Making Sense of G2 Ratings for Online Proctoring

G2's ratings of the best online proctoring in 2023

G2 is the largest and most trusted peer-to-peer software review site with about 80 million people each year and over 2.2 million authentic reviews. 

Two important words to remember from above: authentic reviews

Companies can’t buy their way to the top. Reviews can’t be influenced or manipulated. They have serious review validation processes to make sure of it. G2 is the go-to for real reviews that compare online proctoring software and services. The reviews include ratings of more generalized topics, like ease of use and meeting requirements, and they cover specific proctoring features and functionality. This article will give you context about the specific features and functionality and why they’re so important if you’re comparing proctoring software and services. See a breakdown of the ratings here.

ID verification

Verifies that the person taking the proctored exam is the person getting credit.

Obviously, you want to know that the person taking the proctored exam is the person getting credit for it. While most online proctoring platforms have ID verification, they aren’t the same. Some are quick and simple. Others are time-consuming and invasive.

Consider these questions as you’re comparing online proctoring software:
  • How invasive is it? What information is collected? Does the proctoring software use biometric data like facial recognition?
  • Is it easy? What’s the process like, and how long does it take?

Honorlock’s ID verification captures a picture of the test-taker and their photo ID and ensures the name on the ID matches the name in the LMS in about a minute. No facial recognition. That’s it.

ID verification ratings

Browser lockdown

Blocks access to other browsers and software.

If you’re only using browser lockdown software to proctor online exams, you’re essentially just locking your windows but leaving your doors wide open. 

Meaning that only locking the browser won’t really prevent cheating. If a test taker has a cell phone, they can get around it.

But a browser lock is still an important part of a larger solution. And instructors may even want to allow access to certain sites while blocking all others. For example, allowing access to course notes or an online study, while blocking all other sites. Some allow that, some don’t. Make sure the solution’s browser locking is customizable.

Honorlock’s Browser Guard, which is just one component of a comprehensive proctoring solution, is customizable to block all sites and software or allow the ones you want, and it prevents keyboard shortcuts like copying and pasting. 

Browser lockdown software ratings

Video recording

Records test takers’ behavior during the proctored exam session.

Video recording is a staple of proctoring, but it’s important to understand how it’s done and how it’s used.

Do you only want behavior recorded to watch later? Or do you want AI to monitor behavior during the exam, record it, and you’ll just watch the important behaviors that need your attention?

Honorlock’s AI uses the webcam to monitor and record behavior. If the AI detects suspicious behavior during the exam, it alerts a live proctor to review and intervene if necessary. After the exam is over, instructors and admins get a report with proctor-verified violations and can access time-stamped video recordings in full HD quality (many proctoring services only provide SD).

Video recording ratings

Automatic behavior flagging

Uses AI or algorithms to automatically flag test takers’ behavior.

This is one part of online proctoring that separates the best from the rest. 

From cell phone detection and video monitoring to sound detection and room scans, there are many AI proctoring tools to consider that impact the entire experience for all users.

Some AI proctoring software will flag almost anything.

Sneezing – flag.

Talking to themselves – flag.

Looking away from the screen while thinking – flag.

These distract test takers and create more work for administrators during exam reviews. But Honorlock’s approach avoids distractions and extra work. Powerful AI monitors behavior and alerts a live proctor if it detects suspicious behavior. The proctor can review the behavior and decide whether to intervene or not. If the behavior isn’t problematic, the proctor won’t intervene and administrators can skip it when they review. 

AI behavior flagging ratings

Live proctors

A live human proctor is available for an exam session.
Which option would you prefer?

Option 1: There’s a box on your screen of a proctor watching you take an exam

Option 2: No box with a stranger watching you take your exam, and you’ll only interact with a proctor via chat if there’s any behavior that needs to be addressed

Most would choose Option 2 because it isn’t creepy and distracting… And that’s the approach Honorlock uses. You’ll also want to consider what the interactions are like between test takers and proctors. Honorlock’s full-time online proctoring team received training from a nationally certified counselor and educator on providing help and support during moments of test anxiety and frustration. This helps create a better test environment that reduces anxiety and allows test takers to focus.

Live proctoring ratings

Test session reports

Reports containing details about test taker behaviors and suspicious activities.

Test reports can save admins a lot of time… or waste a lot of time.

If you want to save time, make sure that the reports are:
  • Time-stamped for violations, notable behaviors, or potentially suspicious behaviors/activities (as opposed to reviewing flags)
  • Available within the LMS dashboard to avoid extra logins/passwords

Honorlock’s exam reports save time and make the review process simple. After proctored exams are complete, instructors/admins can access in-depth reports with time-stamped recordings within the LMS dashboard. Reports include test taker violations and notable or suspicious behaviors/activities. In addition, proctors will send a detailed email to test administrators about suspicious behavior observed.

Proctored exam reports ratings

Online proctoring dashboard

A dashboard to view exam trends and overall usage.

How can you monitor proctoring utilization across the institution? How do you determine if the online proctoring platform is actually effective?

In 2023, Honorlock plans to release the most robust analytics reporting available in the online proctoring space. 

The analytics dashboard will allow institutions to:
  • Compare proctoring usage from one semester to the next
  • Analyze the impact of Honorlock’s exam security features such as Search & Destroy and Extension Detection
  • Understand most common exam violations

Honorlock’s dashboard will provide powerful, on-demand analytics empowering institutions to uphold equity, integrity, and exam security by understanding usage trends.

Proctoring dashboard ratings

LMS integrations

The proctoring platform’s integration with Learning Management Systems.

The integration between the online proctoring platform and the LMS impacts the entire experience for every user. It’s the difference between a secure proctoring platform that’s easy to use and a frustrating experience that puts security at risk.

 

Honorlock’s direct LMS integration means that:
  • No extra logins or passwords are needed for admins or test takers.
  • Exam admins create exams in the LMS like normal and then choose the proctoring features they want to use
  • Test takers log into the LMS and launch the exam before verifying their ID and getting started.
  • The integration process takes about an hour to complete

Honorlock’s proctoring platform integrates with Blackboard Learn, Instructure Canvas, Moodle, D2L Brightspace, and Intellum. We also offer custom LMS integrations.

Proctoring LMS integration ratings

Other things to look for to find the best online proctoring service and software

Cell phone detection

Some online proctoring services claim to have cell phone detection, but Honorlock has the most robust cell phone detection available. 

Honorlock’s AI proctoring software can detect when students attempt to use their cell phones to access test bank content during the tests, and we’re the only online proctoring company detecting device sharing apps like Apple Handoff.

Technology that finds leaked test content

Honorlock’s Search & Destroy technology scours the internet to find leaked exam questions. If leaked exam questions are found, instructors are given simple steps to take control of their exams’ integrity.

Unlike the technologies at proctoring companies, instructors using Search and Destroy typically won’t have to deal with the hassle of manually selecting which questions they would like to search for. In just a few minutes, Search and Destroy searches all questions included in the exam.

Live US-based support 24/7/365

If proctored exams are available 24/7/365, support should be available at all times too. The quality of support matters too. Ask proctoring services about support satisfaction and support response times. 

Honorlock offers 24/7/365 live human support at no extra cost. Our support response time is less than five seconds, and we have the highest support satisfaction rating (93%) on G2 for online proctoring companies.

 

Flat-rate cost

Variable prices can add up quickly. Find an online proctoring service, like Honorlock, that offers online proctoring at a flat rate cost per user or exam. Including implementation and 24/7/365 live human support.

While there are many online proctoring companies offering different software and services, make sure that you’re choosing the right one for your needs. We encourage you to dig into G2’s reviews for online proctoring because we know that you’ll come to the same conclusion that many others have: Honorlock is the leader in online proctoring and a true partner in academic integrity.


Schedule a Demo

Tyler Stike

Tyler is Honorlock's Director of Content and a doctoral student at the University of Florida focused on educational technology.

13 Features of the Best Online Proctoring Companies

Compare platform software and services of the best online proctoring companies

Researching the best online proctoring services and software?

Finding the best online proctoring company is difficult because each offers different platforms, features, and services. We’re here to help.
Click to jump to that section.

  1. AI + humans = better proctoring
  2. Detects cell phones
  3. Blocks ChatGPT
  4. Flat-rate price protects your bottom line
  5. Easy to use ≠ less functionality
  6. Automatically searches for leaked test questions
  7. 24/7 proctored exams + live support
  8. Customizable proctoring settings + accommodations
  9. Works for traditional and alternative assessments
  10. Integrates directly with the LMS
  11. Uses voice detection, not sound detection
  12. Reports with timestamped recordings are available in the LMS
  13. Technology + company practices = security

Here are the online proctoring platforms and services we’ll refer to:

Browser lockdown: entry-level exam monitoring software prevents use of other browsers and applications.

Live human proctoring: a proctor simultaneously monitors multiple test-takers in real-time.

Automated proctoring (AI proctoring): only uses AI software to monitor behavior.

Automated (AI) + live proctoring: AI software monitors behavior and alerts a human proctor if it detects potential academic dishonesty

13 things to look for in the best online proctoring services and software
1. Combines AI and humans to improve accuracy and the user experience

When you create a document in Microsoft Word, do you accept every grammar suggestion without reviewing it first? Hopefully not.

And after you proofread and make some suggested changes, you may use assistive writing software, like Grammarly, to double-check your work.

Why do we do this?

Because even though AI is powerful, it isn’t perfect, and humans make mistakes. We use AI in many ways but still review it because there are nuances that need human oversight. This everyday example highlights the value of AI and humans working together.

It’s the same situation for online exam proctoring. AI exam monitoring software and human proctors are independently good at certain things, but they’re more effective when combined.

Consider this scenario: You’re a remote proctor responsible for monitoring a dozen test-takers at once. It’d be easy to miss things, right?

But what if the AI monitors test takers’ behavior and alerts a proctor if it detects any problems? And then they can review the situation one-to-one instead of one-to-a dozen before intervening?

The best online proctoring service does that. This approach creates a better testing environment with fewer distractions and improves proctoring accuracy.

2. Detects cell phones and other devices

Most people have cellphones or other devices, which is why you need to find online proctoring that can detect when they’re being used to look up answers.

In addition to detecting cell phones, the online proctoring software should detect device sharing apps like Apple Handoff.

3. Blocks ChatGPT and other AI tools

If you’re looking to stop AI tools like ChatGPT and Transcript browser extension, you’ll need a lot more than browser lockdown software and a plagiarism checker.

A browser lock is a good start, but what if a test taker has a cell phone? And plagiarism checkers are ineffective at detecting AI generated content.

To stop ChatGPT and other AI, you need a comprehensive proctoring solution with a variety of tools such as: cell phone detection, video monitoring, voice detection (not sound detection), and a blend of AI with live proctoring.

4. Flat-rate pricing helps avoid variable costs

Variable costs can add up quickly depending on the proctoring company’s pricing model.

Consider this scenario: You’re using an online proctoring company that charges per hour.

You budgeted for 500 hours of exam proctoring, but the exams take longer than expected, and you’re billed for 650 hours.

