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“A 2012 study of 635 undergraduates and graduate students revealed that 32.7% of online students admit to cheating. In another study, 73% of online students admitted to cheating on at least 1 of 14 quizzes during a semester that was not proctored. Of the two, 56% of students admitted to cheating.”
A lot of time has passed since 2012, and now we are living in an era where technology has incited innovations in delivering secure assessments. “There was a case in Singapore of a 17 year old student who voluntarily kept on coughing to distract the invigilator when getting answers through an earpiece.” Now online assessment domain is not that outdated to be fooled by such attempts and one technology that is empowering the authenticity of online assessments is online exam proctoring system.
What is online proctoring?
Online proctoring gives the freedom to the candidates to sit in an exam from any location irrespective of the geographical limitations. To proctor such exams monitoring software is used to ensure that the exam is free from fraud. Online proctoring is a combination of various proctoring technology such as-
Subsequent Proctoring– In this type of proctoring the images are captured on regular interval and video is recorded. Later the images and videos are reviewed by a proctor to detect the case of fraud if there has been any during the ongoing test.
Live Proctoring– As the name suggests, in live proctoring, a proctor administers the complete test in real-time. In case of any fraud detected, the proctor can here intervene the exam and even cancel the exam after raising red flags.
Automatic Proctoring- Instead of a human proctor, a proctoring software is used which can detect various activities on the screen. If the test taker is suspected of switching the test screen or operating other tabs then the software automatically raises issue.
How are online proctored exams conducted?
Online proctored exams involve both sides- The side of the test taker and the side of the proctor. One proctor is assigned with somewhere around 5-10 candidates at a time. There is no limitation on the distance all that matters is good internet speed. So below mentioned are the details as to how a proctored exam is conducted.
- 》 The first step involves the candidates to fill out all the details in the registration field. Some of the mandatory details to be filled are- name, date of birth, age and gender.
- 》Next, the candidate comes across the “authorization page” where he/she has to provide the ID proof which is confirmed with a facial recognition feature which is activate on the spot.
- 》When the online assessment begins, the computer’s webcam switches on and the process of proctoring begins. The proctor can view all the assigned candidates at once through a grid view via webcam.
- 》Proctored exams have the availability of a chat box through which the proctor can convey any further information to the test taker, if required.
- 》If the candidate is suspected for any type of suspicious movement then the proctoring system raises an “automatic behavioral alert”. Once the alert is raised, it is the call of the proctor to decide what further action is required.
- 》The online assessments are timed, and once the time is over then the assessment automatically gets submitted.
- 》In the last stage of proctored exams the candidate is provided with a comprehensive report for the attempted test which also consists of detailed question wise analysis.
What is the need for online exam proctoring system?
Online proctoring has taken us all the way from manual invigilation to automate invigilation, from late to instant results. It has taken our pen and paper based assessments to an automate level with online assessment software, so it is definitely an idea that needs to be explored…
Progress in the adoption of e-learning is increasing day by day with which even the developers are getting motivation to create better system for remote proctoring. This demand is influenced by various factors and understanding those factors sin detail will help you in better understanding the need for remote proctoring.
Cheating
According to a survey conducted by International Center for Academic Integrity, “70% of college students confirmed cheating during exams.”
The stress to perform in the examinations, leads the candidate to device various types of tricks for cheating. Cheating is inevitable factors in any type of assessment which can only be countered with smart automate methods.
Online proctoring is the most effective method to reduce the percentage of cheating in online assessment software based exam. It has been psychologically proven that if a person knows that he/she is being watched then the chances of unwelcoming activities likely decreases.
Cost-effective and saves time
“It is estimated that remote proctoring saves up to 25% cost in every online examination”
Conventional assessments require a team of invigilators along with advance planning for logistics, and geographical limitation is something that comes as an add-on stress in conducting tests.
With online proctoring you can cut on the stress factor by removing the dependency on logistics and saving the manual evaluation time.
Availability of vast options
Remote proctoring consists of multiple options for effective proctoring. Right from 360 degree video and audio surveillance through the webcam to live proctors and video recording, it has got a plethora of options to choose from.
Conclusion
The future of online proctoring holds a lot of scope and lot many benefits for its users. It is already being readily accepted by various industries and sectors across the globe, marking its credibility in the world of online assessments. Online exam proctoring system is known for its flexibility, affordability and the quality to save time, which makes it a must adopt technology for every test creator/administrator.
