COVID-19 – new invigilation tech gives alternative to cancelling exams

As the coronavirus continues to spread around the world, the risk of public gatherings being canceled grows.  As public health warnings have increasingly encouraged people to avoid large crowds, Questionmark, the leading provider of enterprise-grade assessment software, has seen increasing interest in two of its online services. 

These services enable colleges, universities and workplaces to deliver assessments in exam conditions without bringing the people taking them together in one place.  The comprehensive proctoring service ensures the integrity of the tests, which can be done remotely from anywhere in the world. 

“Proctoring Online” and the new “Proctoring Record and Review” service protect the integrity of the tests by ensuring that those taking tests or exams are properly monitored.  This makes it harder for a test-taker to cheat or to copy the exam questions to pass onto others, ensuring that the results are valid, reliable, fair and defensible. 

Against the backdrop of public health warnings and reservations around organizing large scale gatherings, the challenges are set to increase.  For many organizations, canceling assessments might seem like the only option.

Lars Pedersen, CEO of Questionmark, said: “Summoning candidates to one physical location has always created logistical challenges.  As concerns around the Coronavirus continue to grow, it may simply not be an option in the coming months.  Remote proctoring services give organizations the chance to conduct robust and secure assessments with candidates taking the test anywhere in the world.”

Proctoring or invigilating an exam creates challenges at the best of times.  The logistical feat of pulling all candidates into one place is time-consuming.  The cost of hiring test centers and employing supervisors can be prohibitively expensive.

Proctoring is common in certification and academic exams, where the results contribute to a certificate or qualification. In workplace exams, employees are often trusted to follow the rules, though proctoring is commonly used to better ensure integrity.

Proctoring Record and Review gives customers the flexibility to deliver assessments anywhere, anytime while maintaining exam integrity. 

The automated system observes and records the exam session on video, for potential review later. The system flags potential anomalies, such as a second person on screen. When the anomaly is flagged, the customer can review or send to Questionmark for inspection.

With Proctoring Online Questionmark provides an online proctor who supervises a test-taker using the webcam and audio built into the test-taker’s computer. The proctor confirms the test-taker’s identity and can pause or terminate the assessment if they see suspicious behavior.

Proctoring Online enables assessments to be taken from home or office, removing the need to travel to a test center, without compromising on security. It is widely used in certification programs.