How much extra would that cost you? Whether it’s $10 or $10,000, it’s too much.

To help protect your bottom line and estimate testing costs, find an online proctoring company with a flat rate cost per exam or test-taker.

5. The online proctoring software is easy to use and does everything you need

If you invest in online proctoring software, make sure it gets used.

Clunky proctoring software can create a bad user experience that ultimately decreases adoption and requires more time for training.

Ease of use doesn’t mean less functionality. The best test proctoring software makes it easy to use advanced, customizable proctoring features in just a few clicks – even for the least tech-savvy people.

6. Automatically identifies leaked test questions

Unfortunately, it’s common to find leaked test questions on the internet. It’s a frustrating aspect of online learning that puts your tests and reputation at risk.

“If all of our quizzes are out there on the internet where anyone can look up the answers, what kind of quality is that degree?”– Cody Moyer, Director of Learning Technology, Polk State College

But you have a few options to search for your leaked test content:

Option 1: Individually entering your test questions into an internet search tool and reviewing all of the results.

Option 2: Manually selecting each test question to be searched for by the proctoring software and sending individual takedown requests if any are found.

Option 3: Enabling the online proctoring platform to automatically search the internet for all of your test questions and sending takedown requests with a single click.

Which option sounds best? Option 3 because it’s efficient and effective.
That’s the difference between using the best proctoring software to find leaked test content versus software that checks the box.

7. Proctored exams and support are available 24/7/365

People have busy lives and need the flexibility to take exams and get live support 24/7/365.

“Having access to customer support 24/7/365 is huge. Especially when students may be taking exams at any time of day. You want them to have access to someone who can troubleshoot with them.” – Daphnee St. Val, Senior Instructional Designer, Broward College
Read about Daphnee’s experience with proctoring

Support questions to ask online proctoring companies:

  • Is support available in different ways? e.g., chat, email, phone?
  • In what country or countries are the support agents located?
  • Is support an additional cost or included in the flat rate price?
8. Proctoring settings are customizable

With some remote proctoring platforms, you’re stuck with out-of-the-box settings, whether you want to use them or not.

The inability to disable specific features of the proctored exam platform limits customization and can negatively impact the exam experience. The best proctoring platforms allow test admins to pick and choose which features to enable or disable in a few clicks.

“Instructors like how they can set different parameters in the exams. It’s a better experience for the students because instructors can be very specific.” – Paula Rodriguez, Former Director of the University Testing Center, Colorado State University.
Read about Paula’s experience with proctoring

The best proctoring services also allow admins to give instructions that provide accommodations, such as bathroom breaks, extended exam times, alternative assessment activities, and assistive devices.

9. Proctors traditional questions and alternative assessment activities

Most remote proctoring companies offer at least one way to protect traditional test questions, like multiple-choice and true-or-false. But what about proctoring alternative assessment activities, sometimes called authentic assessments, like live virtual presentations or preparing balance sheets in Excel?

Browser lockdown software isn’t nearly enough. AI-only won’t cut it, and live proctoring-only could be a scheduling disaster and lead to variable costs.

The most effective way to protect alternative assessments is to combine customizable remote proctoring software with live human review.

Test admins should be able to choose which proctoring features to use and provide the live proctor with detailed instructions and test rules for further customization that cover the many nuances of alternative assessments.

How to use remote proctoring tools in online alternative assessments:
Example alternative assessment activity: giving virtual presentations

 

  • Video: scans the room for additional people and unauthorized resources, verifies identity, and records the presentation.
  • Voice detection: detects when the person speaks and provides a transcript of what they say.
  • Accommodations: if a person has a speech impairment, for example, proctor instructions can offer alternative ways to complete the presentation, like using text-to-speech assistive technology.

Example alternative assessment activity: completing a balance sheet in Excel

 

  • BrowserGuard: allows the use of Excel but restricts other software, records screens, and prevents keyboard shortcuts.
  • Video: verifies ID and ensures prohibited resources, like notes, aren’t in the test room.
  • Accommodations: if the person has a physical condition that impairs the ability to type or use a mouse, proctor instructions can allow them to use an assistive keyboard and mouse.
10. The proctoring platform directly integrates with your LMS

A proctoring platform that directly integrates with your learning management system can speed up implementation, improve ease of use, secure data, and it usually means that no extra passwords or logins are required.

“You want an integrated system. You don’t want faculty and students to have separate sign-ons. That was important for us.” – Steven Daniello, Director of Assessment Services, Indian River State College
Read about Steven’s experience with proctoring

11. Uses voice detection instead of sound detection

The terms “voice detection” and “sound detection” are interchangeably used, but they’re significantly different.

 

  • Sound detection may flag unimportant noises like coughing or a doorbell ringing.
  • Voice detection listens for particular keywords and phrases, like “Hey Siri” or “OK Google.”

Which do you think is more likely to create a false flag?

While voice detection is a powerful tool, the best remote proctoring service takes it a step further by creating a transcript of what’s said by the test-taker.

12. Reports and recordings give actionable insights and help streamline the review process

The online proctoring solution should provide exam reports with timestamped recordings within the LMS to help speed up review and give admins better test performance insights.

“I felt that I couldn’t trust my test scores… The analytics that come with the flags and real-time recording helped me to understand how students were approaching the course and what strategies they were using to pass the test. Honorlock helped me make sense of what was going on.” – Ryan P. Mears, PhD, Lecturer, University of Florida
Read about Ryan’s experience with proctoring

13. Online proctoring companies should take a security-first approach

From security software and technologies to ongoing training and employee onboarding, thoroughly vet the security practices of online proctoring companies because their security becomes your security.

Ask these questions about security of the online proctoring platform and company:

Security testing and employee training

  • Does the company perform regular security testing of the proctoring platform?
  • Is ongoing employee security training required?
  • If so, how often is it conducted and what does the training entail?
  • Does the proctoring company have an incident response plan?
  • If so, how often do they practice the plan?
  • Do they have a Disaster Recovery Plan and Business Continuity Plan?

Data security and privacy

 

  • What type of data is collected and why is it collected?
  • How is data collected and maintained?
  • Who owns the data?
  • Is data encrypted in transit and at rest?

Tip: Review the proctoring company’s privacy policy, which should be publicly available

 

What’s the best proctoring software and service?

Honorlock is the highest-rated online proctoring software on the peer-to-peer review site, G2. Honorlock earned this score thanks to its ease of use, quality of support, and simple setup.

What is Honorlock?

Honorlock is an online proctoring company that combines advanced software and services to protect the integrity of online exams for higher education and professional education.

How does Honorlock work?

Honorlock’s online exam proctoring software monitors behavior and alerts a live human proctor if it detects potential issues.

Once alerted, the proctor can review the situation in an analysis window before deciding whether to intervene or not.

This is the best way to proctor online exams because it protects academic integrity and creates a fair, equitable, and non-invasive test environment. While other online proctoring services just try to catch cheating on exams, Honorlock supports and empowers test-takers and administrators.

 

Direct quotes from Honorlock reviews on G2, a peer-to-peer software evaluation site.

See more verified G2 reviews of Honorlock’s online proctoring software and services

Get in touch with our team to see why Honorlock
is the best online proctoring company

Tyler Stike

Tyler is Honorlock's Director of Content and a doctoral student at the University of Florida focused on educational technology.

Is a Browser Lockdown Worth It? Probably Not. But Why?

Is the cost of browser lockdown software worth it?

A browser lockdown may check the box for entry-level proctoring needs for some exams. But the problem is that it’s easy to work around because it only protects against one very specific aspect of cheating.

So, is it worth the cost investment? Nope.

If you’re investing in an online proctoring platform, it should be able to detect and prevent all aspects of exam cheating while remaining cost-effective.

Consider this:
If you’re only proctoring online exams with a browser lockdown, test takers are still able to do the following without detection:

  • Use their cell phones to look up answers
  • Snap pictures of test questions to share with others
  • Allow other people to take the tests for them
  • Take tests with other people in the room
  • Use books, notes, and other resources for help

The examples above are just a few of the many reasons that only using browser lockdown software isn’t enough to protect online exams and probably isn’t worth the investment.

Is the browser lock protecting academic integrity and preventing cheating in the examples above? Not really.

If the browser lockdown software isn’t protecting academic integrity, is it worth the investment? Probably not.

Are there other proctoring platforms that can comprehensively deter cheating on exams and still be cost-effective? Yes (and we’ll show you).

This article briefly explains what browser lockdown software is, provides the pros and cons, and shows you alternative options for online proctoring services and platforms.

What is a browser lockdown and how does it work?

Browser lockdown software is an entry-level online proctoring platform that helps prevent cheating by restricting access to other websites and applications and disabling keyboard functionality.

 

What are the pros and cons of browser lockdown software?

As you can see from the comparison chart below, the limitations of browser lockdown software greatly outweigh the benefits it provides.

So, what’s a better online proctoring platform option and why?

To comprehensively prevent cheating, protect academic integrity, and support test takers, you need a blended proctoring platform that combines AI with human review.

How does an online proctoring platform like this work?

The proctoring platform uses AI to monitor each exam session for potential academic dishonesty and alerts a live proctor to join the test takers’ session in real-time if it detects any issues.

What are the features and benefits of a blended proctoring platform?

In addition to a browser lock, when you use a proctoring company like Honorlock, you’ll enjoy these extensive additional features and benefits:

Cost-effectiveness and scalability

Honorlock’s online proctoring services and platform are available at a flat rate cost per exam or per test taker. This cost structure helps you accurately estimate testing costs and prevent variable costs. Our proctoring services also include implementation of the online proctoring platform, training, and 24/7/365 US-based support at no additional cost.

Protects exam questions and content

Honorlock’s Search & Destroy technology searches the internet to identify leaked exam questions. If leaked exam content is found, test administrators are given simple steps to take control of their exams’ integrity by sending content takedown requests in one click and updating exam content.

Monitors test takers’ behavior through the webcam

The webcam is used to monitor behavior throughout the exam and provides test administrators with timestamped recordings and reports afterward. The webcam is also used during the room scan and ID verification process.

Detects voices, not just sounds

Honorlock’s voice detection software won’t create endless flags for test takers coughing or talking to themselves during an exam.

Instead, the software listens for specific keywords or phrases, such as “Hey Siri” or “OK Google,” and alerts a live proctor to intervene if necessary.

Customizes exams in a few clicks

Honorlock provides test administrators with the ability to customize proctored exams in just a few clicks. The test administrator creates the exam in the LMS like they already do and then they’ll click to choose which proctoring features to enable or disable. They can also provide the exam instructions for further customization for each exam and even specific test takers.

Proctors alternative assessments and traditional question formats

The blend of AI and human review along with the ability to provide detailed proctor instructions and test rules means that whether it’s multiple-choice questions, math problems using pen and paper, handwritten essays, or open book formats, all test activities will be protected.

Can detect the use of cell phones

Our online proctoring platform can detect when test takers attempt to use their cell phones to access test bank content during the exam.

Verifies test taker ID in 60 seconds

ID verification is quick and simple with Honorlock. The proctoring software uses the webcam to capture a picture of the test-taker along with their photo ID.

