Honorlock Protects Student Privacy

How does Honorlock protect student data?

Have concerns about online proctoring and the privacy and security of your data? Don’t worry. Honorlock has you covered because student privacy is our top priority.

Watch the video below for a quick summary of how Honorlock protects and secures your data.

Common questions from students about data privacy & security with Honorlock's online proctoring solution

Does Honorlock sell my data or monetize my data to third parties outside of my school or university?

No. Honorlock will never sell or monetize your data.

What data does Honorlock collect from students using the service?

Honorlock collects a variety of information as explained in our Privacy Policy, such as: Student information (i.e. e.g., student name, course number, exam name. You will be asked to provide a copy of your student ID. This information is synced with your school’s learning management system (i.e., e.g., Canvas). You may be asked to upload a photo taken with the camera on your device and to do a scan using the webcam of your testing area. During the exam, if requested by your school, we collect a webcam video recording that includes desktop activity and audio recording. Exam and web pages visited by a student during an examination. If your school chooses to use a new Honorlock feature called App Unlock, in limited release, you will be asked to download an application onto your computer (in addition to installing a Chrome extension) designed to detect apps on your device that you use (or attempt to use) during the exam to help your school detect any use of prohibited programs during an exam. Honorlock’s widely available service operates solely through a Chrome extension (no application download) and doesn’t have this capability.

How long does Honorlock keep my data?

The standard retention period for student data is 365 days. Schools can customize the data retention period – shorter or longer – based on their privacy and accessibility policies and needs. Student data is deleted after this retention period. Only a request by a student’s educational institution will extend the retention period.

Is Honorlock tracking my online activities and watching me when I am not taking a proctored exam?

No, Honorlock’s service is designed to collect information (including information about websites you visit on your device) only during a proctored exam. In addition, you are free to uninstall the Chrome browser extension and any software you’ve been asked to install immediately following a proctored exam.

Where is my data stored and how well is my data protected?

All data in transit and data at rest is encrypted and stored within then cloud in an Amazon (AWS) data center. Amazon’s data centers are SOC 3 certified, U.S. Privacy Shield, and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliant.

Does Honorlock's proctoring platform use facial recognition to verify my identity?

No. Honorlock uses facial detection, which only detects that there is a clear human face in the webcam. We do not identify the face, store any of the facial elements, or match the face to a database. If no face is detected, or if multiple faces are detected, AI will flag the incident and a human proctor may intervene.

Does Honorlock have control of my computer or my mobile phone?

Honorlock’s widely available products use only a Chrome browser extension that uses AI to detect the presence of faces in your camera and different voices. A student will have to install the browser extension to take an examination. The student can immediately delete the browser extension following the examination. Honorlock does not have the ability to control your computer, read your passwords or download any files at any point in time. Honorlock does not have access or the ability to control secondary devices such as mobile phones. If your school chooses to use a new Honorlock feature in limited release, you will be asked to download an application onto your computer (in addition to installing a Chrome extension) designed to detect apps on your device that you use (or attempt to use) during the exam to help your school detect any use of prohibited programs during an exam. Honorlock’s widely available service operates solely through a Chrome extension to ensure accessibility in learning (no application download).

Need more reassurance?

Read these additional detailed resources about how we protect your privacy and data security.

 

Templated Proctoring Policy

copy and paste template for higher education remote proctoring policies

This page gives you a templated remote proctoring policy that can be copied and tailored to suit your needs.

The template below contains all the information needed to help inform instructors and students about remote proctoring, what it is, how it works, and what to expect.

Swap your information (institution name & abbreviation, etc.) out with the italicized text.

Remote proctoring policy

Academic integrity speaks to the reputation of Full Institution Name (Institution Abbreviation). Ensuring academic integrity in an online environment is just as important as ensuring academic integrity in a campus environment. Taking measures to protect this integrity is in the best interests of Institution Abbreviation and its students, alumni, and faculty.

In addition to existing policies regarding academic integrity, students enrolled in an online or blended learning course will follow additional policies and procedures that specifically apply to online or blended learning courses, such as remote proctoring.

General remote proctoring information

What is remote proctoring?

Remote proctoring, sometimes called online proctoring, uses software and/or live proctors to monitor students’ online exam sessions.

What remote proctoring service is used by Institution Abbreviation?

Institution Abbreviation uses Honorlock to proctor exams online. Honorlock provides remote proctoring services that use a combination of AI software and live proctors to support students during exams and protect academic integrity.

This blend of AI remote proctoring software and live proctors aims to protect academic integrity and to support students through a successful completion of their exam while

 reducing test anxiety.

How does Honorlock work?

Honorlock is a browser extension that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor each student’s online exam session. If the AI detects potential issues, it alerts a live test proctor to review the situation and intervene if needed.

Remote proctoring information for instructors

The student is responsible for ensuring that they have the necessary system requirements (computer hardware, software, and Internet connectivity) necessary for the completion of the online exam. Additionally, students must check the online course within the Learning Management System (LMS) to determine if any additional software or hardware is needed. 

Instructors will provide students with the opportunity to complete online exercises, such as practice exams, to ensure that students meet the system requirements and have access to complete the online exam. 

Before you proctor exams online:

1. Discuss the use of Honorlock and offer practice exams

Review how to use Honorlock with your students. We encourage you to assign practice exams so students can gain familiarity with Honorlock’s Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI).

Note: You can set up the practice proctored exams to mirror the same settings that will be utilized on the actual assessment (including a room scan).

2. Include Honorlock remote proctoring information in your course syllabus

Be sure that students have access to information about Honorlock in your syllabus.

  • Recommended verbiage can be found here.
  • Additional information about Honorlock for students can be found here.

3. Address any student privacy concerns

Have an open dialogue with students and respond to any privacy concerns students may have about remote proctoring.

  • For more information on student privacy resources, visit this link.
  • Additional information on what students can expect during a proctored online exam can be found here.

4. Create awareness and understanding of room scans
Familiarize yourself and your students with what a room scan is and what they can expect from it.

5. Get a signed consent form for room scans

Instructors are encouraged to have their students sign a room scan consent form at the beginning of the course. Before students can log into the exam and take the online exam while using Honorlock’s remote proctoring services the student must acknowledge and accept Honorlock’s Exam Taker Privacy Notice and Honorlock’s Exam Taker Terms of Uses, which both contain notice and consent that the student’s surrounding workspace may be recorded by video and audio.

6. Explain what to expect during a remotely proctored exam
It’s important for students to understand what they can expect during a proctored exam.

Here’s what you can discuss with your students:

The different proctoring tools for online exams and the various settings that can be used and how they work

  • Use similar settings for every proctored exam so students know what to expect and are familiar with functionality.
  • Set up your practice exams to mimic the same settings throughout the semester/quarter.
  • An example of Standard Exam Guidelines language can be found here.

What in-exam flags are, their purpose, and what behaviors may trigger them

  • Share this article about in-exam flags with your students.

Provide clear, unambiguous test rules and instructions for all of your exams

  • Here’s an article with real examples of effective test rules and instructions for online exams and tips to remove any confusion.

