Proctored Exams in Online Courses - Instruction Policy - 60260

Germanna Community College recognizes that online learning is an essential component of education and provides a convenient and flexible way for students to achieve their academic goals. As such, the college strives to offer online courses that meet students' academic and technological needs, including providing online proctored exams.

The college also understands that individual instructors may have varying pedagogical approaches and course objectives that require different assessments, including proctored exams. Therefore, instructors have the discretion to determine the number and format of proctored exams in their online courses. However, for fully online courses, either asynchronous or synchronous, the college requires that students have the opportunity to complete all proctored exams entirely online.

To ensure that all students have equal access to proctored exams in fully online courses, instructors are encouraged to allow the use of online proctoring services that allow students to take the exam remotely without having to travel to a physical testing center or campus. This can be accomplished through Testing Services or online proctoring providers, such as ProctorU. Students in online courses must be allowed a virtual proctoring option to maintain the online status of the course. If students are required to come to a physical location to complete an instructional activity, such as a proctored exam, the course would need to be classified as Hybrid rather than Online.

The college provides technical support and training to instructors on the use of online proctoring services to ensure that students can complete exams securely and effectively. Students needing accommodation for exams must work with the Office of Accessibility Resources to ensure accommodations are in place prior to testing.

Instructors are also required to provide students with clear guidelines and instructions on how to prepare for proctored exams, including any technical requirements, such as internet speed, webcam, and microphone specifications. Instructors must also provide students with information on the number of proctored exams to be taken in the course and the format and structure of the exam, such as a time limit and any restrictions on resources to be used during the exam.

In conclusion, the college supports the use of online proctored exams in fully online courses to ensure that students have the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and skills effectively. Instructors have the freedom to set the number and format of proctored exams, but must ensure that students have the opportunity to complete all proctored exams entirely online, using secure and reliable online proctoring services.

To ensure that all students have equal access to proctored exams in fully online courses, whether synchronous or asynchronous, the college has developed the following policy:

Instructors have the discretion to determine the number and format of proctored exams in their online courses, but must ensure that students have the opportunity to complete all proctored exams entirely online.

To maintain the integrity and security of online proctored exams, instructors must use online proctoring services that allow students to take the exam remotely without having to travel to a physical testing center or campus.  Instructors must provide students with clear guidelines and instructions on how to prepare for proctored exams, including any technical requirements such as internet speed, webcam, and microphone specifications.

Instructors must provide students with information on the number of proctored exams to be taken in the course and the format and structure of the exam, such as a time limit and any restrictions on resources to be used during the exam. This information should be included in the course syllabus and Start Here module. Germanna Administration will ensure that the SIS course description, specifically the Class Notes section, will state that the course may require proctored exams to inform students registering for the course.

Instructors choosing to utilize Germanna’s Testing Services for online proctoring must require students to adequately prepare for online proctoring, including attending a Proctor-Assisted Exam Setup session prior to testing dates. Information and resources to prepare students for online proctoring should be included in the course.

Instructors using Respondus Lockdown Browser as their only proctoring service must provide an alternate option in case of technological issues or privacy concerns.

The college expects instructors to maintain the integrity and security of online proctored exams and to prevent cheating or academic misconduct. Instructors may use a range of methods to detect and prevent cheating, such as plagiarism detection software and randomization of questions. If cheating is suspected, instructors may take appropriate measures to investigate and recommend students for appropriate responses according to the Academic Honesty Policy and Student Code of Conduct.

To fullfill the needs of online students and instructors in regards to proctored exams in online courses, the following procedures should be followed:

1. Faculty must include the number of proctored exams in their online course in, at minimum, the syllabus, and the Start Here module.
2. If proctored exams are to be included in the course, this should also be included in the SIS Description of the course (only that proctored exams might be required for the course, not the number). Germanna Administration will assist in updating this information in the Class Notes section of SIS. Instructors and Department Chairs shall inform Germanna Administration of any required proctored exams in their online courses for this information to be included.
3. Faculty must provide an online proctoring option for students, whether through an outside vendor (i.e., ProctorU, Respondus Monitor, etc.) or through Germanna’s Testing Services. Online students must not be required to proctor an exam in person at Germanna’s campus. However, faculty may provide in-person proctoring through Germanna’s Testing Services or through an approved outside vendor as an option. More information on approving outside proctoring locations can be found through Germanna Testing Services.
4. Information and resources for online proctoring, including Germanna’s Testing Services’ Proctor-Assisted Exam Setup sessions, should be included in the Start Here Module for students.

Proctored Exam: a formal assessment or examination in a course that is supervised or monitored in some way to ensure academic integrity and prevent cheating or misconduct.

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Approval Date: 5/30/2024