A Message to Students New to Online Education and Remote Proctoring

A Message to Students New to Online Education and Remote Proctoring

To students new to online education and proctored exams:

We know you are navigating some very unique circumstances brought on by the Coronavirus pandemic. Your college life has been completely disrupted. You miss your friends, you miss your professors, you miss your college life. You no longer attend class on campus but have been thrust into new online education methods which include online proctored exams. You’re required to use technology that you didn’t sign up for and it feels uncomfortable.

Honorlock is immensely privileged to provide online proctored exams at your institution. We will support you to the best of our abilities and we promise to be trustworthy stewards of your data and respectful of your privacy. 

We’ve compiled your questions and specific issues of concern that you’ve expressed and addressed them below.

What is online proctoring?

Online proctoring, sometimes referred to as remote proctoring, uses AI and live proctors to monitor your exam session to support you and provide a fair testing environment. Proctored exams typically use video, audio, and other AI to detect potential academic dishonesty.

How do proctored exams with Honorlock work?

Our proctored exams are quick and easy to begin

You’ll just need to install the Chrome Extension and after that, it only takes about 60-seconds to scan your room, verify ID, and get started. You can find a list of system requirements here.

You aren’t constantly being watched during the exam

  • Honorlock combines AI with live human proctors which means that you aren’t constantly being watched.
    • Our AI monitors your exam session and if something is wrong, it will trigger one of our live proctor to pop-in
    • The proctor will assess the situation and help you get back on track via chat as needed

Schedule and take your proctored exam anytime

As long as it’s within the timeframe given by your instructor, you can schedule and take your exam anytime – even if it’s at 2 am on a holiday weekend.

Support is available 24/7/365

You can access support without leaving the test environment. Our US-based support team is there to troubleshoot issues with you and help make your testing experience as smooth as possible.

Use this quick guide to learn how to prepare for a proctored exam and what to expect.

Honorlock and your computer

Honorlock’s proctoring software is a Chrome extension, which means it is enabled through your Google Chrome browser thus it does not access your computer, your Operating System, or your network. We do not read, change or modify data on your computer, identify storage devices, or manage your apps, extensions, and themes.

Honorlock does have access to the information within the Chrome browser (your IP address, your email address and your name via your school’s LMS). This information is only available while you are actively in your exam as indicated by the flashing red indicator on the extension.

After your exam, Honorlock can be removed from Chrome in a matter of seconds. Simply navigate to the extension in the toolbar of Chrome, right-click and remove. You can reinstall the extension for your next exam in less than 30 seconds

Honorlock and your mobile/secondary devices

Honorlock does not have access to your mobile devices or other devices. Ever.

If you attempt to search test questions on the internet, on another computer, or on a mobile device during your proctored exam, Honorlock can detect your search using our patented process. Honorlock is not “in” any of your devices nor do we have access to any of your devices or network. The information about your search activity comes from the unauthorized websites you may visit. Please don’t search for answers on the web while taking your exam. Study hard, rest well and be prepared for your exam and you won’t have to worry about this.

Honorlock and your webcam and ID

While you are in your online exam, Honorlock will record your screen and webcam via Chrome. We will verify your identity by asking you to take a photo of yourself and show your student ID.  Additionally, your school may require you to do a 360-degree room scan. Once your proctored exam has ended, our access to your screen and webcam ends. If you want, you can delete Honorlock from Chrome in a matter of seconds. Simply navigate to the extension in the toolbar of Chrome, right-click and remove. You can reinstall the extension for your next exam in less than 30 seconds.

Honorlock protects your data

Because Honorlock is not an app you download, we do not require you to set up an account or create a password. You sign in via your school’s LMS.  We collect as little information as possible and only what is required by your school to verify your identity and ensure academic integrity.

Honorlock does not sell your personal data. Ever.

Honorlock securely stores your data for your school. Stored data is encrypted and secured using industry standards with AES-256 block encryption. As an AWS partner, Honorlock follows federal NIST 800-88 guidelines for proof of data/drive destruction.

Honorlock AI proctoring software

Honorlock uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to monitor your test. If the AI detects unusual activity – such as another person in the room – it automatically generates a flag and alerts a live virtual proctor. Depending on the type of flag, a live proctor may pause your exam and open a chat with you to discuss the incident and resume your exam. When your proctored exam is completed, your instructor is able to review the flag recording to determine if there was a possible act of academic misconduct.

