This bonus episode of Pedagogo Season 1 features a conversation about remote proctoring best practices with return guest Mark Spitzer, Associate Director of Client Solutions at ExamSoft. Dr. Allison Case begins by asking Mark about the main considerations for schools planning to implement a proctoring service for assessments in Fall 2020. Mark notes that there is a spectrum of remote proctoring solutions, including live proctors, A.I.-powered proctoring tools, and a hybrid of the two.
Mark suggests that A.I. review may be a more popular approach to proctoring in the Fall 2020 semester, since students may be less willing to be observed by a proctor in real time during an exam. Some other drawbacks of a live proctoring approach include difficulties finding times that work for both the students and the proctors and the need for a persistent internet connection during the exam session. However, with fully A.I.-powered proctoring solutions, there can be a lot of unnecessary time spent reviewing flagged behaviors that didn’t qualify as instances of academic dishonesty. With these limitations in mind, institutions should choose a proctoring solution that works with their specific assessment mode and meets any security needs.
For institutions that choose to deliver assessments with a proctoring service, Mark recommends first giving a mock exam to acquaint students with the technology. It is also important to provide academic integrity and exam policies at the outset of an exam so that students can understand and acknowledge the expectations of the assessment. Instructors should ensure that each student satisfies the minimum system requirements for the proctoring service, including a functional webcam and microphone if necessary. In the event of any issues on exam day, instructors should identify available resources for mitigating concerns ahead of time. Since timelines will differ for each proctoring solution to release results, it is important for instructors to communicate this timeline with students prior to the exam.