Importance of proctored exams in dealing with exam Cheating
Exam cheating has for a long time been a tradition experienced in the education sector, both in traditional and online class setups. While there has been a significant change in framework conditions of examinations for the past few decades, there has similarly been a great change in how exams are administered with new formats developed with the recent changes in technologies. Since the introduction of online education, most institutions have been seen to embrace new development with its advantages being considered on board.
Nowadays exams are no longer only taken in a physical room but anywhere online. But then, this new development has had a lot of challenges especially with the fact that there has been a lot of cheating with online exams. Candidates have had to complete their exam without supervision, only expected to submit work after completion. Apparently, new methods to curb cheating in online exams have been introduced by most institutions. The proctored exam has been introduced and used by the majority of institutions as a way to reduce exam cheating in online exams.
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What is a proctored exam?
The term proctored exam is basically generated from the term “proctor”- a supervisor or one who monitors a candidate or one who invigilates a student during an exam. Alternatively, it could be one who takes disciplinary actions over exam malpractices in an institution. Proctored exam, therefore, means an exam given to a candidate who is expected to do under supervision or when someone is watching or invigilating. But how is this possible in an online exam? For this to happen, a student is normally supervised through proctoring software available depending on the institution where one is taking an online exam from. Non-proctored exams are normally taken with no supervision or without someone watching you. Initially, most exams were administered manually to students while invigilators are in a classroom to ensure no student is cheating but then there was a change where students started the exam online. A student had to be in a room with other students taking the same exam, which was quite hard to cheat then due to consistent supervision. The proctored exam was then the norm. Global Pandemic (COVID-19) hit the education sector forcing the large introduction of online learning and online exams. But then cheating in an online exam became the norm again, to curb this, there was the introduction of an online proctored exam. It is easy for a student to get assistance while taking an online course through various means like seeking help from online experts through the “do my online exam” service available at teratutors.com. Nowadays, it is even possible to take an online exam and share it with other students through social media platforms like emails and WhatsApp because the exam is taken through an individual’s devices thus no need to be at the same place as other learners but then share it with them alternatively.
Cheating in non- proctored exam;
Without any single doubt, the introduction of online exams has been a great solution and alternative to many rising difficulties in the current world. It has an advantage as it saves both time and money largely making it very possible for students to take their exams anywhere at any time as long as it is done before due time. However, the biggest challenge in administering an online exam is how to reduce cheating and how an instructor can make sure that candidates won’t cheat while taking an online exam. That is why a proctored exam has been introduced. Evidently, doing an online exam has a higher chance of cheating compared to normal paper testing. So, what can be done to prevent children from online cheating? It may seem quite impossible to completely eradicate cheating but it can be reduced with the advanced technology in the current world. There are some techniques used by instructors to curb cheating in a way apart from proctored exams like setting unique questions that cannot be easily found on any platform. This will discourage students from searching online for similar platforms but rather use their own brains when working out their exam questions. Also setting short-timed exams will limit cheating since cheating strategies take a while before they are introduced. Students won’t have time to develop techniques as they will focus on completing work before due time. A professor setting randomized questions is also the best way which will be different in a way that every student is doing an exam but with different questions under the same course, thus avoiding sharing of answers through any chat platform by students.
How Do Proctored Exams work?
Proctored exams are online exams set aside for candidates to take online. These are timed exams where one takes while being monitored by a proctoring software, which monitors you or your computer as you do an exam. Proctoring software is designed to monitor computer tabs, or use a webcam to record video and audio of a candidate during the exam period. Data that has been recorded during the exam period is then transferred to a proctoring service for further review. However, not all online courses are mandatory for proctored exams. But if you are needed to do a proctored exam for your course, you will have to install the proctoring software on your computer before you start the exam. You shall then be approved through identification verification; you submit your Identification photos on a secure verification page provided by the proctoring software for data recording. When beginning the proctored exam, you shall again verify identification by taking a webcam snap photo of your face, Photo identification, and any other information required by the proctoring software, including the current environment where you will be taking your exam to ensure you are at a place suitable for taking an exam. Different proctoring services have their own proctoring rules and requirements which are normally posted in the course. You, therefore, have to follow the stated rules and requirements provided in the course for the respective proctoring service. As you take the exam, the proctoring software continues to monitor your computer activities including tabs you use during the exam, software running on your computer and data will be streamed to the proctoring software through the cloud including video and audio recorded by your webcam. Once you have completed your exam, in the end, the entire exam session will be reviewed by the proctoring service and results sent back as soon as possible of which you will have to pass the exam and receive a satisfactory feedback result from the proctoring service review in order to be eligible.
With an increase in the number of online courses and degree programs over the past decade, this has experienced an increase in the number of exams administered online. A lot of online exams are now being taken day by day by students who keep enrolling into new online courses while there has been an average decrease in the number of students as well enrolling in face-to-face classes due to advantages portrayed in online learning.
Additionally, the range of profit realized by institutions as a result of an increase in the number of students enrolling in online learning has seen an increase in the number of students taking online exams. But this has seen an increase in cheating of online exams and the best solution has definitely been proctored exams with assistance from exam proctoring service providers to these institutions.