Our proctors are a resource for you

Our proctors don’t assume you’re cheating – they assume you need help. Honorlock approaches online proctoring in a way where what’s good for the institution is also good for you. In fact, our full-time test proctors are trained by a nationally certified counselor and educator on how to support you during times of exam frustration and test anxiety.

In Closing

We take this extremely seriously. We welcome your questions and encourage you to provide us with feedback. Our goal is to make this new online testing environment as comfortable as possible for you. We wish you good health and good grades. You can find more student privacy information here.

Stay well,
The Honorlock Team

Tess Mitchell

Tess has 20+ years of experience heading up corporate marketing teams in healthcare and higher education. She is passionate about thinking differently to lead teams to discover new and innovative ways to drive positive outcomes.

Educators: 4 Ways to Stay Sane During COVID [Infographic]

Don’t let yourselves lose sight of all the good you are doing.  We, here at Honorlock, want you to keep yourselves safe (and sane) as we go further into this new normal. This online infographic provides some advice for teachers to keep you going. Click here to download the Infographic.

If you’re looking for online proctoring services during COVID-19, click the button below for more information.

Set Up Proctoring in 2 Days

Tess Mitchell

Tess has 20+ years of experience heading up corporate marketing teams in healthcare and higher education. She is passionate about thinking differently to lead teams to discover new and innovative ways to drive positive outcomes.

WEBINAR: Setting up exams in Canvas and enabling Honorlock

We partnered with Canvas to deliver a live webinar focused on tips and tricks for setting up Canvas exams and enabling Honorlock online proctoring. Jace Gilbert from Instructure and Jose Gonzalez from Honorlock teamed up to help you successfully transition to online courses.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

  • Transfer paper exams into Canvas easily
  • Enable Honorlock remote proctoring
  • Preview proctored testing from your student’s perspective
  • Review results from online exam proctoring
  • Canvas and Honorlock best practices and helpful insider’s tips

Who Should Watch?

Canvas LMS users new to online learning.

Speakers:

Jace Gilbert

Academic Technologist and Senior
Solutions Engineer at Canvas

Jose Gonzalez

Director of Customer Sucsess
Operations @Honorlock

Moving to Online Courses During the Coronavirus Pandemic

As more schools shut down and start moving learning online due to the COVID-19, it’s important to know that there are solutions out there for ongoing education and helping students continue acquiring the skills they need.

Click the button below to see how you can implement online proctoring in 2 days to help protect exams and support students during COVID

Set Up Proctoring in 2 Days

Here are some common questions that people have as they convert their homes into an adequate learning space:

What if students don’t have their own computers or webcams?

If your institution has not implemented a 1:1 student-to-device program, it can be hard to find a resource for students now.  Unfortunately, laptops are one of those items people are rushing to buy worldwide due to the increase in work from home workers as well as learners.  Check with local nonprofits and businesses that may be ramping up programs that provide laptops during this time.  Here is a link to an article that lists several organizations and creative ideas to find a low price or free resources.

What if students don’t have adequate internet access?

Maintaining digital equity for all students is a major hurdle for most college campuses moving learning online right now because if they don’t have access to the internet during the current global pandemic, it will be impossible for them to learn. With shelter in place requirements in place or coming, even the public library may not be an option for learning for quite some time.

Here are some suggestions for how students can gain access to the internet:

  • Spectrum is offering free broadband and Wi-Fi internet access for 60 days to students impacted by the coronavirus shutdown. Charter Communications, Spectrum’s parent company, announced Friday that beginning March 16, it will make its services available for free for 60 days to households with K-12 and/or college students who don’t already have internet through the company. Installation fees will also be waived for new student households. It also said it would open its Wi-Fi hotspots for public use.
  • Comcast is also making it easier for low-income families who live in a Comcast service area to sign up by offering new customers 60 days of free Internet Essentials service, which is normally available to all qualified low-income households for $9.95/month. The company is also increasing internet speeds for the Internet Essentials service from 15/2 Mbps to 25/3 Mbps for all new and existing customers, which will be the speed of the service going forward.
  • More vendors may be offering access as the pandemic response matures.

What if I or my students lose the internet? Will their exam answers be lost?

