Online Testing Products Can Increase Teacher Effectiveness

Just yesterday we came across a well done post on MiddleWeb as part of their “New Teacher Series” titled “What an Effective Teacher’s Classroom Looks Like.” The article is worth the click. The authors, Annette Breaux and Todd Whitaker, lay out bullet points, or rather tangible pieces, of ineffective and effective teaching behaviors, environments, and pedagogy. Naturally, we thought this had implications for online testing products.

Two points that struck a chord with us relate to classroom technology, the first is obvious whereas the second is not as obvious.

• Technology is used, thoughtfully, to enhance lessons and learning.

The team at ProctorFree has designed our proctoring software from the student’s perspective. A student-centric design not only makes the experience smooth and unobtrusive, but also enjoyable for the user. Technology implementations should not be a bulwark to lesson plans or assessment. Learning Management Systems are being used in K-12 through higher education institutions to facilitate instruction. Therefore, to enhance the management of the course, our software can plug in to every LMS out there, even homegrown proprietary systems. Our goal is to make the testing experience seamless for our students and have the analysis intuitively presented to faculty, all while maintaining the highest level of security.

• There is constant positive reinforcement.

Positive reinforcement takes on a whole new meaning in our context of online proctoring. We employ the concept of mirroring during exams so the student is primed and reinforced throughout their session. What does any of that mean? Let’s play with some visuals:

During the authentication portion of the session, the students inform our system who they are, what they look like, and what they sound like. It takes about 30 to 45 seconds.

 Once credentialed, the student will see themselves in view with the white box around their face throughout the session. A whole host of benefits come along with this, primarily:

• The mirroring primes students to stay in view appropriate camera view.
• Decreases anomalies with their individual test.
• Seeing yourself reduces cheating (http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/questions-character/201308/are-most-people-dishonest-thankfully-no).
• It serves as a constant reminder, reinforcing students to stay focused on the exam.

Technology, used correctly, increases teacher effectiveness and can influence other positive behaviors within the classroom environment. We hope you read the MiddleWeb post, and come back and see us to discuss your secure online proctoring solutions.

ProctorFree, as a company promoting academic honesty through its proctoring technologies, believes that the combination of ethical codes, anti-cheating technologies and the promotion of an integrity-rich culture is a better way of deterring dishonest behavior.