Online Proctoring

Online Proctoring Best Practices

Online proctoring can be used to help with academic integrity and identity verification in online teaching and learning. Distance Education provides access to online proctoring options as institutional contracts ensure students do not incur any extra fees. APSU does not require the use of proctored exams in online courses. Usage is based solely on the faculty’s determination of the best assessment type for each examination and the necessary security level to assess the learning objectives.  Online proctoring tools are used in addition to the online classroom (D2L Brightspace) itself.  Any tool will impact both faculty and students, and it can create technical issues and frustration in an already stressful testing situation.  Students may express concerns about online proctoring with their faculty (e.g. accessibility, religion, data privacy and security concerns, as well as hardware, software, and internet access and compatibility).  The below best practices can help ensure a smooth experience for both faculty and students. 

At-A-Glance

1. Conscientious usage of online proctoring helps ensure funds are distributed throughout the fiscal year. 
2. Offer online proctoring to all students for the assessment. Individual students should not be identified to use online proctoring. 
3. Notify students immediately and prominently about online proctoring requirements and expectations.
4. Provide a testing “window” of a couple days or more.
5. Provide testing alternatives and a clear process for students to request one.
6. Provide an alternative assignment option that does not utilize online proctoring. 
7. Be very cautious when using web conferencing tools (e.g. Zoom, Teams, etc.) for online proctoring.  Contact Distance Education for guidance.   
8. Provide a practice exam with the online proctoring tool being used.
9. When setting up exams in the online proctoring tool and D2L Brightspace or a third-party tool, be intentional with the settings.
10. After proctoring concludes, review the identity verification information provided by each student. Also, review any flags created by the online proctoring tool/proctor.

In More Detail

1. APSU does not require the use of proctored exams in online courses.  Usage is based solely on the faculty’s determination of the best assessment type for each examination and the necessary security level to assess the learning objectives.  We ask that you please be judicious with your Examity usage.  We have a set annual budget and pay per student per hour each month.  Conscientious usage helps ensure funds are distributed throughout the fiscal year.
2. Offer online proctoring to all students for the assessment.  Individual students should not be identified to use online proctoring. 
3. Notify students immediately and prominently about online proctoring usage.  A statement that online proctoring will be used in the course should be included in the course syllabus per the APSU Faculty Handbook syllabus requirements.  Consider also posting online proctoring information in a D2L announcement, welcome email, getting started content, etc.  Notification that online proctoring will be used in the course should happen well in advance of the first use. 
   • Students can access all courses through D2L two-business days before classes officially start.  Early notification allows students time to choose a different section if they have restrictions/objections to participating in a course that utilizes online proctoring.
   • Consider having students acknowledge that they have received information about the courses’ proctoring expectations.  This could be done with a D2L Survey or added to a syllabus quiz, if being used. 
   • Be clear about what students can expect before and during online proctoring and your specific guidelines.  Students need to know which tool you are using, where to get support/resources, what software/hardware is required, what they will be required to do during the exam (room scan, provide identification, share computer screens, webcam and audio, etc.), what they cannot do during an exam (leave the video frame, use electronic devices, talk to others, etc.), and what they can use during an exam (calculator, scratch paper, etc.).
   • Some students have reported elevated test anxiety with online proctoring because they are afraid of erroneously being marked as cheating and think they will fail.  Make it clear to students that online proctoring is an academic integrity tool, but, ultimately, you will make the final determination on academic conduct. 
4. Provide a testing “window” of a couple days or more. This spreads out testing so that issues can be addressed before they impact the whole class, and it includes time for students to reschedule/try again without needing consideration for extensions from the faculty.   It is also easier for the vendor to provide support.  Finally, for Examity where scheduling is required, it provides more proctoring slots from which the students can choose.
5. Provide testing alternatives and a clear process for students to request one.  Testing alternatives might include allowing students to test in public spaces compared to their private home, testing with you as the proctor (online or face-to-face), finding a reputable face-to-face proctor in their area (alternative only*), or proctoring by the Student Disability Resource Center by approved accommodation.  If a student is specifically concerned about the room scan, you can provide an exception/accommodation for that student to skip the room scan, if you permit.  *Per Academic Affairs, online courses cannot require face-to-face proctoring.
6. Provide an alternative assignment option that does not utilize online proctoring.  Assignment alternatives allow students to weigh their options and choose a path that works best for them.  If they choose online proctoring, they are often more accepting because they chose to move forward.
7. Never use web conferencing tools (e.g. Zoom, Teams, etc.) for online proctoring except if conducting a proctoring session one-to-one with a student or using the appropriate settings so that students cannot see or hear each other during the entirety of the session.  If you plan to use a web conferencing platform to proctor students online, please reach out to Distance Education for guidance on settings and how to smoothly run the session.
8. Provide a practice exam with the online proctoring tool being used so students can test their technology set up and experience the tool without the stress of a grade.  The syllabus is a great resource to build a practice quiz around.
9. When setting up exams in the:
   • Online proctoring tool:
     • Be thorough and descriptive in the additional/special instruction open text fields.  These fields are often visible to the student and/or proctor and help set clear expectations.
     • Be cautious with the assessment and online proctoring settings. Some settings may make online proctoring less effective.  For example, allowing bathroom breaks and multiple attempts at the assessment.  Also, always secure the assessment with a password; otherwise, students can access it without a proctor.
   • D2L Brightspace or a third-party tool, take measures that discourage academic misconduct including:
     • Converting some multiple-choice questions into long answer, short answer, etc.
     • Creating question pools that will pull a random set of questions for each student’s test.
     • Randomizing the order of questions and the answers within a test.
     • Shortening the test time to limit the amount of time students would have to search for question answers.
     • Reducing the number of questions per exam page and preventing students from moving back to previous questions. 
     • Considering changing the assessment type to require more application of concepts, for example, with a paper, case-study, presentation, video, etc.
10. After proctoring concludes, review the identity verification information provided by each student.  Also, review any flags created by the online proctoring tool/proctor.