The University of Nairobi has today achieved a milestone by successfully conducting its first ever end of semester examinations online.

More than 20 students taking Master of Arts in Environmental Law and Master of Arts in Environmental Policy were able to sit for their examinations right from the comfort of their homes.

The university shifted to online examinations in order to provide students with options to complete their studies at a time when face-to-face exams are impossible to be held because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Speaking to the university’s communications team, Centre for Advanced studies in Environmental Law and Policy (CASELAP) Director, Dr. Collins Odote said, “We used Google platforms to administer our exams-first we invited our students to Google Classroom so that we are able to see all of them and then we used Google Meet to monitor or invigilate the process.”

CASELAP conducts the first virtual exam amid Covid-19

The successful online examinations process follows intense weeks of teaching and learning also conducted virtually via Google Suite, Zoom and Webex among other eLearning platforms.

 In his address to staff and students on May 8, 2020, Vice Chancellor Prof. Stephen Kiama said that over 5500 virtual classes had already taken place and were still going on.

While addressing the quality of the online exams, Prof. Kiama said, “As a World Class university all our examination guidelines and procedures have been benchmarked against the global best practice and we shall continue to ensure that they are reliable, consistent and of integrity.”

As part of the quality assurance process the university organized a series of training sessions in mid-March for faculty and administrative staff on eLearning. All these in an effort to ensure students continued to receive high quality education while staying safe from the coronavirus pandemic.

In a bid to bridge digital divide and ensure that no one is left out, the university has negotiated deals with network provider Telkom to provide free data bundles for faculty and students.  However for students with poor internet connection, the UoN continues to provide them with playback lecture videos and courseware packages.

The Vice Chancelor, Prof. Kiama has acknowledged that students with special needs and other disadvantaged groups may face difficulties in undertaking online exams but says their issues shall be addressed individually as they arise.