Why Do Universities Prefer Online Proctored Exams?

While some of the universities preferred the traditional way of conducting exams, over the years’ online test proctoring has made its presence felt in the education field.

The reason being that despite the good intentions and tight precautionary measures, there have been incidences when students have cheated and even boasted about it. Latest Updated on July 12 , 2018

Cheating may for a time being may get a student desired results in that particular exam but it does lower the credentialing rate for a university.

Thus affecting every other student who has taken the exam with all sincerity and passed with good marks. And in order to curb this cheating menace during examinations, universities came up with online test proctoring idea.

While the traditionalists believe that if a students want to teach, he or she would devise a method to cheat even during online proctored exams, but then the possibility is really low of that.

Online Proctored Exams And Online Examination Sites

Online proctored exams were not favored by some of the students as well, as it reflected additional cost over and above the education package purchased by a student.

However, some of the universities were insisting on applying the online test proctoring policy to ensure minimized cheating incidences and maximized efficient test results.

But online proctored exams were the best way to deal with the cheating menace among the students and also to ensure that a university’s standards were not compromised in any way.

So how were the traditionalists were convinced that online proctored exams were the answer to their problems? This is how –

While there were advantages there were equal number of disadvantages as well, however, the universities were prepared to overlook them or overcome them with sheer determination. And the advantages included were –

1. Taking the exam from remote place and proctoring the exam from a remote place.
2. Another reason online test proctoring appealed to the universities was the less or reduced chances of bribery and cheating as the proctor’s identity is not revealed till about half an hour of exam’s due time.

While the advantages were few in number as compared to the disadvantages, it was one chance that the university people were ready to take.

Some of the disadvantages were quite justified like students not being comfortable in front of the camera or restricted body movement.

The results of which could lead to the cancellation of the exam with no marks being given for the paper attempted.

And while some of the students might also have felt uncomfortable with prolonged staring into the camera, failure of which again could result in a cancellation of exam.

However, despite these disadvantages, universities appealed to the fair side of the students and encouraged them to take the online proctored exams as compared to the traditional exams where the chances of students indulging in unfair means were highly likely.

With online proctored examinations, the chances of indulging in unfair means were zilch, as the arrangement is one student per one proctor.