E-proctored exams during the COVID-19 pandemic: A close understanding

Area of Science:

• Educational Technology
• Online Learning
• COVID-19 Research

Background:

• Limited understanding of student perceptions regarding e-proctoring tools in online examinations.
• The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a rapid shift to online assessments, increasing reliance on remote proctoring solutions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore students' attitudes and concerns about using e-proctoring tools for final exams during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• To assess the impact of e-proctoring tools on student performance.
• To provide guidance for educational institutions on implementing e-proctoring effectively.

Main Methods:

• Mixed-methods analysis combining qualitative (focus groups) and quantitative (surveys, exam attempt data) approaches.
• Focus groups conducted in June 2020 to gather initial student feedback.
• Survey distributed to 106 information technology majors who experienced e-proctored exams.
• Analysis of 815 attempts across 21 online exams to evaluate performance.

Main Results:

• Students expressed significant concerns regarding privacy, environmental factors, and psychological stress associated with e-proctoring.
• Implementation challenges for e-proctoring tools were identified.
• The study examined the influence of e-proctoring on students' academic performance.

Conclusions:

• E-proctoring tools raise critical student concerns about privacy and well-being that must be addressed.
• Educational institutions need to carefully consider these factors and implementation challenges when adopting e-proctoring solutions.
• Further research is needed to optimize e-proctoring for equitable and effective online assessment.