Honorlock Proctored Testing Customer Testimonial
Paula Rodriguez, Former Director of the University Testing Center Colorado State University
“It was evident by the end of the process, that Honorlock was the proctoring platform that met almost every one of our needs based on the feedback the university received from faculty and students.” – Paula Rodriguez
Improving the Online Exam Experience and Reducing Student Anxiety with Remote Proctored Testing
Paula Rodriguez joined Colorado State University in 2017 as the director of the universities’ testing center. Paula is the president of the Rocky Mountain Testing Association. She and her team recently received national test center certification for the CSU Testing Center through the NCTA. With a Master’s Degree in Educational Psychology, she is passionate about working with students to help them successfully complete exams and achieve their academic goals. “A lot of people don’t understand exam proctoring and they don’t understand how to communicate with students when they come into the testing center. It’s important to help students relax and make them comfortable with what they’re about to do in a setting they are not used to and a platform that they may have not used before,” said Rodriguez. “There’s a lot of psychology involved. I love working with them.”
Making the Switch to Honorlock Proctored Testing
Within the first week of her employment at CSU, several faculty members approached her to express their dissatisfaction with their online proctored testing solution. They were locked into a three-year contract, but Paula began to evaluate other online proctoring services and was able to secure a Pilot with Honorlock’s remote proctoring software. “Faculty absolutely loved it and so did our students,” said Rodriguez. Once the previous proctored testing solution contract expired, CSU entered into an RFP process and received seven bids from various online proctoring services. “It was evident by the end of the process, that Honorlock was the remote proctoring platform that met almost every one of our needs based on the feedback the university received from faculty and students.”
When their prior online proctoring contract expired, CSU made the switch to Honorlock online proctored testing. “Since we made the switch to Honorlock, everything has been great! Implementing Honorlock was very simple. I am really happy with our Customer Success Manager! The level of consistent communication and feeling like we are special is not something you get often. That has been a pleasant experience!” stated Rodriguez. “What’s great about Honorlock are all the different safety guards you have in place such as Browser Guard and Live Proctor Pop-In. I think Honorlock does a great job of protecting exam integrity,” said Rodriguez.
Improving the Proctored Testing Experience for Students
“Students like that Honorlock launches directly out of Canvas and that there is nothing that they have to do differently,” said Rodriquez. “It’s seamless, it’s quick, the equipment checks are faster than our previous solution. The entire experience is so much nicer.” With the prior online proctoring solution for Colorado State testing, CSU’s students were asked to set an appointment in order to complete their online exams, which differs greatly from Honorlock’s on-demand availability. “They’ve had fewer technical issues surrounding bandwidth regardless of the student’s location or service provider which has been a major improvement. Students are so much happier,” exclaimed Rodriguez.
“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!” Students have the option to utilize the testing center on campus if they don’t have the equipment they need at home. Honorlock allows for CSU’s proctors to bypass the ID check. “That process is really simple. It allows the students to feel more comfortable because they are not stressed out over equipment. Webcams are hard to come by now so it gives us the opportunity to help the students here as well. Honorlock is really flexible.”
Proctored Testing That Can Reduce Student Anxiety
Initially, there were student concerns and anxiety surrounding the difference between in-person proctored exams versus online proctored testing. Colorado State responded by providing education to both their faculty and students.
Rodriguez discussed the parallels between both types of proctoring:
- Both require student ID verification
- Proctors during in-person exams are observing student behavior for signs of academic dishonesty
- The Colorado State testing center records their exam session just as Honorlock does. “As students began to realize that it is not that different, they became more comfortable with online proctoring.”
Rodriguez also recommends taking advantage of Honorlock’s practice online exam to help reduce student anxiety during exams. A lot of faculty are implementing the free practice exam and giving students credit for taking it, she said. “It helps pinpoint problem areas before their real exam. It’s like driving a car – you have to practice before you get your license.”
Results with Honorlock Proctored Testing
- Integration with Canvas and exams on demand have made students much happier
- Flexibility to customize exams per course, per student and per location (home vs testing center) is exceeding faculty expectations
- Ease of use for faculty and students has saved both time and hassle
- Consistent communication from their Honorlock CSM keeps them informed
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About CSU
Colorado State University is one of the nation’s top public research universities and an institution on the rise. In the last decade, CSU has produced record enrollment, built on all time highs in student diversity and student success as well as groundbreaking research driven by a highly productive faculty.