Even before the recent years' massive shift to online learning, proctoring remote exams had its problems.

Some colleges sought to monitor remote students somewhat manually, assigning TAs to watch students during tests over video cam, or requiring students to take exams at pre-determined times or even places to ensure some level of oversight.

With a slew of more innovative online proctoring tools now at their disposal, schools are much better equipped to prevent students from teaching — and offer a much fairer, less glitchy exam-proctoring experience.

Or are they? Do these tools work (or work well?) Given that cheating is running rampant through American colleges, clearly, schools require a reliable way to monitor exam-taking processes.

How Schools Are Proctoring Online Exams

Previously, a teacher or TA might have had to sit in the same physical space as a classroom of students, visually checking for evidence of academic misconduct.

Now, tech-based tools are serving a similar purpose. For example:

• Online proctoring tools may be able to verify the identity of the person taking a remote exam, leveraging a range of methods from two-factor authentication to facial recognition software to reduce a student's ability to get someone else to take an exam for them.
• Proctoring tech can use AI or human monitoring services to measure student behavior during an exam. For example, a tech-based proctoring program might measure keystrokes, biometrics, and more to confirm identity or detect behavior that might not be expected given the format of the exam.
• Some proctoring programs may restrict activity to a specific web tab or browser, tracking clicks outside of a specific area to reduce a student's ability to use another utility or tab to check an answer.

These tools may seem convenient for teaching staff, but they pose many concerns for students. Many feel like they're being watched unfairly. Others rightly point out that their AI proctors often flag innocent behavior as cheating.

To be fair, there are other students who prefer online proctoring, especially if they have educators who design tests made to be taken online and understand the fallibility of their proctoring tools. Unfortunately, most teachers tend to take AI-generated cheating flags in good faith, performing little further research into the matter — punishing students for cheating who may not be responsible for misconduct at all.

Experiencing Insurmountable Issues With Online Proctoring?

National student defense attorney Joseph D. Lento is here to help you avoid mistreatment, subjective proctoring, or any unfair practice that's holding you back from achieving your sought-after degree. Whether your school has accused you of misconduct or you believe that your school's grading or proctoring practices put you at a disadvantage or in an impossible-to-win scenario, give Attorney Joseph D. Lento and the Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team a call.  Attorney Lento and his expert team can help you fight for your rights, negotiate with your school, protect your future, and more. Call 888-535-3686 for a consultation or reach out to us online.