Indian Journal of Science and Technology

Abstract

Objectives: To develop an application in order to make the examination process easier for the visually impaired and also to reduce the conventional examination setup overheads. Methods: The conversion of text to speech and vice versa has been carried out by existing modules in the android platform. Adaptive examination is carried out based on performance analysis of the candidate by assessing the cognitive ability (reaction time) which is implemented through the concept of time stamping. Findings: The equation formulated for making the examination adaptive, returned authentic and error proof values which could be used for setting the difficulty of the consequent sections of the question paper, by comparison with predetermined ideal performance value. Also it was evident that the setup process was relatively simpler than a pen-paper examination setup. The speech rate of the audio module had to be personalized according to the candidate’s requirement. By incorporating the changes and handling the runtime glitches, it was found that application made the examination process hassle-free for visually impaired students. Improvements/Applications: Objective analysis of cognitive ability has been made possible through the newly formulated equation. The result obtained can be applied in multiple domains. 
Keywords: Android, Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR), Adaptive Examination, HMM, Speech Recognition, Time Stamping