Remote proctoring – obstacle or remedy?
If you are looking for an independent and incorruptible consultant for your online proctoring strategy, look no further. The bizExaminer team is an experienced advisor when it comes to picking the right tool to monitor exams. Online proctoring is the digital solution to ensure remote test takers aren’t cheating when taking their exams. You might ask yourself why simply recording them while taking their exam isn’t enough, and that is a question we hear a lot. In this article, we will tell you why it really makes sense to explore all your options, and to ensure a safe and compliant online monitoring process.
How much surveillance is too much?
Taking a digital exam from home or other remote locations has become quite popular. In part this has been amplified by the COVID pandemic. The promise of it – secure and trustworthy digital exam results – is also highly attractive. For examiners it is incredibly important to provide valid exams which also comply with data protection laws. They want to use the right online proctoring tool to be able to detect any suspicious activities of exam takers but also protect their privacy. This can be quite tricky to accomplish. bizExaminer is a leading digital examination software, and our expert team helps exam providers find a solution for their online monitoring process which meets the individual needs of their region, users, and business case.
To be clear – there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution for online proctoring. But we do know about the different parameters that should be considered when you’re making a choice for your use case and business needs. In our experience, those parameters vary quite substantially in each case. Together with our clients we look at all these aspects to figure out which form of proctoring would be the best option. And there are truly many to consider – off the shelf solutions offered by specific software providers, video conference software plug-ins, or an in-house built solution. Often a decision is made solely based on the company’s principles. But one of the foundationals parameters must be the legal framework, as the data protection rules according to the particular country and business area dictate what can be done.
But one of the foundationals parameters must be the legal framework, as the data protection rules according to the particular country and business area dictate what can be done
Covid left a mark on digital examination
The pandemic shaped and then reshaped the world of examination. For a lot of companies and institutions it was not smooth sailing. They literally had to ride out the storm. Especially the ones that were still relying heavily on offline forms of testing. From one day to the next they had to adapt to new rules. This meant they had to find new solutions for valid and lawful online proctoring. Remote proctoring was an afterthought for some of our clients. They implemented it on the go, while they were already running exams online. Only in hindsight they realized that there were a host of better suitable options for their monitoring. But also policy makers had trouble keeping up with the demand for valid and safe online surveillance during digital examination, hence some new legislations were introduced in some countries – for example the “Fernprüfungsverordnung” in Bavaria, Germany.
Numerous clients of ours seized the moment of the national lockdowns in Austria and switched completely to digital examination. During that period, we supported them to find and implement the best possible remote monitoring processes. Our knowledge is based on years of partnerships and collaborations with online proctoring providers across Europe and the US. Most of our clients benefit the most from embracing the challenges ahead and looking for a strong partner to support them on their journey.
It is about the details
What makes us reliable and professional advisors is that we are not offering our own online proctoring tools. As an independent partner, we do not have any exclusive partnerships with online proctoring providers, or sell our own solution. We know about the market and follow the most recent developments closely within the industry. Sharing that knowledge back to uplevel the whole ecosystem is what we are striving for. The whole bizExaminer team is ambitiously working on national and international projects which enables us to help even more participants in the ecosystem be successful.
The first step regarding the right approach to any online proctoring method is always to consider the legal footing. A next step is to decide whether the design of the examination should be altered to fit remote examination. So-called “open book exams” can help prevent cheating during exams. Simply because exam takers are allowed to use their notes and materials. And here is another tip for you: Only ever use questions once. That way, you can prevent the content of your exams to circle within the exam takers. Once these topics are covered, it is on to the methods of surveillance: it could be a digital live stream, using a video conferencing software or a recorded monitoring or even an on-site supervisor. There is also the option of “record and review” – which is a process of identification of incidents during the exams. Therefore, examiners must also think about whether they want to do the surveillance in-house or use an external service provider.
Online proctoring: Better safe than sorry
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