If you need help setting up a remote exam, IMATS, CEP, and the Columbia CTL offer online resources that provide guidance in creating online course assessments: 

• IMATS Online Exam Guide
• Columbia CTL Create Online Quizzes Create Online Quizzes Resource
• Columbia CTL Create Online Longer-Form Exams Create Online Longer-Form Exams Resource
• Tailor Your Exams to Individual Student Needs
• CEP adjusting assignments in times of crisis resource

When possible, the CEP and IMATS recommend adjusting assignments or offering alternative assessments to remote proctoring given the accessibility, confidentiality, academic integrity, and equity concerns of remote proctoring options. That said, if instructors feel it is necessary to remotely proctor a final exam, below are some pros and cons for three of the major options identified by IMATS and CEP. Regardless of the option you choose, we recommend reminding students of the Barnard Honor Code.

Using Proctorio to offer remote proctoring during the scheduled exam period

Note: Proctorio is available to faculty only by request. To request access to Proctorio, please email courseworks@barnard.edu. Before installing Proctorio in your course, we require that you attend or watch a recording of a Proctorio information session (more information on these available below).

Pros:

• Students access virtual proctoring remotely in CourseWorks (Canvas) (i.e., no need to go to a physical testing center).
• If the recording feature is turned off, Proctorio allows for a confidential test-taking experience, where students do not need to share the same room or space with others.
• Students have the same amount of time and some of the same conditions for taking the exam (e.g., access to the exam at the same time) as students taking it in person; exam time accommodations are also handled seamlessly.
• Proctorio allows you to block access to other computer windows or tabs during the exam, which may promote academic integrity during the exam.

Cons:

• There are numerous accessibility concerns to consider, including impacts on neurodiverse students and those who use screen reading technology, among others.
• There are also bias concerns in using Proctorio, including reported incidents where the software exhibited bias against students with darker skin tones.
• Though it may function as a deterrent, its AI-based flagging technology is not always reliable and may incorrectly label student behavior as suspicious.

 

Using Zoom to offer remote proctoring during the scheduled exam period

Pros:

• Students access virtual proctoring remotely in CourseWorks (Canvas) (i.e., no need to go to a physical testing center).
• Students on Zoom have the same amount of time and some of the same conditions for taking the exam (e.g., access to the exam at the same time) as students taking it in person.
• Though there may still be accessibility concerns, they are significantly less pronounced than those with Proctorio.

Cons:

• Opening a separate Zoom room for remote proctoring will require an additional instructor, TA, or course assistant to manage the space. Barnard does not have an exam proctoring office, so having this support is a major consideration in choosing this option.
• Remote proctoring through Zoom, where several students share the same space with their cameras on, could create privacy, confidentiality, and equity concerns for students.
• Students would be operating on the honor system and instructors may have academic integrity concerns.

Additional consideration: Instructors will need to determine how the students will take the exam (e.g., on paper) and ensure students have the ability to print, upload, or email their final exam to the instructor on time.

Using Zoom as a space for student questions during remote exam  

Pros:

• Students can ask questions of the instructor or TAs during the exam by logging into Zoom without some of the accessibility and equity concerns of Proctorio and Zoom.
• Students taking the exam remotely have the same amount of time and some of the same conditions for taking the exam (e.g., access to the exam at the same time) as students taking it in person.

Cons:

• Students taking the exam in person would have a significantly different test-taking experience than those taking it remotely.
• Students would be operating on the honor system and instructors may have academic integrity concerns.

Additional consideration: Instructors will need to determine how the students will take the exam (e.g., on paper) and ensure students have the ability to print, upload, or email their final exam to the instructor on time.

 

Colleagues in IMATS and the Center for Engaged Pedagogy are prepared to consult with instructors about options for adjusting course assessments. Faculty may attend IMATS and CEP Drop-In Hours during reading days (Tuesday, April 30-Thursday, May 2nd) from 9:00AM-12:00PM every day (drop-in—no appointment necessary), or make an appointment by writing to IMATS (courseworks@barnard.edu) or CEP (pedagogy@barnard.edu). IMATS and the CEP are also offering information sessions on Proctorio on Tuesday, April 30 at 1pm and Wednesday, May 1 at 10am. RSVPs encouraged.