Lately, exam proctoring services have risen drastically as universities tend to find services that are effective, consistent, affordable as a way of catching cheaters. There exist more than 25 online proctoring companies. The number has increased almost double the number that was around about five years ago as industry officials’ say. Other institutions also have their own online exam proctoring teams which provide additional support to what they purchase from other proctoring service providers.
The products which are availed by proctoring services are trailblazing and wide-ranging, their costs have as well been lowered due to the eruption of more proctoring service companies and more increase in technology advancements. Others are of the opinion that exams proctored by the use of artificial intelligence and biometric authentication and scans are not that far off as such.
However, there are quite some concerns from a number of faculty members and other institution heads raising concerns about the service capabilities, students’ privacy, or some about both.
Proctoring online exams or tests is paramount in ensuring the integrity of students in an exam. These proctoring services are provided in a chronological way depending on how an institution may require a proctoring set. These may include;
Automatic authentication. Right before the candidate starts the exam, the student will take a photo of personal identification and facial recognition, and will have to answer a few security challenge questions and enter a biometric keystroke signature mostly including the name of the student.
Live authentication. This happens where after the student performs some verifications and answer security challenge questions with keystroke signatures, a proctor does a facial comparison to the student.
Automatic proctoring. Here, the candidate and his or her environment are monitored for sounds, motions, and systemic changes before and during the exam session.
Recording and reviewing proctoring. After candidate authentication, the student is being recorded through videotaping from the start to finish of the exam. The proctor will later review the video and provide feedback.
Live to the proctor. After the candidate has been authenticated, the student with his or her surroundings is monitored by a live proctor who will troubleshoot for any potential test breaching as it occurs.
For a student to receive a proctoring exam service, he or she has to schedule a time to take tests or exams in advance. However, if proctoring does not require human effort, one can take the test or exam at any time.
How important is a proctored exam in reducing cheating in exams?
In a recent interview with institution officials and other administrators, most believe that proctored exams more so those which are videotaped or monitored as the exam continues reduced by a greater margin the number of students cheating in an exam. When students know they are being monitored, they will always avoid doing any activity that is against rules and regulations provided by the institution. Students caught cheating in an exam won’t cheat again. Other examiners also say that it is harder to catch students cheating in a paper-based exam than an online proctored exam because usually only one instructor or invigilator is in a room or many test-takers. Additionally, proctored exams have boosted many conveniences for students because it has been easier for them to do an exam whenever they are ready and wherever they are. They do not necessarily have to travel to their respective institutions to take their tests or exams making online proctored exams very effective because you will only need a good computer device and internet connection. It is important to note that exam cheating among other academic misconducts is very common in the education sector going back almost 5 decades down the line with at least 45% of students cheating in an exam every academic year or a student may cheat at least once during an entire schooling process. A recent study reveals that there has been a rise in exam cheating and whatever view or method that may have caused such a result, has led to an explosive risky increase in academic misconduct. Proctoring has to therefore play a significant role in reducing this academic challenge.
Responding to the rise in academic cheating in education, online proctoring companies which record and review and monitor live exams and tests of students are believed to have done a great job in reducing the number of students cheating in exams. Lately, the more online exams and tests are done globally, there is a need for assurance that these tests are being delivered and completed fairly and transparently.
Until recently, the merger between preventing cheating in exams and proctoring was barely logical in that the more likely students are to be caught while cheating in a test or exam, the less they are even likely to cheat. Apparently, and despite that obvious logic, there has been a lot of debate about whether watching people take online exams discourages cheating. It actually is true that cheating happens mostly when exams are not proctored and, in these situations, cheating becomes highly rewarding with high grades being achieved. Perhaps any form of proctoring irrespective of the tool used is the most effective way of reducing cheating in online tests and exams. In what has to be a step forward in controlling learning online and ensuring education integrity, the connection between exam and test proctoring and reducing exam cheating should be encouraged in institutions. A shift from online tests and exams not being proctored is inevitably having a great affect both positively and negatively which should not be surprising actually. Drop-in grades with webcam proctoring of tests and exams are in a way expected but its rate is surprising suggesting that students have to do a lot in preparing for their online exam so as to ensure the right grades are achieved. “Take my proctored exam”
The establishment of online education ideally was positively intended to help students study flexibly and fast because improvement in technology was not meant to be prohibitive and punitive but rather to boost personal creativity and accountability. Online proctoring of exams should be considered as another way of improving students’ level of creativity and should be seen as equivalent to traditional face-to-face exam invigilation. Designing online courses to be at a level almost similar to the initial traditional class should be a good reason for proctoring exams and in order to achieve this integrity, there should be no doubt that online exams have to be proctored.
The global COVID-19 has been a hit to everyone globally. Students are now learning online and completing their courses remotely. Students, including those working, are always on their toes with studies even though sometimes it may become difficult to work on their respective classes due to commitments and workloads which is normal anyway. It becomes hard again for an online student to prepare adequately for a forthcoming exam leaving some quite frustrated adding to the fact that they are expected to do an online proctored exam. It is at times easier with help through the “take my proctored online exam for me” service at teratutors.com. Though proctored your exam may be, there is always some available help from experts and still, achieve good grades.
