Why exams are important?
Exams and schools are like best buddies. They come as a set, and you can’t pick and choose which one you want. Even if you try, you won’t be able to separate them. Exams and schools are both an important component of a person’s educational career. Schools are necessary for acquiring knowledge, and tests are necessary for testing that knowledge. Exams are an important element of the educational system since they allow teachers to assess a student’s progress. They assist in determining the extent of the students’ knowledge.
We’ve all had to deal with the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic. We’ve had problems doing routine activities manually. As a result, we can all agree that technology and innovation can carry out any activity – whether at home or outdoors.
Online exams in K-12
The examinations have gone entirely online. These online exams are given by students utilizing internet-connected devices on online examination platforms or tools. These systems administer online exams at various levels, from K-12 to post-graduate. Such platforms offer a variety of options. It carries out all aspects of online tests in a much more straightforward and hassle-free manner. Many characteristics and approaches produced with the assistance of technology are used to reinvent these methods.
1. WHAT IS ONLINE PROCTORING?
With the emergence of new technologies that allow for online learning, the education business is undergoing a massive upheaval. Pandemic-related events have also helped online education, pushing several schools and universities to hold classes online in response. It’s probable that online education as a complement to classroom learning will become the new normal, even when this pandemic is over. Exams are vital part of the academic process, but they may be intimidating.
Online examinations were a logical extension of the transition to online classrooms. Exams nowadays get administered online by mostly all the schools, colleges, and universities, without compromising convenience, security, or student experience for instructors or students.
Proctoring looks to be the way to go. Remote proctoring, often known as online proctoring, is a software solution that allows students to take an online exam without sacrificing the quality of the exam. The online proctoring system verifies a student’s identification and watches their progress during the exam via a webcam, flagging any suspicious activity or conduct. During an examination, the webcam is linked with AI algorithms to track student behavior. Online educators may become online invigilators using online proctoring, which provides a platform for recognizing, approving, tracking, and monitoring applicants from all over the world.
2. NEED OF ONLINE EXAMINATION AT SCHOOL
- Online examinations have evolved into a requirement rather than a pleasure. For school kids, online exams are essential because they reduce the likelihood of youngsters coming into touch with one another, therefore maintaining social distance.
- The relevance and urgency of implementing technology in education is recognized by educational stakeholders.
- A substantial percentage of these educational stakeholders, over 82 percent, have already moved to online ways for conducting lessons and exams, while others are aiming to do so shortly.
3. HOW TO ENSURE EFFECTIVE ONLINE PROCTORING:
Online proctoring provides a variety of options for controlling and intervening in any exam situation. Here are a few tips for ensuring successful online proctoring.
AUTO PROCTORING:
The AI-based system can monitor a huge number of applicants taking a test and detect any questionable behavior. It may, for example, track all activities that occur in front of the camera. As a result, if a student opens a web browser or programs while taking the exam, the online proctoring software will snap a screenshot without informing the student.
LIVE PROCTORING:
This approach combines human and technological intelligence to provide the best of both worlds. In live proctoring, an invigilator keeps an eye on the camera streams and can interfere in real time if necessary. While a result, live online proctoring offers an extra degree of security as students take their exams.
RECORD PROCTORING:
Candidates who do not have a set time to take the exam benefit from this type of proctoring since it gives them some freedom. This type of online proctoring records the candidate’s audio-visual and screen-sharing feeds during the exam. After that, the proctor checks over the recorded footage, looking for anything suspect.
4. BENEFITS OF ONLINE PROCTORING TOOLS:
Due to the emergence of COVID-19, the manner of taking exams are now shifting to digital. Various universities and colleges are facing significant problems in meeting the offline examination criteria. The most difficult task ahead of them was to investigate without engaging in any deceptive practices. The proctoring software allows students to be monitored via webcam and data to be transferred to a proctored service for evaluation. The demand for remote proctoring has risen, not only among students at schools and colleges, but also among students who wish to pass their entrance exams in order to get admission to a foreign university.