Honorlock offers 24/7 technical support 365 days a week to help students with issues as they take their exam, easily accessible through an Honorlock support menu available on their screen. Honorlock also monitors additional activity like someone trying to leave the test session, copy/paste questions, or open a new browser. We also have encrypted protocols in place to save work, view the test taker’s answers, and allow the proctor access to review exam session videos.

What is Honorlock’s availability like during the coronavirus crisis if we launch and have issues?

As educational institutions transition to moving learning online during the current global pandemic, we anticipate an uptick in demand for our services. Our HonorSquad continues to closely monitor the COVID-19 situation, focus on best practices and plan ahead. We’ve contacted AWS (Amazon Web Services) to obtain extra capacity, talked to third party video conferencing vendors to ensure that they understand our demand, and increased our staff. More simply put, we’re preparing as if it was finals week. For more information, check out our Our Pledge To You During Coronavirus and feel free to email us (support@honorlock.com), or launch a live chat at honorlock.com.

What does Honorlock do exactly?

If you are in the process of quickly moving your instructors, students, and staff to an online platform to minimize any downtime with their continued education, keep in mind that Honorlock is a safe and efficient way to facilitate your exams.

Honorlock provides on-demand proctoring services that do not require advanced scheduling or bulky software downloads. Because maintaining academic integrity is of the utmost importance to us, we’ve also patented a one-of-a-kind mobile device detection system.

Honorlock’s innovative and exclusive online proctoring features include:

  • Search and Destroy: To help deter cheating, we employ our proprietary test bank removal service that actively searches the Internet and destroys any unauthorized copies of your test questions. In an online world, it’s far too easy to share and find test answers. We put a stop to this by immediately filing DMCA copyright takedown notices if we find any copycat test information.
  • Multi-Device Detection: Honorlock is proud to have the only technology that can detect multiple devices that may be used during test-taking to try to find answers. Our system even takes screenshots to help prove that attempted cheating may be happening during an exam.
  • Voice Detection: Faculty has told us that online testing services that send voice detection alerts tend to be over flagged, putting unnecessary stress on students. Honorlock reduces the number of inappropriate flags with its proprietary system. The voice detection service even goes beyond that by listening for keywords that students may be using to try to cheat, like flagging words such as “OK Google” and “Hey Siri”.
  • Live Pop-In: Honorlock offers the only Live Pop-In system that combines automation and live proctoring by prompting test proctors to pop into the exam if there’s any suspicious activity going on.

How to get started transferring courses online ASAP with Honorlock

The urgency to get students transitioned into an online learning environment has never been greater. If you are a school or administrator that needs a safe, secure robust proctoring system right away, Honorlock can help. To get started, simply go to this page and follow these steps:

Step 1: Sign a condensed 2-page agreement that makes it easy to get up and running while eliminating liability threats.

Step 2: Fill out a simple order form (Honorlock charges $5 per exam) that will only be billed after the impact of the coronavirus has lessened.

Step 3: Go live with same-day integration and training.

Set Up Proctoring in 2 Days

Resources for Further Reading

Tess Mitchell

Tess has 20+ years of experience heading up corporate marketing teams in healthcare and higher education. She is passionate about thinking differently to lead teams to discover new and innovative ways to drive positive outcomes.

Press Release: Honorlock Raises $11.5M and Adds to Board of Directors

Image: Michael Hemlepp, CEO, Honorlock

BOCA RATON, Florida, March 19, 2020 — Honorlock, an online proctoring service that is transforming how educational institutions protect academic integrity in online assessments, today announced that it raised $11.5 million in Series A funding led by Neil Sequeira from Defy Partners. The funding will be used to accelerate Honorlock’s growth, technology and expansion into new markets. The company also is announcing three new appointments to its board, Steve Miller, founder of Highwinds and Omicron, Neil Sequeira, co-founder of Defy, and Thomas Whytas, former CFO of METI.

Honorlock’s hybrid proctoring model combines AI and machine learning with live proctors to thwart cheating while delivering a non-threatening online testing environment for honest test-takers. The company experienced triple-digit growth in 2019, including proctoring exams for three of the 10 largest universities in the US.

“We are excited to be partnering with Honorlock at a time when their high quality, remote ed-tech solutions are critically important. With online proctoring growing to a $19b market, we know the opportunity ahead for Honorlock is bright,” said Sequeira. “We look forward to providing additional resources and working closely with Michael and the Honorlock leadership team to continue their tremendous growth and expansion.”

