ProctorU

[[image:proctoru-image.jpg width="320" height="203" align="left" link="@http://www.proctoru.com/"]] __Description__
ProctorU is an online exam service that offers students the ability to take computerized exams in a proctored environment in the comfort of their own home. It also offers instructors the security of a real-time testing environment. The service allows a proctor to connect to a student's computer and monitor them throughout the entire testing process utilizing webcams and microphones attached to the student's computer. The proctors walk students through the process step-by-step and provide any technical troubleshooting prior to the exam administration.

ProctorU has partnerships throughout the higher education community, with certification and training corporations, as well as integrated services such as Blackboard for Learning Management Systems (LMS) and TesTrac for test development and delivery options.

History


ProctorU is a relatively new company started in 2008 by founders Don Kassner and Jarrod Morgan. Kassner and Morgan began their careers working for an online college based in Hoover, Alabama and were looking for a way to administer exams securely for distance education students who were finding it difficult to find face-to-face proctors and/or it was impractical to require a distance education student to travel to the school's administrative offices to take a proctored exam. This small innovative idea blossomed and by 2011 was partnered with companies and institutions of higher learning all across the nation. As need continued to grow so did the business. "ProctorU was born out of an academic need to ensure the integrity of online exams." (Birmingham Business Journal, 2011)

Developed out of a unique necessity, ProctorU soon became a leader in the field as other companies jumped to mimic the process without being able to fully replicate the service at all levels of security, authentication, ease of use and simplicity.

Impact on Teaching and Learning
As one of the leading innovators in distance education testing, ProctorU offers the security of a proctored exam environment in the comfort of one's own home. It gives instructors peace of mind that students are not accessing unauthorized materials or receiving external help while taking exams and gives the students the ability to take distance education courses without having to ever physically be on a campus. The unique identification process allows instructors to make sure that the student enrolled in the course is the student who is actually taking the exam. ProctorU has also become an advocate for state authorization for distance education programs and has held numerous training and webinars for educators and executives alike to understand the complexities of distance education.

Impact on Teaching
 * Allows instructors teaching distance education courses to administer exams in a proctored environment while upholding the academic integrity of the exam.
 * Allows instructors to view a video recording of the student taking the exam
 * Provides real-time security and monitoring of students taking exam
 * Promotes high expectations of learners
 * Has the ability to integrate into current LMS to allow for seamless integration into an online course (Campus Technology, 2012)

Impact on Learning
 * Allows non-traditional students the ease and convenience of taking exams online in a secured environment
 * Distance education students no longer need to physically be present on campus - allows them to truly learn the material without having to worry about how to get to campus to take an exam
 * Provides flexibility for the learner
 * Provides on the spot technical assistance and walks students through the process step-by-step so those unfamiliar or not as comfortable with the application have the peace of mind that there is always someone there to assist them
 * Reduces test anxiety producing by allowing students the option of taking an exam where they feel most comfortable

Practical Applications
At it's core, ProctorU offers instructors the security of a proctored exam while it offers students convenience, ease, and flexibility. It allows students to take any number of distance education courses that may require proctored exams at various institutions across the world. ProctorU's services has the potential to open up distance education to a broader audience while still upholding the academic integrity policies of the institution. It is fairly simple to use and is accessible across both Mac and PC platforms (see below for technical requirements).

According to a report issued by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), "from 2000 to 2008 the percentage of undergraduates enrolled in at least one distance education class expanded from 8 percent to 20 per-cent, and the percentage enrolled in a distance education degree pro-gram increased from 2 percent to 4 percent." (NCES - Learning at a Distance: Undergraduate Enrollment in Distance Education Courses and Degree Programs, 2011)This represents a shift towards online learning and while instructors have struggled to come up with ways to verify their student's identities and administer exams, ProctorU does this for them. ProctorU has real-time proctors available from 7:00 AM Central Standard Time to 11:45 PM Central Standard Time. The rates for exams varies by institution; some institutions purchase a package allowing their students to take exams via ProctorU free of charge (where the institution absorbs the cost) whereas smaller institutions may have students pay per exam.

The people behind ProctorU
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How ProctorU Works
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For Instructors and Institutions - Using Online Proctoring to Ensure Academic Integrity While Adhering to FERPA
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External Refereces
(1) Birmingham Business Journal - @http://www.bizjournals.com/birmingham/print-edition/2012/08/24/entrepreneur-spotlight---proctoru.html (2) The Crimson White - @http://cw.ua.edu/2011/10/18/proctoru-provides-offers-online-convenience-to-students/ (3) The National Center for Education Statistics - @http://nces.ed.gov/ (4) Campus Technology - @http://campustechnology.com/articles/2012/09/10/u-north-carolina-teams-with-proctoru-on-online-proctoring-api.aspx

ProctorU Partners
(1) QuestionMark - @https://www.questionmark.com/us/Pages/default.aspx (2) TesTrac - @http://www.testrac.com/ (3) Blackboard - @http://www.blackboard.com/

All images taken from the ProctorU website (@http://www.proctoru.com); videos from YouTube (@http://www.youtube.com) via the ProctorU channel.

Author
Melissa Arakawa is a current student in the University of Hawaii at Manoa's Educational Technology Master's Program. This wikispace was created in partial fulfillment of the requirements for ETEC 602, Fall 2012.