Comparing Remote Proctoring Methods

and Their Effectiveness

As online education continues to grow in popularity, ensuring the integrity of assessments has
become a pressing concern for educators, institutions, and students alike. With remote learning
comes the challenge of preventing cheating during exams, especially when students take tests
outside of a controlled classroom environment. Remote proctoring methods have emerged as a
solution, providing ways to monitor students during online exams and maintain academic
honesty. However, not all remote proctoring solutions are created equal. Understanding the
different methods available and their effectiveness is essential for institutions looking to
safeguard exam integrity without compromising the student experience.

In this blog, we’ll explore and compare various remote proctoring methods and evaluate their
effectiveness in maintaining the integrity of online exams.

What is Remote Proctoring?

Remote proctoring, or online exam proctoring, is the process of monitoring students while they
take exams remotely to ensure that they follow the rules and do not engage in cheating or other
dishonest behaviors. These solutions have become a necessity for online education platforms,
certification bodies, and universities that want to ensure a fair testing environment for all
students, regardless of location.

Proctoring methods vary in terms of the level of monitoring they offer, from automated systems
powered by AI to human proctors who observe students live. Understanding these methods and
their respective strengths and weaknesses is key to choosing the right one for your institution.

1. Live Proctoring

How it Works: Live proctoring involves a human proctor monitoring the student via video in
real-time. The student’s webcam, microphone, and sometimes screen are continuously
observed by the proctor throughout the exam. In some cases, proctors can intervene, issue
warnings, or even terminate the exam if suspicious activity is detected.

Effectiveness:

● Strengths: Live proctoring provides the highest level of security, as it allows for
immediate intervention if cheating is detected. Proctors can monitor students' behavior,
facial expressions, and physical surroundings in real time, helping to catch any violations
that might go unnoticed in other methods.
● Weaknesses: The main drawback is cost. Hiring human proctors for every exam can be
expensive and time-consuming. Additionally, live proctoring can create a sense of
 surveillance discomfort for students, leading to privacy concerns. There’s also the risk of
human error, as proctors may miss subtle signs of cheating, or misinterpret actions as
suspicious.

Best For: High-stakes exams, professional certifications, or any exam where maximum integrity
is needed.

2. Recorded Proctoring

How it Works: Recorded proctoring involves recording the student’s video feed, audio, and/or
screen activity during the exam. The footage is then reviewed either by AI or human reviewers
after the exam has been completed, looking for signs of cheating or suspicious behavior.

Effectiveness:

● Strengths: Recorded proctoring is more cost-effective than live proctoring since there
are no proctors needed during the exam itself. It also allows for a more relaxed
experience for students, as they are not being constantly watched in real time. The
review process can be automated or conducted in batches, which reduces the
administrative burden.
● Weaknesses: The biggest limitation is that cheating may occur while the student is
taking the exam, as the proctor can only intervene once the exam is over. Additionally,
reviewing hours of footage manually can be time-consuming for institutions, and AI
systems may not always catch subtle or complex cheating tactics.

Best For: Online courses or exams with lower stakes where the cost of live proctoring is
prohibitive.

3. AI-Powered Proctoring

How it Works: AI-powered proctoring uses algorithms and machine learning to monitor
students’ behavior during the exam. AI systems analyze data from a student’s webcam,
microphone, and screen activity in real time to detect patterns of suspicious behavior, such as
looking away from the screen too frequently, using unauthorized devices, or engaging in
unusual movements.

Effectiveness:

● Strengths: AI offers the advantage of continuous monitoring without the need for human
proctors, which makes it cost-effective and scalable. It can automatically flag suspicious
behavior in real-time, allowing for quick action to be taken, such as issuing warnings or
terminating an exam. AI can also detect a variety of behaviors that would be difficult for a
human proctor to spot, such as the use of a phone or notes.
● Weaknesses: AI-powered systems can sometimes generate false positives, flagging
normal student behaviors as suspicious. Additionally, AI may struggle to interpret the
 context of a student's actions, leading to missed nuances or misidentification of innocent
behavior as cheating. While AI is becoming increasingly sophisticated, it’s still not perfect
at handling complex cheating strategies, especially when students are using methods to
intentionally bypass the system.

Best For: Large-scale exams or institutions looking for a scalable, cost-efficient solution for
maintaining exam integrity.

4. Browser Lockdown and Screen Monitoring

How it Works: Browser lockdown software restricts students from accessing other websites,
applications, or resources during the exam. It may also track their screen activity to ensure they
are not switching between tabs or using unauthorized software.

Effectiveness:

● Strengths: This method is highly effective in preventing students from browsing the
internet, opening unauthorized materials, or using other devices during an exam. It’s
relatively inexpensive and easy to implement, and it works well for exams where online
cheating through external resources is a concern.
● Weaknesses: Browser lockdown doesn’t monitor physical actions or behaviors, so it
doesn’t address issues like students using hidden devices or collaborating with others.
Additionally, some students may find ways to bypass the lockdown software, such as
using a secondary device to search for answers.

Best For: Shorter, closed-book exams where cheating via online resources is the primary
concern.

5. Keystroke and Behavioral Analysis

How it Works: This method involves monitoring a student's keystrokes, mouse movements,
and other on-screen actions to identify unusual or irregular patterns that could indicate cheating.
For example, excessive back-and-forth switching between answers, or rapid typing patterns,
could be flagged as suspicious.

Effectiveness:

● Strengths: Keystroke and behavioral analysis helps to detect cheating that involves
external devices, such as copying answers from a different source. It’s also unobtrusive,
as it doesn’t require additional monitoring tools like webcams or microphones.
● Weaknesses: While useful for detecting certain patterns, this method may not catch all
types of cheating. Students can still communicate with others through messaging apps
or engage in other forms of cheating that don’t involve unusual typing patterns.
Best For: Situations where students are expected to type or solve problems at a computer,
such as programming or essay writing exams.

Comparing Effectiveness: A Summary

Proctoring Method Strengths Weaknesses Best For

Live Proctoring Real-time monitoring, Expensive, privacy High-stakes exams,

immediate concerns, human professional certs
intervention error

Recorded Proctoring Cost-effective, less No real-time Low-stakes exams,

intrusive, batch intervention, larger institutions
review time-consuming

AI-Powered Proctoring Continuous False positives, Large-scale exams,

monitoring, limited context cost-efficient setups
cost-effective, interpretation
scalable

Browser Lockdown Prevents access to Doesn't monitor Short exams,

unauthorized physical behavior, preventing online
resources bypassable cheating

Keystroke/Behavioral Detects unusual Doesn’t catch all Typing-based

Analysis patterns, unobtrusive types of cheating exams,
programming tests

Conclusion

The choice of remote proctoring method depends on several factors, including the type of exam,
the level of security required, and budget considerations. For high-stakes exams where integrity
is paramount, a combination of live proctoring and AI-powered monitoring may be the best
solution. For larger-scale, low-stakes exams, AI-powered or recorded proctoring may provide
the necessary balance of security and cost-effectiveness. Each method has its strengths and
limitations, and institutions must weigh these factors to choose the solution that best meets their
needs while ensuring exam integrity for all students.

As online education continues to evolve, remote proctoring technologies will also improve,
offering even more effective ways to maintain academic integrity while minimizing student
discomfort and privacy concerns.