7. Create a culture of academic integrity
Academic integrity goes beyond proctoring exams online. Creating a culture of academic integrity in your classroom can support positive decision-making during exams.

Read this article for some helpful tips to improve the academic integrity within your classroom.

Remote proctoring statement for instructors to share with students

The remote proctoring statement below can be provided to students in the course syllabus, in the course LMS, on the school’s website, and in an email:

Institution name instructors are given the discretion to require proctored exams, providing three options for students to test: on campus via the Institution name testing center, at a designated testing center, or through online proctoring. Institution name provides one option for remotely proctored exams through Honorlock. Online proctoring includes video monitoring and requires a room scan as part of the test session, which may be used in cases of academic misconduct. The room scan provides an opportunity for students to display their testing space, free of any unauthorized materials or persons, to ensure the integrity of the test session. The entire testing session will be recorded. A Google Chrome extension plug-in must be installed to use this proctoring service.  

Student nonadherence to the school’s online testing policies and procedures may include consequences including but not limited to: insert potential consequences, such as: email warnings with corrective actions or a grade penalty (e.g., 10% reduction) on the exam.

Addressing potential academic dishonesty

It’s up to the instructor to determine whether academic dishonesty has occurred during the proctored exam. Honorlock is a tool to assist you in making this determination. If academic dishonesty is suspected, please proceed according to the following information: [link to any pages with information for faculty on academic dishonesty]

If a student does not consent to be proctored online by Honorlock, instructors will provide alternative testing venues, such as:

Campus Testing Center: Instructors must provide students with advance written notice of date(s) and include links to institution-specific academic support services and how to access these services (e.g., location of testing center and/or proctored test sites, hours of operation, phone numbers, and email addresses for key personnel).

Off-campus Testing Center: For at-a distance students who are unable to test at an on campus testing center, instructors may offer proctored exams at an approved off-campus testing center. Students are responsible for identifying a testing center in their location and for providing the necessary information to the instructor so materials and instructions can be submitted to that site. Students may access the National College Testing Association for help identifying a testing center in their area. The instructor will provide the necessary test materials and instructions to the approved test location along with instructions for the return of the materials.

Supporting students’ accommodations

When using Honorlock’s remote proctoring software, you can specify any accommodations certain students may require. Notes in the Accommodations section are only visible to Honorlock proctors and support staff. Students cannot see the accommodations set for them.

Please note that only accommodations that relate to remote proctoring or authentication (Student Photo, ID Verification, Room Scan) should be listed here. Accommodations concerning exam availability, time extensions, number of attempts, and extended due dates are all managed within the LMS Name exam settings.

Please review Honorlock’s Accommodations page for more details.

Instructor support

Honorlock provides 24/7/365 support for faculty:

Remote proctoring information for students

What to know about Honorlock’s remote proctoring process:

Installing the Honorlock Google Chrome extension
Students don’t need to download software to use Honorlock. Instead, students only need to add the Honorlock Google Chrome extension plug-in, which can be removed after the exam. 
Get the Honorlock Chrome Extension here.

Checking the test environment
Remote proctoring requires a room scan, which means students use the webcam to show that their testing space is free of any unauthorized materials or persons. 

While the entire testing session will be recorded, only the Honorlock proctor or exam administrator have access to the recording. Furthermore, this means that no other students, instructors, or faculty members have access to the recording.

Exam scheduling isn’t required
Students can take proctored online exams 24/7/365 (within the allowed dates/times provided by the instructor) without scheduling an appointment with Honorlock in advance.

What software and hardware do students need to use Honorlock?

To take an online proctored exam with Honorlock, students need a functioning webcam and microphone and the Honorlock Chrome extension. Students do not need to download any software to use Honorlock.

System requirements:

  • Operating System: Windows 10, macOS 10.14+, Chrome OS
  • Browser: Google Chrome (93+)
  • Internet Speed: Speed: 1.5 Mbps download, 750 Kbps upload

Recommendations for students

Take the proctored exam in a suitable environment
Students should take the proctored exam in a well-lit room with a computer on a clean surface that’s clear of any notes and prohibited items like: cell phones, headphones, hats, or smart watches. 

Discuss any access limitations and accommodation needs with appropriate faculty and administrators before the exam
Students with limited access to the testing resources and environment for remote testing (e.g., access to reliable internet service, preventing test access or completion, a suitable environment for remote testing – sitting on a bed or in a car with their laptop, or difficulty preventing interruptions due to other household members and/or pets that are noisy or distracting), or who need accommodations due to absences, bathroom breaks and other emergencies and/or interruptions, should discuss with their appropriate administrators or instructors to explore solutions and accommodations.

 

Student responsibilities:

  • Make sure that you’re able to meet the technical requirements to use Honorlock.
  • If you anticipate technical issues completing any exams through Honorlock, notify Honorlock Support via Live Chat for further assistance.
  • Be aware of the specific exam dates and times and allow adequate time to take the exams.
  • Follow all exam instructions and guidelines.

Student support:

  • Student support is available on-demand through Live Chat or email at support@honorlock.com.
  • If you encounter issues with LMS Name during regular college hours, contact the LMS Name Support team via the Help link on the Global Navigation Menu in LMS Name.

Student privacy information

Institution abbreviation is committed to ensuring that all student information is handled securely and privacy is protected. 

Please review Honorlock’s Student Privacy Statement.

Sign up to receive resources to help improve online teaching and learning.

Tyler Stike

Tyler has over a decade of experience in ed tech and higher education. He focuses on creating relevant and useful content for educators, institutions, and technologists.

Best practices for online test room scans

Learn about room scans for online exams

Ohio room scan case summary

A judge found that a “room scan” completed during an online exam violated a student’s rights under the Fourth Amendment, but a final ruling in this case has not yet been reached.

Before we jump into further details about the room scan in this situation, we want to emphasize a few things:

1. Honorlock was not involved in the room scan in this situation 

2. Honorlock does not require room scans
Honorlock’s online proctoring platform provides room scans as an optional setting that can be enabled or disabled as needed. We do advocate for clear, posted guidelines and consistent application of them across an institution.

3. Room scans are not unconstitutional, banned, or prohibited.
For more details, see the court documents in this case.

4. The problem was HOW this specific room scan was completed and reviewed

Here’s what happened during the room scan in this situation:
  • Shifting guidelines and expectations regarding the use of room scans leading up to the exam.
  • Due to health reasons, the student took the exam online at home and was only able to take the exam in his bedroom, was not aware he could have taken the exam at another location, and was not given a choice to opt out of the room scan.
  • A school employee completed the room scan on Zoom with other students present and watching.
  • Again, the room scan was not completed through Honorlock.
  • The room scan completed on Zoom was visible to other students taking the exam.

What could this school have done better?

