1. Academic Info
  2. Exams
  3. Remote Proctoring

Remote Proctoring

Some tests and exams at Queen’s University are administered through remote proctoring platforms, which have been in use around campus for several years.

  • Remote proctoring allows students to take an assessment at a remote location while ensuring the integrity of the exam
  • The objectives of remote proctoring tools are first, to verify the identities of the students being assessed, and second, to protect the academic integrity of the assessments
  • These systems require students to confirm their identity, and, during the exam, the system monitors students through video, audio and system changes, looking for behaviour that could indicate violations of academic integrity
  • In some cases, a human proctor monitors the student remotely

Informational Video

The Office of the Vice-Provost (Teaching and Learning) hosted a Student Town Hall on Remote Proctoring to provide information and answer questions related to remote proctoring for tests and exams. You can watch a recording of the event through the link below.

Contacts

 

Accommodations for Remote Proctored Exams

The university recognizes its responsibility to implement academic accommodations for students with disabilities as authorized in their Letter of Accommodation issued by Queen’s Student Accessibility Services (QSAS). In some cases, the processes outlined in these guidelines will be adapted to ensure that academic accommodation needs are met for individual students.

Instructors will be responsible for ensuring that any required accommodations are communicated to the remote proctoring service ahead of the exam.

Learn more about exam accommodations

 

Online Proctoring Platforms

Queen’s offers three remote proctoring solutions: Examity, ProctorU and Proctortrack.
The most appropriate remote proctoring solution for a given course has been set by the faculty. Students are unable to select one or the other.
If you have exams in Proctortrack, ProctorU and Examity you have to create a new profile for each of them.

  • Get familiar with the tools and process before the day of your final exam; it will reduce the chance of experiencing problems on exam day. It is highly recommended
  • Exams will still be scheduled. In the case of Examity, there may be a window (a 24hr period, for example) within which, subject to availability, you are free to choose a time slot for your exam
  • If you miss your exam, please contact your instructor as soon as possible

These services provide three types of remote proctoring designed to monitor student behaviour during the writing of exams, to both promote a commitment to academic integrity on the part of the student and also to protect the integrity of the exam by flagging/recording suspicious behaviour that may indicate a departure from academic integrity: 

  1. Live proctoring involves a live proctor who observes and communicates with students through a webcam while they complete their exams. The proctor leads students through an authentication process to verify their identities and view their exam space, and observes and records the students throughout the writing of the exam, including noting any breaks taken
  2. Live authentication combined with automated proctoring involves a live proctor who communicates with students through a webcam only during the authentication process to verify their identities and view their exam space. The proctor then exits the exam session and the rest of the session is recorded. The recording is then reviewed by trained auditors
  3. Automated proctoring does not involve a live proctor. Students go through the authentication process themselves by enabling screen-sharing and webcam access for the exam, using their webcam to take pictures of themselves and their student card ID to confirm their identity, and scanning their exam space before beginning the exam. The session is recorded and reviewed by trained auditors

In all cases, the recordings of the students during the exam are reviewed by the proctoring service to flag any behaviours that should be noted and are sent to the instructor after the exam session for investigation.

You can find out more about each platform, including general guidelines for online remote proctored exams, overviews and user guides for each system, contacts and more, below.