Honorlock is a cloud-based proctoring system that integrates with a school’s learning management system and is designed around usability and ease of use. Clients include top-ranked University of Florida, the University of North Alabama and Florida International University.

“We are energized by the growth we’ve experienced this past year and have ambitious plans to accelerate it,” said Michael Hemlepp, CEO of Honorlock. “With the influx of capital and the power and expertise of both our board of directors and tech advisory board, we are uniquely positioned to deliver extreme value to our clients.”

About Honorlock

Honorlock is revolutionizing the way education institutions protect academic integrity in online courses and assessments. Used by three of the 10 largest universities in the US, Honorlock’s proprietary features provide educators with the assurance that their test is protected, and students with the flexibility of proctored exams whenever and wherever they need it. Honorlock is dedicated to providing world-class service and support 24/7/365. www.honorlock.com.

About Defy Partners

Founded in 2016, Defy is a Silicon Valley-based venture firm exclusively focused on early Series A, an underserved part of the venture landscape. The firm launched in 2017 with a $151 million fund and closed its second fund of $262 million in early 2019. Defy was co-founded by long-term venture capitalists Neil Sequeira and Trae Vassallo, with a goal to invest in entrepreneurs and companies looking to solve complex problems. Defy’s focus is to help companies, after seed funding, mature and scale into companies ready for growth capital. Connect with Defy at https://defy.vc/ and @defyvc

Tess Mitchell

Tess has 20+ years of experience heading up corporate marketing teams in healthcare and higher education. She is passionate about thinking differently to lead teams to discover new and innovative ways to drive positive outcomes.

Maximizing Efficiency in Education: AI & Automation

If you’ve ever caught yourself feeling overwhelmed by the thought of adapting to new technology in education, you’re not alone — the field is evolving so quickly that it can be challenging to keep up. And, while it’s true that not every shiny new solution is necessary or helpful, it’s essential to evaluate each one and implement those that will improve the experiences of your students and faculty. 

When considering a new piece of technology, you have several priorities to balance. One is efficiency — does this new tool make things run more smoothly, or does it create friction and frustration for everyone involved? At the same time, it’s vital to maintain a sense of humanity and connection — students want to know that they are more than a number and that their learning experience is specific to them. While these goals may seem to conflict with one another, in reality, they often go hand-in-hand.

A Shared Solution

By integrating automation and artificial intelligence into the classroom, you can begin to respond to concerns about both efficiency and personalized learning. This works in several ways. By increasing efficiency in education for teachers, you save them time, allowing them more bandwidth to connect with each student. They can identify struggles, provide guidance and tailor the learning experience. At the same time, implementing artificial intelligence can provide a more personalized learning experience as the software adapts to each student’s needs and helps them learn. And, by creating an efficient and easily navigable context for students, you also offer them more mental capacity to focus on learning. Instead of worrying about the minute details of class scheduling or how to take an exam, they can attend office hours and study sessions to gain further clarity on difficult material. 

Automation and Artificial Intelligence

 At Honorlock, we’ve seen first-hand just how valuable AI and automation can be in the classroom. We’re continually evaluating new educational technologies to find the most useful and streamlined solutions for efficiency in education. Wondering how these tools can help contribute to efficient teaching strategies in your context? Here are four of our favorite ways to harness the power of technology in education. 

