Cheating on an Online Exam: 5 Ways to Avoid Proctoring

Contents:

• Proctoring: Modern Meaning and History
• Proctoring Effectiveness: How It Helps in the Educational Process
• Student Experience with Proctoring: The Reality of Examus

Proctoring: Modern Meaning and History

The term "proctor" comes from English universities, where this position arose in the late Middle Ages. Proctors played a key role in maintaining student discipline both during exams and during the learning process. Their primary role was to monitor compliance with rules and norms of conduct, thereby maintaining academic integrity and order. Proctors also ensured the security of the educational process and contributed to the creation of a positive learning atmosphere. In modern educational institutions, the role of proctors remains, and they continue to perform important functions related to the organization of the examination process and the maintenance of discipline among students. Proctoring in the modern world is a technology that facilitates the monitoring of exams, especially online. These solutions have become especially important during the COVID-19 pandemic, when remote learning has become a necessity. Proctoring ensures the integrity and transparency of exams, preventing cheating and ensuring academic standards are met. The introduction of proctoring services increases trust in online education and allows educational institutions to conduct student assessments effectively and securely. There are two key players in the Russian proctoring market: ProctorEdu and Examus. Additionally, some universities are developing their own solutions for remote exam proctoring. According to RBC, Examus holds a significant market share. In 2020, its revenue amounted to 83 million rubles, while ProctorEdu earned 51 million rubles. These data highlight the growing role of proctoring in the Russian educational sector, where the quality and reliability of assessment systems are becoming increasingly important. In 2020, Examus experts administered over one million exams in Russia and approximately half a million abroad. The company's revenue increased fivefold, necessitating a significant increase in staff, which quadrupled. This growth confirms the success of our work and the high demand for Examus' services. We continue to develop and improve the quality of our services, striving to meet the needs of our clients both in Russia and abroad.

Marina Novoselova, Marketing Director at Examus, emphasized: "While the pandemic did not bring us instant wealth, we have significantly increased our performance and are now focused on entering international markets, which is our top priority in 2021."

Universities that began working with the Examus platform before the pandemic continue to actively use its services. New clients acquired in 2020 also remain with the company, although some are considering returning to traditional certification methods. This demonstrates the stability and demand for Examus solutions in the field of educational technology.

The company is confident that remote administration of entrance exams and Olympiads will remain relevant. This approach allows universities to attract applicants from the most remote corners of the country and the world, significantly expanding their selection opportunities for talented students. Remote exams also provide a more flexible schedule for participants and help create a level playing field for everyone, regardless of geographic location. In the context of globalization and digitalization of education, remote formats are becoming an important tool for ensuring access to quality education and identifying outstanding talent.

The Effectiveness of Proctoring: How It Helps in the Educational Process

Proctoring plays an important role in modern education and knowledge assessment. According to a 2023 study, over 60% of universities and educational institutions use proctoring for remote testing. This underscores its importance in the context of the digitalization of the educational process. Proctoring ensures the integrity and transparency of exams, which is especially important in the era of remote learning. Proctoring systems help prevent cheating and ensure that students demonstrate their true knowledge and skills. With the growing popularity of online education, proctoring is becoming an essential tool for maintaining quality standards and trust in the educational environment.

The Examus proctoring system offers three unique modes, each meeting different user needs. Automatic mode provides monitoring without human intervention, ensuring a high level of security and objectivity. Asynchronous mode allows the proctor to analyze exam recordings after completion, convenient for subsequent review. Synchronous mode allows the proctor to monitor the testing process in real time, enabling prompt response to potential violations. The choice of the appropriate mode depends on the specifics of the exam and the requirements of the educational institution.

Proctoring technology operates through a web browser, providing a high degree of control over the exam and test process. The process begins with a hardware check, including the user's camera, microphone, and desktop. The system also utilizes identification methods such as facial recognition, significantly increasing security and preventing fraud. Proctoring allows educational institutions and employers to guarantee the integrity and objectivity of assessments, while also providing convenience for users by allowing them to take tests remotely.

During testing, the program monitors the candidate's facial and eye movements. It records the test taker's concentration level and monitors the surrounding environment, detecting extraneous sounds and the presence of other people. All collected data is recorded, and at the end of the exam, the system analyzes the likelihood of violations. This approach ensures a high degree of security and reliability of the exam process, minimizing the risk of fraud.

