Mercer, a global leader in redefining the world of work, launches Mercer | Mettl’s digital solutions for online assessment and examinations to help institutes of higher learning maintain education continuity in Thailand. Leveraged by more than 150 institutions globally, the assessment technology provides a seamless, secure and scalable platform for conducting term and entrance examinations, summer internship assessments and certifications, among others.
Just as corporate businesses are transforming the way they operate due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so are higher educational institutions. As colleges and universities pivoted rapidly to classes online and teaching via video conferencing, this new way of learning may have a profound and lasting impact that reshapes the field of higher education.
Based on OECD estimates, 90% of the world’s learners – more than 1.5 billion students – have been affected by school closures. According to Mercer’s Higher Education Spot Survey for COVID-19, 91% of respondents said that increased use of virtual learning for students and faculty will be a long-term impact on educational institutions and their workforce. But while campuses across Asia and the world have moved online, many are still grappling with the challenge of student assessment and examinations which traditionally have been held in person to prevent cheating and to protect the integrity of high-stake examinations.
Mercer | Mettl offers a range of online solutions for learning and education continuity. The assessment technology provides a platform to conduct high-stakes examinations for universities, particularly entrance and mid-term and end-term semester examinations, in-course assessments and digital course certifications. Mercer | Mettl’s examination platform is currently leveraged by over 150 institutions such as Universitas Padjadjaran in Indonesia, Ghent University in Belgium, Cambridge University in the UK and EBZ Business School in Germany, among others. The COVID-19 crisis has seen a 70% to 80% rise in the demand for such platforms. Instead of postponing entrance and term-end examinations, universities can opt for AI-enabled remotely proctored online examination. Students can sit for these examinations anywhere anytime in the safety of their own homes with remote proctoring ensuring that results are accurate and fair.
“The COVID-19 crisis has given educational institutions an opportunity to rethink and reimagine what education could be,” said Juckchai Boonyawat, CEO Mercer Thailand. “Given the severity of the pandemic and the growing reality that it is here to stay, it is all the more critical for campuses to proactively adopt technological solutions to ensure continuity and business resilience and to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on educators and students.”
“Technology is shifting how we learn and shaping the future of education in Thailand. In line with the Government’s goal to establish Thailand as a Smart Nation, there is immense potential to pave new roads with the adoption of remote learning and assessments to make education more accessible than before. The pandemic has accelerated the shift with education technology plugging the gaps as school across the country shuttered. Educational institutions should build on the momentum and embrace technology to differentiate themselves in the future,” he added.