Provides 24/7/365 proctored exams and live support

With Honorlock’s proctoring services and platform, proctored exams can be taken anytime, day or night, and both test takers and test administrators can get on-demand support from live, US-based support agents.

Helps reduce test anxiety

This blended solution uses AI to monitor exams and a live proctor will only intervene if potential issues are detected. This means the live proctor won’t be watching the test-taker the whole time.

Integrates with your LMS

A direct integration between Honorlock’s proctoring software and the LMS is key because it creates a familiar test environment and there are no extra passwords or logins needed.

Proctors exams within third-party platforms

Honorlock’s platform proctors exams on third-party platforms, such as MyMathLab, ALEKS, Pearson, and McGraw Hill.

To preserve academic integrity and create a fair testing environment, use Honorlock’s online proctoring platform and services to protect against all aspects of cheating on exams, not just one.

 

Add your information to see a demo of Honorlock’s online proctoring platform

Tyler Stike

Tyler is Honorlock's Director of Content and a doctoral student at the University of Florida focused on educational technology.

How to Write an RFP for Online Proctoring Services

Download the online proctoring services RFP template to save time and find the right solution.

Creating a Request for Proposal (RFP) for online proctoring services can be daunting. Where do you start? Who’s involved? What questions should you ask? How do you create scoring criteria?

But don’t worry, this article details how to write an RFP for online proctoring services and you can save time by downloading a prewritten, customizable plug-and-play RFP template as a Word Doc or PDF.

How does the template work? It’s a fully customizable, plug-and-play template. We show you where to plugin your information (important deadlines, school name, number of students, etc.) and you can add, remove, and edit any questions and sections within the RFP.

Click the buttons below to skip ahead to each section
Planning
Security
RFP Intro
Services
Vendors
References
Features
Pricing
What is an RFP?
A Request for Proposal (RFP) is a document used to gather formal responses from vendors that offer specific products and services. RFPs provide the responding vendors with the project’s scope and goals, mandatory requirements, evaluation criteria, contract terms, and timeline.

Planning your online proctoring RFP

Better planning can help get the best responses

Determine who should be involved in the RFP process

Some institutions involve many different departmental stakeholders throughout the online proctoring RFP process, while others only include a few individuals. Determine who needs to be involved and what their expertise brings to the RFP creation and evaluation process.

When it comes to procuring online proctoring services, individual stakeholders may include instructors, directors of online learning, instructional designers, LMS administrators, testing center staff, IT, and security.

Decide what your make-or-break proctoring requirements are

With any RFP, you’ll have features, functionalities, and services that are mandatory, while others are nice to have. This will help save time during the creation process and will hopefully eliminate responses from online proctoring companies that don’t meet your requirements.

For example:

  • Mandatory item: the online proctoring software integrates with your LMS.
  • Nice-to-have item: a proctored exam report can be exported as a PDF.

Create a comprehensive list of requirements and questions

This is where the bulk of the work begins for those involved. Your team will create a full list of requirements and questions for the online proctoring companies.

Organize the requirements and questions into specific sections

Once your team compiles a list of all the requirements and questions, break them into specific sections such as proctoring features and functionality, data security, support services, implementation, references, and pricing.

Create scoring criteria for the RFP

Explain how your team will evaluate responses and select a winner.

Scoring may be subjective, such as the team reading written responses and grading them on a scale of 1 – 10. Scoring can also be very objective, such as using a list of requirements with yes or no answers and simply adding up the scores in each column.

Some use weighted scoring where each category is worth a percentage of the total score. For example:

  • Pricing: 20%
  • Technical product responses: 30%
  • Security, privacy, & accessibility 30%
  • Support: 20%

Regardless of your approach, make sure the online proctoring vendors have a clear idea of your scoring process.

Develop a timeline

Create a realistic timeline that accounts for every step of the evaluation process. Your timeline should provide proctoring companies and your institution with adequate time to review, ask questions, and develop appropriate responses.

Provide the dates and times for:

  • RFP issue date
  • Vendor question submission deadline
  • Responses to vendor questions
  • Vendor submission deadlines
  • Completion of response reviews
  • Vendor selection
  • Implementation and training
  • Ideal launch date

Click here to return to the RFP sections menu

Creating an RFP introduction

This is where you need to consider what information the responding vendors need to provide the best responses. Explains the expectations and goals of implementing online proctoring software and what type of information you want in the RFP responses.

Provide important information to the proctoring vendors

  • Define the expectations and goals of the RFP and implementation of online proctoring
  • List mandatory proctoring features and functionalities versus nice-to-have
  • Provide critical information about your institution and the project
  • The number of online students and/or exams you plan to proctor
  • Will the entire institution use online proctoring or just certain departments?
  • What type of tests will be proctored?
  • Traditional online tests (e.g., multiple-choice, true/false questions, etc.)
  • Online authentic assessments and alternative assessments (e.g., virtual demonstrations, handwritten essays, etc.)
  • Tests in the classroom or at a testing center
  • High-stakes assessments only or will low-stakes assessments, such as weekly quizzes, also be proctored?
  • Relevant software and hardware that are currently used
  • e.g., LMS, third-party testing software, Chromebooks or iPads, hardware, hosting, etc.

Create detailed response instructions

Having uniform RFP responses makes it easier to review, so give exact details of how you want responses provided. This can include things like:

  • Document type and format
  • Document type: WordDoc, PDF, Excel, etc.
  • Document format: electronic, physical copies, or both.
  • How detailed and complex the responses should be
  • Paragraphs? Bullet points? Yes or no only? Should screenshots be included?
  • Provide examples and/or templates you’d like the proctoring companies to use
  • Provide exact dates and times for important RFP milestones, such as submission due date, vendor question deadline, decision date, and go-live
  • Provide the vendors with the name, title, and contact information for your institution’s point of contact
  • Detail how the RFP responses will be scored and evaluated

Click here to return to the RFP sections menu

Vendor information

This section can be as concise or in-depth as you’d like. But the main goal is to get any information you need up front. This section can help vendors set the tone for what the institution can expect in the remainder of the RFP for proctoring services.

This can include things like an overview of features and benefits, security posture, key differentiators, recent achievements, similar customer institutions, and company history and information.

Be sure to include your own MSA or request the standard MSA from the proctoring vendor. You should also ask if and how redlining should be provided.

Click here to return to the RFP sections menu

Online proctoring features and functionality requirements

Types of online proctoring

What type of online proctoring does the vendor offer?

Determine which type of online proctoring software and services your institution needs.

comparison chart of different types of online proctoring

How will the online proctoring solution be used?

Each online proctoring solution has pros and cons, so it’s important to consider the number of students and assessments as well as the types of assessments.

For example, if your instructors plan to offer online authentic assessments, you’ll probably lean toward a solution that blends AI and live proctoring to cover all the nuances. In contrast, if instructors only want to prevent students from opening tabs, browser lockdown software is an option.

LMS integration

The LMS integration impacts virtually every aspect of the online proctoring experience. It’s the difference between a quick and easy implementation, or a clunky, frustrating experience.

  • Does the proctoring software integrate with your LMS?
  • How does the integration take place?
  • How long does it usually take to complete the integration?
  • Identify and describe the plan for conversion and integration with existing systems.
  • What’s the experience like for instructors and students?
  • How does it change the test creation and test taking process for instructors and students?
  • Are extra logins and passwords still needed?
  • Can instructors review exam reports within the LMS?
  • Can instructors and students access support within the LMS?

Sound or voice detection

Make sure to differentiate smart voice detection from sound detection.

  • Sound detection detects any sounds, whether it’s a cough, a doorbell ringing, or another voice.
Generally speaking, each and every sound detected will be flagged by the proctoring software. In other words, unless the student is in a completely silent environment, any sound that’s detected can create a false flag, which creates a lengthy and frustrating review process for instructors.
  • Voice detection listens for specific keywords or phrases such as “Siri,” “Alexa,” or “Answer” to identify students who may be attempting to gain an unfair advantage.
That’s why it’s important to implement proctoring software with the voice detection described above rather than sounds. Ask the following questions:
  • Can the proctoring software detect voices?
  • Can instructors provide their own list of words to flag that are specific to their exam?
  • Does the software provide a transcript of what the student said?
  • Does the software alert a live proctor to intervene?

Test content protection

Homework help sites make it easy for students to find and share test questions and answers. The proctoring technology should be able to identify when the instructors’ test questions are leaked on the internet.

A bonus is if the software allows the instructor to actually take action by removing the content and/or updating their test questions.

Third-party test proctoring

Make sure that the proctoring software can proctor exams on third-party testing platforms such as McGraw-Hill, MyMathLab, and Pearson.

Ask how the proctoring software works with the third-party platforms to make sure that it isn’t a clunky experience for instructors and students.

Some proctoring software makes it simple to proctor third-party exams; it’s just like proctoring within the LMS, just a step or two more). In a few clicks, instructors can set up proctoring and students can launch the exam.

Cell phone detection

This is especially important because most students have a cell phone or another device that they can potentially use during the exam to look up test answers.

  • Can the proctoring software detect the use of cell phones?

ID verification process

The ID verification process can seem straightforward, but you need to understand how they’re verifying it, what personal information is collected, and how it’s stored. This is especially important to understand because some proctoring services don’t perform any AI checks against IDs; they only capture ID for review by a proctor or instructor, which means an even longer review process.

What’s the ID verification process like for students?

  • What steps are needed and how long does it typically take to complete them?

During the verification process, does the software use face recognition or face detection?

These terms are often used interchangeably, but they’re vastly different.

  • Face recognition uses biometric technology to detect a face, extract features, and match it to a name in a database.
  • Face detection is much less invasive because it simply detects that a face is present.

Browser guard

A browser guard, sometimes called browser lockdown software, is a pretty standard proctoring feature, but you should still ask how it works and what its limitations are. Keep in mind that browser lockdown software only protects one small aspect of potential academic misconduct.

Reports and recordings

You want to make sure that reports and recordings are easy to understand and quick to review.

Ask what student behavior is flagged and included in the reports and how instructors will actually access the reports. Ideally, instructors can review reports and export them without leaving the LMS.

You should also ask if the recordings are timestamped. Timestamps of important student activities are crucial for streamlining the video review process for instructors.

Accessibility

There’s a lot to consider with the accessibility of any software, and it’s the difference between having the ability to learn or being left out. Each aspect, no matter how small, makes a huge difference that can make or break the learning experience for some.

While web accessibility is a massive undertaking, we’ll provide key points to consider in this section and a full list of questions in the downloadable RFP template.

Accessibility standards

The proctoring software should be fully ADA accessible, compliant with Section 508, and developed to conform to WCAG 2.0 level AA guidelines.

Development process and testing tools

Look for an online proctoring service that accounts for accessibility in their design process from start to finish. And be sure to ask what accessibility testing tools they use as part of this process.

Support and integration with other assistive technologies

What assistive technologies does it work with? e.g., screen readers, alternative keyboards, graphic organizers, etc.

