What is the student experience of remote proctoring? A pragmatic scoping review

Abstract

Remote or online proctoring (invigilating) is a technology primarily used to improve the integrity of online examinations. The use of remote proctoring increased significantly as the world switched to online assessment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Remote proctoring received negative media attention, including concerns about user privacy, discrimination and the accuracy of automated systems for detecting and reporting cheating. However, it is unclear whether these media concerns fully reflect the experiences of students. Online assessment offers a number of potential advantages to learners and education providers, and it seems likely that it is here to stay. It is essential to fully understand the learner experience of remote proctoring, with a view to ensuring it is as effective as possible while meeting the needs of all stakeholders, especially those being proctored. We undertook a scoping review of research into the student experience of online proctoring, with a pragmatic focus, aimed at developing guidance for higher education providers, based on the student experience. We reviewed primary research studies which evaluated the student experience of the use of remote proctoring for summative assessment in Higher Education. We used the Education Research Information Center database (ERIC) and Google Scholar. 21 papers were identified, from which the positives and negatives of the student experience were extracted, along with the main recommendations from the research. These were then synthesised into a series of summary recommendations by thematic analysis, by a team of researchers that included students and academic staff. We found that student experience was largely negative, influenced by concerns over privacy, technological challenges, fairness and stress. Recommendations were to include the student voice in decisions about how and why to use remote proctoring and limiting the use of remote proctoring. Working with students as partners and limiting the use of remote proctoring where possible, are key to ensuring a positive student experience.