When it comes to high-stakes exams, like those needed to complete an accreditation program, enforcing integrity has always been the number one priority. You need to be able to verify each person’s identity before they go in to take the test and be on the lookout for questionable conduct throughout.
Online proctoring can help you break down geographic barriers and make training more flexible without sacrificing security or standards.
How Do Online Proctoring Tools Work?
Online proctoring tools typically use machine learning and algorithms to help prevent cheating during online exams—requiring test takers to verify their identity before they can begin and automatically identifying possible suspicious behaviors throughout. They do this with features such as:
- Optical character recognition (OCR) and Biometrics, most commonly facial recognition
- Monitored or secure web browsers
- Secure web browsers
- AI-assisted participant monitoring
The solutions may have a lot of these functionalities built in, but instructors are also able to go in and set their preferences. This lets instructors decide how much flexibility test takers should have to be able to do things like access outside applications or webpages during the test.
What Are the Key Benefits?
Easy access for learners and instructors
Integrating online proctoring solutions within your learning platform gives learners and instructors easy and quick access to secure assessments. Test takers only need to sign in and launch the exam, and instructors can put together assessments much as they normally would, automatically pulling existing student information and preset preferences.
Accessibility
Online proctoring solutions can help instructors better serve learners with disabilities and those who need special accommodations by allowing them to take exams how, where, and when they need to.
Learn more about proctoring services remove barriers for people with disabilities.
Verification
People need to be able to validate their identity both before they start the exam and while they’re completing it. Depending on the solution, this end-to-end process could look something like:
- Users are asked to take a real-time picture of their face using a webcam.
- They’re prompted to take another photo of an approved piece of ID like a driver’s license.
- The image from step one is compared and authenticated against the one on their ID.
- Participation is monitored throughout according to custom rules.
- At the end, the session is either cleared or invalidated compared to session rules.
Insight into student learning patterns
Online proctoring solutions can provide instructors with a record of each person who completed the assessment, as well as reports that offer insights into learner performance. Instructors can use this information to understand engagement patterns and trends, identify challenges individual students or groups may be having, and assess how well people responded to different types of questions.
Professional review with human proctors
Proctoring software solutions such as Integrity Advocate, don’t have to rely solely on algorithms and can include human proctor audits and provide professional reviews of sessions to eliminate false positives or anything that might contaminate the results of an assessment report.
Written by
Haley Wilson is a Content Marketing Manager at D2L, specializing in the corporate learning space. She holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Guelph as well as a Master of Arts focused in history from Wilfrid Laurier University.
Stay in the know
Educators and training pros get our insights, tips, and best practices delivered monthly