Accommodations for students

Does the proctoring service allow instructors to provide accommodations for specific students, such as bathroom breaks, specific assistive devices, and extended time limits? Accommodations like these are crucial for some students to successfully complete their online exams.

VPAT

Ask for the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template, which provides a standardized reporting format for product accessibility conformance.

Click here to return to the RFP sections menu

Data security RFP information

Data security is one of the most important aspects for instructors, institutions, and students using online proctoring software and services. Keep in mind that their security becomes your security.

There’s a lot of information to cover in this section, but we’ll summarize it here and you can a full list of online proctoring security questions in the RFP template that you can download.

Data security and privacy

  • What data is collected and why?
  • Who owns the data?
  • Do they sell your data?
  • Is the vendor FERPA compliant?
  • How is the data collected and maintained?
  • How long is the data retained?
  • What is the cadence of the vendor’s vulnerability and penetration testing?
  • Is the data encrypted in transit and at rest?
  • Is the data classified?
Data security software and technologies
  • What data security software and technologies are used?
Disaster planning and response
  • Does the proctoring company have a disaster recovery and business continuity plan?
  • What is their incident response plan?
  • Do they have a Service Level Agreement?

Security maturity and employee training

  • Understand each proctoring company’s security approach from the ground up
  • How are employees continually trained and how often?
  • What security testing is in place?

Click here to return to the RFP sections menu

Proctoring services for support, implementation, and training

Features and functionality of proctoring software are great, but support, implementation, and training are equally important to your overall success.

Support

  • When is support available?
  • 24/7/365 or specific days and times?
  • What support is available for students and faculty?
  • Chat, phone, or email?
  • Where is the company’s support team located?
  • Can the user communicate with a live support representative, or is it only automated?
  • Is support included or is there an additional cost?

Customer success

 

  • Does the proctoring service provide your institution with a dedicated customer success manager?
  • If so, what does that relationship entail?
  • Is the customer success manager included in the overall cost or at an extra cost?

Implementation and training

Ultimately, you need to ensure that implementation is quick and easy and that your faculty are trained and confident.

  • What occurs during the implementation process?
  • How long does the average implementation take?
  • Implementation should take days, not weeks.
  • What’s your institution responsible for during the implementation?
  • What personnel should be included?
  • What training is provided and how?
  • Is training included or does it cost extra?
  • Are training resources available on an ongoing basis?
  • If so, what kind? e.g., tutorial documents and videos, knowledge base, webinars, etc.

Click here to return to the RFP sections menu

References

If possible, you’ll want to ask for customer references that are similar to your institution’s type, size, and offerings.

Click here to return to the RFP sections menu

Online proctoring pricing

Look for an appropriate pricing model that fits your needs so that you can accurately predict and anticipate testing costs. Does the company provide flat rate pricing? If not, consider the variable costs associates for different services.

Ask for comprehensive pricing options based on the proctoring service’s various offerings and ask for anticipated additional fees based on your RFP requirements.

Complete the form & we’ll send you the RFP documents

Tyler Stike

Tyler is Honorlock's Director of Content and a doctoral student at the University of Florida focused on educational technology.

How to Proctor Online Authentic Assessments

How to proctoring online authentic assessments

Many believe authentic assessments are best for in-person classes, but they’re just as useful in online courses – but there are still challenges.

How would you prevent students from cheating in these situations?

A nursing student is recording a video demonstration about how to take blood pressure

  • What if they have instructions on their desk or a classmate in the room showing them what to do next?​

An accounting student is preparing a balance sheet in Excel​

  • What if they copy and paste formulas or search the internet for help?​
The good news is that online proctoring can be used to prevent cheating during authentic assessments and we’ll show you how for these assessment activities:

Using online proctoring for authentic assessments

For each example in this article, we’ll assume the instructor is using an online proctoring solution that combines AI software and live proctors.

This type of online proctoring allows instructors to prevent cheating by verifying ID, monitoring behavior, detecting cell phone use and voices, identifying leaked test content, and more.

Click here to skip to the online proctoring features overview section of this article.

Authentic assessment video presentations and demonstrations

In this example, students use their webcam to record themselves:
  • Holding a tool and identifying the parts
  • Demonstrating how the tool actually works
  • Presenting one idea they have to improve the tool

Example: A nursing student identifies the parts of a stethoscope, demonstrates how it works, and presents one way they believe it can be improved.

How to use proctoring for online presentations and demonstrations

Detect voices and get a transcript of what was said

The AI proctoring software can detect voices and provide the instructor with a transcript of what the student said during the assessment presentation. This can help save time when checking for certain topics without watching the whole video.

The AI software also listens for specific keywords or phrases, such as “Hey Siri” or “OK Google,” and words from a custom list provided by the instructor, such as “help me,” or “what’s the answer?”

If the AI detects any potential dishonesty, it alerts a live remote proctor to pop into the online assessment session to intervene and redirect the student.

Scan the room and monitor student behavior

If the instructor wants to make sure that students aren’t using any notes or resources during the assessment, they can require students to complete a room scan and the AI proctoring software monitors student behavior throughout the assessment to detect potential dishonesty.

Record the presentation/demonstration

The AI proctoring software records the entire presentation for the instructor to watch. The recording also includes timestamps of any suspicious behavior to review.

Group presentation authentic assessments

Example: Three students in different locations record a group presentation using a video conferencing platform.

How to use remote proctoring for group presentations

Much of this process is the same as recording an individual student’s presentation.
Instructors can use remote proctoring to verify each student’s ID, scan the room for additional notes and resources, record the presentation video, and to get a transcript of what the students said during the presentation.

The instructor would just review the audio and video of the presentation from one student in the group.

Authentic assessment essays (typed and handwritten)

Example: Students write an essay by hand or they can type it in an online word processor, such as Google Docs or Microsoft Word.

How to use online proctoring for essays and written test questions

Allow handwritten essays

Some students may be more comfortable with handwriting their essay. Handwritten essays can be allowed by providing the live proctor with specific settings, instructions, and test rules.

Proctoring setting

The instructor turns on Scratch Paper Allowed and the AI won’t flag a student for looking down at their paper.

The student would simply show the blank paper before they start writing and upload the written essay after they complete it.

Test rules and instructions for students

The instructor provides test rules and instructions that require the student to use white paper and a black or dark blue pen.

Use a browser guard to only allow access to specific sites

The instructor provides a list of specific browser-based word processors that students can access to type their written response, such as Google Docs and Microsoft Word.

After students complete the essay, there are workflows in the LMS for uploading written work, notes, and scratch paper.

Detect when students use their cell phones to look up test answers

Some online proctoring software can detect when students attempt to use their cell phones or other devices to access test bank content during the exam.

Verify student ID

The webcam is used to verify student ID in about a minute so that instructors can be sure that the student completing the assessment is the one getting credit for it.

Authentic assessment math problems using pen and paper

Example: Students read the math problems on the online assessment and use scratch paper to complete the math problem.

How to proctor math problems completed by hand using pen and paper

Proctoring math problems that are answered using pen and paper will be similar to the process for handwritten essays.
In addition to verifying ID, scanning the room, monitoring behavior, and detecting cell phones, specific settings and instructions can be used to proctor online math problems.

To help keep the review process organized, the instructor can provide specific instructions for students to follow such as:

  • Only use black or dark blue pen and blank white paper
  • Only answer one question per side of paper
  • Before you begin answering the question, hold the blank paper up to the camera
  • Clearly write the question number in the top left corner of the paper
  • Show your work after your complete each question
  • To show your work, hold the piece of paper up to the camera for three seconds after you complete each question
  • If you need to redo your work, hold the piece of paper up for the question you’re redoing, cross out your answer, start your new work on a blank piece of paper and repeat the steps

Authentic assessment requiring the use of real-world software

Example: Accounting students must prepare their own balance sheet from scratch using Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel.

How to use online exam proctoring for assessment activities using real-world software

Use a browser guard to prevent access to other websites

A browser guard is a quick way to prevent students from opening new windows, tabs, or applications. It can also be used to only allow specific URLs during the online authentic assessment.

Record students’ screens during the assessment activity for review

The students’ screens can be recorded throughout the assessment activity and the instructor can watch the videos to see how students completed it.

Record audio for an “explainer video”

In addition to recording students’ screens during the assessment activity, instructors can also record audio. This way, instructors can watch the student complete the activity and the student can explain what they’re doing and why.

As previously mentioned, the audio recording also comes with a transcript of what the student said during the recording.

Similar to the authentic assessment activities mentioned earlier in this article, instructors can also verify ID, detect cell phone use, and complete a room scan.

Open book authentic assessments

Example: The assessment, or parts of the assessment, allow students to use specific books and resources in physical and electronic formats.

How to use online proctoring for open book test questions

Scan the room to ensure that only permitted resources are available

During the room scan, students can have instructor-permitted books in the testing area that they can use during the proctored authentic assessment.

Identify leaked test questions

Instructors can use technology to search the Internet to identify when test questions have been leaked. If any leaked test questions are found, instructors are given simple steps to take control of their exams’ integrity.

Only allow specific digital resources

Instructors can allow students to access specific digital resources during the proctored exam. The instructor simply adds the exact URLs of permitted sites in the exam setup.

Honorlock makes it easy to proctor online authentic assessments

Assessment recordings are time-stamped to streamline reviews

After the authentic assessment is complete, instructors can access actionable reports and time-stamped recordings within the LMS dashboard.

The reports include important information about student activity, such as potential violations and suspicious behavior, in an easy-to-read format to streamline the review process.

The direct LMS integration creates a familiar testing environment
Honorlock’s proctoring software integrates with the existing LMS, which creates a very familiar test experience for students and instructors.
  • Instructors create assessments just like they already do and then simply choose which online proctoring features to use
  • Students take the proctored assessment within the LMS like they’re accustomed to and get live support without leaving the assessment window
  • No extra passwords or logins needed
Students can take proctored authentic assessments 24/7/365 and get live support

Even though Honorlock makes things simple and easy, we still provide live support for students and faculty – any time, day or night.

Combines AI with human proctors which can help reduce student test anxiety

Honorlock’s AI monitors each student’s online assessment session and alerts a live, US-based proctor if any potential academic dishonesty is detected. The live proctor can then use an analysis window to review the situation before entering the assessment session via chat-box to address the situation and help the student get back on track.

This approach delivers a much less intimidating and non-invasive proctored testing experience for the student.

Detect cell phones and other devices

The ability to detect cell phones and other devices is especially important because most students have access to one or more devices. Honorlock’s online proctoring software can detect when students attempt to use their cell phone, tablet, and laptop to access test bank content during the authentic assessment.

Scan the testing environment

Before the authentic assessment begins, instructors can require students to scan the room and the desk area to ensure no unauthorized people or items are in the testing environment.

If the instructor would like the student to show certain items, such as blank scratch paper or a book, they can use the “Additional Instructions” section to detail what they’d like the student to do for the room scan.

Block access to websites and applications

Honorlock’s Browser Guard™ prevents and/or flags if the student attempts to open new windows or tabs or interacts with any other application on the desktop. It can also be used to only allow students to access specific websites while still blocking access to others.

