Online Proctoring Recommendations

(DRAFT - May 2020)

Overview
In preparation for final exams, here are three approaches to implement exams remotely:

● Unproctored, open-book exams

● Exams using Blackboard assessment tools
● Proctoring exams during a live Zoom session

When choosing an exam format, consider the following:

● Technical complexity for students and instructors
● Hardware and bandwidth requirements
● Accessibility

Unproctored, Open-Book Exams

This option is the least technologically challenging, has the lowest hardware and bandwidth
requirements, and is the most accessible, as, generally, the students are simply e-mailing you
back their exams. Additionally, it may also be the most pedagogically rich option in that an
open-ended series of questions that focus on student discovery and reflection are difficult to
cheat/plagiarize on. 

You can also ​create an assignment in Blackboard​ to collect the material.

You may want to randomize the order of multiple choice and short answer questions, switch to
questions that call on higher order thinking skills, or take other steps to guard against temptation
and ensure that your students have the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.

Exams Using Blackboard Assessment Tools

This option is more technologically involved for instructors, as it requires uploading and
formatting the test in Blackboard. Blackboard allows for a variety of testing conditions, but the
stringency of testing conditions can negatively affect accessibility (for example, disabling
backtracking creates an issue for many students).

For accessibility, we strongly recommend that exams within Blackboard be formatted on a single
page. This allows students to see the exam in full and plan their time accordingly. From the
Office of Disability Services​ (ODS):

It has been brought to our attention that students are having some difficulties completing
online exams for a number of reasons: some are located in different time zones, some
are living in conditions that are not conducive to test taking, some have poor internet
connectivity and some are having difficulties due to the way that the exams are
presented. The first three reasons are self-explanatory, while the fourth may need some
explanation. These issues are impacting many students, not just the students registered
with ODS.

Many students are stating that navigating an online exam is time consuming, particularly
if a student needs to go back to a previous page - it takes time to reload the page and
the answers. On a pen and paper exam, students can go back and forth easily and plan
their time accordingly since they can see the entire exam before beginning it.

Additional resources on creating tests on Blackboard:

● Getting Started with: Building a Test​ (PDF)
● How to Create a Test in Blackboard Learn​ (YouTube)
● How to Create a Random Block of Test Questions​ (YouTube)
● How to Export and Import a Test or Survey​ (YouTube)
● Using Item Analysis​ (YouTube)

Proctoring Exams During a Live Session

This option is the most technologically involved, as it requires specific hardware and bandwidth
considerations. It can also create accessibility barriers depending on your students’ needs,
depending on the exam conditions (extra time, backtracking, etc.).

Faculty can proctor exams via Zoom. Generally, this involves the students simply having the
video conferencing tool running while they take their exam. This methodology allows the
instructor to see (as much as possible) that the students are not a) asking others for help, b)
leaving the room, c) looking in different directions, etc.

This solution is not perfect, but it does emulate the in-person experience of a proctored exam as
much as possible. Additionally, this approach may inhibit unapproved behaviors/ actions during
exams. Further, while this practice requires more trust than relying on an external proctoring
service, it does cause less stress than such services, which may require additional software,
bandwidth, technical proficiency, etc.. Additionally, students may have less of a concern with
their faculty monitoring them rather than a stranger or an AI (the latter of which has been known
to flag “false positives”).

However, please note: the video conferencing experience is closely tied with the bandwidth you
and your students are able to provide versus the bandwidth it requires. Utilizing bandwidth for
Zoom, and other websites running at the same time (like Blackboard) may increase the
likelihood for slowness in performance or being disconnected. Additionally, if you have students
in different time zones, this may not be the best solution for your class.

Technical Requirements
Both the instructor and the students should use the desktop versions of these services rather
than the app on their phones. Additionally, both should be in an area with little to no background
noises, free of distractions (if that is possible for the student, of course - otherwise they should
mute themselves so as not to distract everyone else).

Both the instructor and the students will need:

● a webcam
● a microphone
● sound output via headset or earbuds
● a strong Internet connection

Note:
● The student’s computer should have only one display monitor

Types of exams

Pen-and-Paper Exams 
Students would be expected to set up their webcam so that
1. they show a wide-view of their work area.
2. And then have the camera focused on themselves to still see their screen while making it
obvious they are not using outside materials or communicating with others.

Note: their individual exams should NOT be readable on the video

Once the students complete the exam, they can take a picture or scan it, then E-mail or add it
as an attachment to a Blackboard test that you set up.

Possible apps to use for document scanning with a phone:

● Adobe Scan
● Cam Scanner
Electronic Exams
If the test is programmed in Blackboard, it is only available to the students in the course.

Instructors can assign a password for online tests or quizzes for added security. The password
would still need to be emailed out to the class. Note: this setting was built more for exams in
physical spaces such as labs and the password would be on the board or handed out to them; it
was a way of making sure the students were present.

The student should set their webcam up in such a way where there is the widest view of
themselves feasible, showing (as much as possible) that they are not using outside materials or
communicating with others.

Students would be expected to share their screens on demand from the instructor.

Steps Involved
● Instructor schedules a meeting in Zoom.
● If for an online quiz or test, the instructor can schedule it directly in BB; assign a
password; set date and time restrictions; provide instructions for using computer
audio-only; and set the session to record automatically (must be set up prior to the
meeting).
● Instructor and students meet in the session at the scheduled time.
● Instructor can ask student(s) to show their Fordham ID.
● Instructor should explain expectations, including time limits.
● Once the test has begun, the instructor should turn their video off and mute themselves.
● Any communication between the instructor and the student should take place in the
private chat.
● The instructor can ask the student to share their screen at any time.

Sources
● “To Proctor an Exam in Zoom,” ​University of Iowa
● “Proctoring a Closed-Book Exam in Zoom,” ​Harvard