  • Used a remote proctoring software, such as Honorlock, which ensures the privacy of room scans (only the proctor or exam administrator have access to view the room scan)In the factual summary of this case, it states that “Other students taking the remote test can see the room scans of other students.” While this may be possible if an instructor is personally overseeing a group test using any of the common video conferencing platforms, this is not possible using the Honorlock platform. At no point is the recording or room scan accessible to other students, other instructors, or any other party. The Honorlock platform operates as a 1:1 proctoring solution.
  • Used consistent remote testing policies and guidelines at both the institution and course/exam levels
  • Ensured policies were published well in advance (notice), students had access to the policies and guidelines (inform), and students consented to the practice of room scans
  • In this case, at the beginning of the semester, a course syllabus stated students were subject to a room scan before, during, or after an exam. The student objected and the room scan policy was removed by the Professor. The Professor didn’t communicate this to the school’s Testing Services. The school’s Testing Services emailed the student about two hours before the exam and informed the student of the requirement to do a room scan. The student emailed the Testing Services informing them that he did not have enough time to remove sensitive documents from his work space. Before the exam started the proctor required the student conduct a room scan, which the student performed.
  • Used a remote proctoring software, such as Honorlock, which ensures the privacy of room scans (only the proctor or exam administrator have access to view the room scan).
  • In this court’s Opinion & Order, it states that “Other students taking the remote test can see the room scans of other students.” While this may be possible if an instructor is personally overseeing a group test using any of the common video conferencing platforms, this is not possible using the Honorlock platform. At no point is the recording or room scan accessible to other students, other instructors, or any other party. The Honorlock platform operates as a 1:1 proctoring solution.
  • Provided a remote proctoring accommodation for this student who did not consent to room scans.
  • Visit our article for more information on how to provide accommodations with Honorlock.
Where do we go from here?

As the demand for online programs and distance learning continues, safeguarding online exams is a priority for schools to protect their accreditation, their reputation and the value of their programs.

Room scans are one element in creating a secure and equitable testing environment. Other important factors include things such as short test windows, clear expectations, utilizing a test bank for randomly generated test questions. 

This is a good time to review your remote testing policies and procedures and make any necessary adjustments. 

Here are a few questions to consider:

1. Are your remote test security practices, policies and procedures published in advance and readily available for faculty and students?

2. Do your policies include guidelines for when to use room scans and how to conduct a proper room scan?

3. Are your guidelines enforced consistently across all online courses and exams?

Best practices for proctoring online exams with room scans:

1. Publish your remote exam policies and guidelines in advance and include a link in the course syllabus

2. Get student’s written consent to the guidelines, specifically, to the room scan

3. Provide alternative testing locations for students who do not consent to remote room scans

4. For students who must test remotely, but do not consent to the room scan, accommodate their request by notifying the Honorlock proctor that room scans will not be used with that student.

For more information on how to provide accommodations, visit our KnowledgeBase article.

5. Follow your institution’s guidelines for proctoring online exams

Your institution may have certain requirements for proctoring, such as the use of room scans. Please adhere to your institution’s policies and guidelines for remotely proctored exams. Proctor Settings and Student Guidelines for your exam are tailorable and easily adjusted. For more information on what each setting means, use this article to access the respective article for your LMS.

Prior to proctoring online exams:

1. Discuss the use of Honorlock and use practice exams

Review how to use Honorlock with your students. We encourage you to assign practice exams so students can gain familiarity with Honorlock’s LTI.

Note: you can setup the practice exams to mirror the same settings that will be utilized on the actual assessment (including a room scan).

2. Include Honorlock information in your course syllabus

Be sure that students have access to information about Honorlock in your syllabus.

  • Recommended verbiage can be found here.
  • Additional information about Honorlock for students can be found here.

3. Address any privacy concerns

Have an open dialogue with students and respond to any privacy concerns. 

  • For more information on student privacy resources, visit this link.
  • Additional information on what students can expect during a proctored exam can be found here.

4. Create awareness and understanding of room scans
Familiarize yourself and your students with what a room scan is and what they can expect from it.

5. Get a signed consent form for room scans

6. Explain what to expect during a proctored exam
It’s important for students to understand what they can expect during a proctored exam. 

Here’s what you can discuss with your students:

  • Discuss the different proctoring settings that can be used and how they work.
  • Honorlock advises using similar settings for every exam so students know what to expect and are familiar with functionality.
  • We also recommend setting up your practice exam to mimic the same settings throughout the semester/quarter.
  • An example of Standard Exam Guidelines language can be found here.
  • Explain what in-exam flags are, their purpose, and what behaviors may trigger them.
  • We recommend sharing this KnowledgeBase article. about in-exam flags with your students
  • Provide clear, unambiguous test rules and instructions for all of your exams.
  • Here’s an article with real examples of effective test rules and instructions for online exams and tips to remove any confusion.

7. Create a culture of academic integrity
Academic integrity goes beyond proctored exams. Creating a culture of academic integrity in your classroom can support positive decision-making during exams. 

Check out our blog article on some helpful tips to improve the academic integrity within your classroom. 

8. Join our educational webinars
Honorlock provides ongoing educational webinars every semester, including one for every supported LMS, be sure to register here. 

If you do not find what you are looking for, please take a look at our library of previously recorded webinars found here, or please reach out to your CSM and/or Support Chat.

Quick facts about online proctoring room scans
  • What’s a room scan?

A room scan uses a test taker’s webcam to get a 360 degree view of the room.

  • Why are room scans used?

Room scans help protect academic integrity by ensuring that there are no unauthorized resources or people in the room.

  • When are room scans used?

A room scan may be required by an institution or exam administrator at the start of the exam to ensure that no unauthorized resources or people are in the testing environment. A re-scan during the exam may be requested by the proctor should there be indications of unauthorized behavior or resources.

  • How are room scans completed?

Test takers enable their webcam and complete the room scan by panning the webcam on the device around the room.

  • Are room scans commonly used in proctored online exams?

Yes. Room scans are common and, when done correctly, generally considered as one of several best practices for proctored online exams.

  • Do all proctoring companies require room scans

No. Some proctoring companies require room scans, others provide it as an option tool to use.

About Honorlock room scans

Does Honorlock require room scans?

No. Honorlock doesn’t require room scans. Room scanning is an option feature that can be enabled or disabled.

How can instructors using Honorlock disable room scans for test-takers?

After creating the exam in the LMS, the instructor can pick which proctoring features to enable or disable for the exam, including room scanning. 

Does Honorlock allow instructors to disable room scans for specific test takers?

Yes. Instructors can provide proctor instructions that allow specific test takers to bypass the room scan.

Who can view a room scan with Honorlock?

If the institution or instructor requires a room scan, only a Honorlock-trained proctor, the instructor, and key administrators at the institution will have access to review the room scan. 

It’s important to note that a room scan is only viewed if there is questionable behavior flagged during the exam. 

At that point, the proctor may view the recording, including the room scan. The instructor or an administrator may also review the recording, including the room scan, after the exam. Instructors only receive recordings in the event of a flag.

Can other test takers or people view the room scan?

No. The room scan is never accessible to anyone other than the Honorlock proctor, the instructor, and key administrators of the institution.