  1. Class Registration — When it comes to implementing automation, class registration can be a great place to start. Students love the convenience of registering online from anywhere and using a system that can easily cross-check issues like prerequisites eliminates potential mistakes and helps students stay on track with their degree plans. It’s easier than ever for students to track their academic progress and work with their advisors to create the perfect schedule from semester to semester. AI and automation in this process can also ensure that a student never double books their time. This can prevent headaches down the road from having to change class schedules at the last minute and helps students make sure they get into every course they need each semester so they can graduate in a timely manner.
  2. Room Scheduling & Facilities Management — Few things are more frustrating than reserving a room on campus, only to find that someone else has also reserved it and is already using it. This is a challenge for scheduling conference rooms and private study rooms, but it’s even more of a problem when it comes to classrooms — sometimes disrupting an entire class period (or more) as faculty sort out the issue. Thanks to AI and automation, however, this is becoming less and less of a problem on campuses. By using an intelligent scheduler, your school can prevent conflicts and ensure that the correct people are in the correct place at the correct time. And, by adding automation, you can make it even easier to schedule recurring events like meetings and classes. Ultimately, by making this process smoother and less frustrating, you can help your students and your faculty focus on the learning experience rather than the logistics required to make it happen.
  3. Grading — For faculty, one of the most challenging parts of the day can be facing the stack of papers left at the end of class. Whether assignments are physical or digital, the task of grading can seem impossible. TAs have long been part of solving this problem, and they continue to be vital in the grading process, but, especially in large classes, the amount of correction required can still be overwhelming. Thanks to new developments in AI and automation, however, it can be easier than ever to manage. Whether checking for plagiarism, correcting grammar or grading multiple-choice assessments, there are more tools than ever to help faculty spend less time focused on minute details and more time focused on concepts and student success. 
  4. Online Exams — One of the simplest and most important places to integrate automation and artificial intelligence is in exams. Students are looking for a straightforward on-demand process, and faculty want to know that students are maintaining integrity in answering questions. With a solution like Honorlock’s Live Proctor Pop-In, your institution gets the best in online exams. Students don’t have to schedule in advance — their exams are ready and waiting for them 24/7/365. Throughout the test, students are monitored by artificial intelligence. If the system detects a potential violation, such as talking to someone else in the room or walking away from the computer, it alerts a live proctor. They then pop into the exam session to check in with the student. If the student is attempting to cheat, the proctor can intervene appropriately. If not, they can get the student back on track with the rest of their test. Both students and faculty can have confidence that tests will be proctored effectively, helping students focus on learning and faculty focus on teaching instead of worrying about the logistics of exams.

Using Technology to Maximize Efficiency in Education

When it comes to equipping students to learn well, efficiency is a crucial element. By implementing automation and AI, you free faculty and students from worrying about minute details. Ultimately, this leads to a greater focus on education and higher rates of student success. 

To learn more about automation and AI in Honorlock’s online proctoring system, click here.

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Tess Mitchell

Tess has 20+ years of experience heading up corporate marketing teams in healthcare and higher education. She is passionate about thinking differently to lead teams to discover new and innovative ways to drive positive outcomes.

WEBINAR: Succeeding in the Maelstrom of Change: Unique Challenges in Higher Education

Change. It’s all around us in higher ed. The move to more learner-centric experiences, digital transformation and changing demographics in the learner population all make for a chaotic time in higher education.

Agility. Businesses use this term to define how quickly they can adapt to a changing market. It is the underpinning of their ability to compete. Building a better graduate has never been more important to them, and it is the cornerstone of your ability to compete.

Combine these two and what you get is an opportunity (even if it feels overwhelming at times).

Watch the webinar recording and download the whitepaper for a discussion on how to effectively connect the dots between all these topics and better shepherd your institution or department. It will include practical solutions and valuable advice on understanding these changes in higher education, how they will impact your institutions and how you can integrate the strengths and weaknesses of each to build a better, more agile institution or department.

Download Whitepaper

The webinar and whitepaper are designed for higher education administrators, faculty and instructors.

Learning Objectives:

  • Gain a better understanding of what digital transformation in education is – its strengths and weaknesses.
  • Learn more about learner-centric models, specifically what are other institutions doing to work toward this.
  • Better understand and navigate change to improve your own agility and as a team.

Please note: this webinar is a free event, and no CEUs or certificates of participation are provided. All registrants will receive a copy of the recorded webinar and slides if you cannot attend the live event.

Speakers:

Jan Wilson, M. Ed., SHRM-SCP, SPHR

Jan Wilson, M. Ed., SHRM-SCP, SPHRLearning Consultant

As an organizational development and learning consultant, Jan has provided strategic planning, process alignment, change management, curriculum development, and planning, as well as learning solutions to a variety of clients in pharma, healthcare, and state governments. Jan earned a Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in information technology from Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, as well as a Master of Education in Human Resource Development from Vanderbilt University, also in Nashville, Tennessee. Additionally, she has served as adjunct faculty at the Peabody School of Vanderbilt University.

4 Ways Technology is Changing How Students Learn

Ever-evolving technology is continually changing the ways we live in and interact with the world, and education is no different. Today’s educators are tasked with charting the course forward, implementing the innovations that are beneficial and useful while avoiding those that aren’t.

