What is an online proctored exam? How Do Online Proctored Exams Work?

Online learning is at the forefront of the transformation that is taking place in the global education system. As a result, institutes across the world are shifting from conventional schooling and college systems and adopting new educational approaches.

Besides, one of the most crucial mechanisms includes the online proctoring exam, eliminating the need to manually execute exam-related administrative tasks. Furthermore, it is the best solution to conduct online examinations in a fair and authentic manner.

To understand more about online proctored exams, continue reading:

What is an online proctored exam?

Proctoring is the act of monitoring candidates during an online examination; the objective is to make sure that students follow the rules and regulations. Moreover, it provides a fair and equal assessment platform for all candidates by disallowing cheating and other unfair practices.

Besides, ever since the resurgence of online learning, institutes began conducting high-stake online examinations. However, the lack of appropriate measures made it easy for students to use creative methods of cheating.

A few of the most common ways that exam candidates cheat include online browsing to find answers, candidate impersonation, copying questions to share with others, etc. Therefore, proctored exam online became the perfect solution to deal with such issues.

Also, online proctoring is an extremely useful technique wherein specially designed software online proctoring software monitors the examination process. Also, institute-appointed invigilators can remotely observe the candidates with the help of the software or system.

What are the Different Types of Online Proctoring?

Institutes have varied options for conducting online proctoring; hence, they can choose any specific method depending on their preference. The options or formats are as follows:

• The software stores the audio and video-recorded feed in the cloud; hence, there is no chance of it getting lost, making it convenient for the proctors to check accordingly.

Real-time Proctoring

When institutes conduct large-scale and high stake online examinations, they need an ongoing surveillance mechanism. Therefore, real-time proctoring is perfect for such situations as it provides remote access to the test taker’s computer activity.

As a result, remote invigilators can see and hear candidates through their webcams and identify any signs of fraudulent behavior. Additionally, they can take appropriate measures and ensure the maintenance of authenticity during the online proctored exam.

How Do Online Proctored Exams Work?

Educational institutes need two things to conduct successful online proctored exams: an online examination system / platform and proctoring software. Moreover, they can use live proctoring service with an invigilator to monitor students.

They follow an elaborate process to conduct such exams accurately, which are as follows:

• The exam conductors (institutes) create the examinations in an online platform and avail an online proctoring service.
• The exam-taking candidates or students must install the proctoring software into their computers before the commencement of the exam.
• Students must complete the pre-assessment formalities, which include the identity verification process. Therefore, they undergo the ID checking process; remote examiners match the student’s official ID during the live proctoring.
• In the case of software-based proctoring, the software matches the student’s facial features with the ID.
• After successfully completing the student’s identity verification, the software thoroughly assesses the student’s exam environment.
• Students can see the do’s and don’ts of the online proctored exam on the screen, or the remote examiners can explain them.
• Most common rules include restrictions on speaking, referring to notes, and using software or websites other than the proctoring application. Also, it includes clear instructions on not copying questions to share with others.
• When the assessments begin, the software monitors the candidates and ensures the maintenance of rules and regulations. For instance, a human invigilator checks the student's activity via webcam or screen share.
• On the other hand, the system also enables the audio and video recording of student activity, which invigilators can check at his/her convenience.
• Finally, if the institutes use proctoring records and reviews, the examiner can check the recordings after the exam’s end.

How to Prevent Cheating?

The role of technology in education is not to substitute or lessen the teacher’s significance; instead, it must be used to aid student learning and assessment. In fact, it is one of the key components of NEP 2020.

The National Education Policy envisions a comprehensive educational system to ensure the overall development of students. Furthermore, effective evaluation takes centre stage, which institutes cannot facilitate until and unless they ensure a cheat-free examination system.

Therefore, the following are some of the best ways to maintain the authenticity of online or offline examinations:

Include Questions that Require Higher-Order Thinking.

Students often search for answers that are easily available online, which is the same as looking into textbooks to find suitable answers. And one way to discourage such practice is by including questions that require students to think harder.

For instance, essays or long questions require students to provide answers in their own words that reflect their thought processes.

Use Varied Question Types.

Teachers can include multiple question types, including open-ended questions, forcing students to respond with specific details and narratives. As a result, their answers will not be the same as their classmates’ or friends’.

Make Different Versions of The Same Tests.

When institutes create different sets of question papers for the same tests, cheating becomes difficult. Also, it is an excellent strategy to avoid cheating, especially when students are taking the test in the same physical space.

Verification of Student’s Identity

Confirming the test taker’s identity without proper measures during online exams can become confusing or challenging. Therefore, verifying a student’s identity is of utmost importance; hence, institutes must choose a proctoring software that executes the identification verification process effectively.