The recording or room scan is never accessible to other test takers, other instructors, or any other party. 

More information about Honorlock:

Looking for more articles and information about higher education and online learning? Visit our resources section.

Tyler Stike

Tyler has over a decade of experience in ed tech and higher education. He focuses on creating relevant and useful content for educators, institutions, and technologists.

Debunking Myths About Data Security & Privacy With Honorlock

Here’s a quick look at how Honorlock protects student privacy and secures data:

  • We don’t sell or share student data
  • Our proctoring software doesn’t have access to cell phones
  • Students aren’t watched the entire time
  • We don’t use face recognition
  • We don’t have access to the student’s network
  • Honorlock is hosted in the cloud through Amazon Web Services
  • We don’t have access to the webcam or microphone after the exam ends
  • No extra accounts or passwords are needed
  • Students can easily delete Honorlock after the proctored exam is over
  • Your institution owns the data, not Honorlock
  • Honorlock is compliant with data privacy standards like FERPA
  • Our test proctors are trained to follow data privacy compliance standards
  • We only gather student data required to proctor the exam

Data security and student privacy in higher education are especially important topics with the growth of online learning and remote testing.

Students and academic institutions have expectations about how their privacy is protected – and for good reason. In fact, a 2020 study by EDUCAUSE1 found that Privacy was the 2nd most important factor related to IT for higher education leaders. 

To provide transparency around how Honorlock protects student privacy and secures data, we’ve compiled a comprehensive list of important information to help answer any questions from students, faculty, and institutions. 

We want you to know that we take data security and privacy seriously and we’re committed to providing a testing environment that’s secure and non-intrusive – one that supports and empowers students and faculty while protecting academic integrity.

Honorlock data security and student privacy

Honorlock doesn’t sell student data

Pretty simple: we don’t sell or monetize student data.

Our online proctoring software doesn’t have access to cell phones

A 2021 Inside Higher Ed and College Pulse study2 found that 58% of students are somewhat concerned about how apps on their cell phones handle their data. 

Honorlock doesn’t have access to cell phones or secondary devices — not before, during, or after the proctored exam.

We don’t use any online proctoring software or technology to access cell phones or secondary devices used during the proctored exam session.

Can Honorlock detect phone use?

Our online proctoring solution can detect when phones and other devices are being used to search for test bank content during an exam. We gather information based on the websites visited – not via the phone. If the student isn’t using their phone to access test answers on homework help sites, they should have no concerns.

Honorlock doesn’t watch students the entire time

Let’s face it, having a live proctor’s face on the screen watching the student during the entire exam is distracting (and creepy). 

With Honorlock, a live proctor only intervenes if the test proctoring software detects potential dishonesty. When the proctor is alerted, they can review the behavior and enter the exam session via chat to help the student get back on track. All of this makes for a much less invasive testing experience.

Our proctors are trained to support students and reduce exam anxiety

We want interactions between students and remote proctors to be a positive experience that helps students – not a distraction that adds more stress. Our full-time online proctoring team was trained by a nationally certified counselor and educator on supporting students during moments of exam anxiety. When our proctors intervene, the goal is to help support students successfully complete their exams, not to catch cheating.

Adding to this, Honorlock conducted a student survey with the University of North Alabama to learn more about the causes of student exam anxiety and how our approach to online proctoring can help reduce anxiety.

We found that Honorlock helped reduce exam anxiety and that students who interacted with one of our remote proctors indicated that the proctor helped reduce their exam anxiety. 

“The proctor popping in was different than I expected – in a positive way. I imagined them being more strict. I felt that the proctor was helpful and a lot less intimidating than I thought.” – Student quote in a post-exam interview

We don’t use face recognition

Honorlock doesn’t use face recognition. Our proctoring software uses face detection. 

There are significant differences between the two.

What’s the difference between face detection and face recognition?

  • Face detection means detecting that a face is present on the video or image.
  • Face recognition goes way beyond facial detection. 
  • It uses biometric technology that recognizes when a human face is present AND attempts to establish whose face it is.  

Honorlock’s face detection only detects a clear human face in the webcam. 

Honorlock’s facial detection technology does not: 

  • Use biometrics
  • Identify and match the face to any database
  • Store facial elements

We don’t have access to the student’s home network

The online proctoring software doesn’t have access to network communications which means we don’t have access to your local or home network.

We only monitor the quality of the student’s internet connection. This is to ensure its quality and to document the network connection stability during the proctored exam to troubleshoot situations when the test-takers internet connection is unstable.

Honorlock is hosted in the cloud through Amazon Web Services

Cloud hosting with AWS provides comprehensive data security capabilities for Honorlock. Stored data is encrypted and secured using industry standards with AES-256 block encryption. 

We don’t have access to the webcam or microphone after the exam

Once a student completes the online proctored exam, our access to the screen and webcam ends.

No extra accounts or passwords are needed

Thanks to our direct LMS integration, Honorlock doesn’t require an extra account or password.

This LMS integration with Honorlock means that data is exchanged securely between the proctoring software and your LMS only. 

Students can delete and remove Honorlock after the proctored exam is over

It only takes a few seconds to delete Honorlock’s Chrome extension. Students can navigate to the extension in the Chrome toolbar and remove it.

As an AWS partner, Honorlock follows federal NIST 800-88 guidelines for proof of data/drive destruction. 

We don’t own school data

Honorlock doesn’t own the data; we only hold the data for the institution.

Honorlock has defined data retention periods of 12 months, after which all student-related data is automatically purged unless the school requests an extension of a particular student’s data related to an Academic Integrity case. Upon request from the school, they can extend the data retention of a student’s data up to an additional 12 months.

It’s just as easy to install for the next exam; students can add the extension in about 30 seconds.

Committed to maintaining compliance with state and federal data privacy laws and regulations

FERPA compliance

Certain student information and records are covered by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Institutions protect the information and records in accordance with FERPA privacy rights and other applicable laws. Honorlock is prohibited from using student data in any way except to carry out online exam proctoring services. The information transmitted belongs to each school.

Our test proctors are trained to follow data privacy compliance standards

Certain student information and records are covered by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Institutions protect the information and records in accordance with FERPA privacy rights and other applicable laws. Honorlock is prohibited from using student data in any way except to carry out online exam proctoring services. The information transmitted belongs to each school.

We only collect student data required to proctor exams

We only collect student data required to proctor the online exam and most of it is already available in the LMS. This information is used to verify identity and protect integrity. 

Here’s the student data we collect:

  • IP address through the Chrome extension
  • Name and email address from the LMS
  • During the test, we capture a screen recording and a webcam recording
  • A photo of the student and student ID if ID verification is enabled by the instructor or institution

Watch this one minute video that covers how Honorlock protects student privacy.

What is Honorlock?

We make online proctoring simple, secure, and human. Our online proctoring services combine the benefits of AI test monitoring software with those of live remote proctors. 

This human-centric approach to online proctoring helps bring integrity, humanity, confidence, and positive outcomes to online testing.

