How to Proctor online exams

Ever since the pandemic started, our life has changed. One of the changes made was that the mode of instruction has shifted to online instruction.

As a consequence of the change to online instruction, students take examinations online. I have been teaching Japanese online since 1999. Before the pandemic, my students went to the testing center at the university to take exams. However, when the pandemic started, the testing center has been closed and students started to take their exams at home.

ProctorU was what the university proposed to solve the problem of online proctoring. ProctorU monitors live images from the webcam and the computer desktop to ensure integrity while students take exams. This is a convenient tool to proctor students.

However, there are some drawbacks. The exams need to be scheduled in advance. The major drawback for the students is the fees. ProctorU isn’t a free service. Their fee is at least $15 per hour. There’s also a cancellation fee, late registration fee, etc. This can be costly. Most universities are not willing to pay for this fee, students need to pay for the fees. My Japanese course has 6 exams per semester. Taking the exams can cost about more than $100 per semester. Most students are not willing to pay $100 in addition to their tuition and the cost of their textbooks.

This presentation will talk about various alternatives to ProctorU. The presenter took close look at free alternatives, such as Loom, Soapbox, Sendspark, etc. The pros and Cons of those alternatives will be discussed with the student feedback.