Identify leaked test questions and take action to protect content

Honorlock’s Search & Destroy technology searches the internet to identify exam questions that have been shared online and if leaked exam questions are found, instructors are given simple steps to take control of their exams’ integrity.

Verify ID in about a minute

ID verification quick and simple with Honorlock. Our AI captures a picture of the student along with their photo ID. In about 60 seconds, students are able to begin their proctored online exam.

Detect voices and get transcripts

Our online exam proctoring software listens for specific keywords or phrases, such as “Hey Siri” or “OK Google,” or words from a dynamic list, such as “help me,” or “what’s the answer.” The AI then alerts a live remote proctor to pop into the online exam session via chat to intervene and redirect the student.

Additionally, Honorlock creates a written transcript whenever a voice is detected.

Read parts 1 & 2 of the authentic assessment series

Part 1: What is authentic assessment and how is it used in online courses?

Part 2: How to make online authentic assessments (with examples)

Tyler Stike

Tyler is Honorlock's Director of Content and a doctoral student at the University of Florida focused on educational technology.

How Online Proctoring Benefits Higher Ed Roles

How online proctoring helps improve teaching and learning for different roles in higher education

Online exam proctoring helps improve online teaching and learning for five groups in higher ed:

  1. Students
  2. Instructors
  3. Distance & eLearning faculty
  4. Testing center directors
  5. Administration

Click the number above to skip to that section.

How proctoring online exams benefits students

Easy to use

Online proctoring software that directly integrates with the LMS creates a similar test environment because students take the proctored exam within the LMS just like they already do. The integration also means that students won’t need any extra logins or passwords.

“Students like that Honorlock launches directly out of Canvas, and that there is nothing that they have to do differently from what they are used to. It’s seamless and quick, and the equipment checks are faster than our previous solution, which improves the entire experience.”– Paula Rodriguez, former director of the University Testing Center at Colorado State University

 
Students can take online proctored exams 24/7 and get live support

Because it’s available 24/7/365, online proctoring also allows students to experience the flexibility of taking a test at a time best for them, often without needing to set an appointment at a testing center.

“Having access to customer support 24/7/365 is huge. Especially during times like this when students may be taking exams at any time of day. You want them to have access to someone who can troubleshoot with them.” – Daphnee St. Val, Senior Instructional Designer at Broward College

Helps reduce student test anxiety
Honorlock conducted a student survey with a university and found that the right online proctoring platform can help reduce student test anxiety, which is present in 64% of students.

Several safeguards Honorlock offers helped significantly, such as dispelling misconceptions about what could trigger a red flag and the ability to troubleshoot and alleviate technical concerns before starting the test.

Honorlock’s full-time remote proctoring team is trained to identify indicators of test anxiety, such as lip licking or touching the face, and they proactively interact with affected students using a reassuring set of talking points. 100% of students who interacted with a remote proctor said the interaction made them less anxious.

“I don’t get any complaints about it [from students]. They say it’s quick and easy, and once they start the exam, they don’t even notice that they’re being proctored, which helps to reduce test anxiety.” Dr. Juliette Mersiowsky, Former Director of Distance Education and Digital Education Collaborative at Longwood University

Helps solidify the validity of the program

Unfortunately, online learning can come with a downside if it isn’t valued as highly as in-person learning, and students don’t want the perceived value of their degree to fall if they elect to take a class remotely.

“Prioritizing adequate protections for remote testing through online proctoring confirms that an online degree holds the same weight as one where students took the classes in person,” said Jordan Adair, Vice President of Product for Honorlock.

How online proctoring benefits instructors

Class time can be spent teaching instead of testing

Any instructor will agree that there’s never enough time to cover all the material they’d like to present, which is why they value online testing’s ability to preserve educational hours.

“If instructors don’t have to deliver a test in class, that leaves time for another lecture or project they can explore together,” said Adair.

Quick and simple to use

Today’s educators are also often overrun with technological expectations, so it’s vital that the online proctoring platform is easy to use, quick to set up, and fully customizable.

As described earlier, Honorlock’s online exam proctoring software directly integrates with the existing LMS, which means it’s basically the same process for instructors to create exams. The only difference is that after they create the exam in the LMS like they already do, they’ll simply click to choose which proctoring features they want to use during the exam.

“I had 500 students in one class, but the first assessment with Honorlock went as smoothly as it possibly could have gone…Honorlock is an incredibly user-friendly platform – very intuitive,” Peter Burrell, Associate Professor at University of Cincinnati

Protects academic integrity

Instructors spend a lot of time creating exam content, and it’s extremely frustrating when that content is shared on the internet.

To help protect exam content, Honorlock’s Search & Destroy technology searches the web to identify exam questions that have been shared online, which allows instructors to take action by sending content takedown requests and updating exam questions.

Instructors also appreciate the features from proctoring solutions like Honorlock, such as:

  • Cell phone detection
  • Live proctors combined with AI
  • Voice detection
  • Browser locking
  • Time-stamped recordings and reports
  • ID verification

Provides insight into student behavior

Honorlock’s remote proctoring platform collects extensive data during the exam and provides actionable reports and time-stamped recordings within the LMS dashboard.

This means the instructor can save time by focusing on relevant student behavior and violations. The proctored exam reports appear in an easy-to-read format that includes relevant student activity such as violations and any suspicious behavior.

“It was also a means to detect and determine many different ways that students approach the exams. Because of access to the wealth of data and information provided through Honorlock, I became better able to utilize it.”– Ryan P. Mears, Ph.D., Lecturer at University of Florida

How online exam proctoring benefits distance learning and elearning faculty

Quick and easy implementation

As schools are expanding their online learning offerings, many distance learning faculty are taking on more responsibilities. That’s why a simple implementation is so valuable. Implementing an online proctoring platform should take days, not weeks. “From setting up the LMS integration in as little as an hour to a fully managed implementation and training plan, schools are ready to go with Honorlock,” Adair said.

“The integration between Canvas and Honorlock was really seamless. Very easy to get it launched. It was great, we had no problems launching it and making it work,” Burrell explained.

Secures and protects student data

Distance learning teams are concerned with far more than logistical issues. One key consideration for eLearning faculty is the importance of protecting students’ data.

“Colleges value the fact that we are FERPA-compliant and use an encrypted and secure connection during each online proctored exam. Additionally, all student data is secured and stored on the cloud in an Amazon (AWS) data center which is SOC 3 certified, U.S. Privacy Shield and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliant,” said Adair.

Ensuring inclusion and accessibility

In addition, distance learning directors and educators are responsible for creating a diverse and inclusive online learning environment that’s accessible and usable for all students, regardless of their disability or condition.

Honorlock allows your faculty to provide a variety of accommodations to meet student accessibility needs, such as providing breaks, extending time limits, and allowing multiple attempts. Honorlock’s online proctoring platform integrates with assistive devices, such as screen readers, and complies with accessibility standards such as ADA Standards for Accessible Design and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).

Protecting program and institution reputation

Distance learning directors and educators also want to ensure that a degree conferred through distance learning holds equal significance in the marketplace. “Online proctoring helps build the trust that exams are being delivered with the same rigor as an in-person test,” Adair said.

Predicting and controlling costs
Finally, as eLearning departments face budgetary considerations, some remote proctoring companies, such as Honorlock, offer a flat-rate cost per online exam or per student, which helps them better estimate testing costs.

How online proctoring benefits testing center directors

Easy to implement

An online proctoring platform has to be user-friendly for both the faculty designing tests and the students taking them.

“The acceleration in technology adoption has created new burdens for IT departments because institutions, administrators, and instructors have had to adapt to a suite of new tools at such a fast pace,” said Adair. He notes that personnel typically spend several months for training and preparation, adding, “The importance of turnkey software has been brought front and center as they want to streamline offerings and avoid spending extra training dollars or time.” 

Reduces testing review time

Testing center staff spend a lot of time administering exams in person and reviewing online proctoring sessions to shift some of the workload from instructors. Honorlock helps them quickly identify which batches of student exams they might want to review.

“Now [instructors] just go in and click on results. The recent user interface updates streamlined the process even more for faculty.” – Ken Craver, Director of Distance Education at Tyler Junior College

Additionally, if the proctoring platform is easy for students to use, faculty reap the benefits through fewer questions and less hassle with technical issues.

Verifies ID

For some programs, ID verification is required by law, but for any test, faculty need to be sure that the student taking the exam is the student getting credit. With Honorlock, remote proctors can bypass the ID check, which helps make the check-in process more convenient for students as well as testing center staff.

How proctored testing benefits university administration

Increases online learning offerings

As universities face new challenges, they are looking for ideas that have a purposeful impact across the institution. One of the most attractive revenue streams they can offer is online learning.

“While many institutions had been considering expanding their online programs, the pandemic gave everyone the boost they needed to take it to the next level. They are seeing the advantages of making online programs available to more students under a variety of different circumstances, which could lead to greater revenue. Online proctoring makes this growth more feasible,” Adair explained.

Predicts and controls testing costs

Hand-in-hand with growing revenue is controlling costs. Honorlock offers the ability to accurately predict remote testing costs, keeping budgets in check with a flat-rate cost per student or per exam.

Protects institutional reputation

Online exam proctoring reinforces the validity of their academic programs and the institution as a whole, which is vital for the accreditation process.

“It allows universities to demonstrate that students have met certain learning outcomes by showing that the exam was secure and that they verified the identity of the student doing the work,” Adair explains.

This confirmation is more important than ever, given the documented rise in cheating on online tests. The underlying goal? Protecting academic integrity and ensuring a fair and equitable educational experience for all students.

Is your institution ready for the benefits of online proctoring?

Whether you want to expand your online learning offerings or create a level playing field on campus, online proctoring can support your institutional goals.

It also reinforces one of the most crucial services you provide: boosting achievement in students.

“As instructors, we take seriously our role to educate students about academic integrity,” said the University of Cincinnati’s Burrell. “I remind them that when they join the work world, they have to know how to do the research and figure out answers on their own. College is designed to allow them to practice those skills, and we do them a disservice if we don’t encourage that and hold them to high standards throughout their academic journey.” 

As universities continually burnish their legacies by proving the value of the education they provide, they are increasingly turning to online proctoring as a foundational solution.

What is Honorlock?

Honorlock approaches online exam proctoring in a better way.

Our purpose isn’t simply to catch students cheating – we aim to create an online testing environment that supports honesty and integrity in a non-invasive, fair, and equitable testing environment.

Honorlock’s combines the benefits of AI with those of live remote proctors to help reduce student test anxiety, provide support, and uphold academic integrity.

Make online proctoring simple and easy with Honorlock. Schedule a demo.
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Tyler Stike

Tyler is Honorlock's Director of Content and a doctoral student at the University of Florida focused on educational technology.

Online Proctoring LMS Integration

The online proctoring and LMS integration doesn’t sound very exciting, but it’s the difference between a quick and secure integration or one that can leave your data vulnerable and cause frustration for your instructors and students.

Keep these considerations in mind when you compare online proctoring services.

