How to choose a remote exam proctor

Finding the right remote exam proctor is critical to allow organisations to maintain the balance between accessibility and credibility. 

The education industry and the professional association sector have a challenge in enabling remote learning and assessment in the age of Covid-19, all whilst maintaining the credibility of the qualification. Getting the balance right between accessibility for students and preventing cheating is difficult; the increased accessibility of the internet makes this challenge even harder. 

Remote proctoring of exams is nothing new; the technology has existed for several decades in basic forms of simple URL or application blocking. That was fine when the internet was simple, and the risks were easily contained. Today, through the growth in information sources online and the vast array of ways to connect, together with online, home-based education, new remote proctoring solutions are becoming available. 

By 2027 the Exam Proctor market is estimated to grow to $1.2bn. That growth means there are a growing number of providers each with different solutions, features and benefits. 

There are several important factors to consider when choosing a remote exam proctor, from the basics of ease of use for both students and teachers, the features in place etc. Still, arguably the most important is the platform's ability to continue to evolve to new risks.

If the growth of remote connectivity in the last few years is anything to go by, it will only continue to expand, and with that growth comes increases in risks associated with remote examinations. The right remote exam proctor will continue exploring new risks and ensuring that these are identified and blocked. 

There are two components to consider here. 

1. For those remote proctoring solutions offering human proctoring, these proctor roles often have a sole purpose of watching a student whilst they take an exam. All too often, these proctors are outsourced to other companies and countries to deliver. 
2. The second component is data privacy and the transfer and storage of data about the student taking the exam. How is this data transferred, what protection is in place and is the data used for any other purpose? Data privacy, particularly for underage students, is a major requirement, and these details need to be understood about any remote exam proctoring solution. 

• Do you really need the proctoring solution to provide human proctors? This adds considerable expense as well as intrusion for the student. 
• What about data storage, both location and duration. 
• How can students become accustomed to using the solution to prevent extra stress on an exam day? 

• What risks can the solution identify and block? Make sure these are both items you’ve considered but also risks you may not have considered yet. 
• Can the solution do more than blocking URLs? 
• Is there a way to validate the student is who you expect to be taking the exam? 
• Are they using objects external to the primary device to assist them with the exam? 
• Can the solution scale as the number of students grows? 

 Mona Lisa takes a modern approach to remote exam proctoring, balancing ease of use for students with visibility and controls to detect and block risks, enabling organisations to effectively scale with confidence their remote exam invigilation. With 36 risk categories, Mona Lisa is always watching to ensure assessments are carried out to the highest standards possible, all whilst the student is remote.