Colleges and Universities Urged to Guard Against Exam Cheating

Proctoring services usage up by 115%

TRUMBULL, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#ProctoringOnline—Questionmark is urging universities and colleges to ensure online exams are protected from cheating. The online assessment provider has launched a new proctoring hub with information and resources about how to protect online exams from cheating.

Use of Questionmark�s proctoring services rose by 115% during 2020 as providers moved quickly to create a secure online environment. Other education institutions are encouraged to follow suit.

Crucial exams will continue to be hosted online as social distancing measures linger. Several studies have found that students are more likely to attempt to cheat when sitting an online assessment than they would in a physical exam.¹ But evidence also shows that online exams can use proctoring to successfully disrupt cheating attempts.²

Academic exams have high stakes. It is crucial that future employers are satisfied that students have received accurate results. Test-takers must be confident that they have been judged fairly against their peers. This is only possible when all stakeholders can be confident that candidates have been unable to cheat.

The new Questionmark “online proctoring hub” contains vital information on protecting exams from cheating. It includes examples of institutions that have successfully moved exams online. It contains helpful resources on topics such as how to ensure proctoring is safe and equitable.

Questionmark offers a range of proctoring or invigilation services. The most relevant for colleges and universities are:

• Record and Review – the service records the test taking place. It flags any anomalies that could be signs of suspicious behavior for future review. These might include two heads appearing on the screen.
• Proctoring Online – a proctor or invigilator supervises the test taking place via the webcam built into the test taker’s computer.

Lars Pedersen, CEO of Questionmark, said: “All forms of assessment are vulnerable to cheating. But with the right proctoring or invigilation service, online exams are a secure and trusted way of awarding qualifications and certifications.

“When the stakes are high, as they are with academic exams, it is vital that everyone can trust the results. Any suspicion of cheating undermines the qualification that the test taker receives as a result of the assessment.”

https://www.questionmark.com/questionmark-proctoring-hub

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Notes to editors

About Questionmark

Questionmark unlocks performance through reliable and secure online assessments.

Questionmark provides a secure enterprise-grade assessment platform and professional services to leading organizations around the world, delivered with care and unequalled expertise. Its full-service online assessment tool and professional services help customers to improve their performance and meet their compliance requirements. Questionmark enables organizations to unlock their potential by delivering assessments which are valid, reliable, fair and defensible.

Questionmark offers secure powerful integration with other LMS, LRS and proctoring services making it easy to bring everything together in one place. Questionmark’s cloud-based assessment management platform offers rapid deployment, scalability for high-volume test delivery, 24/7 support, and the peace-of-mind of secure, audited U.S., Australian and European-based data centers.

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¹https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/103185/1/MPRA_paper_103185.pdf

²https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/another-problem-with-shifting-education-online-a-rise-in-cheating/2020/08/07/1284c9f6-d762-11ea-aff6-220dd3a14741_story.html

Contacts

US: Kristin Bernor, external relations: Kristin.bernor@questionmark.com 203.349.6438

UK: James Boyd-Wallis: james.boyd-wallis@fourteenforty.uk 07793 021 607

Australia and New Zealand: Oliver Scott: oliver.scott@questionmark.com +61 2 83173387