New-Age Online Proctoring Features for Cheating-Free Online Exams

Mercer | Mettl launched its cutting-edge examination platform with remote proctoring technology in 2015, transforming the conventional assessment landscape. An all-in-one, integrated solution digitized academic exams with top-notch infrastructure, innovative technology and a host of anti-cheating solutions. Such an advancement resulted in a stark difference between the delivery and provision of the traditional and remote exam, also abruptly ending online cheating, which had long been a concern for academia. Academia worldwide hailed the development and began reviewing their traditional examination structures. They were also eager to learn more about the groundbreaking online proctoring solution that added a layer of authenticity to the online examination system, lending it the much-desired integrity. Expectedly, Mercer | Mettl’s proctoring features and state-of-the-art anti-cheating solutions profoundly changed the way examinations were being given and taken online.

However, the company continued with its developments.

Given the rapid pace of tech evolution, Mercer | Mettl continued to enhance its platform’s efficiency and develop its AI in sync with future requirements. It invested substantial time training, validating, testing and updating its algorithm with sizeable data to create an even more sophisticated and fool-proof anti-cheating solution than its previous offering.

By 2020, Mercer | Mettl had built an exceptionally robust and world-class system, which enabled countless universities and institutes globally to seamlessly pursue their examination schedules amid the ongoing health emergency and the ensuing disruption. It played a pivotal role in augmenting digital adoption and agility during the pandemic.

Mercer | Mettl’s world-class online proctoring features assuaged academia’s concerns about cheating during the assessments. The features allowed exam-giving institutions to ascertain whether the right students were taking their assessments, besides ensuring that they did not access blacklisted browsers to find answers to the test questions. The proctors could verify that the test-takers were taking their assessment alone, without assistance from friends and family. The system also flagged mobile phones and other digital devices that could help students cheat.

Come 2021, and Mercer | Mettl’s new and intelligent mechanisms are enabling educationists to maintain similar levels of academic and assessment integrity as in the traditional setup. It is allowing educational institutions to provide a fool-proof structure to conduct cheating-free exams that are in sync with evolving technology, rules, requirements and policies.

Listed below are the newly minted additions to Mercer | Mettl’s online proctoring solutions, designed to meet the demands of the digital pedagogy and curtail the test-takers’ cheating attempts. These new-age proctoring solutions address all educational continuity-related concerns with improved precision and unmatched security. They also add an unprecedented layer of comfort, credibility and convenience. Here’s how the features add value:

Proctoring service innovation:

MPaaS is a proctoring plugin-play that allows exam administrators and faculty to conduct proctored and cheating-free exams without leaving their own LMS environment. This feature enables educationists to manage all settings and information within their LMS after the proctoring-specific API layer is built on top of the client’s LMS via LTI or deep integration. The fastest way to undertake the LTI integration is through a Chrome plugin that can be downloaded almost instantaneously and is ready for use. Afterward, faculty can set up exam profiles with the click of a button and enable a layer of human or AI-assisted remote proctoring to any LMS exam. Mercer | Mettl is already compatible with and available on Canvas, Blackboard and Moodle via a Google Chrome Extension.

New proctoring features:

It is a powerful AI-based audio proctoring software used to scan the test-taker’s physical environment for additional sounds or noises using the microphone. This audio proctoring feature accurately identifies speech segments such as low sound levels, whispers, mumbling, the count of unique speakers in the audio feed and tags each speech segment to a particular speaker. Speech Sense differentiates between human speech and various background sounds or noises, ensuring that every test-taker is treated equally, without discrimination due to any background noise.

How is it used:

• The test-taker undergoes an audio quality check in the diagnostics before commencing the online test.
• Afterward, the proctoring solution inspects the test-taker’s audio feed for voices and noises throughout the test session. This online proctoring solution detects additional people that are often present but not visible to the camera and help the test taker cheat by speaking the answers.
• A warning message is flashed if a candidate mutes the microphone at any time during the test, which is reported in the test log. The candidate cannot continue with the test until the mic is unmuted.

The empowering new feature, Super Proctor, is a security layer that simulates a physical center’s experience and enables exam controllers to oversee proctors’ invigilation quality. Many examination comptrollers and institutes’ deans wish to be part of the online examination drive. With end-client visibility in a live proctored drive, one or multiple super proctors can supervise the proctoring session and ensure efficient invigilation.

How it works:

• Exam controllers can use the dashboard to access any proctor’s classroom view. They can view and monitor proctor and student activity.
• They can check if the proctors are responding to student queries, cheating flags and suspicious activities. This setup assures the institutes and deans of the drive’s integrity.

An upcoming feature that will add more teeth to Mercer | Mettl’s suite of solutions is the AI-enabled facial recognition technology, which is being trained to ensure the right student is taking, completing and submitting the proctored exam. Examiners often tend to authenticate their students only at the beginning of the exam. As students are not authenticated after the exam commences, the actual test-takers leave their systems midway, enabling their impersonators to take charge and complete the exam. Facial recognition technology eliminates such a possibility.

How it works:

• The facial recognition technology takes the exam-taker’s images automatically during the exam and matches them with pre-snapped correct images at regular and random intervals. This step helps verify that the right test-taker is taking the exam and completing it without indulging in any form of cheating via impersonation.
• A “Student Impersonation Suspected” flag is raised if the image does not match, alerting the proctor.

Mercer | Mettl has engendered a tremendous impact on the education industry. It is also the only Indian company to feature in ‘Gartner’s Global Market Guide for Top Proctoring Vendors in the World.’ Its Some of its prestigious clients include IIM Bangalore (India), AIMA (India), Howard University (the USA), The Washington Center (The USA), Jordan Hospital (The Middle East), EBZ Business School (Germany) and PIP UNPAD (Indonesia).

Are you unable to find answers to online proctoring features? Here are some answers to frequently asked questions.