New Face of Assessment by Webcam Proctored Tests

Webcam proctored tests are playing a pivotal role in the present era of development. A significant number of youths are getting engaged in obtaining online professional courses with easy certification techniques. Many organizations are now getting inclined towards the digital mode of examinations. This enhances the overall experience of examination for the students and enables prospective candidates to choose their examination centers and exam slots as per their convenience. A specialized person known as the proctor carries on his invigilation using his computer webcam.

Online Proctoring is the other name for a digital model of assessment that allows candidates to choose the location for their respective exams. This mode of assessment is now gaining popularity in developing countries like India. The positive aspect of this webcam proctored testis that they are reliable. Students or candidates appearing for exams via webcam proctored method cannot easily cheat as they are closely monitored. Some specialized software availed for this purpose solves the problem of close invigilation. This restores the authenticity of the assessments.

What is a Webcam Proctored Test?

This is a form of digital assessment where candidates are free to choose their convenient location. There is a specialized person called the proctor, who is in charge of online invigilation using the webcam on their computer screen. The dignity of the exam is kept intact by the use of specific monitoring software. The students can appear for the exam at any time by logging in. Prior scheduling is not required in such cases. If the proctor finds any student violating regulations of the exam and embraces any illegal means to clear the examination, the proctor has the authority to discontinue the specific exam and report the incident to the organizing institute.

There is another wing of proctoring that is called subsequent proctoring. This is the type of proctoring in which images or videos are captured with the help of the webcams used by the proctor. The decision is based on the captured images and videos.

Webcam proctored tests can be used by:

Any well recognized central or state universities or educational institutes to conduct hassle-free online exams.
Private Educators, those who need to scrutinize the student’s performance in a specific test or assessment.
A registered institute or academy offering a professional course that also ensures proper certification post-course completion from their academy.
A Business organization that makes an annual assessment of its employees mandatory for promotion.
A creative institute needs to assess the performance of their artists closely to make them ready for a national or international level of competition.

Some aspects should be kept in mind while choosing a webcam proctored test like:

The webcam proctored tests should be arranged in a way that can maintain the integrity of the particular assessment. The test should be managed with encrypted solutions to provide complete software support to the organizing authority.
The webcam proctored test solutions should be available at an affordable price so that it can be availed of by more people.
These tests should be user friendly and must be compatible with the web browsers that are generally being used by the majority of the users like chrome, firefox, etc.
The software should also be accompanied by close monitoring and anti-cheating software that would help to make the work of a proctor easy by assisting him in close invigilation.
It should be able to generate a complete assessment report of a prospective candidate based on the requirements.
The software should not be associated with any technical glitch during the operations.

There are several different types of webcam proctoring methods. Some of them are as follows:

Live Proctoring- This is the method of assessment proctoring where a human proctor invigilates the candidates appearing for an exam with the webcam situated remotely.
Auto Proctoring- This is a modern and advanced proctoring method of assessment that is based on the Artificial Intelligence System. The AI technique closely monitors the student’s live feed recorded via webcam with more than 96% accuracy.
Recorded Proctoring- This method does not involve any proctor during the entire session of the assessment. The activities of the candidates are recorded throughout the examination, and then the recordings are assessed by the invigilator later on as per his convenience.

Benefits of Webcam Proctored Tests:

Easily Accessible International Exams- Emergence of virtual platforms have also resulted in the emergence of online certification courses. Not only this, the desire of every student to appear for international examinations have been made possible via webcam proctored tests. It enables international organizations and institutes to select from several meritorious students who stay far away from their country.
No Travelling- These assessment methods eliminates the necessity of traveling. Some families could not afford to travel abroad due to financial constraints. This is solved by the use of a webcam proctored test. It not only helps to maintain integrity but also gives fair chances to students from all sections of society.
Flexible Schedule- Using this method of assessment, one can choose their location and time slot for their examinations. This makes the examination pattern more flexible for candidates appearing from different parts of the world. The student will have control over their surrounding environment that would help to make them more comfortable during their exams. This would also ensure their best performance in the examination.
Fair Chance to All- This method of assessment gives a fair chance to students of all caste, creed, religion, and location. It serves all students equally irrespective of their geographical locations and gives opportunities to all prospective candidates to appear for the respective exam.
Multiple Use- The webcam proctored tests can be applied for all kinds of assessments and examinations. It can be applied from a simple aptitude test to a complicated engineering maths test.

Conclusion- Webcam proctored tests are surprisingly gaining popularity in India also. It has proved to be a revolution in the domain of education. It has amalgamated quality with success. This will ultimately pave the way for a better future.