How does proctoring work, and what does it mean?

If you are in the education sector, you may have recently heard the word “proctoring”. But how does proctoring work, and what is it?

In recent years, teaching and talent selection methods have undergone a dizzying evolution, primarily due to the digital transformation affecting the education and labor sectors. This begs the question: how does proctoring software work, and how can we use it in this transformation? 

In this article, we will focus on proctoring technology, which in the case of SMOWL, is a tailor-made suit for its clients. 

What is proctoring?

Proctoring is a technology that, through a series of tools, seeks to guarantee that online tests for the evaluation of knowledge and performance of functions are produced under premises of quality and integrity of results, as well as control of possible fraud or deception.  

The digital evolution of education and work we mentioned initially has not been free of security and efficiency problems. 

Solutions have had to be found so that teachers, students, candidates, and employees could carry out the different online evaluation processes with the maximum possible guarantees. 

Why and when is proctoring necessary?

The essence of the concept of online exam proctoring lies in the need for online supervision in non-face-to-face examinations, training, or job selection, that is, remotely, applying auditory and visual control techniques.

The reasons and the need to use proctoring systems are based on the following points to control: 

• Verify and accredit the identity of the examinee. These measures control fraud and impersonation in proctored exams or remote selection tests.
• Verify that examinees perform the tests by themselves. The aim is to ensure online examinations without cheating. In particular, it is intended to certify that the test takers take the tests without any suspicious activity and external help, either in terms of materials or external third parties acting as support.

Thus, the proctoring solution technologies become the protagonist for those situations where:

• Face-to-face supervision is no longer possible and must be replaced by online surveillance. The case of online exams in the wake of the COVID pandemic is a clear example.
• There are cases in which the service is already born with a non-face-to-face approach. The prime examples here are MOOC courses and micro degrees.

How does proctoring work?

Now that you know what remote proctoring is, the problems it focuses on, and the solutions it proposes, it is time to see how it is carried out. 

The initial authentication of the examinee is done through a visual control of the image from the student. The camera will take this picture at the moment of connection.  Then, the system will compare it with a digital identification (photo, ids, etc.)the student, candidate, or employee will have provided beforehand. 

This authentication can also be carried out using images previously available to the study center, the personnel management agency, or the company.

During the online test, facial recognition is performed one after the other through captures from the computer’s webcam.

In order to check that the examinee does not resort to third parties for assistance, web proctoring tools perform surveys of additional persons present at the test site and appearing in the camera image. These examinations are called Room Tours. 

In addition, automated proctoring of the examinee’s ability to consult online help web pages is carried out by monitoring the browser or the computer on which they are conducting the test or evaluation.

The proctoring software also uses Room Tours techniques that provide a real-time complete picture of what is in the room or space where the examinee is located to check that they are not using external mobile devices (smartphones, tablets, laptops, etc.) 

This technology also controls the examinees do not use headphones from which they could receive information. That is performed thanks to specific monitoring through analyzing the captured images and controlling external devices connected to the computer. 

In some cases, the number of cameras that perform the monitoring is two: the one on the computer itself and the one on your cell phone or other devices. 

Why use SMOWL as your online proctoring software?

There are many reasons to use SMOWL as your remote proctoring service, and we list some of them below: 

• Variety of proctoring plans and contracted functions according to the client’s needs.
• Option of tailored plans.
• Customized control of security levels.
• Use of Artificial Intelligence algorithms. 
• Issuance of customized and analytical reports of each test.
• Commitment to the simplicity and usability of the tool.
• Optional human verification to replace facial recognition or the use of biometrics.
• Monitoring is limited to the time of the evaluation. 
• User accounts with encrypted code to guarantee privacy.
• Free, no-obligation demo. 
• Competitive pricing. 
• Complete training for each contracted plan.
• Technical support service.
• Adaptation to the European General Data Protection Regulation (RGPD).

Do you know now how does proctoring work? Don’t waste a minute and request a free and personalized demo now. Your educational and job training online supervision problems are over because we have a solution for you.