As technology develops and online education progresses, online proctoring has evolved from a ‘nice to have’ to an indispensable tool. While proctoring is usually seen as a way to catch cheating, a smart approach can help tackle critical challenges in higher education:
- Reducing instructor burnout
- Expanding access to education
- Preparing students for the workforce
- Protecting exam integrity in the AI era
When done the right way, remote proctoring benefits students, instructors, and institutions alike.
Tackling academic integrity in the AI era
AI tools, particularly Chatbots like ChatGPT, are undoubtedly challenging academic integrity in higher education. While institutions are tasked with preparing students for an AI-driven world, they also must ensure AI doesn’t interfere with exams. Some have turned to plagiarism checkers and AI detection tools, but they’re unreliable at best; with a few small tweaks to the writing instructions (prompts), AI-generated content is basically undetectable.
On the other hand, Honorlock’s smart proctoring platform gives instructors a suite of tools to detect and block the unauthorized use of AI tools:
- AI extension blocking: blocks AI extensions running on students’ devices exams, while still allowing permitted accessibility technology.
- BrowserGuard™: restricts access to AI like ChatGPT during online exams and prevents keyboard shortcuts so students can’t copy and paste content over to the proctored exam or assignment.
- Smart Voice Detection: detects when students use phrases that can activate smart devices like Alexa or Siri, which could be used to get help from AI tools.
With Honorlock’s remote proctoring solution, online exams become more secure, and students’ hard work stays valuable and respected, even as AI technology keeps growing.
Easing instructor workloads
Administrative tasks, especially during test administration and grading, can be time-consuming and overwhelming for educators.
Honorlock saves instructors time during exam delivery with:
- Filterable exam reports with time-stamped recordings of important behavior to review.
- A direct LMS integration, which means the experience is the same except for a few clicks to choose the proctoring tools you want to enable or disable.
- 24/7 live, U.S.-based support and our knowledgebase, which is filled with FAQs, how-to articles, and practical exam tips.
Moreover, remote proctoring eliminates the need for faculty to monitor exams in person, letting them focus more on teaching, guiding, and connecting with their students. These benefits go a long way towards preventing teacher burnout and create a more effective testing environment for everyone.
Reducing overhead costs
Remote proctoring helps colleges and universities offer more exams online, which saves money by reducing the need for physical test centers and associated overhead costs.
Offering students more flexibility and access
Online proctoring services like Honorlock offer students more flexibility to take exams where and when they want without scheduling.
What if a student’s internet connection is slow or their camera is broken?
While most remote proctoring companies kick students out when any issues arise, Honorlock supports low bandwidth and instructors can provide students with accommodations that allow them to take proctored exams without a working webcam.
In addition, Honorlock’s virtual proctoring platform is fully ADA accessible, compliant with Section 508 of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and developed and tested to conform to WCAG 2.0 level AA guidelines for accessible use.
See how Coastal Alabama Community College raises the bar for effective, accessible, live proctoring with Honorlock.
Protecting content and reputation
“Homework help” sites like Chegg and community forums like Reddit make it easy to find and share your proprietary exam content. Once that happens, exam integrity goes down the drain and it can even put your reputation at risk—remember all of the cheating scandals in higher education in recent years?
Some virtual proctoring services have tools that protect test content, but they’re manual, tedious, and time-consuming because you search for individual questions, one at a time, and send your own takedown requests one at a time. By the way, who do you even send them to? What do you say?
Honorlock’s proctoring platform searches the internet automatically for your leaked questions and gives you a one-click option to send a takedown request. Simple and easy.
Honorlock protects your content and school’s reputation, which also ensures adherence to accreditation standards.
Preparing students for the workplace
The value of virtual exam proctoring also extends into career preparation by completing real-world tasks during assessments, often called Authentic Assessments.
With Honorlock, instructors can assess students’ ability to perform practical tasks without cheating concerns, such as using software like Microsoft Excel and delivering virtual presentations—crucial skills for the modern workforce.
This simplifies the assessment process and prepares students for realistic tasks they’ll encounter in their future careers, bridging the gap between academia and professional expectations.
Eyeing the future of online education
By offering secure, convenient, and accessible online exams, colleges and universities can meet modern students’ demands and directly address common challenges in higher education, such as declining enrollments and student retention.
Integrating online proctoring in higher education is a strategic advantage that improves online education at every level, from assessments and accessibility to convenience and career readiness.
Discover Honorlock’s proctoring services and software
See how Honorlock’s smarter proctoring solution—a combination of live proctors backed by AI test monitoring software—can create significant improvements to the entire assessment process.