All about Online Exam Proctoring you must know!

by Think Exam A Leading Online Examination System/Solutions

What is Remote Proctoring?
What are the types of online exam proctoring?
What are the challenges without proctored exams?
How to select the right proctoring tool?
Who can use remote proctoring software?

Get detailed answers to these questions here!

The current COVID-19 crisis has taken companies and educational sectors on a new path of online assessments. Well to be fair, “new path” can be an overstatement as online assessments have long been adopted by many educational as well as corporate sectors, but only as an alternative. The unfortunate lockdown period of COVID-19 turned the choice of online assessments to a mandatory requirement.

It has long been predicted that E-Learning is turning into the future of learning! And with such level of expansion how can we not acclaim the presence of online assessments or for that matter even the Remote Proctoring system.

What is Remote Proctoring?

Remote proctoring software is a technology that enables the test takers to attempt a test from a remote location all the while maintaining the authenticity of the test. Before starting the test, the students need to confirm their identity and throughout the test, they are monitored through audio-video live streaming/recording. The recorded video is then seen by a proctor who can raise red flags in case of suspicious behavior.

What are the types of online exam proctoring?

There are three main types of proctoring-

Live online proctoring

A test that is being live online proctored is supervised by an experienced proctor who monitors the test-taking candidates in real-time through audio-video live streaming and screen share feeds.

A proctor is eligible to monitor up to 16 to 32 candidates at once. The advantage of this type of proctoring is that it removes the constraint of location during proctoring.

A proctor is trained to ensure a cheat-proof test environment through proper student authentication and raising red-flags in case of a suspicious candidate behavior during the test.
Recorded Proctoring

Unlike live proctoring, in this type of proctoring the test is not supervised in real-time instead the recorded audio-video clippings are monitored later by a proctor.

The proctor plays back the recordings in a fast-forward mode and if any suspicious activity is suspected then the proctor raises a red flag.
Advanced Automated Proctoring

This type of proctoring involves the AI feature of the remote proctoring tool. Here also the audio-video recordings play an integral role during the monitoring session but with a twist!

In addition to audio-video recordings the software also continuously analyzes the test taker's behavior and activities to screen any sort of malpractice. This feature ensures that the candidate is only viewing at the exam screen and can also detect any sort of background sound or disturbance.

What are the challenges without proctored exams?

The biggest challenge is this COVID-19 crisis in which offline exams don’t stand a chance. Hence, online proctored exams are the only hope.
For organizations conducting pre-employability tests, assigning a test center every time to so many test-takers can be impossible.
Restricted supply of invigilators or test centers can result in delaying of exams.
Finding qualified invigilators every time can become a time taking task.
In offline tests, even under the supervision of invigilators, candidates are still likely to cheat through some innovative cheating methods.

How to select the right proctoring tool?

Before confirming on a remote proctoring tool make sure to look for following features in it-

Candidate authentication
Audio-video live streaming as well as recording
AI features to detect suspicious activities or behavior
Browsing limitation
Screen freeze feature
Constant webcam monitoring, etc.

Also, make sure that the tool shouldn’t be too expensive as there are many latest technology proctoring solutions available in the market that provide a really good service that too at cost-effective rates.

Who can use Remote Proctoring software?

Educational sectors- Schools, colleges, universities, institutes, and coaching centers

Educational sectors make the highest use of assessments. Yearly tests, quarterly tests, weekly tests, quizzes, formative tests… well, a whole lot of tests are always being conducted in the educational industry. Conducting so many tests that too only with the offline mode is a crumbling task with a whole lot of stress and time-consuming activities.

This is why online proctored exams are a boon here.
Online course and education providers

Online courses are turning into a famous trend and many people are applying for them to either acquire a new skill or to upgrade the ones that they have already obtained earlier. Online courses are all about teaching and teaching indeed involves assessments as they are the only practical tool that can assess student learning.

Online proctored exams increase the authenticity of the online courses and make them more reliable as well as credible.
Certificate providers

Acquiring certificates over the learned skills has become a famous trend especially amongst job holders or new job seekers. Certificates are provided after the candidate passes an online test with passing marks. To conduct such tests the only source is an online platform and online tests without a proper proctoring system doesn’t hold much credibility.

Conclusion

Overall, online exam proctoring is a vast technology with numerous benefits and scopes to it. Any teacher, trainer, corporate recruiter, or even a coaching center instructor who wants to conduct effective exams in the current scenario or even henceforth, must take the route of proctored exams which is undoubtedly the best!