The global pandemic coronavirus has made companies and educational sectors follow a different path of conducting assessments which is totally automated. The path is indeed different but not new! Many educators and companies had already switched to an online examination system for conducting tests when coronavirus was not even in the picture. But the advent of remote proctoring software lately has brought an altogether new angle to the existing online assessment technology.
What is Online Remote Proctoring Software?
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Remote proctoring software is a technology that enables the test takers to attempt a test from a remote location all the while maintaining the authenticity of the test. Before starting the test, the students need to confirm their identity and throughout the test, they are monitored through audio-video live streaming/recording. The recorded video is then seen by a proctor who can raise red flags in case of suspicious behavior.
How to select the right proctoring method?
Every test conducting body has got its exclusive demand. Right from schools, colleges, coaching institutes, universities or even corporates… all of these sectors have their own requirements to meet which must be considered before selecting proctoring software.
Further, it is important to know that there are three types of proctoring methods and the administrator needs to select one which suits them best.
The 3 types of proctoring are
1. Live online proctoring
A test that is being live online proctored is supervised by an experienced proctor who monitors the test-taking candidates in real-time through audio-video live streaming and screen share feeds.
A proctor is eligible to monitor up to 16 to 32 candidates at once. The advantage of this type of proctoring is that it removes the constraint of location during proctoring.
A proctor is trained to ensure a cheat-proof test environment through proper student authentication and raising red-flags in case of a suspicious candidate behavior during the test.
2. Recorded Proctoring
Unlike live proctoring, in this type of proctoring the test is not supervised in real-time instead the recorded audio-video clippings are monitored later by a proctor.
The proctor plays back the recordings in a fast-forward mode and if any suspicious activity is suspected then the proctor raises a red flag.
3. Advanced Automated Proctoring
This type of proctoring involves the AI feature of the remote proctoring tool. Here also the audio-video recordings play an integral role during the monitoring session but with a twist!
In addition to audio-video recordings the software also continuously analyzes the test taker’s behavior and activities to screen any sort of malpractice. This feature ensures that the candidate is only viewing at the exam screen and can also detect any sort of background sound or disturbance.
Out of three, you can select the one which is compatible with your online exam software and is also according to the type of exam you are conducting.
What should administrators look for in Remote Proctoring Software?
Before you become all decisive to purchase remote proctoring software do look for the following qualities in it-
Privacy of students
Students from various geographical locations join on a virtual-online examination system to appear for the test. In the process, they submit many of their credentials which are important to be protected from the end of the examining bodies. In case of any failure to do so, huge havoc can be created which will ultimately make you lose the trust of your test-takers. Online proctoring software should be integrated with high-security features to avoid any such mishandling of student data.
Security of Data
The protection of student data is definitely important and also one of the prime responsibilities of institutions but it is also necessary to ensure the security of test data.
The test paper getting leaked is one of the biggest fears for any test administrator. This is why you should ensure the security of test data and how well the entire online proctoring software is encrypted.
Responsiveness and Scalability
Scalability means that how many candidates the remote proctoring solution can sustain at once. For this, the software should be pre-tested for scalability and must ensure the administrator about the number of candidates that can attempt the test at once. The administrator can search for remote proctoring software with high scalability in case of large scale exams and vice versa.
Responsiveness is another feature that is a must to consider! A remote proctoring platform should have enhanced sync and speed. How fast it responds to cheating activities and takes action over the same is important during an ongoing live proctored test.
Active support
Support is something that can be needed anytime when it comes to the use of technology. You can select the best online proctoring software in the market and still, you would require support at some point in time. So make sure that the proctoring software providers have got a dedicated technical support team that can be contacted easily through a mail, call, message, or even live chat.
A proctoring system that is inclusive of all top features
Apart from all the above-mentioned points you must look for some more basic features that mainly comprise the technology of proctoring.
- Candidate authentication
- Screen freeze
- Browsing limitation
- Audio-video live view
- Audio-video recording
- Real-time image capturing
- Live chat interaction
- Candidate blocking