Our purpose is to create a better testing experience that supports and empowers faculty and students – not simply to prevent cheating. When you create a fair and equitable test environment that builds confidence and protects academic integrity, everyone wins.

How does Honorlock work?

Our proctoring software monitors each student’s exam session and alerts a live, remote proctor if it detects any potential problems. 

This provides the remote proctor with the opportunity to intervene and help the student get back on track. 

Our remote proctoring services are convenient and easy to use for instructors and students. Instructors can quickly create proctored exams in the LMS like they already do, choose the proctoring features, and then review actionable exam reports. And it’s just as simple for students – they simply log into the LMS, verify their identity, and begin the exam like they’re accustomed to.

In addition, our proctoring services protect exams in a variety of ways such as:

  • Detecting cell phone use
  • Reducing the number of test questions and answers available on unauthorized homework help sites
  • Detecting voices and other sounds
  • Using video proctoring for identity verification, room scanning, and monitoring behavior

Other benefits of Honorlock remote proctoring:

  • 24/7 support is available to students and faculty
  • Students can take the proctored exams anytime they’re ready – 24/7/365 
  • The direct LMS integration means faculty and students will use a platform they’re already familiar with
  • Exam results are quickly available within the LMS

Want to see Honorlock in action? Schedule a demo.

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

1Susan Grajek and the 2019–2020 EDUCAUSE IT Issues Panel, “Top 10 IT Issues, 2020: The Drive to Digital Transformation Begins,” EDUCAUSE Review Special Report, January 27, 2020.

2How to protect student data privacy in college, Inside Higher Ed and College Pulse, September 14, 2021.

Tyler Stike

Tyler has over a decade of experience in ed tech and higher education. He focuses on creating relevant and useful content for educators, institutions, and technologists.

Test Anxiety Tips and How to Overcome it

Your test is about to begin. You studied hard and drank plenty of water (and coffee), but you can’t remember what you know when the test starts. You may even realize that you have sweaty palms and that you are fidgeting in your seat. What happened? 

Test anxiety may be one reason. It’s pretty common and there are ways to overcome it.

  • Students: use these actionable test anxiety tips to help you prepare and feel confident for your next exam
  • Instructors: implement these overlooked strategies to prepare your students before the test begins

What is test anxiety?

Test anxiety is a psychological reaction (and sometimes physiological) that causes distress, tension, and anxiety for students before and during a test. Test anxiety is essentially performance anxiety.

Symptoms of exam anxiety

Exam anxiety can mean a range of things depending on the student; for some students, it can mean feelings of sheer dread and their mind blanking and it can cause more severe reactions such as panic attacks, nausea, sweating and shortness of breath for others. Even though test anxiety is subjective and different for everyone, it typically refers to something more than just being distracted.

Test anxiety tips for students

Aside from general preparation, such as getting ample rest the night before and eating a healthy breakfast the morning of the exam, here are some test anxiety tips that can help you on your exams:

Figure out what works for you

You’ve probably heard of various learning styles, such as visual, auditory, and social to name a few. However, the truth is that “learning styles” should simply be looked at as different methods and ways that people can learn. There may not be one specific way that’s best for you. So tailor your studying approach to the course and test.

You may find that one exam requires a blend of learning styles while another exam may only be using flashcards to recall vocabulary. 

In addition to tailoring how you study, think about other things that impact the quality of your studying. Do you learn more in the morning or evening? Can you concentrate better when there’s music playing? Determine what works for you and keep doing it.

Make a list of what you don’t know yet

This is pretty straightforward: make a list of everything you don’t know leading up to the test. Try focusing on this list and progressively check off each item as you learn it.

This can help you visualize what you need to know and you can even group items into larger chunks and tackle one section at a time. Using this list of what you don’t know yet is also a great way to create your own practice tests.

Make your own practice tests

 Making practice tests allows you to reinforce what you know and test yourself on what you don’t know. As mentioned above, use your list of what you don’t know and create practice tests. In each practice test, think of different questions to test your knowledge on the same topics.

For example:

Question variation 1: What year was the United States founded? (1776)

Question variation 2: What date was the United States founded? (July 4, 1776)

Question variation 3: True or false: the US was founded on July 4, 1767 (false)

As you can see, small variations can help ensure that you know the answers in different contexts and that you aren’t simply regurgitating information.

Teach someone else

 Teaching someone else requires you to think of subjects in a different way. You need to articulate how to explain it to someone, anticipate their questions, and prove to be an “expert.” This is a great exercise for group study situations or even just with a friend over a Zoom call.

Make sure your technology meets the requirements

One aspect of managing test anxiety that’s often overlooked is checking that your technology meets the requirements before the online exam. By doing so, you have one less thing to worry about. Do you have the correct device, the appropriate operating system and browser, and is your internet speed fast enough? Double-check technology requirements ahead of time.

If you aren’t sure of what the technology requirements are, ask your instructor for a specific list a few days before the exam. 

If it’s a proctored test, make sure you know what that means

Many students have taken an online exam but some have never taken an online proctored exam. Ask your instructor or institution to provide you with more information on what online proctoring is and about how it works so that you can know what to expect.

Ask questions such as:

How is my exam being proctored?

There are many different methods of online proctoring such as AI only, live proctoring, browser lockdown software, and a blend of AI and human proctoring. Figure out which method is being used so you can know what to expect.

What can trigger a flag?

There are many misconceptions about what proctoring software flags and doesn’t flag. Make sure that you know the nuances.

Is my data private?

 Some students have concerns over data privacy. Ask your instructor or institution for a privacy statement and an FAQ on the proctoring software.

How instructors can help reduce exam anxiety for students

Provide a practice test

 Practice tests help your students get comfortable with the testing platform and proctoring software. Knowing what to expect and how to use test platforms can reduce their anxiety because it’s one less concern.

Have a technology/system requirements check in place

 Before the practice test, send a list of technology and system requirements to your students and preferably a link to test each item. You can communicate this information with your students in a few ways such as email and also LMS announcements, forums, and the syllabus.

Give students a list of support options

Provide your students with a simple list of support options that are available before and during the exam. Provide phone numbers, email addresses, and hyperlinks.

Create accessible online exams

Students need accessibility in the classroom. Your online exams should meet common accessibility compliance standards such as ADA, Section 508, and WCAG. 

Unfortunately, accessibility is an overlooked aspect of exam and course design so keep these accessibility questions in mind

  • Does your color contrast for text and the background color meet web accessibility compliance standards?
  • Is the text in an appropriate font that’s easily readable? 
  • Are you providing text alternatives (captioning, subtitles, transcripts, etc.) for all video and audio
  • Is assistive technology such as screen readers, dictation software, and screen magnifiers supported by the testing platform and proctoring software? 

Use the examples in this article as a checklist to create accessible online classes and exams.

Encourage your students to ask questions

 Whether it’s about specific topics on the exam, test question formats, or how to use the test platform – encourage them to ask questions ahead of the exam. Whether it’s in the LMS forum and chat or email, make sure that they know you’re genuinely available to help them prepare for the exam.