With so many new online teaching solutions on the horizon, however, it can be difficult to determine the right next steps. After all, as an administrator, you are not merely choosing whether or not to use new technology at your school. Y

ou’re trying to parse out the options that will help your students learn best, allow you to offer education to the most people, and help your faculty streamline their processes so students can succeed—all while ensuring that everyone involved is aware of how new software works and assured that their data is secure while using it.

Everyone involved wants to know that these new teaching technology alternatives are just as effective as the systems they’re replacing, and no one wants to feel as though the human touch in education is disappearing altogether. Instead, they want access to technology that can extend their reach. But what does that technology look like?

Technology in the Classroom

Even when students are attending classes in person, educational technology is changing the way they learn. Especially in larger lecture courses, digital innovations help everyone’s voice be heard when an instructor asks a question, and it also gives instructors room for creativity in things as simple as taking attendance by having each student present answer a question from their own device.

It also allows instructors to more easily bring guest instructors into the classroom via videoconference, record lectures for students who may need to review later and create more engaging presentations of their content. Instructors have nearly endless opportunities to innovate thanks to new technology in the classroom.

Remote Education Innovations

Where educational tech shines, however, is in online education. Schools today know that, if they want to grow their programs, online education is key to their success. More students than ever before are looking for education that will fit into their lives—not the other way around. And online education lets them do exactly that.

From lectures to homework to classroom participation to exams, students can experience every piece of their education remotely. All they need to enroll in your program is a computer with internet access—a fairly low barrier to entry for most students.

The Challenges of Online Assessments

While this online learning technology can improve the student experience by making education accessible to more people than ever before, there can still be some stumbling blocks. For many schools, exams are the first one they run into. Can you ensure that remote assessments are as secure and accurate as in-person exams? After all, in the classroom, remote proctoring is the same as it’s always been.

Even with new devices and learning technology at students’ fingertips, the remote proctor’s job is virtually the same—ensure that students aren’t accessing external resources (whether on paper or on a screen). When the entire exam takes place online, remote proctoring becomes significantly more difficult. There are solutions, however.

Because staff and faculty can’t proctor exams for distance learners in person, they need tools to ensure that exams are being effectively administered. That typically means enlisting the assistance of an online proctoring service who can provide the innovative online teaching solutions your faculty needs to ensure academic integrity.

Solutions to the Online Proctoring Problem

In a world where most students have access to multiple devices—from smartphones and watches to external monitors and tablets—what does it look like to prevent academic dishonesty in distance learning? How can you choose an online proctoring solution that will effectively address your faculty’s concerns about testing integrity without compromising the student experience? How can you set students up for success by ensuring that they’re taking the proctored exam process seriously?

Here are a few ways an effective online proctoring solution can help:

  • Browser Locking — As a baseline, any online proctoring system should give instructors the ability to secure the student’s browser to prevent them from accessing other tabs, windows, or external applications. By keeping students on the exam page, you can help them focus on their assessment and prevent them from attempting to access test answers.
  • Printer Prevention — In order to help faculty protect their exam content, you’ll want to provide them with a system that prevents students from seeing the entire exam at once and blocks their ability to capture the data—whether by printing, copying and pasting, or taking a screenshot. This is especially important because, in an online proctoring context, students are taking exams at different times and so may be more motivated to try to share information with one another.
  • Customizable Guidelines — Like in-person exams, instructors need the flexibility to set specific test rules and guidelines —whether it’s open-book or on a specific time limit. And, when they are able to set specific expectations, proctors are more easily able to ensure the security of the exam, only flagging students for behavior that is actually problematic.
  • ID Verification — Online testing also creates the possibility for a student to enlist help by asking someone else to take their exam. Thanks to continued technical advancements, however, it’s easier than ever for online proctoring software to verify student identity prior to beginning the exam, ensuring that each student earns the grade they receive.
  • Detecting Secondary Devices — This may be the stickiest question when it comes to exams—how can proctors ensure that students aren’t using their smartphones to access test information? Technology that helps proctors detect the use of additional devices and allows them to intervene to stop the behavior can go a long way toward helping you prevent dishonesty.

Online Proctoring to Improve Learning

Whether you’re ready to find out how online proctoring can help your program offer education to more students than ever before or are looking for a new, more technically advanced proctoring software, Honorlock can help. You want to offer your students the best possible education, and that includes secure tests with the right features to help you protect your program’s academic integrity.

