4 ms·

That's the dean's mistake. This kind of software categorically does not detect cheating, and cannot be relied solely upon; only a staff member can make that de

by mkl 6y ago

That's the dean's mistake. This kind of software categorically does not detect cheating, and cannot be relied solely upon; only a staff member can make that decision. For example, I had one student using proctoring software whose father came into the room during the test, and I as the supervising staff member recognised the event for what it was and ignored it. I don't much like such software, but I accept the current need for it. The problems people are describing seem to be faulty staff behaviour, not software.

fxtentacle 6y ago
The software will automatically block your screen, meaning you cannot finish the exam if it accidentally activates. "I was on the second question of an exam composed of 45 questions and I got a black screen. I'm still waiting to see what's going to happen as this is my final......... I tried to access the exam but was locked out and when i went to the exam the chat option wasn't available either. I emailed my professor and unfortunately, he wasn't watching the exam at the time and couldn't do much to help me out." https://www.reddit.com/r/UBC/comments/g2ub05/god_kicked_out_half_way_through_my_exam/g21ja6k/ https://www.reddit.com/r/UBC/comments/g2ub05/god_kicked_out_...
- mkl 6y ago
  The software sounds faulty. The black screen is terrible UX; it should just silently set a bookmark and let the student continue. The overall outcome (and the student's experience and stress) is ultimately a staff issue. The professor should have been on call, and should have been able to get the student back into the questions, or, failing that, to offer another sitting. I have done both of these, among other remedies, and setting student expectations ahead of time is crucial for avoiding massively stressful problems (stuff like "If something goes wrong, stop and email me. I can add lost your time back and get you into the test again, no matter how long it takes to sort out. You won't lose marks from this." and actually follow through). Software inevitably fails sometimes, and it is just a tool. Staff need to make their own decisions.
  - cycomanic 6y ago
    You are correct this is a staff failure, the failure lies in using the software in the first place. If we agree that the current situation is so exceptional that we need to fully monitor all students taking exams (and that's still a big if, I also am a university teacher, we don't use any monitoring system. There are other solutions as well such as taking oral exams...), one could simply hire a bunch of proctors who watch the video feed. Considering the savings that universities have made they could send one to everyone's home even.
    - mkl 6y ago
      Copy-pasting from my other comment: > I see it as a currently-necessary annoyance, as the least bad option. The alternatives have greater deficiencies: human invigilators using Zoom etc. don't scale (institution experience); oral exams don't scale (my experience moderating such assessments); no invigilation leads to cheating (by few students but enough to be a real problem, especially for professional qualifications - my direct experience and institution experience); shutting down education until the pandemic's over is unfeasible. Last year, we tried not monitoring, we tried Zoom invigilation, we tried orals. Lockdown rules prevented us from sending in-person invigilators in one semester (and we couldn't have hired even 10% of what that would take) and the other we invigilated in person like normal. We are spending more than ever before, so there are no savings. All of these methods failed. This year, grudgingly, we have moved to proctoring software.
      - scrollaway 6y ago
        The bar to use such invasive, buggy, user hostile spyware should be a lot higher. Just because this solves your problem (it clearly doesn't) doesn't mean it's a good idea. Killing half the students also solves your problem. You need to live in a world where this is not an option, period. What's the next solution then? People forget there are always more manual solutions even if they take more time...
      - amcoastal 6y ago
        As both a TA and a student during the virus, we did better and so can you. Stop trying to shoehorn your in person lesson plans and exams into virtual and design new material and tests. Dont be a shitty teacher just because you're too lazy to change your now dated ways.

by mkl 6y ago

fxtentacle 6y ago

The software will automatically block your screen, meaning you cannot finish the exam if it accidentally activates. "I was on the second question of an exam composed of 45 questions and I got a black screen. I'm still waiting to see what's going to happen as this is my final......... I tried to access the exam but was locked out and when i went to the exam the chat option wasn't available either. I emailed my professor and unfortunately, he wasn't watching the exam at the time and couldn't do much to help me out." https://www.reddit.com/r/UBC/comments/g2ub05/god_kicked_out_half_way_through_my_exam/g21ja6k/ https://www.reddit.com/r/UBC/comments/g2ub05/god_kicked_out_...

mkl 6y ago
The software sounds faulty. The black screen is terrible UX; it should just silently set a bookmark and let the student continue. The overall outcome (and the student's experience and stress) is ultimately a staff issue. The professor should have been on call, and should have been able to get the student back into the questions, or, failing that, to offer another sitting. I have done both of these, among other remedies, and setting student expectations ahead of time is crucial for avoiding massively stressful problems (stuff like "If something goes wrong, stop and email me. I can add lost your time back and get you into the test again, no matter how long it takes to sort out. You won't lose marks from this." and actually follow through). Software inevitably fails sometimes, and it is just a tool. Staff need to make their own decisions.
- cycomanic 6y ago
  You are correct this is a staff failure, the failure lies in using the software in the first place. If we agree that the current situation is so exceptional that we need to fully monitor all students taking exams (and that's still a big if, I also am a university teacher, we don't use any monitoring system. There are other solutions as well such as taking oral exams...), one could simply hire a bunch of proctors who watch the video feed. Considering the savings that universities have made they could send one to everyone's home even.
  - mkl 6y ago
    Copy-pasting from my other comment: > I see it as a currently-necessary annoyance, as the least bad option. The alternatives have greater deficiencies: human invigilators using Zoom etc. don't scale (institution experience); oral exams don't scale (my experience moderating such assessments); no invigilation leads to cheating (by few students but enough to be a real problem, especially for professional qualifications - my direct experience and institution experience); shutting down education until the pandemic's over is unfeasible. Last year, we tried not monitoring, we tried Zoom invigilation, we tried orals. Lockdown rules prevented us from sending in-person invigilators in one semester (and we couldn't have hired even 10% of what that would take) and the other we invigilated in person like normal. We are spending more than ever before, so there are no savings. All of these methods failed. This year, grudgingly, we have moved to proctoring software.
    - scrollaway 6y ago
      The bar to use such invasive, buggy, user hostile spyware should be a lot higher. Just because this solves your problem (it clearly doesn't) doesn't mean it's a good idea. Killing half the students also solves your problem. You need to live in a world where this is not an option, period. What's the next solution then? People forget there are always more manual solutions even if they take more time...
    - amcoastal 6y ago
      As both a TA and a student during the virus, we did better and so can you. Stop trying to shoehorn your in person lesson plans and exams into virtual and design new material and tests. Dont be a shitty teacher just because you're too lazy to change your now dated ways.