Online Exams Prevent Cheating
Online exams can be challenging to safeguard against cheating. Traditional in-person exams can easily be proctored and monitored; it’s harder to authenticate students taking tests online.
Students may use various tactics to cheat during an online exam, including switching the operating system of their main computer in order to conceal activities from software or human proctors, impersonation and collaboration types of schemes.
1. Require a password
As opposed to in-person exams which can be monitored by an exam facilitator or proctor, online exams cannot prevent cheating by third parties; as a result, schools must use the highest security settings available in order to preserve the integrity of their online exams.
One way to ensure an exam is being taken by its intended candidate is requiring a password before access can be gained. When taking an online test, this password should not be shared among students; rather, it should be generated periodically as another layer of protection against fraudulence.
Randomizing question order on an online exam can also help prevent cheating. Doing this ensures that two test takers sitting next to each other don’t see identical questions at the same time, and students shouldn’t be permitted to switch tabs during an exam; any attempt at doing so will trigger a countdown and ultimately auto-submit it when not returned within time.
Many students resort to impersonating another individual to cheat on an online exam, either prior to or during it. Unfortunately, it can be hard to detect this sort of activity as students often alter their ID documents or share login credentials with friends before the actual test begins. Schools should require photos of exam takers that can be compared against their authorized photo in case any potential impersonators attempts.
Other effective measures against online exam cheating can include using voice detection software that listens for certain keywords or phrases during an exam, such as “Hey Siri” or “OK Google.” Browser lockdown software that restricts access to other sites while disabling shortcuts and keyboard functions during an online examination can also help. Furthermore, online proctoring services monitor a student’s computer and detect suspicious behavior can provide additional safeguards.
2. Require a fingerprint
Though cheating in online exams may not be easily prevented, several measures exist that may help students from engaging in any fraudulent practices during an exam. These methods include requiring fingerprint scans or monitoring suspicious behaviors to detect cheaters, and using challenge questions during authentication to prevent cheating attempts from students. Though not foolproof, students still use various methods to cheat during an exam session.
General cheating can be divided into two distinct categories, either before or during an exam. Before-exam cheating usually involves studying before taking an exam or accessing materials that are prohibited during it; while during-exam cheating involves any form of collaboration during it. Collaborative cheating might involve asking another student for answers, sharing notes or copying from other students.
Continuous authentication and online proctoring can both help detect cheating during an online exam. Continuous authentication methods verify test-takers by matching fingerprints against databases; they can also identify any attempts by students to gain entry to the system by hacking or sniffing network packets. Online proctoring systems monitor examinees for suspicious movements, head posture, speech, video streams of an exam as well as flagging potential fraudulent activities by monitoring video streams for suspicious action – ProctorU is one such online proctoring system which uses webcam and microphone monitoring technology to keep watch on examinees during an exam.
Effective methods exist for detecting cheating during online exams, yet can also be intrusive and cause additional stress for students. Student privacy and convenience may be important considerations; thus some may feel unwelcomed by security measures necessary for online tests.
3. Require a photo ID
As online education becomes a mainstream way of providing instruction, online examinations have become an integral way of testing student knowledge. Unfortunately, however, their use can pose certain key challenges that compromise test integrity such as impersonation and cheating aid use among examinees.
To combat both of these problems, it is crucial that students present photo identification prior to taking online exams. By having students submit photos of their government-issued ID cards, online proctors can compare faces against photos in order to ensure it is the same person taking part in an exam – something which becomes especially crucial given that many online exams can take place any time or anywhere without physical proximity restrictions, making it easy for someone else to take the exam on behalf of someone else.
Additionally to facial recognition, online exam proctoring companies utilize other checks that are designed to detect and deter various forms of cheating behavior. For instance, online proctoring software can detect when an examinee has both monitors open simultaneously or the exam window isn’t fully displayed on their screen, as well as detect switching between home and mobile networks or unauthorzie devices attached to their computer.
Online exam proctoring companies also provide anti-cheating training materials that educate examinees on common forms of cheating and how they can avoid it. In particular, they may advise examinees to take their exam in a private space without distraction and ensure their workspace is free from unauthorized devices or third-party software.
4. Require a password
Online exams have become an increasingly popular form of testing in higher education, providing time and cost savings while enabling students to complete exams without cheating affecting its validity. Cheating can have serious repercussions for higher education institutions; the good news is there are various strategies to prevent online cheating during an exam session.
One effective strategy to prevent cheating during an online exam is requiring a password, which will prevent students from using mobile phones or other devices to access it. Another method for curbing online cheating involves having a live proctor monitor the exam through video and audio monitoring – this allows invigilators to verify each candidate’s identity as well as facial expressions during testing.
Although online exams have become more prevalent, cheating remains a serious problem. Students have developed new means of cheating during these exams such as sharing answers via texting or Google Docs with fellow students; searching the internet for answers; using third-party resources like Quizlet or Chegg; even passing off another student’s work as their own.
There are various methods available for online exams to prevent cheating. Some of the most effective include remote live proctoring and secure browsers like those offered by Mercer | Mettl’s proctoring platform which includes multistep authentication process as well as blocking browser, screen sharing, noise detection, video-audio monitoring, content protection features such as blocking browser, blocking screen sharing and screen sharing features as well as face/voice recognition for impersonation detection; face and voice recognition technology can even detect impersonation! It works efficiently even on low bandwidth connections and works just as effectively on smartphones or tablets alike!
5. Require a password reset reminder
An online exam presents many opportunities for cheaters to hide behind keyboards and mice. Fortunately, instructors have several methods they can employ to stop cheating during such exams, including making it more difficult for students to access cheating materials – for instance by setting password reset reminders or locking screens – making access harder; or teachers could shuffle questions randomly or limit time spent viewing one question at a time.
One way to combat cheating during online tests is to inform students of the consequences of being caught, which has been shown to reduce cheating motivation (Moten et al., 2013). Furthermore, conducting periodic rounds around the room can help identify students attempting to steal glances or engage in covert conversations during an exam session.
Verifying the identity of test takers is of utmost importance and can be accomplished using services like ProctorExam that use mobile phone cameras to scan a room before and during an exam without violating students’ privacy. Edulastic’s Safe Exam Browser can also be implemented into assessments to lock students into their browser and prevent them from accessing other applications or websites during online exams.
Instructors can utilize various measures to prevent cheating during an online examination, including mandating a password reset reminder before permitting students to take the quiz, shuffling question orders and restricting how often students can retake it. They should also encourage their students to carefully read question and answer choices prior to clicking submit; this ensures they’re not accidentally viewing another student’s screen or discussing answers with classmates.