Now that you know some test anxiety tips and ways to overcome it, it’s important to understand what causes it.

What causes test anxiety?

You’ve probably heard someone say, “I’m not a good test taker.” But why is that? In addition to lack of preparation, many factors cause test anxiety for students such as pressure, competitiveness, technology concerns, and not knowing what to expect during the exam. Many causes of test anxiety are often linked to the reasons students cheat on exams

Pressure

Students face a lot of pressure. Some students perform better under pressure while others struggle with the anxiety it causes. Whether it’s maintaining a certain GPA to qualify for a scholarship or even to avoid academic probation. Pressure can lead to fear of failure and an intense effort to achieve perfection. Pressure can also lead to competitiveness. All of which can negatively impact the student’s ability to perform on the exam.

Competitiveness

In many ways, we live in a competitive society. How many times have you heard, “Winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing.” It’s normal for students to have a strong desire to outperform their peers but it can also add to their anxiety leading up to an exam.

Technology concerns

Taking an online exam can cause more anxiety, especially if the student isn’t familiar with the testing platform. It’s even worse if students aren’t aware of what technology will be used and what the system requirements are ahead of time. Students will often log in to take their exam and find that their operating system or browser isn’t compatible with the testing platform or proctoring software. This can cause unnecessary stress just before an exam and negatively impact their performance.

Unaware of test expectations

 In addition to not knowing what technology is required, students can stress over other details such as test rules, timing, question format, accessibility and accommodations, and even how it’ll be monitored.

  • Will the test be timed? 
  • What type of questions will there be? Multiple choice? Essay? Can I backtrack to review my previous answers?
  • Are the test platforms and proctoring software accessible? Will I be able to use my assistive devices such as a screen reader? Can I have a time extension accommodation?
  • How is the exam monitored by the proctoring software? What is flagged? Will it flag me for cheating if my dog barks or my roommate walks by?

Can online proctoring help reduce test anxiety?

Honorlock and the University of North Alabama partnered to conduct a study on test anxiety and online proctoring. You can access the study’s eBook by completing the form below.

This study details:

  • Student exam anxiety drivers
  • How to reduce test anxiety and basic steps involved
  • The role online proctoring and live proctors have on student emotions and success

“The proctor popping in was different than I expected – in a positive way. I imagined them being more strict. I felt that the proctor was helpful and a lot less intimidating than I thought.”

 – Student quote in a post-exam interview

Complete the form below to download the study’s eBook

Tyler Stike

Tyler has over a decade of experience in ed tech and higher education. He focuses on creating relevant and useful content for educators, institutions, and technologists.

Preparing for a Proctored Exam & What to Expect

How students can prepare for a proctored exam

What is a proctored exam?

A proctored exam uses AI software and/or live proctors to monitor a student during an online exam to:

  • Prevent cheating and protect academic integrity
  • Support students as needed throughout the exam 
  • Verify student identity
  • Create a fair testing environment for all students

Tips for preparing for an exam monitored by a proctoring platform

  • Make sure your webcam, microphone, and Internet connection meet the system requirements
  • Review the online exam instructions ahead of time
  • Take a practice test if available
  • Set up your test room for success (clear your desk, turn the lights on, remove distractions)
  • Have your ID ready for identity verification
  • Write down important support information such as the phone number, email address, and any links

How do I set up an online proctored exam?

Setting up a proctored exam is pretty simple.

Generally speaking, you’ll need to install the proctoring software, app, or browser extension, scan your room, verify ID, and get started.

Here’s how it works with an Honorlock proctored exam:

  • Install the Chrome browser extension
  • Pre-test checklist: We’ll walk you through a quick 60-second pre-test checklist to make sure you’re ready to go
  • Scan your test room using the webcam: This ensures that no one else is in the room with you and that you’re not using any external resources like a cell phone, textbooks, or notes
  • Verify your identity: Using your webcam, take a picture of both yourself and your photo ID to verify that you are the student enrolled in the online course (this typically takes less than a minute)
  • Begin the exam: show what you know!

How do I prepare my test room?

  • Take your exam in a room that’s comfortable, quiet, and free of distractions
  • The room should be well lit and clear of any clutter around you and on your desk
  • No other people should be in the room with you (but if someone does come in accidentally, don’t worry! Our technology and proctors can help.)

What forms of ID are acceptable for ID verification?

You can typically use any government-issued ID (e.g., driver’s license or passport) or a student ID that has your photo.

How does Honorlock work?

Here’s a quick summary of what you should know:

  • Honorlock combines AI technology with live human proctors
    You aren’t constantly being watched. We use AI test tools to monitor your exam session and if something is wrong, it will trigger one of our live proctor to pop-in. The proctor will assess the situation and help you get back on track via chat as needed.
  • Our test proctors don’t assume that you’re cheating; they’re a resource to help you
    Our full-time test proctors are trained by a nationally certified counselor and educator on how to support students experiencing exam frustration and test anxiety.
  • Support is available 24/7
    Our US-based support team is there to troubleshoot issues with you and help make your testing experience as smooth as possible.
  • We don’t sell your data and we don’t have access to your cell phone or other devices

When can I schedule a proctored exam?

With Honorlock, you don’t have to schedule your exam. Just log into your LMS and take your proctored exam anytime you’re ready, 24/7/365, as long as it’s within the exam time frame set by your instructor. 

What do I need to take a proctored exam using Honorlock?

You need a computer, a functioning webcam and microphone, the software or browser extension, and appropriate Internet speed.

Minimum requirements for an online proctored exam with Honorlock
We provide a simple single-click test to check your system requirements.

  • Operating System: Windows 10, MacOSX 10.13 and higher, ChromeOS
  • Browser: Google Chrome (minimum version 84)
  • Internet Speed: 1.5 Mbps download, 750 Kbps upload

Does Honorlock have access to my cell phone?

No. Honorlock’s proctoring software does not have access to your cell phone or other devices.

Does Honorlock sell my personal data?

Honorlock does not sell your personal data. Ever.

What information does Honorlock collect?

We gather as little as possible about the test taker such as:

  • The IP address through the Chrome extension
  • Name and email address using the school’s LMS
  • A screen recording and a webcam recording
  • A photo of the student and ID to verify identity

How is my personal data protected?

Your privacy is our priority. All data in transit and data at rest is encrypted and stored within Honorlock’s private cloud in an Amazon (AWS) data center. Learn more about our commitment to student privacy and data security here.

The goal of our proctoring service is to make online testing as comfortable as possible for you

Best of luck this semester!

Resource links for students:

Get 24/7/365 Support
Honorlock Knowledge Base
Student FAQ
Student Privacy Statement

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Want to see Honorlock in action? Schedule a demo.

Allie Luker

Allie is an experienced marketing professional with an extensive focus in higher education technology. She is passionate about creative solutions that drive innovation and positive results for organizations.

How Online Proctored Exams Help Students

Millions of students took their first online exams last year as a result of the pandemic. Some never took an online proctored exam before and expressed concerns about privacy and the discomfort of being “watched” during the exams.

