Remote Proctoring Tips and Tricks

Remote proctoring refers the practice of having an instructor or some other authorized person monitor students while completing a test or assignment. 

In 2022, a US federal court ruled that requiring students to complete a room scan (a common practice in remote proctoring) violated the student's 4th-amendment right to privacy. With this in mind, here are some guidelines for proctoring remote exams for students: 

Before the Exam

1. Inform students in advance that they will be required to be visible on camera during the exam and encourage them to take the exam in a place where they are comfortable being on camera. 

2. Decide which video software you will use to proctor the exam, and ensure your meeting has the correct settings for the kind of assignment you will be proctoring (ie: requiring students to have cameras on, setting up a waiting room, etc.)

Recommended Zoom settings:

• • Enable Gallery View
  • Generate meeting ID automatically- do not use personal ID
  • Have password enabled
  • Video on for both host and participants
  • Mute participants on entry should be selected
  • Disable participant chat
  • (Optional) record the meeting

3. Consider having students place their phones in view of their device's camera. 

4. If giving the assessment through Canvas, consider creating the assessment using a question bank to shuffle the question order so no two students have the same series of questions. 

5. Consider having a low-stakes dry-run before your first exam. This could be a short quiz, quick-write, etc. to make sure that your settings are correct and that everyone is comfortable with the technology. 

On the day of the exam: 

• Remind students what tools or materials, if any, they can use.
• Remind students they will be on mute and must use chat with the meeting host to ask questions.
• Have students position their camera so it can see them and their surroundings.
• Have students keep their camera on throughout the exam.
• Remind students what to do when they have finished the exam.
• Tell students when they have 5-10 minutes left, and when time is up.