Honorlock’s Online Proctoring is a system for detecting academic integrity violations while students complete their assessments in Canvas or other 3rd party assessment tools. Honorlock uses human proctors alongside machine learning algorithms to review patterns in webcam video and other digital evidence and, if there is a suspected violation, bring this evidence to the attention of instructors so they can evaluate and act as they see fit.
Online proctoring is one of many strategies to address academic integrity in your courses, and you should consider if it is appropriate given your instructional goals and the specific characteristics of your courses or program. For example, some disciplines require high stakes exams for certification or licensure, such as Nursing or Law, and may benefit from proctoring. On the other hand, trust between instructors and students is a critical foundation for learning, and an overbearing approach to ensuring integrity can erode that trust or unfairly disadvantage specific populations of students.
Resource for Additional Support
The information provided below can help you think about academic integrity broadly, and how proctoring may or may not fit your specific case. To further help you navigate these ideas, consider contacting your local instructional design or faculty development resources. These individuals can help you reflect on your course design and teaching practice and provide practical solutions.
Find your Local Support Resources
Why Students Cheat
Most academic dishonesty does not represent a concerted intent to deceive, but rather results from common challenges that all students face, such as stress or test-taking anxiety. Therefore, taking a punitive (i.e. “catch the cheaters”) approach may not address the underlying issues. Causes may include:
- Ignorance: Misunderstanding or lack of awareness for expectations and norms
- Desperation: Course-related or external pressures that raise the stakes of the assessment
- Temptation: Seeking the path of least resistance, even when it is prohibited
- Misplaced Value: Valuing the outcome more than the education
Strategies to proactively address common causes of AI violations
Ignorance |
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Desperation |
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Temptation |
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Value Education |
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Adapted from: Peck, A. & Whitney, S. (2020). Instructional Strategies for Promoting Honest Efforts. [Webinar]. Retrieved from https://keepteaching.psu.edu/webinars/instructional-strategies-for-promoting-honest-efforts/
Pros and Cons of Online Proctoring
If you are considering online proctoring, you should weigh the pros and cons in relation to the specific characteristics of your course(s).
Pros | Cons |
Addresses academic integrity issues with minimal additional effort from instructor. | Perceptions related to privacy and excessive monitoring may erode trust between instructor and student. |
Provides proctoring at a distance or when physical proctoring is not available. | May introduce equity issues due to lack of access to computers, quiet test taking environments, and internet connection speeds required by proctoring system. |
Proctors are available 24/7 without scheduling. | Proctoring services are provided at a high cost to the university, and over-use could further increase those costs. |
Creates a degree of consistency in the test taking environment. | Proctors and machine learning are not infallible. They will miss some violations. Validation of violations and further action regarding violations are the responsibility of the instructor. |
Communicates to students that the test taking environment is high stakes and demanding. | Creates an additional layer of stress for students, which research shows can interfere with the performance outcomes of women and Black students among other minoritized populations (Taylor & Walton, 2011). |
Criteria for Proctoring Use
Honorlock should be limited to specific use cases, such as those meeting the criteria below.
Proctoring could be used for: | Proctoring should not be used for: |
High-stakes exams (30%+ overall grade) | Smaller and frequent (formative) assessments |
Online or fully remote courses | Assessments at locations where testing centers or other physical proctoring options are available |
Selectively for specific students who cannot attend in-person proctored exams (see instructions) | Very large enrollment classes (due to licensing restrictions) |
A first-choice solution for academic integrity or other student conduct issues | |
Instances where any of the above “Strategies to proactively address causes of AI violations” may be applicable |
If you have any questions about how to apply these recommendations in your courses, contact your local learning design staff for help! https://keepteaching.psu.edu/support/
Additional Resources at Penn State:
- Office of Student Conduct
- World Campus Academic Integrity Resources
- Keep Teaching: Academic Integrity and Assessments
- Academic Integrity Quiz
References
Peck, A. & Whitney, S. (2020). Instructional Strategies for Promoting Honest Efforts. [Webinar]. Retrieved from https://keepteaching.psu.edu/webinars/instructional-strategies-for-promoting-honest-efforts/
Taylor VJ, Walton GM. Stereotype Threat Undermines Academic Learning. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. 2011;37(8):1055-1067. doi:10.1177/0146167211406506