Students raise red flags over online test proctoring

Claire Krafka
Thu, 22 Apr 2021 23:32:44 +0000
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As the university has switched to online learning, students have raised concerns over remote proctoring services, such as Proctorio. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor

Despite its intended goal of keeping students honest while outside of physical classrooms and promoting academic integrity during exams, online test proctoring programs, such as Proctorio, have given some Ohio State students test anxiety.

Proctorio is a remote proctoring service that verifies a student’s identity prior to an exam and uses several surveillance methods to ensure integrity during the test. It monitors and records the student through the computer’s webcam and microphone and tracks and flags physical movements and facial expressions. If a test taker looks away from the screen or if another person enters the room, Proctorio notices.

Travis Ritter, director of learning systems in the Office of Distance Education and Learning, said in a statement the shift to online learning due to COVID-19 increased the use of Proctorio by nearly 200 percent.

“While Proctorio can be a helpful part of an academic integrity strategy for exams and other assessments, we advocate for more robust forms of assessments that would not require remote proctoring,” Ritter said. “Assessments that go beyond information recall and instead ask students to demonstrate their knowledge are often more effective and help reduce unnecessary test anxiety and accessibility concerns.”

Kelsey Miller, a second-year in journalism, said she felt her privacy was invaded when her business in fashion and retailing class used Proctorio.?

“Proctorio definitely causes a lot of stress for students,” Miller said. “I feel that every time I use it, I have more test anxiety than I usually would since it feels like someone is staring at me as I take my exam.”

Jake Imyak, a third-year in computer science engineering, said his work as both a student and teaching assistant has been affected by Proctorio.?

“As a TA, I had to grade a homework assignment where I had to make sure the students were complying with the Proctorio guidelines. It made me feel creepy and like I was invading my peer’s personal life,” Imyak said. “And as a student, my undivided attention was not on the content of the test, but more focusing on the Proctorio monitor.”

Imyak said he understands the challenges instructors faced when transitioning classes to online learning, but he hopes student opinion can influence their decision to include programs such as Proctorio in their courses.

Resources for students continuing online learning can be found here.?