How to Monitor Exams Online
Before Covid 19, most exams were conducted on premises, which also made them easier to monitor. However, as we move into a post-pandemic world, an increasing number of institutions now conduct online examinations. This has led many examiners to wonder whether it is possible to monitor students during online exams.
Fortunately, it is possible to monitor online exams with the help of effective computer monitoring software. This software contains a range of features that allow an instructor to monitor their students’ activities and prevent any instances of cheating.
In this article, we talk in more detail about how you can use computer monitoring software to monitor exams online.
Why Monitor Online Exams
Before we move on to our discussion, you may wonder why it is necessary to monitor online exams in the first place. Allow us to discuss a few reasons why.
Prevalence
The Covid-19 pandemic prompted various institutions to switch to an online setting, in light of the restrictions caused by social distancing. While the pandemic may have occurred half a decade ago, many institutions realized the various benefits of the online infrastructure and continue to use it to this day. This also means more online exams are being conducted than ever before. Additionally, similar to traditional exams, these exams need to be monitored to make sure the examinations are effective.
Exam Integrity
Online exams are a great way to conveniently assess students’ learning of class material and lessons. Unfortunately, however, many students view online exams as great opportunities to compromise the integrity of their exams.
Unlike traditional exams, online exams are not heavily and consistently proctored.
This allows students to cheat from their notes or communicate with their classmates throughout the exam. Thus, monitoring online exams may be essential to preserve the integrity of exams and accurately assess their learning.
Support
As students adapt to remote classrooms, it is common for them to require support during the exam. This may be in the form of an accommodation or to clarify any confusion they may have concerning the exam.
Online exams that are not actively monitored take away essential opportunities for students to request this support during their exams.
Additionally, monitoring students during their online exams can provide instructors with insight into the student’s behavior and any challenges they may be facing.
This is an essential tool that complements the exam results and provides a complete picture of the student’s learning, allowing instructors to intervene in time.
How to Monitor Online Exams
Gone are the days when you would have to rely on students to maintain academic integrity during exams. With advancements in modern technology, you can effectively monitor students during an online exam using computer monitoring software like Wolfeye.
A good computer monitoring software is packed with features that make online monitoring a breeze. For example, software like Wolfeye offers features such as automatic screenshots and live monitoring that make it impossible for students to cheat during the exam.
How Computer Monitoring Software Can Help Monitor Online Exams
To fully understand the various advantages that computer monitoring software can offer, let’s discuss the various features they contain.
Live Monitoring
Live monitoring is the most effective way to replicate traditional proctored exams in a remote setting. This feature makes it possible for invigilators to view their student’s activities in real time. It also eliminates any window opportunities that students may use to cheat.
Live Chat
Many computer monitoring software programs offer live chat features. This ensures a continuous stream of communication between the student and examiner, making sure they can intervene or provide support where needed.
Automated Screenshots
Effective computer monitoring software like Wolfeye provides ample opportunities to monitor students during their exams, even in the absence of live monitoring.
The automated screenshot feature included in effective monitoring software captures the students’ screens in predetermined intervals.
These screenshots are then transmitted to the administrators’ dashboard where they may decide to keep or discard them.
Discreet Monitoring
Are you worried that students may alter their behavior once they realize they are being monitored?
Well, not anymore, Wolfeye’s discreet startup feature allows instructors to monitor their students’ activities without their knowledge. This is essential during an exam where some students may find workarounds in the face of other monitoring features.
Visited Websites List
The World Wide Web can be used as an effective resource for learning during normal circumstances, but it may be counterintuitive during an exam.
This is especially true in exams requiring memorization. Students may be required to refrain from using the internet so instructors can accurately assess the class materials they’ve learned and retained.
Fortunately, monitoring software like Wolfeye records each student’s online and web activity and uploads it to a central database. This allows instructors to make sure their students do not visit any unauthorized websites during their exams.
Is it Legal to Monitor Online Exams?
Whether or not it is legal to monitor online examinations depends entirely on who the target device belongs to. In cases where the target device is owned by someone other than the student, it may be necessary to obtain explicit consent, based on the laws of the specific state.
However, if the device is school-issued, then it can be freely monitored even in the absence of the student’s consent.
This is because schools have an inherent right to monitor devices issued by them to ensure appropriate usage and avoid any liabilities.
Therefore, before you decide to monitor your students during an online exam, make sure to brush up on the laws regarding monitoring and only adopt monitoring practices that comply with those laws.
In general, we recommend that monitoring take place in an informed and consensual setting to ensure that students’ privacy is not violated in any way. After all, intrusive monitoring practices can lead to feelings of mistrust and animosity among students.
Conclusion
As more institutions adopt a remote setting, it is only natural to feel overwhelmed by the various processes involved in conducting online exams. In such cases, computer monitoring software can provide tremendous relief, allowing instructors to effectively monitor students during their exams.