The associations we work with have shared their frustrations with this certain aspect of their organisation.
What problems have your association faced during the pandemic? The membership bodies and associations we work with shared with us many of their problems and frustrations fighting challenges caused by Covid-19.
For example, problems with social distancing, a surge in demand for courier services, the introduction of social distancing and increased remote working were some of the challenges faced with marking question papers during the pandemic.
The unprecedented disruption caused stress, delays and missed opportunities, leaving an instrumental impact on the exam marking sector.
According to Satya Nadelle, the Microsoft CEO, companies oversaw “two years’ worth of digital transformation in two months during the first lockdown.
The scalability of an organisation’s technology and having an effective disaster recovery in place determined their survival, growth, or eventual demise.
‘Negative impact’ for examiners
Even before the pandemic, member expectations were exceedingly high. Meeting targets such as marking papers on time and to a high standard were made higher due to the challenges faced by Covid-19.
With the end of the tunnel still not clear and remote working continuing, associations who award qualifications must adapt to the ‘new normal’ and review the technology they use to maintain their efficiency.
Social distancing protocols and a surge in demand for courier services has drastically slowed down the exam marking process.
What one Association got right
In December 2019, we designed and built an online question paper marking software alongside a global organisation who approve a globally recognised Health, Safety and Environmental qualification.
The client wanted a customisable application that automated the process and automatically tracked the status of every paper out for marking.
The software was easy to use and managed the process by allocating papers to markers based on set criteria including their qualifications and the languages they speak.
With the 100% digital system, staff could distribute and mark exam papers while adhering to social distancing without having a negative impact on their workflow.
With the 100% digital system in place, staff distribute and mark exam papers in a Covid-secure way. The real-time dashboard brought marking, moderation and standardisation to one place, meaning staff could delete complicated spreadsheets and stop manually tracking papers.
The secure software distributed the papers instantly, overcoming postage delays and saving on shipping costs.
With a market growth rate of 900% since 2000, eLearning is the future
- 72% companies believe eLearning increases their performance
- eLearning creates 85% fewer CO2 emissions
- eLearning increases staff retention rates by up to 60%
Britain’s Open University study found eLearning consumes 90% less energy and 85% fewer CO2 emissions per student than face-to-face training.
What should organisations do?
The pandemic highlighted the need for membership bodies to evaluate their workplace technology and uncover ways to improve their processes with updated tech.
Thanks to the advancements in modern day technology, organisations were able to quickly react to the ever-changing and challenging landscape. Therefore, it’s vital that organisations keep on top of the latest technological advancements to ensure they can react to unexpected scenarios and keep working as normal throughout unprecedented times.
Using online marking tools, associations can assess papers more efficiently and deliver a high-quality candidate experience. Not just during the pandemic, but well into the future.
Automated online marking applications take away the need to update spreadsheets and manually track late papers, as well as keep remote staff working efficiently.
PSP-IT is an award-winning digital agency. Our work includes eMark; a smart online question paper marking tool, which makes managing the exam marking process easier and more efficient. Visit: https://www.psp-it.co.uk
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