Exams provide a medium for understanding students the learning part and the ability to handle complex questions. Every education institution and training centre uses one or another type of examination system to understand a student’s ability to handle the various types of questions and aspects related to their education. Basic examinations in every school and college, highly competitive exams and even tests conducted by training centres required some level of protection to prevent students from cheating on the exams. Online learning management solutions have completely transformed the process of examination. Various learning solutions are available online, which one can access easily. Moreover, the Institute has started to conduct online examinations to reduce the level of effort and time concerned with conducting physical examinations.
Online examinations require some form of protection to prevent students from cheating. Online proctoring is one such solution which allows invigilators to keep a close look on the students was taking a particular type of examination. One can find online proctoring software that can help detect cases of cheating when conducting an online examination. The use of various technological solutions for keeping an eye over students was conducting online examinations is categorized under a proctoring system or solution. The use of online proctoring software helps in making the process of conducting online examination reliable and authentic. Invigilators can keep a close look at the students as well as their performance over online exams.
Students are benefited as in the system enables students to write exams from a remote location without any need for visiting a particular centre or institution for writing the exam. The level of integrity for conducting online exams through the use of an online proctoring system is maintained. Various types of technological solutions are combined to create a proficient proctoring software or system. Some of these are listed below:
- Web camera and mic:
A web camera for conducting an online exam is essential to authenticate his student’s identity through facial recognition. Invigilators can connect with a particular student and keep a close eye on the activities of every student through the use of such cameras. Web camera shows as an important tool for authenticating a student’s identity necessary for conducting an online examination. Students are identified as well as monitored through Web cameras. Live or recorded videos are used for monitoring student activities and their behaviour.
- Availability of a personal computer or laptop:
Students are required a personal computer or laptop through which they can write an examination. Various types of examinations conducted on a high school level or competitive exams have required the presence of a personal computer through which your questions in an examination can be answered. Dedicated institutions create their learning management systems which act as an online platform for accessing their online exam. Necessary solutions are also provided concerning online proctoring, which helps in keeping a close look at every activity of the student. Availability of necessary security Protocols is established, which prevents students from opening different web browsers for procuring answers to the questions.
Apart from a secure browser which restricts the opening of new browsers, other features include:
- Use of facial recognition for authenticating a student’s identity.
- Restricting an individual to access an online examination platform through certain IP addresses as input into the system. Students with mention IP addresses can access the online examination system for conducting examinations.
- Blocking the feature of copying and pasting answers from different web browsers or web pages.
- Blocking a candidate if identified cheating or switching from one window to another.
- Availability of an active internet connection for conducting online exams.
There are three types of online proctoring systems of solutions available. These are listed below:
- Live proctoring:
Live proctoring includes the use of necessary audio and video components or equipment which help to conduct online examinations. Invigilators can get a live feed of a student and thereby analyze his or her behaviour while conducting the online examination. Any discrepancy or error in conducting the online examination is automatically flagged by an invigilator through live proctoring. Students can be monitored from a remote location where teachers or invigilators have complete control over the examination process. They have the necessary controls to stop a student from taking part in an examination on incurring any kind of discrepancy in terms of false identification or cheating on an online exam.
- Recorded proctoring:
This method involves monitoring a student based on a recorded video that is analyzed. No live feed is available to an invigilator. A necessary audio-video feed of a student is recorded, which is analyzed at a later time. This method eradicates the need for scheduling an examination date and time. Students can write a necessary examination depending upon their availability. Moreover, invigilators received the necessary flexibility to analyze their test and monitored their behaviour through search recorded feeds. The only drawback is that students are not monitored on a real-time basis which can reduce the authenticity of the online examination system to a certain level.
- Advanced automated proctoring system:
This system is similar to the recorded proctoring solution. The only difference is that necessary automated solutions are used to analyze a student’s behaviour. An advanced proctoring system is used to analyze the student’s behaviour which is analyzed through monitoring their recorded video sessions. The software can automatically analyze a student’s behaviour which is advanced in conducting a thorough analysis of a student depending upon eye-hand coordination etc. Background voices and student’s facial behaviour are analyzed to determine authenticity while conducting a test. The burden of analyzing students’ behaviour and performance on online exams reduces for invigilators.
Dedicated companies are engaged in providing necessary solutions that can make the process of online proctoring hassle-free and easy for invigilators. Necessary learning solutions and proctoring software are also provided which, when combined, can create a perfect system for conducting online examinations. Students can write exams from a remote location as well as invigilators can monitor their performance which in turn reduces your boarding and cost associated with conducting physical examinations.