Distance learning expert Marina Novoselova notes that asynchronous proctoring is the most popular. This format is especially popular among companies for assessing candidates and certifying employees. It is also actively used for final skills assessments after completing training courses. Asynchronous proctoring allows for flexibility in the testing process, making it an ideal solution for modern educational and workforce solutions.

Examus's clients are primarily large universities, who opt for an annual exam package subscription. This solution provides access to a wide range of tests and optimizes student assessment costs. Smaller educational institutions typically prefer to pay for individual tests, allowing them greater flexibility in budget management and adapting to changing needs. This approach makes Examus a convenient and effective solution for a variety of educational organizations.

Proctoring is a system for monitoring the exam process, aimed at ensuring the integrity and transparency of testing. This method helps prevent cheating and ensures that exam results reflect the actual knowledge and skills of participants. Proctoring can be implemented both in traditional educational settings and online, making it particularly relevant in distance learning environments. Using modern technologies such as video surveillance and specialized software, proctoring provides reliable control over the exam process, which helps build trust in educational institutions and their programs. Proctoring plays a key role in ensuring the integrity of exams, especially in distance learning settings. It helps prevent cheating by ensuring that all test takers comply with rules and act with integrity. Proctoring effectively monitors the exam process, which helps maintain a high level of trust in educational institutions and their programs. How to choose the best proctoring mode? The choice of proctoring mode depends on the goals of your testing. Automated mode is ideal for large-scale exams, as it provides quick and efficient testing of large numbers of students. Asynchronous mode is suitable for post-course assessment, allowing participants to take testing at their own convenience. Synchronous mode provides real control during the testing process, which is especially important for exams that require a high degree of reliability and security.

Student Experiences with Proctoring: The Reality of Examus

Since spring 2020, students have developed a fear of proctoring systems. Rumors of strict control measures, including close attention to the slightest deviations, caused significant anxiety among students, especially first-year students. These systems, designed to ensure the integrity of exams, have become a source of stress, negatively affecting the learning process and the psycho-emotional state of students. It is important to understand that proctoring is designed to prevent cheating, but its use must be balanced and take into account psychological aspects so as not to degrade the learning experience.

According to data provided by Skillbox Media, the majority of students who participated in the Examus exam did not experience abusive behavior from proctors. While technical system glitches did occur, they were generally resolved in the students' best interests.

A master's student at the Higher School of Economics (HSE) reported difficulties checking his equipment and connecting to the examination system. Despite these issues, he completed the exam successfully. On another occasion, the system failed to send his answers, forcing him to contact the study office to resolve the issue.

An HSE undergraduate student who took exams using the Examus system had no comments regarding the quality of the proctoring service.

The university responded quickly to technical issues, providing students with the opportunity to take exams via Zoom. Students note that this response helped maintain the educational process and minimize the negative impact of system failures.

An HSE student encountered problems during registration, which marked the beginning of her difficulties. During the exam, many of her classmates experienced system failures, forcing them to retake the exam on backup days. Meanwhile, students whose proctoring system functioned without interruptions were worried about possible technical problems, which negatively impacted their results. These issues highlight the importance of reliable examination systems and the need to support students in an environment with unstable technology.

A student at Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU) noted that the Examus app significantly degraded camera image quality, preventing many students from successfully photographing their passports on their first try. It's also worth noting that the exams were conducted according to Moscow time, which caused discomfort for students from other time zones. These factors negatively impacted the overall experience of the exam process, highlighting the need to improve the technical infrastructure and take time differences into account to create a more comfortable environment for all participants.

A student at St. Petersburg State University (SPbU) stated that errors in the proctoring system caused her severe anxiety. The program recorded violations that did not actually occur. This situation raises important questions about the reliability of remote exam monitoring systems and their impact on students. Proctoring errors can negatively impact the educational process and necessitate more thorough testing of such technologies.

I remained motionless, focused on the screen, so as not to arouse suspicion. The day before the retake, I received a notification about the violation. A similar situation occurred with my classmates. Ultimately, the academic department intervened and helped resolve the issue.

A student who took the entrance exam to Moscow State Law University using the Examus platform noted that the cheating process was quite simple, as the proctors didn't require a room demonstration. She emphasized that with proper lighting settings, one can conceal one's gaze, making it invisible to the proctor. However, the main difficulty was a long legal problem, which was displayed in a small window, requiring constant scrolling. This created additional difficulties in perceiving information and complicated the completion of the task.