Why the online proctoring and LMS integration is important

Faculty and students will test within the LMS platform they’re comfortable with

Your faculty and students are busy, and the last thing they need is to spend time learning new educational technologies. Using proctoring software that directly integrates with your learning management system keeps your faculty and students in a familiar environment for online testing. 

Online proctoring with a direct LMS integration reduces any learning curve because:

  • Instructors can create online exams in the LMS like they normally do
  • Students can log in and launch the exam in the same LMS platform they’re accustomed to
  • After the student launches the exam, they’ll just verify their ID and complete a room scan in about a minute before starting the proctored exam.

No extra passwords or logins

Many online proctoring services require faculty and students to create an extra account and password to set up proctored exams and view reports. It’s an inefficient and frustrating process that wastes time and causes unnecessary stress before a proctored exam.

Directly integrating proctoring with LMSs removes the need for extra logins and passwords, which saves your faculty and students time and reduces headaches.

Proctored exam reports are available in the LMS

Proctoring software with a plug-and-play LMS integration makes it easy to access proctored exam reports within the LMS. The proctoring software should collect data during the exam and provide instructors with actionable reports within the LMS.

Implementation is quick

Institutions want a quick and easy implementation that takes days, not weeks or months. A key component of quickly implementing online proctoring is how fast it can integrate with the LMS. A direct online proctoring and LMS integration can be set up in about an hour.

“The integration between Canvas and Honorlock was really seamless. Very easy to get it launched. It was great, we had no problems launching it and making it work.” – Peter Burrell, Associate Professor at University of Cincinnati and Business Attorney

Keeps your data secure

A direct LMS proctoring integration means that data is exchanged securely between the proctoring software and your LMS only. Make sure the proctoring services you’re evaluating are compliant with data privacy standards.

Honorlock online proctoring software and services

Online proctoring software with a plug and play LMS integration

In addition to offering custom integrations, Honorlock’s proctoring platform integrates with Canvas, Moodle, Blackboard Learn, D2L Brightspace, and Intellum so that:

  • Instructors can create proctored online exams and review reporting results within the LMS as usual
  • Students launch the online exam within the LMS and can access support without having to leave the exam window
  • No additional passwords or logins are required for test-takers or faculty

“You want an integrated system; you don’t want faculty and students to have separate sign-on. That was important for us,” said Director of Assessment Services at Indian River State College, Stephen Daniello, who also added that integrating Honorlock with their LMS was very easy and took less than an hour.

Learn more about integrating with Honorlock

Easy to use online proctoring software

Honorlock makes online proctoring easy and convenient for instructors and students. It’s easy for instructors to set up proctored online exams, choose which features to use, and review actionable exam reports. The proctored testing experience is just as simple for students; they log in, verify identity, and begin the proctored exam.

Proctor third-party exams

In addition to a direct proctoring LMS integration, Honorlock allows you to proctor third parties such as MyMathLab, ALEKS, Pearson, McGraw Hill, and others. Faculty can register third-party exams and customize settings in the LMS.

Honorlock’s online proctoring software protects your data

Honorlock uses an encrypted and secured connection during each online proctored exam. All videos and photos are stored on Honorlock’s platform. All data is stored in an encrypted format on isolated storage systems within Honorlock’s private cloud in Amazon’s AWS U.S. data centers.

When you compare online proctoring services keep the online proctoring and LMS integration in mind because it impacts the entire online testing experience for your students and faculty.

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Tyler Stike

Tyler is Honorlock's Director of Content and a doctoral student at the University of Florida focused on educational technology.

What is online proctoring?

What is online proctoring for remote testing

The sheer number of online proctoring services and software—some similar, some different—is enough to make your head spin.

But there’s good news: this article covers everything you need to know about proctoring online exams, from what it is and how it works to the different types of software and tools and how they impact the exam experience.

Understanding the basics of online proctoring

What is online proctoring?

Online proctoring is a remote exam supervision method using software, live proctors, or both to maintain exam security and academic integrity. By monitoring desktops, audio, and video, online proctored exams deter and prevent cheating while offering convenient, flexible, and accessible assessments.

What is a proctored exam proctoring?

A proctored exam is a supervised virtual assessment that starts with verifying identity and scanning the room for unauthorized items like cell phones and notes. Remote proctoring software monitors video, locks the browser, and tracks various activities to prevent cheating. Online proctored exams uphold academic integrity, protect credibility, and promote equity and fairness in assessments.

What is an online test proctor and what do they do?

An online test proctor protects academic integrity by verifying test taker identity, monitoring behavior, and managing processes like enforcing rules and providing accommodations to keep the test environment fair and secure. Online proctors with appropriate training can also support test takers during stressful moments.
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Online proctoring services and software compared

Types of online proctoring services and software

Different types of online proctoring options

  • Record and review captures the exam session’s audio and video, which the institution’s staff or the proctoring service reviews after the exam is completes.
  • Automated proctoring uses AI to monitor exams to detect and flag academic dishonesty.
  • Secure test browsers are a type of automated proctoring software that restricts access to other sites and applications and blocks keyboard shortcuts like copy and paste.
  • Live proctoring relies on human proctors overseeing multiple exams in real time and intervening if potential misconduct is detected.
  • Hybrid proctoring combines AI and human proctors; the AI monitors behavior, while human proctors review flagged incidents and may also monitor behavior directly.

Same type of exam proctoring… multiple approaches… different experiences? 

Even if you’re using the same type of proctoring, the experience can be completely different depending on each company’s approach.

Example: all three remote proctoring companies offer a hybrid solution, but each one approaches it differently, which changes the test experience.

  • Company A: a live remote proctor watches a dozen or so test takers simultaneously—the proctor is typically visible in a box on the test takers’ screens—while AI monitors behavior.
  • Company B: AI monitors and pauses exams when potential misconduct occurs—even for innocent actions like sneezing—and a live proctor intervenes.
  • Company C:  AI monitors exams, but instead of pausing the exam for potential misconduct, it alerts the proctor to review the behavior, and they’ll only intervene if necessary.

Think of it like this: you found three restaurants that will cook you a filet mignon.

One restaurant microwaves it until it’s like a hockey puck, another boils it in water (gross), while the other grills it to perfection.

Technically, they all check the box because they cooked a filet mignon for you.

Can you imagine how much different they taste?

This shows how different the same type of proctoring can be, and the same goes for individual tools, regardless of how specific their purpose is.

For example, some companies offer “cell phone detection,” but it actually just relies on a remote proctor seeing a phone while monitoring multiple test takers at once. Other companies use AI that can detect phones in the test area and identify when test takers try to use them to search for test questions.

So, if you’re comparing proctoring technologies, don’t just rely on feature names—dig deeper into how they work to make sure they meet your needs.

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Online proctoring software tools and features

Standard remote proctoring tools

Standard proctoring tools

  • Video proctoring uses the webcam to scan the room and monitor and record behavior during a remote proctored exam.
  • Browser lockdown software secures test browsers by preventing access to unauthorized applications and sites and restricting keyboard shortcuts like copying and pasting.
  • Sound detection records and monitors all audio to detect cheating.
  • ID verification confirms identity before the proctored assessment starts.
Advanced exam proctoring software

Advanced proctoring tools

  • Cell phone detection uses AI to catch a range of phone activities, like looking up answers and even when a phone or another device is in the testing area.
  • Exam content protection automatically searches the internet for leaked exam questions and allows instructors to submit takedown requests with one click.
  • AI blocking uses a combination of proctoring features to block students from using generative AI like ChatGPT and Google Gemini, as well as AI browser extensions.
  • Smart Voice Detection triggers when phrases like 'Alexa' or 'OK Google' that may indicate cheating, records the audio, alerts a remote proctor, and provides a transcript.
  • Live Pop-in combines live proctors and AI proctoring software; the AI monitors test takers’ behavior and alerts a remote live proctor if it detects potential academic dishonesty. Then, the proctor reviews the situation to determine whether to intervene or not. This way, the test taker won’t be interrupted unless it’s necessary.

Get more details on features and functionality

Whether the tools are standard or advanced, the proctoring solution should make it easy to pick and choose which features you want to use, turn off, or customize based on your exam needs. For example, instead of blocking all websites during a proctored test, you can allow access to specific sites, such as research studies, while still restricting all others.

This offers an extra layer of customization and oversight in the entire assessment process while still keeping up with the challenges of preventing cheating in online exams.

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Types of proctored online exams

What test formats can be remotely proctored?

Use cases and benefits of proctored exams

Who uses online proctoring?

Online proctoring is used in higher education by universities and colleges and in professional education for licensure and certification exams, corporate training, and other continuing education programs.

Higher education
Schools of all sizes use online proctoring to administer remote exams with the same rigor as in-person. This makes it easier to take and deliver exams in any format while maintaining academic integrity, even when students aren’t on campus.

Professional education & corporate
Organizations use online proctoring to prevent cheating and grow their certification programs and other exams for corporate training and continuing education by offering participants the convenience and flexibility they need, reducing travel costs and time constraints.

What are the benefits the online proctoring?

Most assume proctored exams are just to catch cheating, but they actually create tangible benefits that improve the entire testing experience for all users, such as:
  • Student benefits: taking proctored exams online offers students more convenience, flexibility, and access than in-person tests while reducing test anxiety and validating the credibility of online programs.
  • Instructor benefits: virtual proctoring prevents cheating, frees up class time by eliminating in-class tests, protects test content from being shared on the internet, and helps instructors understand students’ behavior and test-taking strategies.
  • Institutional benefits: remote proctoring protects reputation and credibility, reduces overhead costs, and helps meet the identity and attendance verification requirements for accreditation and federal funding.

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Proctoring costs and LMS integrations

How much does online proctoring cost?

The cost of online proctoring varies significantly based on the type of software and services used, and especially their pricing model. If the proctoring service charges by the hour, you’re at the mercy of variable costs, like exams running longer than expected, which can put a serious dent in your budget.

What if the proctoring company charges by the hour, and final exams take longer than expected?

Now, you’re hit with a hefty bill for those extra hours of test proctoring that weren’t in your budget… Whether it costs $1,000 or $10,000, it’s too much.

Instead of playing a guessing game to cover variable costs, find an remote proctoring company that offers a flat rate cost per exam or per test taker—your bottom line will thank you.

Online proctoring and LMS integration options

There are two ways to integrate your LMS with an online proctoring platform: direct, out-of-the-box integrations or custom integrations using APIs. Online proctoring platforms typically have direct integrations with LMSs such as Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, D2L, Open LMS, Intellum, and Docebo.

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Resources
Comparing software & services
Compare platform software and services of the best online proctoring companies
Proctoring for Higher Education
Proctoring for Professional Education

Specific tools & features

Cell Phone Detection
Search & Destroy
AI Blocking
Smart Voice Detection
BrowserGuard
ID Verification
LMS Integration
3rd Part Integrations
Exam Reports
Schedule a demo

Compare Online Proctoring Services

Guide for comparing different online proctoring services

When you compare online proctoring services, you may be surprised to find that they come in many shapes and sizes.