Students and organizations benefit from remote proctoring in a variety of ways, which are detailed below. The following are the main benefits of taking a proctored exam:
SECURITY:
The main difference between taking tests offline and online is that while taking exams offline, you must exercise additional vigilance to avoid any deceptive conduct, whereas remote proctoring is a safe and secure way to keep an eye on the students as they take the exam. Educational establishments may now simply conduct any basic level of test to the major exam using an online platform that minimizes the total complexity by employing our online exam web app and online exam mobile app.
AUTHENTICATION AND AUTHORIZATION:
One of the advantages of online proctoring is that it can deal with academic dishonesty in a number of ways, utilizing both standard and sophisticated capabilities. Features of proctored testing, commonly used to avoid cheating:
- Id verification
- Video-monitoring and sound detection
- Allowed urls and test configurations/applications
- Lockdown browsers/sites restriction
- Cell phone detection
ADVANCED MONITORING FEATURES:
Another benefit of proctored examinations is the Advance AI integrated tool that confirms the authenticity of online exams. It’s because improved face identification techniques or technology, such as machine learning, may provide succinct, accurate results, outperforming human proctors. By reducing prejudice and human error, such advanced elements can assist companies and institutions in achieving a greater degree of integrity.
CONVENIENT:
Students find it simpler to take an online test since they can do it while sitting at home, and they can re-edit the written content, which is not feasible when taking the exam on paper. As a result, pupils profit greatly from remote proctoring. Students benefit from online proctoring exams since they do not have to drive to a testing facility to take an exam. They can simply administer the test from the comfort of their own homes. They just require a quicker internet connection in order to conduct examinations efficiently. As a result, for thousands of students, remote proctoring is a handy way to take the exam.
REDUCES THE CHANCES OF CHEATING:
Throughout the examinations, students cheat from their classmates’ answer sheets in the exam center hall. Thus, remote proctoring technologies reduces the risks of cheating and other deceptive behaviors because someone (proctor) is observing you during the exam. As a result, students are less likely to adopt malpractices, maintaining the exam’s decorum.
TRACKING OPTIONS:
There are various forms of remote proctoring, including online and advanced proctoring, in which the candidate is monitored through audio, video, and camera. The highlights from the candidate’s test are accurate and authentic thanks to live internet proctoring. Using online monitoring, the administrator may keep track of the candidate during the test, whether they are working alone or with friends. This reduces the likelihood of a student engaging in unethical or deceptive behavior. With the right safeguards in place, tracking may provide end-to-end security.
TECHNICAL SUPPORT:
Another important advantage for students taking an online test is that they may seek technical assistance at any moment if a problem arises in between exams. The proctor will also assist in identifying the issue and resolving it as soon as possible. As a result, students should not be concerned and should not allow a minor issue to impact their exam.
FAST RESULTS:
Because of the proctoring software, the online examinations produce rapid results. Students may easily examine their scores and rate the exam. Furthermore, if students are taking an objective test, the result gets announced as soon as they finish the exam, while if they are taking a subjective exam, the result may take a few days.
AGILITY:
Because online exams do not need individual participation, students can take them from home. Unlike the offline form of examination, which was extremely time-consuming, the online mode of examination saves people’s efforts and time, making the entire process more agile.
Conclusion
With everything becoming digital, the manner of examination is becoming digital as well, for the benefit of pupils. Exam neglect can jeopardize a student’s bright future, therefore remote proctoring is the solution. These were a few of the benefits of taking a proctored exam.
Following the onset of a pandemic, it becomes an urgent requirement for the entire globe. Both the proctor and the students benefit from online tests. Furthermore, every precaution avoids deceptive behavior during a test. Because proctored examinations are timed, students have a limited amount of time to use the internet, reducing their possibilities of cheating. With the aid of proctoring software, online examination is becoming the most comfortable and easy way to take exams, and it also shows to be a cost-effective option.
