What is a Proctor?

Proctor refers to a person who supervises or invigilates candidates taking an exam. The prime purpose of the invigilator is to check that the candidates in an exam do not cheat.

What is the role of a Proctor?

The main role of the proctor is to monitor tests and exams. It is the responsibility of the invigilator to check that students are not cheating, using any unfair means, or manipulating the exam in any way.

Before the exam starts, the invigilator’s duty is to explain the guidelines or rules that need to be followed by the candidates while doing the exam. Their duty is very important to carry out fair examinations.

Apart from this, it is the duty to make sure that the exam starts and finishes on time.

What is the Importance of a Invigilator?

The accountability of exams is very important, especially when it comes to online exams. This is why having a proctor is important. During the online exams, no one is physically present to watch over the candidate. It is difficult to monitor whether the candidate is doing the exam sincerely or not.

Online exams require greater accountability when it comes to monitoring a candidate which means more responsibility. This is where the importance of the invigilator comes into play.

When a candidate attends an online class, they are allowed to take their own time to finish the assignments. They have a choice to pick the time slot for exams as per their suitability to their schedule. However, monitoring is important to make sure that the candidate doesn’t use any unfair means and the exam can be carried out legitimately.

If the exam conducting authority is not following the policy, chances are that the course might be a scam.

What is a Proctor in Technology?

When it comes to online exams, it is not possible for a proctor to be present physically at every candidate’s location. This is where online remote invigilation comes into play. What is online remote invigilation?

Online remote invigilation refers to remote invigilation or supervision of an exam by using online monitoring software and video streaming. This is done to increase accountability and ensure the integrity, credibility, and authenticity of the online exam.

What are the requirements for Online Remote Invigilation?

For online remote invigilation, the requirement is a computer/smartphone and a high-speed internet connection. With the help of these, the exam authorities can conduct online exams in any part of the world.

With the help of online remote invigilation, there can be monitoring of unfair activities during ongoing examinations.

For an online exam that is proctored remotely, the exam conducting authority installs an online invigilation software that tracks the activity of the candidates during the test. This is done using the candidate’s computer screen, webcam, and microphone. Each and every detail is recorded and AI (Artificial Intelligence) is used to analyze the activities of candidates.

The remote invigilation software provides unmatched ease to the invigilators as it helps them in maintaining the integrity of online assessments. With the help of the software, the examiner can also validate the identity of the examinee.

Types of Online Proctoring

There are various forms of digital monitoring in along with human monitoring, which is conducted by a examiner who’s onsite at the exam center. Among these kinds are as follows:

• Live Online Proctoring
• Recorded Proctoring
• Automated Advanced Proctoring

Live Online Proctoring

This type of online proctoring helps to monitor the activities of candidates via audio, video, and screen sharing features in real-time.

In this type of invigilation, the invigilator needs to be present at the main location all the time to ensure the authentication of the exam. If a proctor finds out that the candidate is cheating, he or she can immediately take necessary actions or disqualify the candidate altogether.

Recorded Proctoring

In this type of proctoring, a human invigilator is not required. The reason behind this is that the session gets automatically recorded in the system in real-time.

In this type of invigilation, the audio-visuals and screen sharing feeds of the candidates are recorded throughout the exam. Invigilator can review the recorded test at any time to check for any kind of unfair means.

Advanced Automated Proctoring

This type of proctoring is AI-enabled and is automated. It helps to conduct online examinations without the requirement of any human invigilator. There are minimal chances of error and AI can detect any kind of unfair practices with greater accuracy. This is the most advanced form of online remote invigilation.

The whole invigilation process occurs in the guidance of artificial intelligence capable of detecting any kind of malpractice during the online examination.

What makes Online Remote Invigilation Indispensable?

Following features make online remote proctoring indispensable:

Pre-authentication

This is the first step even before the start of the exam. The candidates need to validate their identity by using an identity card, OTP, or biometrics. After this step is cleared, the candidate is able to register successfully and can give the exam. This step also includes recognition of facial features by taking pictures of candidates and identity proof. This step ensures that the candidate who is going to appear for an online exam is genuine.

Secure Browsing Mode

A secure lockdown browser feature helps to detect and end the test by detecting the activity of the candidates who browse away from the test window or try to open another window. This browsing mode helps to prevent opening any other window even in the incognito tab. It blacklists the screen of the candidate who tries to use unfair means.

It blocks the functions which can be used for unfair means such as copy-pasting and restricted keys like Alt+Tab. It prevents access to any kind of secondary device like a hard drive, USB, or cable during the ongoing exam. In case a student has synced any kind of device before the start of the test, the online remote invigilation software can detect it. After detection, it will not let the exam to start or it will terminate the exam immediately and log the student out of the exam.

Generation of Report

This feature is both for the candidates and the proctor. Both the invigilator and the candidates can get the reports which include the candidate’s performance. It contains a percentage, percentile, and a sectional summary.

Takeaway

In the future, online proctoring can become the greatest asset for exam conducting authorities. All that is required is a computer/smartphone and internet connection to conduct online exams. With advanced remote online proctoring, there is greater accountability and better reliability. The physical presence of a human invigilation is not required in AI-based remote online invigilation. Features like pre-authentication, secure browser, and report generation have made online remote invigilation indispensable.

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