she is currently serving as Dean, Quality Assurance at the institute.
Exam Head Appointed After 4-Month Vacancy
The post had been lying vacant since September last year after the resignation of previous exam director Vinod Patil, moved to the Kavyitri Bahinabai Chaudhary North Maharashtra University as registrar.
Karande, a professor at Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI), was given the additional responsibility as the temporary director. Raundale was chosen from a field of eight contenders that were interviewed for the post last month after a screening process.
This was the varsity's second attempt at finding exam director as none of the six candidates, including two university officials and a faculty member, shortlisted for interviews earlier could satisfy the authorities.
