In a rapid two-week transition, Idaho State University (ISU) replaced its outdated proctoring system with Honorlock. The switch was an immediate success, saving students over $100,000 in the first month and drastically cutting support incidents, restoring both confidence and institutional equity across every course.
As ISU transitioned to a new LMS, outdated legacy proctoring piled on student costs, overwhelmed support teams, and failed students using older computers, creating an urgent need for a more equitable and reliable solution.
In just two weeks, ISU launched Honorlock institution-wide, integrating it into the new LMS, training hundreds of faculty, and providing a faster, more accessible experience for students.
Within the first month, ISU students completed thousands of exams smoothly, faculty reclaimed valuable time, and new integrity tools like Search and Destroy strengthened confidence campus-wide.
Idaho State University At-A-Glance:
- Public research university (R2)
- Founded in 1901
- 4 campuses in Idaho (Pocatello, Idaho Falls, Meridian, and Twin Falls)
- Serves nearly 12,000+ undergraduate and graduate students
- 7 colleges, including Business, Education, and Kasiska Division of Health Sciences
- In-person, online, and hybrid programs across Idaho and beyond
Challenge: Legacy Proctoring Was Costly, Frustrating, and Inequitable
Idaho State University faced mounting frustrations with its existing proctoring provider. The problems were serious enough to prompt an early switch—right in the middle of a campus-wide LMS migration.
Students were paying out-of-pocket fees that quickly added up. “It was not uncommon for students to have all of a sudden a $70 fee to take a test,” recalled Bob Houghton, Director of the Instructional Technology Resource Center.
Faculty were equally frustrated, fielding constant student issues with a system that was confusing, unreliable, and prone to double-billing errors.
The timing of the change couldn’t have been more challenging. “The faculty were primed to riot. We were switching LMSs and proctoring services at once,” Houghton admitted.
Equity concerns added more urgency. More than half of ISU’s students are Pell Grant recipients who rely on older computers, and the heavy software required by their legacy proctoring system often crashed those machines. “Over 50% of our students are Pell Grant recipients. They run older machines, and the bloatware from competitors would crash their systems,” Houghton explained.
Solution: Seamless, Rapid Transition to Honorlock
To overcome these challenges, ISU adopted Honorlock’s AI + Live Pop-inTM license across the institution. Despite the challenge of switching both LMSs and proctoring in the same two-week window before the fall term, ISU’s transition to Honorlock was nearly flawless.
With support from Honorlock’s team, including onsite assistance and faculty training sessions that drew hundreds of attendees, implementation was quick and effective. Honorlock integrated into the new LMS within minutes, and faculty were using the system confidently right away. The transition was smooth, not only technically but also culturally, as instructors quickly embraced the new solution. “The transition was seamless. All exams moved to Honorlock in the two weeks before school started,” Houghton said.
Results: Accessibility, Time Savings, Stronger Integrity, and Broader Adoption
Accessible and Flexible for Every Student
Honorlock’s lightweight Chrome extension, in place of a full application download, made an immediate difference for students. “Honorlock’s lightweight browser extension, rather than a full software download, is phenomenal. Students love it, especially those with older computers. No more bloatware crashing their systems,” Houghton emphasized.
Students’ pocketbooks benefit directly as well. Honorlock eliminated the $15 scheduling and $35 rescheduling fees of the past, saving students a minimum of $100,000 or more in the first month alone! By the end of the first month, more than 2,000 students had completed over 7,200 Honorlock proctored exam sessions across 94 courses and 240 unique exams.
ISU students gained the flexibility to take their exams anywhere, whenever they are ready. While the vast majority of exam sessions are taking place within Idaho ( 1,700+ exam sessions). ISU students have taken proctored exams in 35 states and 6 countries, with the majority of exam sessions outside Idaho taking place in the following nearby states:
- Idaho
- Washington
- Oregon
- California
- Utah
- Colorado
Time Savings & Reduced Support Burden
Support incidents, once overwhelming, dropped significantly. “I may answer one or two proctoring questions a week now, versus all the time before,” shared Catherine Leavitt, Instructional Designer. Leavitt adds that she is “no longer receiving the same volume of emails, phone calls, and support tickets related to proctoring and now has the capacity to take on additional work.” She added that fewer emails and calls mean more time for faculty support and course innovation.
Houghton agreed: “It’s not that Honorlock’s support is just handling issues. It’s that they’re not having issues. It ain’t broke.”
Not only is Honorlock freeing up resources in the Instructional Technology Resource Center, but faculty satisfaction has also climbed. The FTE licensing model allows ISU to use proctoring across all course modalities, not just online classes. One instructor noted, “Now I can give proctored exams in in-person classes, which gives me two hours back every time. I can use that time for teaching instead of babysitting.”
“It’s not that Honorlock’s support is just handling issues. It’s that they’re not having issues. It ain’t broke.”
Bob Houghton, Director of the Instructional Technology Resource Center, Idaho State University
Stronger Integrity Across Every Exam
One of the biggest early wins came from Honorlock’s unique Search & DestroyTM technology. The tool helped ISU uncover and remove hundreds of test questions that had been posted online, a problem that had frustrated faculty for years. Nearly 3,000 exam items were processed in the first month, with over a third flagged as compromised, for which faculty could immediately send a takedown request.
“Our dental hygiene department was having issues with students posting exam questions to Quizlet. I showed them Search and Destroy. They’re super impressed! Students can’t copy and paste or cheat,” Leavitt explained.
Houghton shared that news of these results reached leadership quickly. “I shared the news about Search and Destroy with the provost. He shared it with the president, and then I was invited to present it to the Deans’ Council,” he said.
In just the first month alone, Honorlock is strengthening integrity across ISU by deterring and blocking behaviors that pose risks. Honorlock has already:
- Prevented potential academic dishonesty in 2,300+ exam sessions
- Blocked navigation away from the exam in 1,400+ exam sessions
- Stopped copy/paste in 500+ exam sessions
- Prohibited the use of unauthorized extensions in 800+ exam sessions
- Deterred the use of secondary devices (3 of the top 10 most common proctor-validated violations at ISU involving the use of cell phones or secondary devices!)
“Our dental hygiene department was having issues with students posting exam questions to Quizlet. I showed them Search and Destroy. They’re super impressed! Students can’t copy and paste or cheat. I shared the news about Search and Destroy with the provost. He shared it with the president, and then I was invited to present it to the Deans’ Council.”
Catherine Leavitt, Instructional Designer, Idaho State University
Campus-Wide Momentum
Momentum spread quickly across campus. The College of Business embraced Honorlock, citing significant time savings. The Kasiska Division of Health Sciences began evaluating Honorlock to replace a proprietary tool. Even ISU’s testing center is leveraging Honorlock’s no-code integration for ALEKS exams and supporting student accommodations with success.
As Houghton summed up, “It’s saving our students time and money. Faculty are thrilled. They’re getting back hours of time and love the flexibility.”
