Remote Proctoring - A saviour for colleges and universities amid pandemic

Remote proctoring seems to be a saviour for a lot of universities and colleges who are looking forward to completing their examinations by September. Not only remote proctoring eases the tension of conducting online examinations, but it also enables the examination agency or institutions to administer the exam process seamlessly and effortlessly.

In this time of crisis, University Grant Commission (UGC) has directed the universities and colleges to hold the examinations by September end in any mode including online and blended, keeping the safety of the students in mind.

As COVID-19 positive cases rise day-by-day, big and small educational institutions are exploring the possibilities of online examinations. Sources revealed, the demand for remote proctoring solution for most of the assessment organisations is witnessing a 50-60% jump.

The major hesitation for embracing the online examinations from the institutions’ side is maintaining a foolproof security system. However, most of them are exploring options of various kinds of advanced remote proctoring solutions.

Currently, there are three major types of remote proctoring available for the universities and colleges to choose from. The options available are - live online proctoring, recorded proctoring and automated proctoring. Let’s explore each one in detail.

Live online proctoring

A qualified proctor or invigilator monitors the candidates’ audio-video and screen share feeds in real-time sitting at a remote location. Therefore, it is not very different from offline proctoring except for the flexibility of the proctoring location.

The real-time proctoring helps to reduce the unnecessary movement of the students and fraudulent activities at their end. This is the best option when the number of candidates is less. It also requires high-speed connectivity at the end of both side – proctor and exam taker. A devoted proctor is mandatory for invigilation.

Recorded proctoring

Candidates’ audio-video and screen share feeds are recorded and reviewed by a proctor later. Usually, the recordings are played in a fast-forward manner for the proctor to detect any suspicious activities. This solution offers a complete exam-room feeling for the students as their full movement is recorded in a video format. Students are extra careful while taking the exam in this format.

The human involvement retains the disadvantages of the live online exam proctoring despite removing location and time constraints. Also, the proctor needs to be a keen observer to spot the malpractices during the exam. This mode also needs high-speed connectivity and storage capacity to save the recorded video file.

Automated proctoring

This is the latest and most advanced form of proctoring. It almost removes any need for human intervention at all. Face recognition helps authenticate the candidates’ identity. The system records the audio-video and screen share feeds and simultaneously monitors them for any suspicious activities using advanced video and audio analytics.

This type of proctoring works by limiting candidate logins to specific IP addresses and blocks copy-pasting. It does not allow the candidate to switch the window or access any other application during the test. Automated proctoring also tracks mouse movement, candidate movement and other set functions. Removal of the location and time constraint makes automated proctoring economical and foolproof.

We at MeritTrac offers all these proctoring services with an end-to-end examination management software named Pariksha.This software, coupled with remote proctoring options and safe exam browser, has been successfully utilized in several educational institutions around the country. With this, the educational institutions can conduct the examinations effortlessly, especially in this time of pandemic crisis.