by Praveer Chadha, on Mar 11, 2022 11:43:16 PM
Estimated reading time: 4 mins
Key Takeaways
- Online Proctoring augments Digital Learning platforms to improve reach, scalability, and agility.
- It caters to different business scenarios and budgets.
- It is the preferred mode of exam administration and attempts in the new world order.
As the world migrates from colocation to online remote operations to improve reach, scalability, and agility of functions, many industries have benefited through Cloud adoption. The EduTech or Education Technology industry being the first mover and primary beneficiary, adopted the change in a big way, a change that is here to stay for good in the future. Education institutes in the K12 segment, professional education streams, high-stake examination boards, and the corporate learning & development departments were agile enough to embrace the rapid change. However, the immediate need of the hour is candidate evaluation and credit scoring. As digital learning adoption unfolds across segments, Proctored Exam has emerged as the preferred examination model across the board, including the education institutes, high-stake exam evaluations, and corporate learning & development. It has created a secondary requirement of Proctors in almost all educational institutes that have embraced the Education Technology platforms.
What is a Proctor in the Education Technology segment?
Proctor is an online exam invigilator in the online exam scenario. As the EduTech or the Education Technology platforms saw a surge in the digital education adoptions in the new world order, a parallel requirement for evaluating the students and candidates has brought forth Online Proctoring as an adjuvant to the Digital Education platforms. The proctor performs the disciplinary function during online exams, administers the exam, and oversees the candidate's performance. It is usually a one-to-many candidates function as a part of the online exam invigilation.
Why is Online Proctoring as good as Human Proctoring?
Online Proctoring is AI algorithm-enabled proctoring that assists the online human proctor. It involves multiple technology adjuncts, such as 3-way camera monitoring, biometric verification, OTP, browser locking, alert-based-debarring, and reporting. It is more vigilant than human proctoring at brick-and-mortar examination centers.
- 3-way cameras monitor and watch over as a candidate takes an online exam at a remote center or home. It dissuades the candidate from using smartphones, tablets, and browser surfing during the online exam.
- Biometric verification ensures that the person attempting the exam is the same as the candidate.
- OTP verification ensures that the person's credentials are the same as the candidate's.
- Browser locking dissuades the candidate from shifting away from the examination tab on the browser.
- Alert based-monitoring and debarring generate alerts on the online exam paper tab if the candidate or even the eye movement goes away from the screen and brings them back to the exam paper. If the alerts go beyond a pre-defined threshold, the system debars the candidate from taking the exam.
- Reports triggered at the end of the online exam depict the number of questions attempted, the candidate's score, percentile score, and the number of alerts generated to the candidate and the human online proctor.
Proctoring as a Service – Convergence of People, Processes, and Technology
Instituted in the last decade and taking prominence in the new world order, Proctoring as a Service is emerging as a revenue generation stream for enterprises, closely working with the Education Technology sector. This Knowledge industry segment is the sweet spot of the People, Processes, and Technology triad. Vastly driven by the AI/ML, Audio/Video Analytics, and Cognitive Automation approach, to augment human efforts, online exam proctoring will reach USD 10 billion by 2026 and become the preferred mode of exam administration and attempt. It delivers immediate value and return on investment by way of cost efficiencies driven by scale, accuracy, security, and scalability.
Watch how Digital Proctoring platforms enable enterprises >>
Types of Online Proctoring Services
Typically, online proctoring falls into three main categories:
- Live Online Proctoring: Here, human proctors monitor the output from webcam(s), computer audio, and computer screen.
- Recorded Proctoring: human proctors analyze the recorded webcam grabs and computer audio for suspected adoption of malpractices.
- Advanced Automated Proctoring: Driven by AI/ML algorithms and video analytics, it closely monitors candidate face and eye movement.
The business impact of Online Remote Proctoring
Online remote proctoring augments the Education Technology business and extends its scope:
- Reach: It assists governments and global educational institutions in taking the Digital Education and Evaluation platforms to remote places without geographical barriers and accurately evaluating the candidates. While Digital improves horizontal leverage, AR/VR covers the vertical aspect of deeper user engagement. Overall, it improves global accessibility and enables student communities to access higher education irrespective of Force Majeures and insurgent situations in their geographies. For example, Ukraine in Europe and Kashmir in India.
- Scalability: It acts as an adjuvant to Digital Education and offers a highly scalable platform for conducting examinations and evaluating candidates. Being Cloud-based, it has an exhaustive coverage compared to brick-and-mortar educational institutes conducting student/candidate evaluations.
- Agility: It brings dynamism in education delivery methodologies, evaluation, and result generation. Being AI/ML-driven, it leverages the concept of managing by exception.
- Candidate experience: It leverages the art and the science to deliver a positive user experience. It focuses on the candidate’s ease of navigation within the online examination tab. It offers an intuitive visual design such that the candidate optimizes the online time for the examination attempt.
- Security: It offers a safe and secure environment that prevents any malware breaching the gateways between the online exam interface and the central servers where the candidate responses get recorded. It also blocks the disclosure or misuse of the online examination paper by the candidate or any bad actor to an outsider.
Watch how EduTechs benefit from Digital Proctoring >>
Simply put
As global events bring instability in the Education sector, Digital Learning and Online Proctoring bridge the gap between educational institutes and education accessibility. It improves the operations' reach, scalability, and agility limits inherent to the colocation education models.
