Teaching in-person classes means testing during class, right? Nope.
We’ll show you seven benefits of online proctoring for in-person, hybrid/blended, and fully remote courses.
1. Proctoring tests outside of class = more time to teach
If an instructor teaches a one hour class in person three times per week, that’s about 45 class hours during a 15-week semester.
Administering just five tests during classroom hours that semester is over 11% of classroom time (approximately 5 hours).
What else could you teach students with those five hours?
2. Online test proctoring is proven to reduce cheating
Whether students take tests in class, at a testing center, or at home, precautions should be taken to prevent cheating.
Many believe online testing amplifies cheating
A survey showed that 3 out of 4 instructors believe more students cheat during online exams, and almost 60% of students said it’s easier to cheat online.1
But it’s worth noting that the same survey found that 70% of students said they’re less likely to cheat if online exam proctoring is used.
Online proctoring significantly reduces cheating and test scores are much different
Three studies showed that cheating is reduced and grades are vastly different when online proctoring is used.
Proctoring deters and reduces cheating
Study 1: 70% of students made cheating attempts during unproctored tests, compared to just 15% during proctored tests.2
Test scores significantly change when online proctoring is used
Study 2: Proctored test scores were 17 points lower than unproctored tests.3
Study 3: Test scores decreased by 10 to 20 percentage points when proctoring was used.4
These studies also considered variables that can impact students’ test performance, like test anxiety, the types of questions, subjects, etc. While student test anxiety is often associated with online proctoring, students didn’t give any feedback that online proctoring increased their anxiety. Simply put, online proctoring didn’t create any stress that impacted test scores.
3. Reduces testing center costs
4. Students prefer online testing, and proctoring extends the benefits
It’s pretty easy to understand why students prefer taking tests online instead of in person:
- They’re similar to real work environments
- Students trust automated grading over hand-grading
- Online exams provide more flexibility and access
Online proctoring software helps assess students with realistic job tasks
78% of students believe online tests are similar to a real environment 5 and create an authentic experience.6
Whether working from home or in the office, students know they’ll use different technologies, like Zoom and Excel, to some extent. With online proctoring, instructors can have students complete realistic job tasks during an online authentic assessment without concerns of cheating, such as:
Using software like Excel, Word, & text editors
- Examples: completing balance sheets in Excel, writing essays in Word; writing code in text editors like Notepad++, VSC, and PyCharm
Presentations & demonstrations on Zoom
- Examples: presenting a business plan & demonstrating how to use a product
Handwritten activities using pen and paper
- Examples: completing math problems and essays
“The accounting programs use Honorlock to proctor tests where students are using software to fix balance sheets and other similar documents, while other programs use it for short answer and essay questions.” – Paul Fisher, Associate CIO & Director of the Teaching & Learning Technology Center at Seton Hall University
Most students trust automated scoring more than hand grading
78% of students trust online exam scoring over hand grading.7
Most online exams are automatically graded, which reduces human error and provides grades and feedback instantly.
Online proctoring solutions provide an additional layer of confidence that exam students can’t gain an unfair advantage and that the entire exam process is protected from start to finish.
Online test proctoring offers more flexibility in time and location
Did you know that even taking a test in a different room or just sitting in a different seat can negatively affect test performance?8
While online testing gives students the flexibility to test when they’re ready from a comfortable location, if online proctoring isn’t in place, there’s really no way to stop students from cheating.
However, if a blended proctoring solution like Honorlock is used, students can take tests 24/7/365 (and get live support from a person), and instructors won’t have to worry about academic dishonesty.
“Honorlock definitely makes test taking a lot more flexible and convenient. I don’t like having to take a test at a certain time and place when I can take it in the comfort of my own home.” – Madi Kuokos, University of Florida graduate
5. Protects institutional reputation & degree value
As a student, which institution would you rather earn your degree from?
Institution 1: A reputable, well-respected institution known for a high-quality education that prioritizes academic rigor
Institution 2: An institution that’s seen as an easy route to a degree because students can cheat their way through
You’d probably pick Institution 1, right?
Now imagine if the institution you earned a degree from gets exposed in a cheating scandal. How much would that devalue your degree? Online proctoring helps colleges and universities further establish their reputation and position themselves as the best choice for students who are serious about their education.
6. Online proctoring can improve accessibility & increase access
According to the US Department of Education, 1 in 5 college students have a disability and that more than 40% of students paying tuition independently are in or near poverty.
With those statistics in mind, consider these questions:
- Does your testing center have the resources and support to meet your students’ needs?
- Does it meet accessibility compliance standards?
- What happens if a student’s schedule doesn’t align with your testing center’s availability?
- What if they can’t afford to travel to campus?
Honorlock’s online proctoring solution increases access and accessibility
Honorlock’s online proctoring software is compliant with web accessibility standards and allows instructors to provide specific accommodations, like using assistive technologies, completing a proctored exam without a webcam, and alternative options to complete assessment activities.
Additionally, Honorlock has failsafes in place if a student’s internet speed drops below thresholds for streaming video. Students can also take online proctored assessments 24/7/365, which helps students with busy schedules and households.
“Honorlock helps us get to the core of our mission here at Warrington: being able to offer an MBA to just about anybody. Having a proctoring service focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion made choosing Honorlock an easy fit for us.” – Naz Erenguc, University of Florida, Director of Admissions at the Warrington College of Business
7. Online proctoring helps institutions maintain accreditation compliance
Many colleges and universities participating in remote learning, whether fully remote or hybrid/blended, are required to meet rigorous standards set by accrediting bodies for assessment and academic integrity. This is especially important for institutions that receive Title IV funding because they must have specific technology in place to verify the identity of online exam-takers to ensure they are enrolled students. One way to meet this identity verification requirement is to use online proctoring.
Honorlock’s online proctoring solution isn’t just for online courses
Regardless of the modality of your classes, Honorlock’s blended proctoring solution, which uses AI and human proctors, creates a dynamic and non-invasive test environment that gives students the flexibility and convenience they need, while instructors gain confidence that academic integrity is protected and have more time to teach instead of test. Additionally, Honorlock’s proctoring software prevents ChatGPT, detects cell phones, finds leaked test content, and more.
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Sources:
1 Wiley, (2022). New Insights into Academic Integrity 2022 Update.
2 Pleasants, J., Pleasants, J. M., & Pleasants B. P. (2021). Cheating on unproctored online exams: Prevalence, mitigation measures, and effects on exam performance.
3 Alessio, H. M.; Malay, N.; Maurer, K.; Bailer, A. J.; & Rubin, B. (2017). Examining the Effect of Proctoring on Online Test Scores.
4 Dendir, S., & Stockton Maxwell, R. (2020). Cheating in online courses: Evidence from online proctoring
5Attia M. 2014. Postgraduate students’ perceptions toward online assessment.
6Matthíasdóttir Á., Arnalds H. 2016. e-assessment: students’ point of view; pp. 369–374.
7Williams J.B., Wong A. 2009. The efficacy of final examinations: A comparative study of closed‐book, invigilated exams and open‐book, open‐web exams.
8Van Der Wege, M., & Barry, L. A. (2008). Potential perils of changing environmental context on examination scores.