Breaking Down Myths of Virtual Proctoring with Data

Concurrent Session 7

Session Materials

Brief Abstract

A presentation on the adoption and positive impact of virtual proctoring in a Higher Ed online program. The presentation will focus on addressing student concerns of privacy and anxiety balanced against flexibility and fairness. Research on student and faculty perceptions of virtual proctoring will be shared and discussed.

Presenters

Lead Presenter: Kevin Shanley, Utah State University

With over 18 years experience, Kevin Shanley has a solid background in online, broadcast, and hybrid delivery methods in Higher Education distance education. He has been a Director of E-Learning at Utah State University, for over 15 years and has worked previously as a Manager of Instructional Technology at Edmonds Community College in Washington State, and as an Instructional designer at California State University, Chico. He earned his MS in Instructional Technology from USU in December 2009 and a BS in Instructional Technology from California State University, Chico in 2000 .

Additional Authors

Olivia Hood, Proctorio

Mike Olsen is the Founder & CEO of Proctorio, an online proctoring company that uses machine learning and facial recognition technologies to validate student activity and identities in computer-based learning environments. Dubbed an “Artful Hacker” by PC Magazine and named one of Arizona’s "35 Entrepreneurs Under 35” by the Arizona Republic, Mike is a leader in creating educational technology that protects student privacy while increasing the value of online degrees. As Lead Research Software Engineer for ASU Online, Mike helped develop one of the world’s premiere online educational systems. Having graduated from Arizona State University with degrees in Aeronautics and Software Engineering, Mike has a reputation for disrupting old paradigms and increasing student success in digital classrooms.

Extended Abstract

 Since Utah State University’s (USU) early endeavors in 1995, to provide digital education, more than 150,000 students from 50 states and 55 countries across the globe have taken classes from USU Online. Our 700+ online credit courses and 70+ online degrees, certificates and minors are designed to serve students and partner institutions with the knowledge and skillset required by tomorrow's workforce, today. USU Online ranked 14th in the nation for best online bachelor’s programs, 7th in online bachelor's for veterans, and 13th in online undergraduate psychology programs by U.S. News & World Report, and remained as the only university in Utah to make it among the top 100 in the nation. With a focus on offering a high quality online learning experiences, USU Online partnered with Proctorio in 2016 to provide virtual exam proctoring and security. After its adoption, Proctorio usage at USU has grown by over 300%. This growth does not include the Covid spike resulting from the mass transition to online course delivery in 2020-2021. 

In recent years, the idea of virtual proctoring has been targeted with concerns of biased algorithms, increased student anxiety, and privacy.  Some institutions have shied away from virtual proctoring, instead focusing on live proctors, or authentic assessment design. USU’s analysis of the concerns resulted in an alternate view. Surveys of over 4,000 students found 83% consider the service to be a positive and useful tool. Students appreciate the flexibility and convenience of taking their exams remotely when taking courses far from campus. Many students have specifically requested a virtual proctoring option leading to increased adoption by faculty. 

Proctorio has always been committed to providing test takers everywhere with quality education by developing a platform with scalability, flexibility, and usability in mind. Protorio continues to improve their services to address student concerns. Despite entering the remote proctoring industry with the lowest bandwidth requirements of any solutions, Proctorio has lowered their bandwidth requirements even further to expand their reach to students in even the most rural areas. Proctorio is committed to delivering a solution that meets the needs of all test takers of varying abilities and this year, Proctorio is improving their test taker accommodations to allow for further customization, and new exam settings that will take exam customization even further, enabling more test takers to earn a quality education. 

Join us for this session hosted by Kevin Shanley, Director of Utah State University’s Online & Continuing Education, and Justin Depuydt, Partnerships Manager from Proctorio, as we discuss USU’s groundbreaking research on remote proctoring, the positive impact of these tools, and Proctorio’s latest updates that are expanding quality education opportunities.