Proctoring Privacy F.A.Q.s

What is proctoring?

Proctoring means to have an observer monitor the testing environment while an assessment is being given to the students. This is done to ensure the academic integrity of tests that are taken in a remote setting. The University of Wisconsin-Parkside utilizes Honorlock as its online proctoring service for Canvas quizzes.

In the case of Honorlock, the observer (a.k.a. the proctor) is replaced by a mostly-automated digital system that monitors student activity while they take their quiz. This can include things such as screen capture, web browser lockdown, and webcam capture. The specific requirements and methods of proctoring will vary from quiz-to-quiz, based on the settings that were chosen by the instructor.

How do our online proctoring tools work?

1. Students take the quiz – Once Honorlock is enabled on a quiz, it will require all students to have the Honorlock browser extension downloaded in order to take the quiz. If they do not already have the Honorlock browser extension, they will be prompted to download it before it allows them to continue. Depending on the quiz settings, they may also be required to download a standalone Honorlock application which will provide additional lockdown options. 
   
   Once the extension is ready to go in their browser, Honorlock will take the student through the start-up process. This can include things such as closing other browser tabs, unplugging extra monitors, and/or starting their webcam recording, depending on the proctoring settings for that quiz. After this setup is complete, they will take their quiz like normal. Honorlock will shut itself down as soon as the quiz is submitted, at which point the student is free to disable or delete the Honorlock extension from their browser. They can also leave the extension untouched since Honorlock doesn't do or monitor anything whatsoever unless they're in the middle of taking a proctored quiz.
   

2. Analyzing the footage – Honorlock will save the timestamps where it suspects that any suspicious behavior may have occurred. It will assign an overall suspicion probability rating (a low-medium-high scale) based on the most severe-rated infraction it noticed during a student's quiz attempt. The overall rating does not guarantee whether or not cheating actually occurred, nor do the individual flagged timestamps. This process is only meant to point out times where cheating may have occurred by watching for things such as the student leaving the room mid-quiz or looking up answers in another browser window.
   

3. Instructor checks & verifies the results – Finally, the instructor opens the list of quiz results and determines whose quiz attempt, if any, received high enough of a rating that they need to check for potential violations. If an instructor checks these flags and verifies that cheating did occur, any changes to grades or further disciplinary actions will be up to their discretion. Honorlock will not affect the student's grade in any way, regardless of what it may or may not have detected.
   
   
   

Is every online quiz proctored?

No. You'll see the Honorlock widget in the quiz's introduction page if it is required for that particular quiz. Additionally, the webcam capture, screen capture, and standalone Honorlock application are not always required for Honorlocked quizzes. It is up to the instructor which of these, if any, are required for a particular quiz assignment.

Do I have to pay to use Honorlock?

No. The University of Wisconsin-Parkside pays the licensing fee for Honorlock's proctoring services. The Google Chrome Honorlock extension, which is required for any Honorlock-enabled Canvas quizzes, is free to everyone.

Who sees the footage (if any is being recorded)?

Just like student grades and assignment submissions, the only person who will see a student's Honorlock results is the instructor(s) of the course. UW-Parkside Canvas administrators also have access Honorlock results by virtue of being an administrator, but they will never look at any quiz or proctoring results without the instructor first asking them to check something on their behalf.

Student privacy laws protect student identities and therefore prevent any information or footage from being shared or sold to third parties.

Honorlock uses an automated process to flag timestamps in footage where it believes violations may have occurred. It's entirely up to instructor discretion on whose footage they view, if any at all. If the student's quiz attempt isn't given a medium or high probability rating for potential cheating, then chances are that no one ever opens that student's footage in the first place.

The only reason that additional parties would gain access to recorded footage would be for disputing evidence of academic misconduct. Other university staff may be given access to view the footage if a student is disputing a claim of academic misconduct. Finally, footage can be legally subpoenaed if bizarre circumstances led to a crime being recorded in the background of a student's proctored webcam footage.  

How long is the proctoring information saved?

All footage and corresponding information is 100% deleted after one year. The only reason it's saved for this long in the first place is just in case there's a dispute between the student and the university on an alleged cheating incident. The services wipe all traces of student information after this period passes.

What data gets recorded? 

• User and exam information pulled from Canvas (e.g., user name, user email, quiz name, course name so it knows whose footage it is and where it belongs)

• Proctoring reports of any alleged misconduct or violations (This is the cheating probability rating it gives to every quiz attempt)

• Timestamps of answered questions (Canvas already saves this info it on its own, regardless of Honorlock)

• Actions taken when a student is taking an exam (e.g., copy/cut/right-click actions or leaving the quiz screen)

• Screen and/or webcam recordings (these are optional based on the instructor's settings for a particular quiz)

• Authentication Data (Also optional; this is comprised of the picture of the student, their school ID, and/or the room scan taken before a quiz begins)

• Primary Device Information (such as IP address and your operating system. This information is given to every website you visit)
• Other browser extensions that are installed (to ensure there are no other extensions that could assist in academic misconduct)

• Secondary Device Information (see below)