Online Education has reached the same level of approval as the offline mode due to its high level of flexibility in terms of time, place, and terms of studying. The platforms provide a decent level of knowledge letting students manage and adjust their academic progress according to their needs. The benefits of such an educational approach are hard to overestimate, yet there’s still one burning issue related to the reliability of online assessment, as the cunning cleverness of students in terms of cheating knows no limits.
The need to create a secure assessment environment gave a rise to the development of proctoring software, which is now the major component of the exam validation system.
When the institution starts looking for a proctoring online service, there’s a high chance to get frustrated, as there are numerous offers, yet the efficiency is still to be discovered.
Table of Contents
What are the key features to consider when choosing a proctoring company?
1. The types of proctoring methods
There are various proctoring solutions, and their choice depends on the importance of the test and exams:
- Automated proctoring is used for low-stake exams. It lets the organization avoid any kind of schedule, as there is no fixed time for writing and they can conduct an unlimited number of tests.
- Live proctoring involves high-stake exams. It helps to supervise behavioral patterns and activities, as well as get a post-examination report.
- AI proctoring is a fully automated process that keeps track of the camera, microphone, and keyboard, and flags all the deviating activities, which soon can be used as evidence for disputable cases.
2. Capacity (scalability)
When choosing the software to work with, it’s important to consider the size of the audience you need to access and the capability of the company to provide seamless functioning for all test-takers despite locations and technical differences.
Check for online proctoring software that has the confirmed highest number of students taking an exam simultaneously under their supervision. The higher the number, the better score for the software.
3. Integration
The integration is about the successful cooperation of e-learning platforms and proctoring software. Platforms like edX, Moodle, Sakai, Edsby, Blackboard, and others, provide a great number of educational tools and courses, thus, they need reliable and trouble-free assessing tools, to create end-to-end processes.
Integration helps to save time, as there is no need to install a third-party application, everything is quite easy and intuitive.
Check the list of the platforms that the proctoring company cooperates with as it gives a clear understanding of the reliability of the software. Provided you want to start the integration as well, it will take up to 10 days to complete the process.
4. Data Security
Naturally, all the data received during evaluation must be encrypted. It’s worth checking what systems are used to protect data from leaking, and it’s highly recommended to look through the privacy policies of the company to work with. All the pieces of information that are received while observing the person can only be used for academic purposes and deleted at the clients’ request.
5. Tech support
Technical support is an invisible side that helps everything run smoothly. It must work 24/7 all year round, as depending on the platform and type of assessment, students can be sitting an exam at any time. If there are any issues while taking an exam, an examiner and test-takers should be helped as soon as possible, to avoid stressful experiences, which can have a detrimental influence on the results.
6. Customization
Customization helps to adjust the company’s requirements related to ‘cheating’. The exam administrators should be able to choose what kind of activities should be flagged – copy/paste combinations, website browsing, notifications, etc, and what is acceptable during the exams – the usage of some sources or devices.
7. Device accessibility
Online education is available to everyone, therefore, the assessment must also be accessible from any device. The proctoring service must work efficiently with any kind of operating system and browser (however, they may need to be updated for proper functioning). Such flexibility helps people concentrate only on learning issues.
8. Pricing policies
The cost of the proctoring service depends on the company you choose to work with. It’s not recommended to look for a specific and set-in-stone price, as it is formed according to the length of the exam and the technology that is used for the tracking.
Proctoring services have been with us for ages, however, they are now in demand more than ever before due to the marked increase in e-learning. A properly chosen proctoring service is a fundamental part of your reputation as an educational institution, as it helps to validate the level of knowledge the students acquired. Besides, when considering the high stakes exams, it’s always a good idea to have evidence of the student’s performance, to avoid disputable cases and prove your unbiased assessment.