Online Proctoring Survey Results
The Office of Information Technology recently conducted a survey to understand faculty and student feedback of OHIO’s preferred online proctoring tool, Proctortrack.
Online proctoring will play an important role in teaching and learning over the coming semester. As OHIO’s Fall 2020 Planning Scenario Recommendation section 3.A highlights, “Ohio University will operate in a reduced density model with a revised academic calendar that is intended to reduce 'churn' between hometown and campuses," including an "on-schedule start in August (for some programs) and… remote closure of the semester with one week of instruction and one week of final examination/assessment conducted remotely (Weeks 14-16).”
To meet this requirement, OIT deployed two surveys to spring and summer semester Proctortrack users on July 20, 2020. The survey closed at the end of the day on July 24, 2020. The survey was sent to 2,249 students (15% responded) and 132 faculty (21% responded). The full survey report (DOCX hosted on OneDrive) is available using your OHIO login.
Key Takeaways
Supporting students prior to, during, and after proctored exams remains a concern.
Proctortrack and OIT have been working together to review specific student concerns and to understand the support needs that Proctortrack receives from students. The company also hired a number of new support staff to handle increasing demand.
OIT will be publishing an FAQ page soon based on student and faculty feedback.
OIT’s remote proctoring support will continue to evolve as we learn more from faculty and students about their use of Proctortrack.
Hardware and software limitations continue to negatively impact the online proctoring student experience.
Proctortrack is working on several software enhancements that will positively impact the student experience. These will be tested by OIT and communicated to the campus community when they are live.
The most typical hardware limitation is lack of access to a webcam or a computer. The laptop loaner program includes devices with built-in webcams and will continue to be available to students in need.
Access to reliable internet remains a concern for some students. The Office of Instructional Design (OID) provides consultations and has a pre-recorded workshop available on YouTube for creating authentic assessments, which can serve as an alternative to traditionally proctored exams.
Use of Proctortrack is causing anxiety and security concerns for students.
As part of the University’s Request for Proposal process, Proctortrack (provided by Verificient, Inc.) underwent a vendor evaluation process, including a review by OIT’s Information Security Office to ensure the security provided by the vendor meets OHIO’s requirements. Proctortrack has passed the review and is secure to use for OHIO staff and students.
Please feel free to reach out to the Office of Information Technology at servicedesk@ohio.edu and one of our experts will gladly share more. You may also visit the Keep Teaching site, which highlights assessment-specific workshops and other relevant information for teaching and learning.