Conducting tests online is beneficial since students can take the exam anywhere; you, as a private learning facility or educational organization, don’t need to worry about location restrictions, given that you have access to a computer with internet service. Conducting tests online is also reasonably simple and inexpensive. The most common challenge, though, is cheating, which comes with more convenience.
Why is cheating such a significant issue?
Exams serve the objective of fairly assessing a student’s ability. The exam outcomes would not accurately reflect each candidate’s true potential if someone compromised the exam’s reliability. Cheating raises other issues that you as a school must be aware of, in addition to the incorrect assessment of pupils’ learning progress. Content leakage, or the illicit sharing of exam materials like question banks to other parties, is one of the critical issues. When that occurs, it may compromise the validity of the online tests and your original work.
Content leakage may occur for several reasons, including a lack of oversight or the use of faulty materials during online exams. Those may be the contributing variables that encouraged learners to cheat even more.
You may ask, ‘’How do students cheat during online tests and exams?’’
Writing Math formulas on their palms is a thing of the past, today, students can cheat skillfully and often; they use the technologies that are available to them.
Here are some ways students are likely to cheat during an online assessment.
- Sharing a computer‘s screen with another
Students can easily share their screens during online tests and exams with little to no effort.
Because you administer the tests online, the student can have a friend check in from a different computer to access the test questions and offer guidance or solutions.
Students have also used software such as Team Viewer to allow a third party to manage their computer and complete the exam virtually.
- Using advanced electronic devices
Students also employ high-tech devices to cheat on examinations, making them useful not just for covert operatives on espionage missions. To help them throughout tests, students have begun adopting augmented reality glasses, invisible timepieces, and Micro Bluetooth-powered headphones. These devices might appear normal and be virtually unnoticed, particularly during online exams where camera surveillance might not be as effective or physically transparent. Under the table, students can hole up more devices.
- Using mobile apps and taking notes on cellphones
Students have started utilizing smartphones to store formulas and terminology for tests that they can later quietly refer to during online exams. Additionally, smartphone study tools like Cymath and Brainly can speed up exam problem-solving. For instance, you can ask questions on the applications and instantly receive automatic recommendations or real-person responses.
- using false identities to obtain help from outside sources
During in-person tests, a facilitator can verify the students’ identities. However, when your exams and tests are online, especially those not placed through a process or monitored, it is considerably more challenging to guarantee that only the right people can take such. Students can have someone impersonate them even when a proctor is watching through a webcam by displaying false identifications such as fraudulent driver’s licenses or school ID cards, which may be more challenging to confirm digitally.
How to prevent cheating during online tests and exams
As more people take their tests and exams online, teachers must ensure academic integrity and develop anti-cheating strategies. Utilizing test proctoring software, which includes features like automated monitoring, ID verification, and computer lockdown, is the most popular approach for allowing students to take online exams safely.
However, this approach might be complicated technically and quite expensive.
Some schools have chosen to conduct a more accessible and cost-effective method of testing students in place of exam-proctoring software. For instance, you can safely send questions via email document attachments. Using a camera, instructors may monitor students the entire time.
Here’s how you can use a combination of best practices supported by online learning technology to discourage and prevent students from cheating in an online test or exam.
1. Using proctoring software, monitor other devices, including cell phones.
Since more and more devices are available to students, it’s critical to catch them if they try to use their phones to search for test answers while taking the test.
Our proctoring software recognizes mobile phones and devices that use our test bank during an online exam. This feature aids in discouraging students from using their phones while taking an online test.
2. Take steps to ease exam anxiety among students.
According to research on 2020 students, many students experience anxiety before exams because they are unsure what to expect. To assist students during the exam, use online proctoring software that blends AI and human proctors.
3. Use software to search and take control of the online test questions.
The proctoring tool used by Honorlock looks for leaked exam questions online. It provides quick access to test banks and websites that offer homework assistance and straightforward ways for teachers to take control if they discover any problems.
4. Use Voice-recognition software
Using Voice-recognition software can help proctors identify test-takers who might be taking advantage of the exam system. It immediately notifies a remote proctor, who can enter the online exam session through the chat box to intervene and reroute the student. The system operates by listening for words or expressions like “Hey Siri” or “OK, Google.”
5. Use a browser lock
The primary purpose of a browser lock is to limit access to other websites and to disable keyboard shortcuts. So as the first line of defense against cheating on online tests, use a browser lock.
Other Ways to Prevent Cheating during Online Exams:
6. Specify who has access to the question, and you can revoke it anytime.
7. Use email verification as an additional security measure to guarantee authentication.
8. To ensure the fairness of the exam duration for each test taker, self-destruct the exam documents within the allotted time.
9. Limit the forwarding and downloading of exam questions to prevent unauthorized access and distribution
10. To prevent screenshots during online tests, reduce the paper viewing area with a screen shield and watermarked filter.
11. You can use tracking logs that display the user’s location and IP address to spot suspect third-party help.
In conclusion, students are more likely to cheat on online tests and exams due to the lack of in-person supervision. But knowing the innovative ways that students cheat might help you find the best solution to prevent students from cheating in an online test or exam and reduce security issues.
Using RenderQuiz can help to safeguard the validity and boost the security of your online exams. To find out more about how RenderQuiz can help prevent or minimize cheating during an online exam, visit: www.renderquiz.com to register for free!