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Today with the new age growing technology, taking up a course from a remote institute at the convenience of your home is at your fingertips. The field of E-learning has been a boon to mankind. It has taken the world of learning to a new height by breaking the geographical boundaries.
Today it is much easier to learn or graduate from a desired degree or a course from a farther land with ease. Many educational institutions have been making available the option of ‘E-learning’ or ‘distance learning’. With all the said possibilities and benefits of E-learning the major challenges is to maintain the integrity of the examination and course by providing authentic and reliable proctoring.
Many professionals have been looking forward to enhancing their skill sets through the digital medium by enrolling in the necessary certification courses.
Also various educational and corporate firms have aiming to make the assessment and interview process easier and effective. The credibility of all these courses and assessment solely depends on its integrity. A one stop solution to effectively manage and procter an examination in order eliminate the chance of any kind of foul play is “Online Proctoring”
What is Proctoring?
Proctoring is synonymous to invigilation or supervision. Proctoring is basically done to ensure no malpractices are taken during the examination or an assessment. The traditional methods of proctoring an examination involved a certified person who supervised the test taking candidates. This ‘person’ is called a proctor.
Human proctors were generally appointed for offline mode examination. These examinations were conducted at a dedicated venue where an approximate of 50 examinees were invigilated by a proctor. However, with the increasing Online courses and assessment, invigilation of each individual taking examination at the homes or at their place of convenience seems impossible. Hence, with the help of technology Online proctoring was brought into picture.
What is Online Proctoring?
Online proctoring basically refers to invigilation at and by a digital platform. It enables the monitoring or invigilation of assessments to be taken remotely. Now, candidates can sit the exams at a time and place of their choosing and the examiner can be rest assured regarding the integrity of the exam. An online proctor in charge invigilates the candidates by merely using a webcam, laptop/computer and a stable internet connection. The benefits of online proctoring services caters both to the examiner and the examinee.
Online proctors verify the examinee’s identity and monitor him/ her in order to prevent cheating using a variety of methods, including live, record-and-review, and automated proctoring. Various colleges, universities, corporations, and other certification providers are adopting online proctoring to offer identity verification services and assessment monitoring.
What are the types of online proctoring?
LIVE PROCTORING: This is the type of real exam setting where the examinee appears for the examination and a human proctor invigilates him/her. The only difference is that the mode of examination and invigilation both is online. A proctor will monitor the student from a remote location through live audio-video, and screen.
RECORD-AND-REVIEW: It is also called as subsequent proctoring. The examination shall be recorded. The audio-video or the screen recording can be later reviewed for any red flags. will be based on the evidence from the captured images. Examinees can take the exam at a time of their convenience. They can just log in and begin an exam without prior scheduling.
AUTOMATED PROCTORING: The screen is recorded along with the feeds are monitored by the artificial intelligence proctor for any suspicious activity with advanced analytics. It can detect whenever different software is opened or there’s another person in the room. The remote proctor is alerted to any such events, and he is in a position to review them.
Are there any practices for any kind of malpractices?
There can be numerous ways to cheat an examination regardless it being in an offline or online mode. Due to the online proctoring, the possibilities of cheating have subsequently decreased. Use of various electronic gadgets or impersonation techniques to bypass anti-cheating systems can be done but due to the advancement of online proctoring software, it has become impossible for cheaters to indulge in any kinds of malpractices or foul play.
Advanced auto proctoring and live proctoring are the two powerful proctoring tools that are impossible to crack in order to engage in any malicious behavior. Live proctor monitors the examinee thoroughly, it can help to detect suspicious activities easily. Think Exam’s proctoring services have all the high end features which ensures a righteous conduct of the examinee. Their software in place enables the examinee to take the exam remotely as well as it maintains the integrity of the examination by omitting the chances of cheating.
Working of a proctored examination
With the various cutting-edge tools and features provided by Remote Proctoring services it is now possible for a proctor to carefully observe an online exam live or a recording of the same. In an auto proctored online examination, the software is used to detect any instances of suggestive cheating automatically through technology.
Importance of online proctoring
- – It has made International education accessible
- – It has enabled professionals to take up certification course at their convenience
- – It enables time flexibility
- – It has omitted the barrier of location
- – It is beneficial for any and every kind of examination or assessment
Cost of Online Proctoring
Online proctoring service providers curate their products as per the client’s budget requirements. These services are readily accessible and affordable at a varying price range which depends on the examination in question. Think Exam provides an easy-to-use yet affordable digital solutions and online proctoring services. It also provides a free trial with enables to understand and experience the service first and then make decisions towards buying it.
For online proctoring services providers customer satisfaction is a top most priority, so the best practice is to opt for a free trial of the product to determine its effectiveness and ascertain its usability.
Is it possible to take a proctored examination at home?
The answer is Yes. It is because of online proctored examination that today an examination can be taken from any corner of the world. Taking an assessment in the comfort of their home while being remotely invigilated by an offsite proctor is now possible. And to do so all you need is
- – A compatible device (Desktop, Laptop, Mobile, andTablet)
- – Stable internet connection (at least 256kbps)
- – Functional input devices: webcam and a microphone
- – Latest compatible browser
How can Online Proctoring prevent cheating?
Online proctoring softwares are enabled with a high end technology that can easily detect a suggestive malpractice, this is possible because of the following reasons:
- – The proctor monitors the examination thoroughly and strikes of the chances of cheating.
- – The proctor can invigilate the examination by not only viewing the examinee’s screen but also by controlling his/her mouse and keyboard functions. However, it must be noted that the examiner won’t be able to access the examinee’s computer files without his/her prior knowledge.During the examination, a chat box will be visible on the candidate’s computer screen which would display permissions that the proctor has at any time. The entire session log is saved along with a complete record of the actions the proctor took during the exam.
- – Before beginning the exam, students should have to perform a 360-degree webcam tour of the area to ensure compliance with exam policies and regulations. This activity enables the proctors to be assured that there are no schemes contrived to gain an undue advantage during the exam.Such a surveillance prevents other unauthorized persons from entering the student’s room and also keeps the examinee from using any unfair means, of any kind, to beat the system.
- – Your hands or wrists are easily visible to the proctor. Not only the hidden chits, but your whole intentions of cheating can be known to an online proctor (a human invigilator) because everything that is happening in the student’s room is under keen supervision of the proctor.
- – Disabling the web search function during the assessment is impossible and the screen-sharing technology aids a proctor to closely monitor the on-screen behavior of the student. Even impersonation cannot be possible since the online exam process requires students to present their photo IDs at the start of every assessment. The proctors first authenticate the examinee’s identities, and only then the examination begins.
Do You Need a Mirror for Proctoring?
There is a pre-exam checklist which the candidates need to follow strictly.
- – Students must ensure that the system used for taking the exam is compliant with the requirements of the online assessment platform.
- – The room must be well-lit and quiet.Use of daylight-toned light bulbs and overhead lighting is suggested. In case if the overhead lighting is not feasible, ensure that the placement of the light source is not right behind you. It can be hard for the proctor to see clearly in the absence of proper light, which may lead to the exam being canceled.
- – Examinees should have their photo ID ready.
- – They should use reflecting surfaces like a mirror to show the edge of their screens to the proctors.
- – It is important to close all websites, programs, and apps that are not related to the exam.
- – Students should refrain from bringing additional people in the room and always take the test in a private location.
- – Use of any hats, sunglasses, and earphones is prohibited as these accessories can be used to cheat.
- – Physical and digital notes should better be taken off from the workspace.
- – Candidates should refrain from using gizmos that the proctor is not aware of.
