Proctoring with Zoom
A growing number of instructors use Zoom to proctor exams. In general, students seem to prefer a U of I employee and human being monitoring them rather than AI-driven software and third-party employees doing so. Another benefit of this option is that students do not incur out-of-pocket expenses.
If you are considering using Zoom, we strongly recommend watching a 46-minute Best Practices video that our partners in the College of Engineering delivered illustrating best practices for instructors and students when using Zoom to proctor exams.
Third-Party Proctoring Solutions
In Fall 2021, ProctorU Inc. started rebranding under a new name: Meazure Learning.
There are two distinct products by Meazure Learning that are currently in use on our campus and are supported by CITL: Live+ and Preview+.
Live+ is the service that students usually pay for out of pocket (please visit CITL's page for the fee schedule). Departments may also choose to pay for the cost of the use of this product, so that students do not have to pay out of pocket. Some University websites still reference this product as 'ProctorU" but they are in the process of updating their website and documentation to reflect the new brand and naming conventions. With this product, an employee of Meazure Learning does the identity verification, monitors students via video during the exam, and reports any red flags to the instructor.
Review+ is the product that was offered as a successor to Proctorio starting in Fall 2021. It is available to instructors currently (AY 2021-22), including SU22 sessions. Students do not pay for this product out-of-pocket, as our campus has purchased a number of exams licenses that seem to meet demand.
Our partners in CITL provide support for Live+ and Review+ and you can contact them at citl-info@illinois.edu if you would like to use these products.
Our campus is exploring another third-party solution, Record+, which is another product by Meazure Learning. This product is mostly automated, with identity verification and monitoring of the students during the exam being AI-driven. However, any red flags that the system raises during the exam are reviewed and validated by a human (Meazure Learning employee), who contacts the instructor. If chosen and provisioned, Record+ would succeed Review+ and be available from Fall 2022.
Offering Choice to Students
We recommend that instructors offer students choice—for example, allow students to take the exam with either Zoom proctoring or Review+. Several instructors report that this is a great way to give students flexibility while avoiding technical issues and privacy concerns with Review+ or other third-party proctoring software. Students who have such concerns can choose Zoom proctoring. Instructors have reported that students appreciate having different options, because it offers them flexibility, especially for summer courses, when most students are away from campus, on vacation, or engaged in commitments such as internships or other work. Our Overview of Campus Online Proctoring Options document contains additional information on offering students choice, including testimonials from instructors.
Computer-Based Testing Facility (CBTF) in LAS
Our college is in the planning stages of creating a proctoring center modeled after and in partnership with the College of Engineering's Computer-Based Testing Facility (CBTF). We will be sharing more information as progress is made.
Additional Information and Assistance
For additional information on proctoring solutions, please review the Overview of Campus Online Proctoring Options slide deck that the ATLAS team has put together. You can also contact us at atlas-tlt@illinois.edu.