Sign up below to receive more resources for tips, best practices, white papers, and industry trends

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Tess Mitchell

Tess has 20+ years of experience heading up corporate marketing teams in healthcare and higher education. She is passionate about thinking differently to lead teams to discover new and innovative ways to drive positive outcomes.

Live Online Proctoring: Pros & Cons

In the world of academic testing services, there is an ever-increasing array of options, enabling each institution to choose the best approach for their students and staff. While some may opt to continue offering exams in person, the growth of online education programs necessitates the flexibility provided by virtual proctoring.

However, even after making the decision to use online proctoring software, you will likely find yourself facing many more questions and decisions. Test proctoring services offer unattended automated exams, real-time live proctored exams and everything in between. Determining which format is best for your institution can be overwhelming but researching each online proctoring approach is a great way to get started.

To begin, we’ll consider live online proctoring — the positives, the negatives and why it might (or might not) be the best choice for your school.

Live Online Proctoring: The Cons

Unfortunately, live online proctoring has some significant drawbacks — because a proctor has to be present at every session, everything from scheduling to the exam experience itself can be more complicated. In addition, it is often a more costly solution for institutions.

  • Divided Attention — In many live proctoring scenarios, a single proctor monitors several students at a time — in some cases, up to ten at once. Unfortunately, this divides their attention and can impact the accuracy of their proctoring. While they are observing each student’s behavior throughout the entire exam, they may also miss attempts at academic dishonesty because they were focused on another student. This potential for distraction can undermine instructors’ confidence in the reports they receive for each exam, and it may also make students feel as though they can get away with dishonest behavior, emboldening them to make further cheating attempts in future exams.
  • Inconvenient Scheduling — Live proctoring requires exactly that — someone who can proctor a student’s exam live. As a result, most remote proctoring services limit when students can take exams and require them to schedule in advance. This is frustrating for students and can even lead to additional fees if something in their schedule changes, causing them to miss their time slot. Amidst their busy schedules, students are looking for convenient exam options, allowing them to take their exam whenever they are ready — whether it’s over lunch or after a late-night study session. Unfortunately, when they are tied to a live proctor’s schedule, this isn’t feasible.
  • Student Self-Consciousness — There’s one final drawback to live proctoring, and that is the student experience. Often, when students have a sense that they are being watched, they don’t perform as well on assessments. For honest students, in particular, this can be frustrating and may lead to scores that don’t accurately reflect the student’s body of knowledge. While it’s an effective way to rein in cheating, it also feeds self-consciousness and can feel like a punishment – an assumption of guilt. Many students find exams proctored in real-time to be more invasive and frustrating as they try to focus on the test content rather than the reality that someone is watching them throughout the process.

Live Online Proctoring: The Pros

Of course, there are several benefits to live online proctoring. It can increase faculty confidence in the online testing process and help administrators trust that the testing process will run smoothly.

  • Real-Time Intervention — When a student sits down at a computer to take an exam with a live remote proctor, they are monitored by someone who can intervene if something is amiss. Whether that’s because a student is attempting dishonest behavior (by, for instance, talking to someone else in the room) or because it appears that way (by reading questions aloud to themselves), a live proctor can immediately connect with the student and assess the situation. In the event of dishonesty, they can remind students of the rules and help them complete the rest of their exam with integrity. If, on the other hand, it was a miscommunication, they can easily verify so and help the student resume testing. Either way, in-the-moment intervention helps students have a better exam experience.
  • Human Touch — In a live online proctoring scenario, both students and faculty benefit from the assurance that a human is at the helm of all proctoring decisions. While the role of AI in educational technology is continually evolving to create new opportunities, it also raises concerns and questions for students and instructors alike. Live proctoring, on the other hand, puts everyone at ease because they are confident that their proctor is making accurate judgments throughout the testing process. Both parties have the assurance that, because the exam is proctored live, the report of the student’s behavior sent to their instructor is an accurate reflection of their testing experience.

Live Online Proctoring without the Cons

While many schools like the security provided by live proctors, the decision is not that simple—student experience continues to be key to program success, and live proctoring makes students uncomfortable. They have a harder time concentrating on their exam because they’re aware of a proctor watching them (and may even see that proctor via webcam in the corner of their screen).

The good news is that you can get all the benefits of live proctoring in a way that also helps students to succeed. In many cases, the right online proctoring approach is not live proctoring or automated, unattended proctoring but a hybrid of both.