  • Can the proctoring software detect cell phone use?
  • Does it protect my exam questions from being posted on unauthorized test banks?
  • Are proctored exams easy to use to set up for faculty and students?
  • Is a flat-rate cost or will it cost more for variable requirements?
  • Does the proctoring software integrate with our Learning Management System (LMS)?
  • How does it ensure that student data privacy?
  • How long does it take to implement?
Click any part below to skip to that section

Part 1: What is online proctoring and why is it needed?

Online proctoring, sometimes referred to as remote proctoring, monitors students during an online exam using software and/or live proctors to:

  • Prevent cheating and protect exam integrity
  • Preserve accreditation
  • Improve student success
  • Scale online programs at an affordable cost

Some proctoring services use one method or a combination of both to effectively proctor online exams.

How does online proctoring protect accreditation?

Some online programs are required by law to verify identification. This is to ensure that the person taking the proctored exam is the same student enrolled in the course. 

According to the federal government’s 2008 Higher Education Opportunity Act, higher education institutions that receive Title IV funding are required to verify the identity of enrolled online students by at least one of the following methods:

  • Online proctored exams 
  • New or other technologies and practices which verify identify
  • Secure login and password, such as a Learning Management System (LMS)

Improving student success

The right proctoring service will offer your students two key things: convenience and academic rigor.

Proctored exams can help provide online courses with the same level of quality as in the classroom with more flexibility. Students can take online exams at a time that works for their schedule and get needed support at any time

Part 2: What are the four types of online proctoring services?

Common methods of online proctoring services:

  • Browser lockdown software
  • Automated proctoring 
  • Live proctoring
  • Blending automated proctoring and live online proctoring

Browser Lockdown Software

What is browser lockdown software?

Test software tools like browser locks are used to prevent students from accessing other browsers, websites, or applications during an exam and to also restrict certain function keys and keyboard shortcuts. A browser lock is a starting point for proctoring online exams but lacks many features that address academic dishonesty.

How does a browser lockdown work?

They integrate with the LMS and prevent students from accessing websites, applications, and keyboard functions during the exam.

What are the benefits of a browser lockdown?

  • Easy to implement
  • Simple functionality prevents one aspect of academic dishonesty
  • Printing and screen capture is disabled

What are the issues of using a browser lock?

  • They only address one aspect of academic dishonesty
  • Students can easily work around a browser lock to find answers and cheat
    • If no other proctoring software is used along with the browser lock, a student can use their cell phone to search for answers or refer to their class notes

Automated Proctoring

What is automated proctoring?

Automated proctoring, also referred to as AI proctoring, uses AI software to monitor students during the online exam. 

How does automated proctoring work?

  • A student sits down for the online assessment, verifies their identity, and then starts the exam
  • AI technology monitors the student during the online exam 
  • Someone reviews the recording of their session and prepares a report for the instructor
  • The instructor can also review the session recording to better evaluate any flagged incidents

What are the benefits of automated proctoring?

  • No one has to be present during the online exam
  • Students can access online exams day or night
  • Reports provide critical details about student behavior
  • Instructors can easily review reports and decide if any academic dishonesty has occurred

What are the issues with automated proctoring?

  • Cheating is addressed after the exam
  • AI can miss some potential academic misconduct
  • The exam recording has to be reviewed in its entirety which can be a lengthy process
  • The lengthy review process delays grading, which can frustrate faculty and students 

Live Proctoring

What is live proctoring?

Proctoring services that aren’t using automated proctoring typically use live remote proctors who watch students as they take the exam.

How does live proctoring work?

  • Live remote proctors watch the student while they take their online exam to ensure that academic integrity is upheld
  • Remote proctors can intervene if any issues arise
  • After the online exam, live remote proctors create an exam report and send the recording to the instructor for review

What are the benefits of live proctoring?

  • Live proctoring means that you get many of the same benefits of proctoring an in-person, on-campus exam
  • Having a human monitor the online exams can make instructors more comfortable with the integrity of their exams
  • Live remote proctors can communicate with students in real-time
  • Sessions are still recorded so instructors can review if needed

What are the issues with live proctoring?

  • Live remote proctors are often watching multiple students simultaneously, which increases the chance of missing incidents
  • Students know they’re being watched which can increase exam anxiety and negatively impact exam performance
  • Scheduling is a hassle because students have to schedule ahead of time and align with the availability of the remote proctor
  • Some students have described live proctoring as “creepy” because the proctor is visible on their desktop throughout their exam

Blending AI Proctoring and Live Online Proctoring Services

Proctoring services such as Honorlock combine AI and live remote proctors to prevent cheating, protect academic integrity, and support students throughout.

How does Honorlock’s online proctoring services work?

  • Students can schedule and take their exam at any time – 24/7/365
  • AI monitors the student during the exam and prompts a live human proctor to enter if any issues are detected. This means that when a proctor is alerted, their attention is on one student only
  • Proctors can review the situation before intervening, which provides a less intimidating and non-invasive exam experience
  • Faculty save time when reviewing the assessment report because they don’t have to review false flags
  • Actionable exam reports and recordings are provided to instructors 

Ultimately, you should carefully evaluate and compare online proctoring services and decide what works best for your institution.

Part 3: What questions should I ask about proctoring software features and functionality?

There are seemingly endless features and functionality to consider when you compare online proctoring software.

You’re not just preventing cheating and protecting academic integrity, you’re also setting your faculty and students up for success.

Use these questions to drive your conversations with online proctoring companies:

Can the proctoring software detect the use of cell phones and other devices?

This is an important problem that most proctoring services haven’t solved, yet most students have a cell phone, a tablet, or even a smartwatch. As technology advances, your testing software needs to advance along with it.

Follow-up question: Does the proctoring software capture a screen recording of the specific sites visited by these devices and provide it to the instructor?

How does the proctoring software protect your exam questions and answers from unauthorized use on the internet?

Faculty spend a lot of time crafting exam questions that will allow students to demonstrate their newly gained knowledge. It’s frustrating when these questions are copied and shared with common study sites such as Quizlet, Chegg, and Coursehero.

Follow-up question: Does the proctoring software you’re considering automatically take steps toward removing that exam content from unauthorized sites?

Does the proctoring software integrate with your LMS?

The online proctoring software should directly integrate with your LMS, such as Canvas, Blackboard, and D2L Brightspace, so that faculty and students can work in a testing environment they’ve already mastered. The LMS integration should also allow you to operate within your LMS without requiring additional logins and passwords.

Follow-up questions:

  • How long does the integration process take?
  • Does the proctoring solution natively acquire your institution’s branding in the LMS?

Can you proctor third-party exams such as Cengage, Pearson, and McGraw Hill?

When faculty need to administer exams outside of your LMS, they need a proctoring solution that will provide effective evaluation while preventing academic dishonesty. Make sure your proctoring software seamlessly works with third-party systems.

Is real-time reporting available? If not, how long does it usually take to receive exam reporting?

Many online proctoring systems can take up to three days to provide exam recordings for faculty review. After that, faculty need to log into a third-party system for access. Make sure that the online proctoring service provides timely access to exam reports and recordings.

Follow-up questions: 

  • Are the proctored exam reports provided within your LMS?
  • Is there an additional cost associated with reporting?

When can students schedule and take their online exams?

With live proctoring, students usually find that they have to schedule their exam time in advance. Limited proctor hours can prevent students from being able to take the exam when they are most ready and most alert. This creates headaches and frustration. Be sure that exam scheduling is on-demand to provide a smooth experience for your students.

Follow-up question: If the proctoring software requires scheduling ahead of time and a student needs to reschedule their online exam, will they be penalized?

Does the proctoring software have voice detection?

Online proctoring solutions with voice detection features are often sensitive to sounds which can cause over-flagging. This sensitivity is not only annoying for your faculty but also causes unneeded stress for students. Ideally, you’ll find proctoring software with robust voice detection that reduces false flags. This also gives students who like to read questions aloud the peace of mind that they will not be flagged inappropriately.

The voice detection AI should go beyond simply listening for a voice and have the capability to identify common phrases, such as “Hey Siri” or “OK Google,” to identify students who may be attempting academic dishonesty. Additionally, instructors and administrators should be able to create and update a list of dynamic words and phrases specific to their needs.

Follow-up questions:

  • Is the voice detection in real-time?
    • When an issue arises, the proctoring software should alert a live proctor who can enter the exam session to determine whether the student is acting appropriately
  • Does the proctoring software provide a written transcript when a voice is detected?

Does the online proctoring service quickly verify the student’s ID?

Many online proctoring services state perform identity verification, but how?  Be sure to ask.

The software should read the content on the student’s ID and match it to the student’s name and information in your LMS before the student is can launch the proctored exam. 

Follow-up questions: 

  • How long does the proctoring software typically take to verify a student’s ID? 60 seconds, a few minutes?
  • Does the online proctoring service charge extra for ID verification?

Is the proctoring software easy to use?

If you’re investing in online proctoring software, make sure it will actually be used by your faculty.

Easy-to-use proctoring software will actually get used. This is important because it can be the difference between true technology adoption and a better proctoring experience vs wasting money on a platform that isn’t being used. 

Follow-up questions:

  • What features save instructors time? 
  • What steps are involved for instructors to enable a proctored exam?
    • There should be minimal steps required: Instructors should be able to create exams like they normally would and select the proctoring features to use.
    • The software should also fully integrate with the LMS which means no additional logins or passwords.

Can you customize online exams based on accessibility needs?

Accessibility in the classroom is ever important and instructors need the ability to create specific instructions for any student requiring accommodations. It’s also important to review the company’s VPAT and have it validated by your team. 

Follow-up question: What assistive technologies are supported by the online proctoring solution?

Common assistive technologies are:
  • Natural Reader 
  • JAWS
  • NVDA (NonVisual Desktop Access)
  • Text2Speech 
  • Ultra Hal TTS Reader 
  • TTS Add-ons for Browsers.  
  • SpeakIt! 
  • FoxVox 
  • SpokenText 
  • SpeakingFox 
  • Talkie 
  • Chirpy 2.0 
  • Read Aloud 

How does the online proctoring service protect student privacy?

Student privacy is incredibly important to students, instructors, and institutions. It should be a top priority for online proctoring services as well. Obtain the online proctoring company’s privacy policy which should address why and how they’re protecting student data. 

Follow-up questions:

  • What data is collected by the online proctoring service and why is it needed?
  • Does the company sell or share student data?
  • How long is data kept by the online proctoring service?

How does the online proctoring service secure your data?

  • Is the proctoring software reliably hosted by a cloud service provider? 
  • Are employees of the online proctoring service trained and certified in FERPA and Data Protection?
  • Does the online proctoring service have the company’s data, security, and business practices audited annually by independent third parties to obtain certifications such as SOCII?
  • Is the online proctoring company GDPR compliant? This information should be readily available on their website.

Part 4: What should I ask about implementation, training, and support?

Critical variables that are often overlooked when purchasing online proctoring technology are implementation, training, and ongoing support.

Online proctoring implementation should be streamlined, project managed and fully supported during and after

Implementation

How long does it take to implement the proctoring solution?

 You need a quick and easy implementation that takes a few days, not weeks or months. This ensures that you’re getting your money’s worth as early as possible.