Overall, the first year of widespread use of online testing went better than expected. This blog will share how proctored online exams benefit students.

Schedule and take exams anytime

Students have busy lives and scheduling an online exam can be a challenge. That’s why our live proctors and AI are available at any time.

You don’t have to schedule a time in advance, and there are no fees for changing your plans—even at the last minute. Simply log on during the exam window set by your instructor and get started — even if it’s two in the morning on Thanksgiving!

A less invasive proctored exam experience

In the early days of online proctoring, a proctor’s face might appear on your screen for the entirety of the exam, which many students found intrusive and distracting. We aren’t fans of that either. Our proctored exams combine AI software with live proctors for a better testing experience with a human touch.

Our AI proctoring software monitors you during the exam and if a possible incident happens—say you leave the camera, or a second voice appears in the room—the AI will notify one of our live remote proctors. The proctor can then enter the exam session through a chatbot (again, no faces on your screen) to make sure that you’re OK and help you get back on track.

We assume that you need help, not that you’re cheating. For instance, there’s no need to worry if you like to read questions aloud to yourself. Your instructor will receive a report after the exam, and they can decide if any exam standards were violated. 

Our remote proctors are a resource to help you, not to catch you cheating.

In fact, Honorlock’s full-time remote proctoring team is trained by a nationally certified counselor and educator on support during moments of assessment frustration and anxiety to assist students and help them feel supported in their test-taking environment.

Easy to set up and use

Taking an online proctored exam with Honorlock is easy and quick to set up. It only takes a few moments to install, and it connects with the LMS, which means no additional logins or passwords.

Identity verification only takes about a minute, and then you do a quick room scan of your testing area. After that, you can start your exam.

Rewards honesty and ensures a fair testing environment for all

Online proctoring software protects academic integrity and creates a level playing field. You can have confidence that no one will have an unfair advantage and you can focus on demonstrating your knowledge.

Online proctored exams are accessible for all students

It’s one thing to get ready for an important exam, but it’s another thing to face additional accessibility obstacles.

Web accessibility compliance standards and best practices help create an inclusive learning environment, regardless of disability or condition. Online proctored exams help students who require specific accommodations, such as extending time limits, adjusting due dates, and allowing assistive technology.

Support is always available

Just like we offer on-demand online proctored exams, we also provide 24/7/365 US-based support. We want you to focus on your exam, not technical difficulties.

Our support agents provide quick and consistent help. Whether you’re testing at four in the morning or over a holiday, you can get help from an actual human being. They’ll troubleshoot issues with you and help make your testing experience as smooth as possible.

We protect your privacy

Privacy is important to you and Honorlock. But how do we protect student privacy and what data do we collect?

  • We don’t sell or monetize your data
  • We don’t have access to your cell phone or other devices 
  • We don’t monitor your network
  • Our proctoring software only collects basic information such as your name, email address, and IP address
  • Honorlock does not use facial recognition, fingerprints, voiceprints, or other biometric technologies to identify test takers
  • All data is encrypted and stored within Honorlock’s private cloud in an Amazon (AWS) data center

We’re here for you

More and more exams will be remote proctored in the future, so you want to know that the virtual part won’t cause more stress. Honorlock gives you the most convenient and least stressful online proctoring experience.

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Schedule time to explore Honorlock

Speak to a representative who will walk you through the ways Honorlock’s online proctoring services can benefit your company and test-takers.

Get in Touch

Tyler Stike

Tyler has over a decade of experience in ed tech and higher education. He focuses on creating relevant and useful content for educators, institutions, and technologists.

Best Practices for Online Exam Takers

At Honorlock, we pride ourselves on helping educational institutions preserve their academic integrity. Most of you, whether students, faculty, or administrators, will be aware of this phrase. Some of you will have thought deeply about academic integrity, while others may think of it only in passing. A few may have come into stark awareness of academic integrity only after being accused of violating it on an examination or a written assignment for a class. In part because of those circumstances, perhaps too much discussion of and emotion about academic integrity centers upon negative behaviors and instances when individuals fall short of the ideal.

In contrast, the International Center for Academic Integrity (ICAI) exists to focus on and champion the positive values associated with our intrinsic drive to do good, not just do well. These fundamental values, honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility, and courage, each warrant a look when considering what remote proctoring solution a school administrator chooses, how faculty members create assessments for their students (and indeed how they produce their own research), and how students approach the pursuit of their degrees and their education. They also play an integral role in how Honorlock operates as a company.

Honesty

Honesty is not just the proverbial best policy, ICAI notes that it’s an “indispensable foundation of teaching, learning, research, and service, and a necessary prerequisite” for the five other fundamental values. Institutions need to be clear that dishonest behaviors in an academic community are unacceptable.

Honesty and honor are closely related. The temptation to take short cuts during one’s academic career can be overwhelming, and whether it’s due to stress or disconnection, or “nobody will know,” an extensive and recent ICAI academic integrity survey paints a troubling picture of the percentage of students who admit to betraying their honor at some time or another when completing an assignment.

What can remote proctoring software do in this environment? The answer is help schools limit the temptation, by providing effective deterrence for those who may be tempted to put short-term gains ahead of their own, and their institution’s academic integrity. 

Trust

Once honesty is established, trust can follow. According to ICAI, faculty promote trust by setting “clear guidelines for assignments and for evaluating student work.” Students promote trust by preparing “honest, thoughtful, and genuine” work. Schools develop trust by setting “clear and consistent academic standards” and then applying those standards “unfailingly and fairly.” When the members of the academic community can be trusted to act with integrity, the wider society “can believe in the value and meaning of scholarly research, teaching, and degrees.” 

To verify the worthiness of the trust placed in our educational institutions, the federal government requires that schools confirm that each student taking a distance course and being awarded the credit is the same student enrolled in the course and doing the work. Honorlock’s remote proctoring system contributes to this general trust with the quickest and easiest test-taker ID verification process available. Meanwhile, students and institutions can trust that Honorlock will never sell or monetize your student data.

Fairness

Humans have a compelling need to feel that they have been treated fairly. “Life” may not be fair, and, in a competitive economy, things may not always break our way, but we still demand that others deal fairly with us. Our educational communities can be fortified by “predictability, transparency, and clear, reasonable expectations,” as ICAI puts it.

Students want their grade evaluations to be impartial and accurate, and fairness in this sense is what builds trust between them and their instructors and institutions. Honest students need to feel confident that their peers are not gaining an unfair advantage by acting dishonestly. For courses with high stakes online midterms and final exams, Honorlock’s AI, backed up by live human proctors, performs a vital service in ensuring fairness for all.

Respect

“Respect in academic communities,” ICAI reminds us, “is reciprocal and requires showing respect for oneself as well as others.” For the individual, respect means “facing challenges with integrity.” For the group, making sure each member both shows and feels respect is everyone’s responsibility.