With a solution like Honorlock’s Live Proctor Pop-In, schools get all the benefits of live proctoring, but students also get the freedom and convenience of an automated exam. Powerful AI proctoring monitors student behavior and alerts a live human proctor when intervention is needed, allowing for a real-time response when an issue arises. And it’s all on-demand, so students can take their exams whenever and wherever they are ready — 24/7/365.

For a further discussion of the benefits of advancing and refining online learning by removing the opportunity and temptation to cheat, have a look at our white paper on the topic.

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Tess has 20+ years of experience heading up corporate marketing teams in healthcare and higher education. She is passionate about thinking differently to lead teams to discover new and innovative ways to drive positive outcomes.

What Your Proctor Wants You to Know: 4 Keys to Student Exam Success

Whether you’re new to the format of online exams or just need a refresher, you may have questions about how Honorlock proctored exams work and how you can be your very best for testing. Two of our proctors, Corey and Sa’ed, are here to answer your questions and give you some of their top online test taking tips!

How does the exam work?

You’ll start the exam from your school’s LMS. Keep in mind, all exams have different levels of security, which are customized by your instructor. If you are taking a high stakes exam (like your midterm or final), you can assume that as soon as you begin, your browser will be locked so you can’t access unauthorized information. You’ll be asked to present an ID so we can verify your identity, and then we’ll have you complete a 360 room scan to make sure there aren’t any notes left out or friends in the room. At this point, you’ll be off to the races! The only reason we’ll interrupt you with a Live Pop-In is if our system detects that something might be amiss. 

What is a Live Proctor Pop-In?

Live Pop-In is how our proctors connect with you if our artificial intelligence software detects a potential incidence of academic dishonesty. This could be another person in the room, the use of a secondary display or mobile device, your face going off-screen, or wearing hats, headphones or hoodies. When our proctors pop in, your exam will pause and the exam content will be hidden from view and then a chat box will open so you can communicate with your proctor. We chose to interact with students via chat versus face-to-face video based on student feedback that video felt invasive and creepy. Don’t worry, if you would rather just communicate with us verbally you can do that too. 

Can my proctor see and hear me during the exam?

Yes, they can. For the most part, however, you will be monitored by technology that will alert a proctor if a problem arises. 

When can I take my exam?

Whenever you’re ready! (Well, within your instructor’s deadlines, of course.) Our solution is available on-demand, so there’s no need to schedule a proctor to take your exam. If you’re ready to go at 3 am on Thanksgiving, all you need to do is start. We’ll be ready for you! Because of our deep integration with your LMS, our proprietary algorithms are able to predict the number of exams, the number of students and the time of day exams will be taken, which allows us to ensure we are always adequately staffed.

Do you have any exam tips?

  1. Trust us. We are on your side. We know what it’s like to be a student, and we know how stressful exams can be. Our goal is for the testing process to be as smooth as possible—from the comfort of your own home.
  2. Don’t start your exam at the last minute. There’s always a possibility that you’ll run into technical difficulties, and that can add to the stress. Give yourself enough leeway before the due date to take the exam.
  3. Study your material. Our artificial intelligence (and our proctors) are pretty smart—you’ll have a hard time getting much of anything past them. Your best bet when preparing for an exam is to study hard so you don’t have to resort to academic dishonesty and risk getting caught.
  4. Pay close attention to the exam guidelines. Live Pop-Ins can be disruptive to your exam experience and we try to keep them to a minimum, but we need your help in following directions. Make sure you’re in full view of the camera and make sure you’re alone in the room. (We’d hate to interrupt you because our system detects someone talking in the background when it’s just a roommate or sibling walking behind you.) Following the rules will help ensure that you don’t invite any unnecessary interruptions.

What if I’m having technical difficulties?

You can access our support team 24/7/365. You also have access to Support from the chat window before, during, and after the exam. The way we build our tool, once you log in we have access to who you are, your device info, and where you are in the LMS or Exam. This helps us troubleshoot the issue quicker, which means we get you back focused on your exam faster. We wish you all the best on your exams!

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successful-online
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Tess Mitchell

Tess has 20+ years of experience heading up corporate marketing teams in healthcare and higher education. She is passionate about thinking differently to lead teams to discover new and innovative ways to drive positive outcomes.