To set your institution up for success, you’ll want to establish a few things before you begin the implementation:
  • What’s your go-live date?
    Once the go-live date is established, the full implementation including training and onboarding sessions take place
  • Who are your administrators?
    This is the list of who at your school should have admin accounts (list names and emails)
  • What dates and times are open for your team?

Training

Training should be thorough and leave your faculty with confidence moving forward. Be sure that the online proctoring service provides ongoing training materials and 24/7/365 support for students, faculty, and administrators.

What training for online exam proctoring is available?

 Ask the online proctoring service to provide a sample training plan that details each segment and the goals.

What ongoing training resources are available?

 Online proctoring services should include resources such as quick reference guides, FAQs, and technical information for users. An added bonus is holding pre-semester webinars that cover commonly asked questions by other customers.

Customer Success Managers

 Whether you have feature requests or want help, make sure that the proctoring service includes a dedicated Account Manager or Customer Success Manager to help you along the way.

Support for faculty and students

Since education is an around-the-clock endeavor, remote proctoring support for your faculty and students should be too.
Ask these questions to ensure that you’re receiving the best support possible:
  • What are the support hours of operation?
    Student support should be readily available anytime, 24/7/365, for your students and faculty.
  • Does the proctoring service include technical support or is it an additional cost to the online proctoring software?
    Technical support for online proctoring software is often an added expense. To keep your costs under control, make sure that the online proctoring service includes this price along with the software.
  • How is support provided?
    Ideally, instructors, students, and administrators will have multiple options to connect with a human for support such as support via phone, live chat, and email.Follow-up questions:
    • Is support built into the remote proctoring software or do users have to go to a different program or application?
    • Is remote proctoring support provided in real-time?
    • Will your faculty and students speak with a human or a bot?

Part 5: What are the cost structures and how do you avoid additional costs?

Each instructor, not to mention each course, has variable requirements for proctored online exams. This can lead to unfair hikes in cost.

To avoid unfair online proctoring cost hikes, ask the following questions:
  • Do you charge a flat rate per online exam/student or does the cost vary?
    • With flat rates, you’re able to protect your bottom line and better estimate online exam proctoring costs. As an example, when online proctoring services charge per hour, you may pay twice as much for longer proctored online exams.
  • Do students have to pay extra to reschedule an exam?
    • Some live proctoring services require that students pay a fee to reschedule the exam.
  • Are implementation and training an additional cost
    • Be cautious of additional costs such as implementation and training, which can be tossed into the contract at the last minute or added later. To provide the best experience possible, online proctoring services should provide implementation and training at no additional cost.

Honorlock Online Proctoring Services

Honorlock combines AI and live remote proctors to protect academic integrity. We make online proctoring simple, easy, and human.

Additionally, Honorlock’s online proctoring services can be implemented in as little as two days and provides 24/7/365 faculty and student support.

The benefits of Honorlock’s proctoring services:

Cell phone detection

 Honorlock not only detects the use of cell phones, tablets, and other devices – our patented AI captures a screen recording of the violation to provide evidence of academic dishonesty. This helps deter students from using their phones out of view and you get to proctor beyond the webcam.

Combine AI and live test proctors

Honorlock combines the benefits of AI with those of a live test proctor. Our remote proctoring software partners with our trained proctors to reduce test anxiety and provide human support while upholding exam integrity. 

Our AI software monitors each exam session for problems and alerts a live, US-based proctor to join the session to address possible dishonesty. Our software equips the proctor with an analysis window so they can review the situation before entering the exam session via chat-box to address the situation.

Detect voices

Honorlock’s Voice Detection feature goes beyond by listening for specific keywords or phrases, such as “Hey Siri” or “OK Google,” to identify students who may be attempting to cheat on an exam. If the AI detects any dishonesty, it alerts a live proctor in real-time to pop into the exam session via chat to intervene and redirect the student.

Our AI delivers a more robust voice detection system that reduces false flags, such as dog barking. Honorlock also provides a written transcript to instructors whenever a student’s voice is detected.

Reduce illicit exam content from the Internet

 Once you enable Honorlock in an online exam, our test bank removal technology, Search and Destroy™ searches the Internet for leaked online exam questions.

Plug and play LMS integration

Honorlock’s online proctoring software directly integrates with your LMS.

This also means no additional sign-ons or passwords for faculty and students – in just a few clicks, your students and faculty are ready for the proctored online exam.

Remote proctor third-party exams

 Our proctoring software provides instructors with the ability to proctor third party exams with MyMathLab, ALEKS, Pearson, McGraw Hill, and others. Faculty can easily register third party online exams and customize exam settings in the LMS.

Actionable reporting

Extensive data is collected during the proctored exam in the institution’s LMS. Reports on student activity are provided at no additional cost to the institution.

Honorlock’s analytics provide quick results for a number of potential violations. For instance, if the student’s face goes outside the view of the camera, the violation is detected and available to the instructors via the Honorlock dashboard. The detailed reports that are available to each instructor include violations and any suspicious behavior/activity. 

24/7/365 exam scheduling

 Students can take online proctored exams with Honorlock at any time—even if it’s at 2 am over Thanksgiving break.

Verify student ID in 60 seconds

 Honorlock’s proctoring software quickly captures the content on the student’s ID along with their photo so you can be sure the student taking the proctored online exam is the student getting credit.

Easy to use and quick to set up

Honorlock was designed with the user in mind and removes much of the manual labor involved. Additionally, the LMS integration makes setup quick and simple.

The instructor creates their test in the LMS as they normally would, and then simply clicks “Enable” and the test is ready for online proctoring. And it’s just as easy for the student.

Protect student data privacy

 Student privacy is incredibly important to students, professors, and Honorlock.

Here are a few keys to remember about Honorlock’s approach to student privacy:

  • Honorlock is FERPA compliant
  • Honorlock does not sell or monetize student data
  • Honorlock does not use any student data for anything other than carrying out online exam proctoring services
  • Only appropriate school personnel have access to student data
    • Key staff from Honorlock will have access if needed to help provide quality control and support for instructors.
  • Your school owns the data
    • Honorlock uses an encrypted and secured connection during each online proctored exam. All videos and photos are stored on Honorlock’s platform. All data, including photos and video, is stored in an encrypted format on isolated storage systems within Honorlock’s private cloud in Amazon’s AWS U.S. data centers.
  • We store data in accordance with your institution’s MSA
    • After the specified time of your MSA, all student-related data is automatically purged unless the university requests an extension of a particular student’s data related to an academic integrity case. Upon request from the university, Honorlock can extend the data retention of a student’s data up to an additional 12 months.
Implementation can be completed in 2 days

Honorlock’s implementation is streamlined, project managed, and fully supported throughout to ensure your success and that faculty feel confident and will actually use the proctoring software. 

Training and ongoing training materials

Training is available for instructors and staff at no additional cost.

Honorlock also provides a comprehensive list of quick reference guides, help articles, and videos for faculty and students. This includes resources provided to the admin to assist in student orientation and training. The guides and tutorials are effective as a means of providing ongoing training for new faculty and administrators.

24/7/365 support for students and faculty

 Just like our online exam proctoring, our support is on-demand 24/7/365. From implementation to proctoring online exams, our US-based, trained support agents are available via phone (faculty only), live chat, and email. Support access is available within the online proctoring software in real-time and you’ll speak with a real person.

Fully accessible and customizable online proctoring software

Honorlock is ADA accessible and compliant with Section 508 of the Americans with Disabilities Act. 

Honorlock has also been developed and tested to conform to WCAG 2.0 level AA guidelines for accessible use. Conformance to accessibility guidelines is part of our development process and testing is completed using various tools including screen readers (eg: Jaws and NVDA) and Deque’s aXe. All information including details and disclosures have been specified in our VPAT.

Additionally, instructors can restrict or provide access to specific websites and applications during the proctored exam. Instructors are also able to provide descriptive guidelines for students to let them know exactly what is allowed and what isn’t allowed on your proctored exam. 

There is also a section for instructors to put in any specific notes for remote proctors. This is where instructors can list any students that have any specific accommodations. The student guidelines make it easy for the remote proctor to see what guidelines the instructor provided for the student. 

Honorlock’s online proctoring services are used by more than 300+ institutions:

Read quotes from their customer success stories:

Ease of use
 “The faculty loved it because it did what we wanted it to do and it was super easy to use. Even students said they liked Honorlock best.”

 – Jill Simpson, Ph.D. University of North Alabama

24/7/365 support
“Having access to customer support 24/7/365 is huge. Especially during times like this when students may be taking exams at any time of day. You want them to have access to someone who can troubleshoot with them.”
– Daphnee St. Val, Senior Instructional Designer, Broward College
Protecting online exam content from unauthorized use
“One of the unexpected features that has surprised and delighted our faculty is Search and Destroy. So fabulous!”
– Dr. Juliette Mersiowsky, Director of Distance Education and Digital Education Collaborative, Longwood University
Customizing proctored online exams
“Instructors like how they can set different parameters in the exams. It’s a better experience for the students because instructors can be very specific, whitelist sites, and easily administer third-party exams. Overall, the semester has started out very very smoothly!”
– Paula Rodriguez, Director of the University Testing Center, Colorado State University
Quick implementation
“We were working with Honorlock to do a pilot in the Spring and… was able to get us up and running for the Fall finals right away. All of the faculty were able to adapt within the two days; all were able to use it and review the tests. We did it quick!”
– Christopher Harvey, Executive Director of Academic Technology, St. Petersburg College
Reporting benefits
“Honorlock was more than a tool to guard or block students from using inappropriate information. It was also a means to detect and determine many different ways that students approach the exams. Because of access to the wealth of data/information through Honorlock, I became better able to utilize it.”
– Ryan P. Mears, PhD, University of Florida
Blended online proctoring features
“When the AI is triggered, a skilled human proctor intervenes. This model worked better than the competitor’s model having all exams proctored by people who were unable to properly provide student support.”
– Kate Beverage, Director of Technology for Teaching and Learning Services, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
24/7 exam scheduling
“They don’t have to make a reservation like they used to do. They just log in and take the test anytime within the time window provided by the faculty member. It just works!”
– Ken Craver, Director of Distance Education, Tyler Junior College
Exclusive remote proctoring features
“The features Honorlock had to offer blew everyone else out of the water; Search and Destroy and Multi-device Detection made us realize that we had to get this product… If we can’t verify that our students are the ones who are completing the work, and all of our quizzes are out there on the internet where anyone can look up the answers, what kind of quality is that degree?”
– Cody Moyer, M.Ed., Director of Learning Technology, Polk State College

Online proctoring services are an ongoing strategic advantage for your institution’s online learning efforts and plays a vital role in improving student success and learning outcomes.

“We know universities have many options when it comes to online test proctoring. Our goal is to be the best option. We’re committed to leading the industry through innovation and customer success.”
– Michael Hemlepp, CEO of Honorlock

To learn more about how Honorlock’s online proctoring services can help your institution, sign up for a demo today!

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Tyler Stike

Tyler is Honorlock's Director of Content and a doctoral student at the University of Florida focused on educational technology.