Enhancing The Learner’s Journey In Online Proctoring With Best Practices

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Enhancing The Learners Journey In Online
Proctoring With Best Practices
2020 was a year of dramatic change for colleges
and universities. For many, a gradual shift
toward online education and digitally-enabled
classes that was years in the making was suddenly
accelerated by the global pandemic. In addition
to the inherent uncertainty of processes and
timelines, this shift introduced technical
challenges and emotional stress for many students.
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• As the world transitions to a post-pandemic
  reality, online examinations are here to stay,
  along with online, or remote proctoring. With all
  the buzz about AI-based proctoring and myths of
  online proctoring, we are constantly hearing real
  stories of students feeling uncomfortable
  about online-proctored examinations.
• The future success of online proctoring is
  dependent upon keeping the student at the center
  of this transformation. In such a learning
  environment, how do universities or education and
  training institutions focus on improving the
  learners experience and making them more
  comfortable with the new mode of
  exam-taking?
• 5 Ways To Make Online Proctoring Comfortable For
  Test Takers
• For both live and recorded modes of online
  proctoring, most students consider the method to
  be intrusive when it takes place in ones own
  home rather than in an examination hall. To help
  make online proctoring less intrusive and more
  comfortable for exam candidates, below are a few
  suggested practices
• Employ Experienced Proctors
• An online, or remote, proctor serves the purpose
  of verifying the students identity and
  monitoring their immediate environment with the
  help of a webcam. Experienced proctors are
  trained to detect suspicious student behavior
  (like unusual eye movements) or the use of any
  unauthorized aids or devices that could enable
  cheating.
• For the best results, educational institutions
  must employ experienced proctors who are trained
  in online proctoring techniques. With such
  proctors, exam candidates are likely to be more
  comfortable, because the remote proctoring
  experience would more closely resemble their
  in-person exam hall experience.

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• Combine Technology With Human Proctors
• While technologies like Artificial Intelligence
  (AI) are a good fit for remote proctoring, hybrid
  proctoring methods that combine technology with
  human proctors can be even more effective at
  ensuring the learners comfort. Exam takers would
  be more aligned with the prospect of their exam
  scoring and ethics being evaluated by both
  technology and humans instead of relying on
  technology alone.
• This can reduce students concerns about false
  flagging of suspicious behavior and incorrect
  answers. Universities and institutions can help
  their students get used to technology through
  trial exam sessions or troubleshooting
  guides for any technology-related problems that
  students could face during their online exam
  sessions.
• Lower Student Anxiety Through Familiarizing
• Dylan Singh, a student at the University of
  Southern California, mentions, the sudden use of
  online proctoring is the biggest anxiety factor
  as the emphasis isnt on us showing our learning,
  its on not getting caught. For remote learning
  students (used to working with book-based
  instructions and questions), taking an online
  exam can be a stressful and anxiety-causing
  experience.
• The best countermeasure is to familiarize
  students and lower their anxiety levels by
• Being open and transparent with both students and
  instructors about their online proctoring
  methods.
• Conducting more frequent online exams (throughout
  the entire term or semester) to familiarize
  students with the process.

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• Ensure Data Privacy
• There is a growing emphasis on the privacy of
  student data in relation to online proctoring.
  While some personal information is necessary
  to authenticate students, educational
  institutions should work with proctoring service
  providers to determine
• How much student data is necessary for
  authentication (and nothing more)?
• How to keep the collected data safe and secure?
• How long should the student information be stored
  before being deleted?
• Instead of a separate student account,
  integrating the proctoring system with an
  existing learning management system (LMS) can be
  a better solution for safe data transmission and
  addressing privacy concerns.
• Use Browser Lockdown
• Besides data privacy, student privacy is another
  growing concern in online proctoring.
  Effectively, this means the level of autonomous
  access that an online proctor has to the
  students device. Instead of providing full
  remote access (where proctors can access local
  files and folders), opt for the less intrusive
  browser lockdown that can ensure fair testing
  without infringing on the students privacy.
• A browser lockdown has limited applicability and
  can prevent unfair practices like copying-pasting
  content, using instant messaging, or browsing
  external sites. Further, students can easily
  download and implement browser lockdown, as well
  as disable it once the examination is complete.
• Along with addressing student concerns about
  online proctoring, universities, and educational
  institutions should dispel some common online
  proctoring myths.

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• Myth 1 Proctoring Companies Access Student
  Devices After Exam Completion
• We continue to hear stories about proctoring
  service companies continuing to access the
  students devices even after completing the
  online exam. Typically, this includes viewing the
  browsing history and account page credentials.
• To counter this myth, students must be educated
  on how their data is being collected and till
  when they are retained. For clarity, provide them
  with clear answers about
• How to uninstall the proctoring tool (or
  software) after the online assessment?
• Who to contact if they have any privacy-related
  concerns?
• How to determine if their sessions are being
  recorded following an online exam?
• Myth 2 Every Proctoring Method Includes Live
  Video
• Another popular misconception among students is
  that they are constantly being visually monitored
  by online proctors using smart webcams or
  surveillance devices. The reality is that there
  are different types of remote proctoring methods
  and not all of them involve the use of
  video-capturing technologies. To eliminate this
  misconception, students must be informed about
  the type of proctoring methods that they are
  going to experience.
• Myth 3 Loss Of Student Privacy
• Do students completely lose their privacy with
  online proctoring? No, the reality is that
  students are always in complete control of their
  physical environment. In addition, they can take
  a few precautionary measures to maintain control
  over their privacy, including

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• Removing any personal items like family photos fro
  m the testing environment.
• Taking the online exam in a private space without
  the presence of any other person.
• Wearing appropriate clothing during the exam
  duration.
• Conclusion
• Despite the innumerable benefits of online
  examinations and remote proctoring, students are
  often justified in raising concerns about data
  privacy and intrusive technologies. For this
  reason, universities adopting remote exam
  proctoring must focus on elevating the students
  experience and addressing their concerns.
• As a provider of online proctoring solutions,
  EnFuse Solutions can be your partner for
  improving your students online test-taking
  experiences. To learn more, contact us today.
• Read More 3 Trends To Look Forward To In The
  World Of Online Proctoring