Nyeri: Not so long ago, the examination season was one of the most dreaded periods in the academic calendar for Alias Gitau, the Examination Registrar at the Nyeri National Polytechnic and his team.
According to Kenya News Agency, delivering credible assessments seemed straightforward but was a time-consuming task for examiners, who had to spend countless hours ensuring that each of the more than 8,400 assessment tools prepared per academic year met the highest standards. Traditionally, the process of generating Continuous Assessment Tests (formative assessment) and End of Term Examinations (summative assessment) at the polytechnic was manual, with only type-setting and printing being digital.
For assessments to be conducted, a panel of internal trainers and industry experts would be assembled. This team would spend days setting the assessment tools, which would then be validated by the exam registrar’s office to ensure alignment with set standards. The process began at the start of the academic year, involving the submission of course planners by Heads of Departments, preparation of exam schedules, and organizing events for setting and validating the tools.
However, four months ago, the institution embraced technology to overhaul its exam cycle. Gitau explained that they collaborated with a local developer to create an AI-powered Assessment Generating System, named AGEX. This system uses prompts and configurations to streamline the assessment generation process, eliminating the need for manual tool-setting.
Unlike many AI systems, AGEX does not search the internet for information. Instead, it is fed with variables such as course units, occupational standards set by the Kenya National Qualifications Authority, and curriculum details, forming its knowledge base. The system ensures that assessments stay within this scope, preventing irrelevant content.
The AGEX system is configured with guidelines that help it determine whether to generate a CAT or a main examination. These guidelines also specify finer details, such as the duration of exams, number of questions, and marks allocation. Once configured, the system can generate assessment tools for every course offered at the college with a single prompt.
Gitau noted that AGEX not only generates exams but also their marking schemes. After the creation of soft copies, these are printed as hard copies. Although the moderation of the final outcome remains a manual process, trainers verify the alignment of questions with the curriculum.
For the past three months, Gitau and his colleagues, Kelly Buruku and Daniel Mwanzia, have been training the system to ensure optimal performance. They have observed significant improvements in the quality of assessment tools and reduced time spent on setting assessments.
Beyond streamlining the examination process, Gitau noted that AGEX could automate other tasks, such as generating examination timetables and analyzing assessment results. The system could provide in-depth performance reports, reducing the manual workload for trainers and resulting in more detailed analyses.
Dr. David Mwangi, the Polytechnic’s Principal, highlighted the financial benefits of adopting the AI system. Previously, the institution spent about Sh7 million per term on assessments, but with AGEX, this could be reduced to Sh2 million per academic year. The system’s efficiency promises substantial savings on annual examination expenditure.
In conclusion, the Nyeri National Polytechnic’s adoption of AGEX represents a significant step forward in leveraging technology to enhance educational processes, reduce costs, and improve the quality of assessments.
