Prepping for Final Exams with Online Proctoring

Preparing for final exams is typically not fun and plenty of people experience test anxiety.

Proctored exams may heighten that anxiety and even with face-to-face options, many students must rely on online proctoring. Online proctoring takes some getting used to. The idea is to replicate the face-to-face environment as much as possible. With that in mind, that is why identification is checked and verified and why your personal environment is scanned to ensure there are no unpermitted materials. The set up process is making sure that the student is sitting in a semi-professional manner with no other people around, no additional screens, no headphones, are not speaking aloud, or leaving their testing space during the exam. These are all things that are completed, checked and enforced when someone comes into the Testing Center at the downtown location or likely at testing center near you.

While this may feel uncomfortable in your own home, if you think about a physical, face-to-face proctor, students are consistently being monitored throughout your exam with the use of room sweeps, security cameras and computer monitoring software. Online proctoring has begun recording the sessions with the use of artificial intelligence to ensure that student conduct standards are upheld and academic integrity is maintained.

At Franklin, we partner with ProctorU. There are ways to prepare to try to make the process go as smoothly as possible. When it comes to preparing your space and environment, ProctorU has videos and photos to walk you through the process. This resource center walks you through creating an account, scheduling an exam, preparing your environment and testing your equipment. Technology issues can be another stressor for students. It’s so important to test your equipment and/or check your internet bandwidth prior to your appointment. Here is a list of what is permitted behavior during a testing session. As well as what to expect on the day of your appointment, you will start with a live proctor and then transition to the AI proctor. If you are experiencing difficulties during your exam, you can reach out to their support directly through the live chat feature.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please reach out the Learning Commons Testing Center. You can email us at testing@franklin.edu. We are here to support you and your academic endeavors!