If you want to know more about proctoring and the role it plays in modern exams and assessments, you’re in the right place.
Whether you’re a student taking exams with a proctor, educators and training providers looking for proctoring services, or a UK business that delivers professional assessments, this article answers all your questions about proctoring.
Proctoring is supervision of an exam or assessment to ensure fairness, prevent cheating and preserve academic integrity. Proctoring can be done in person or remotely. In the UK it is often known as invigilation.
Proctoring or invigilation has increasingly moved into the online sphere, where live human proctors or AI software – or a combination of the two – monitor students remotely via webcams, microphones, and screen sharing as they take exams.
The primary role of a proctor is to ensure that exams are conducted securely and in accordance with the rules set by the organising institution. The rise of remote study and advancement of e-learning software means the same level of proctoring oversight can now be provided online, offering more flexibility, scalability and savings.
The ultimate aim of digital remote proctoring software is to ensure that academic integrity is upheld and remains consistent across online and real-world assessments.
Online learning has experienced a 900% growth rate globally since the year 2000, according to Oxford College. The Covid-19 pandemic accelerated the rise of online learning, speeding up advances in e-learning and remote test-taking technology.
Remote exams and assessments offer so many advantages to learners, once academic integrity is preserved. Online tests are more convenient, scalable and accessible. They enable a wider range of people to achieve qualifications, and they can be more cost effective.
As explained earlier, proctors ensure that exams are conducted fairly and according to the rules of the institution offering the exams. In simplest terms, proctors make sure there is no cheating, and that no candidates have extra advantages.
In the case of in-person proctoring, the proctor is physically present in the exam room, overseeing the process to ensure candidates follow regulations. This includes:
Explore how remote proctoring works in practice. Talk to Certify Assessment Solutions about secure online exam delivery.
Remote proctoring is a digital method of supervising exams that may be taken from a variety of locations, often including candidates’ homes. The proctor’s responsibilities, listed above, are adapted to the digital environment.
Candidates are monitored using webcams, microphones and specialised software for screen sharing and activity tracking. Online proctoring can be done by:
In short, digital proctoring has the same purpose as traditional in-person proctoring. It ensures the exam conditions remain secure, even though the participants are not physically present in an exam centre.
Dating back to medieval times, a proctor was an official in English universities like Oxford and Cambridge whose functions included enforcement of university regulations. The term remained in common use in America, particularly connected to academia and rules around academic qualifications and exams.
In the UK, the person who supervises examination is often referred to as an invigilator. With the rise of remote testing and qualifications that cross national borders, the terms ‘proctor’ and ‘proctoring’ are becoming more prevalent in the UK, particularly in relation to the practice of overseeing online exams for fairness and consistent standards.
Proctoring plays a hugely important role in safeguarding the integrity of exams, both remote exams and those taken in person. It prevents cheating and impersonation in both the online and real-world setting, which means that each candidate can expect fairness from the exams they are taking, and a level playing field.
Proctoring enables scalable online assessments. Secure examinations are no longer limited to the size of halls or other physical spaces, so can be undertaken by any number of candidates. In remote settings, proctors can focus on specific activities related to monitoring, rather than reacting to the needs of candidates, or events that arise in the physical space – for example lighting, heating, illness, noise or other distractions.
Proctoring builds trust in exam results because the presence of a proctor or proctoring services for an exam – either in person or remotely – means that the conditions remain the same across all settings and candidates.
Impersonation, referring to additional texts, using pre-prepared answers, or getting outside help are all detectable with proctoring and eliminated to ensure all test-takers have the same baseline and no-one has any advantages during the examination.
Now that you understand the fundamentals of proctoring and how it works in an online setting, let’s take a look at what a typical digital proctoring session entails.
A digital proctoring exam may be overseen by a remote proctor to ensure all rules are followed, or the session could be recorded for review afterwards and AI software is used to flag incidents.
One of the most familiar settings for proctoring is university and college exams. Universities and educational institutions are increasingly relying on AI to supervise remote assessments, reducing the risk of academic dishonesty and maintaining fair conditions for all candidates.
Remote proctoring enables global delivery of high-stakes professional qualifications in fields like project management and accountancy. Exams can be taken at home or in the office using remote proctoring.
Skills verification and psychometric testing can be delivered securely and flexibly with remote proctoring.
The scalable and flexible nature of remote assessments with proctoring makes it an ideal choice for training employees and testing competence and compliance.
Ultimately, online proctoring makes a level playing field of in-person and remote testing, which has huge benefits. Where academic integrity of exams is preserved, this offers:
Proctoring for exams and assessments is essential to ensure academic integrity.
With modern invigilation software it’s possible to make online assessments even more secure than traditional exams conducted in real-world settings.This opens up learning and qualifications to a wider demographic of people, from different regions and backgrounds.
The scalability and increased flexibility of remote exams provides enhanced opportunities for learning and achievement.The fairness and trust that is at the heart of academic or professional qualifications is underpinned by modern proctoring solutions.
Talk to Certify Assessment Solutions about implementing remote proctoring for your exams.
Is online proctoring legal in the UK?
Yes, online proctoring is legal, but both software providers and institutions using remote exams and online proctoring must adhere to UK GDPR. You can read more about data protection in the UK and UK GDPR compliance here.
What equipment is required?
Remote proctored exams require a secure computer, and possibly a secondary device for monitoring. A stable, high-speed internet connection to ensure exam integrity is also needed.The primary requirements include a laptop or desktop with a webcam, microphone, and speakers, and possibly a smartphone or tablet for a 360-degree room scan and environment monitoring
Can proctoring detect cheating?
Yes, online proctoring is designed specifically to spot misconduct and cheating and ensure that academic integrity is preserved. Candidates’ online activity is monitored as well as immediate surroundings and behaviours. This offers a high level of assurance that rules are being followed during the time of the exam.
Is AI proctoring reliable?
AI proctoring is highly consistent in picking up irregularities and infractions in candidates’ behaviours during exams. However, AI lacks the judgement element that humans have, and for this reason a combination of AI monitoring and human review is ideal for ensuring a high level of reliability.
What happens if a rule is broken?
When a rule is broken during an online exam with digital proctoring, it is either flagged by the AI tools for review, or identified by human remote proctors from the live stream. Decisions around rule breaking are dealt with according to the policy of the institution conducting the exam.
Contact us to learn more about Certify exam proctoring service and online assessment tools