When students behave with integrity, they demonstrate respect to themselves, their peers, their families, their teachers, and their school. They also show respect to the alumni who have come before them and whose ranks they hope to proudly join having maintained their school’s good name.

Honorlock was founded by students, and we respect the commitment that everyone in the academic community makes for maintaining academic integrity with our 24/7/365 support. We appreciate our opportunity to contribute to an environment that fosters respect by ensuring that remotely proctored exams are conducted both conveniently and fairly. 

Responsibility

Here is the ICAI on responsibility:

Academic communities of integrity rest upon foundations of personal accountability coupled with the willingness of individuals and groups to lead by example, uphold mutually agreed-upon standards, and take action when they encounter wrongdoing.

Schools are taking on a wider responsibility for the education of the population by expanding their reach through distance learning, and part of that responsibility is ensuring the fairness of their remotely proctored assessments. Schools that successfully shoulder this responsibility engender credibility with the world at large. 

Courage

ICAI highlights courage last because it is less a value than a “quality or capacity” that allows us to act according to our values. Courage is “an element of character” that helps students hold themselves and each other to the highest standards. 

It takes courage to act with integrity when fear creeps in, or when stress derails us. But, in a way similar to intellectual capacity, ICAI concludes, “courage can only develop in environments where it is tested.” 

Protect Academic Integrity with Honorlock’s Remote Proctoring Software

Take courage as you make the most of your experience as a student, faculty member, or administrator. If you’d like to learn more about how Honorlock’s remote proctoring software can help preserve your institution’s values of maintaining academic integrity, request a demo. 

SCHEDULE A DEMO

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Tess Mitchell

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

How Does Honorlock Protect Student Privacy?

Are midterm or final exams on the way in your online courses? Is your university or college normally on campus, but has migrated to distance learning due to the global health crisis? If the answer is yes to either of these questions, your students are likely to bring up concerns about their privacy when taking remotely proctored exams. We clarified many of these student privacy concerns about the privacy of students in a previous blog addressed to students, but are revisiting and extending our responses here for school administrators who may currently be researching online proctoring services for their institutions. 

Here are common questions about student privacy and our answers:

1. Is Honorlock FERPA Compliant?

Yes. Certain student information and records are covered by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Institutions protect the information and records in accordance with FERPA privacy rights and other applicable laws. Honorlock is prohibited from using student data in any way except to carry out online exam proctoring services. The information transmitted belongs to each school.

2. Does Honorlock Sell Student Information to Third Parties?

No. Honorlock will never sell or monetize student data. 

3. Does Honorlock require that students provide a picture of a photo ID to verify their identity? Is this information saved/stored?

Honorlock does not require that students provide a photo ID, however, most academic institutions choose to enable this feature. Honorlock encourages the primary use of a University/College ID and that is what schools usually recommend. However, any photo ID that has an image of the test-taker and their name on it will work for the purposes of confirming and documenting that the student that is supposed to take the online proctored exam is the student that actually does so. Your information is protected in accordance with FERPA privacy rights and other applicable laws. Honorlock is prohibited from using student data in any way except to carry out online exam proctoring services. The information transmitted belongs to each school.

4. Does Honorlock monitor the test taker’s network and secondary devices?

Honorlock does not employ any technologies to allow the detection of secondary devices connected to a student’s local/home network used during the online test proctoring session. No agents or applications are downloaded to these secondary devices to initiate any type of surveillance activities. Other users connected to the local/home network during a student’s Honorlock online exam can process personal or confidential information at the same time without fear of the student’s Honorlock session monitoring or eavesdropping on secondary device activities. In addition, our software is not capable of intercepting local/home network communications from devices connected during the student’s session.

We do monitor the quality of the internet connection of the specific test-taking device to ensure its quality and to document the network connection stability during the proctored test, so as to be able to troubleshoot situations in which the test-takers internet connection becomes unstable.

5. What data is tracked/recorded from the web browser extension and how is it handled?

Our Chrome Web browser extension allows Honorlock to interact with the student and the exam content during proctored exams for online courses. This includes launching the webcam window and interacting with student behavior within the exam. During the proctored online exam, the following data is captured, analyzed, and stored:

  • Webcam video, including audio
  • Recording of desktop activity
  • Student information presented by the learning management system, such as student name, course number, exam name, etc.
  • Pages visited during the examination session
  • Specific student behavior that may indicate academic dishonesty, such as copy/paste into search engines

6. Who has access to student data?

Only appropriate school personnel have access to student data. Key staff within Honorlock will have access, if needed, in order to provide quality control and support for your instructors. Our employees are likewise bound to FERPA and privacy requirements.

7. Where does Honorlock store student data?

Honorlock uses an encrypted and secured connection during each online proctored exam. All videos and photos are stored on Honorlock’s proctored testing 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. They are SOC 2 Type 1 and GDPR compliant. Your school owns the data.

8. Who monitors the test, artificial intelligence (AI) or live proctors? Who reviews the flags?

Honorlock’s AI monitors the test-taking. The AI automatically generates a flag if unusual activity is detected, such as another person entering the room. If unusual activity is detected, a live proctor is notified and will pop-in via chatbox. Once an online exam session is completed, instructors are able to review flagged recordings to determine if there was a possible academic integrity violation. Instructors make the final assessment as to whether a transgression has taken place.

Honorlock was created by students who wanted other students to be able to have the most convenient, least intrusive remote exam proctoring experience.

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Alice Cifuentes

Alice has several years of marketing experience within healthcare and most recently in higher education focused on social media growth, tradeshow management, and communication. She is passionate about creatively navigating new challenges and discovering innovative ways to connect with educators.

WEBINAR: 4 Tips for Overcoming Exam Anxiety

As faculty, instructional designers and remote proctors, it is our duty to ensure an equal and fair testing environment for the students we serve. Most students feel that remote proctors exist to catch them in the act of cheating which can create a sense of distrust and high anxiety. How do we, as educators and professionals, change the way in which our testers view proctors and the platforms we use to facilitate exams so that we can help students with test anxiety management? How do we educate faculty in preparing students for a virtual test environment in this age of cyber “insecurity” and distrust. For remote proctors and faculty the results should be the same – equal and fair test environment and sense of security of exam content. In this webinar, you’ll learn 4 tips for overcoming exam anxiety and you’ll be able to:

  • Understand the role of a remote proctor
  • Identify ways to educate students about online proctoring and alleviate misconceptions about privacy invasion
  • Educate faculty on how to create a positive online exam experience for students as well as themselves
  • Use online exams appropriately – low stakes vs. high stakes – what is at stake for student and faculty
Download the PowerPoint

Speakers:

Paula Rodriguez

Director of the University Testing Center at Colorado State University.

Paula Rodriguez is the Director of the University Testing Center at Colorado State University. She received her Master’s Degree in Educational Psychology from the University of Northern Colorado. Part of her job as the Director is to oversee the management of the CSU Online exams process. She is a member of the proctoring committee at CSU that provides guidance to faculty and students on proctoring best practices and online proctoring tools. She and her team recently received national test center certification for the CSU Testing Center through the NCTA.