When Does Proctoring for Academic Integrity Become Creepy?

There is a noticeable difference between walking into a room where you know there are people watching and walking into a room with security cameras. It feels somehow worse when you feel someone is watching your every move and scrutinizing every action. 

During an online proctored event, a hidden proctor often connects with the learner via their webcam/microphone and asks the learner to perform several verification tasks (e.g., show ID, take an image of the user) before starting the test. Now it’s up to the student to forget that a stranger is watching them and judging every move. As if exams weren’t already stressful enough for students!

Samantha Steffanus, a second-year student studying psychology and business administration explained, “Even though I am not cheating, it still makes my anxiety worse,” and she worries that “if the slightest thing goes wrong, then I will be flagged for cheating”.  In this case, the student did not oppose the requirements because she was interested in making sure her education was valued and recognized by other institutions and future employers. 

While it is widely accepted that a students' performance can be affected by a good environment during exams, we are also learning that unnerving surveillance drastically undermines this. On the other hand, the passive monitoring of students, in which the camera records their session and reviews are conducted afterward, is similar to what we all experience in school hallways, airports, and malls. Students' anxiety is reduced if not eliminated by passive monitoring, especially when a human that can show appropriate discretion when reviewing their session.

Integrity Advocate’s proctoring software works with educational institutions that understand that students have no power when it comes to choosing their examination conditions, and that they have an obligation to create an examination environment that balances academic integrity with student experience.

The technology and processes of Integrity Advocate provide successful solutions for student exam anxiety, including temporary loss of internet connection, low bandwidth, and inappropriate biometric/AI use.

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