I'm about to start my very first distance courses and would like to hear how people have chosen their proctors. Where were they located and what were their qualifications? Also, how easy did you find proctored exams to be? Granted, every school will have various levels of difficulty but what was your overall experience in a proctored exam over "regular" school exams (if you've attended a residential college.)
When I first started, I didn't have a clue so I headed straight for my local library; cheap, close, convenient hours, and pretty much above reproach. Re exams, the level of difficulty has been dependent (almost entirely) upon the course but, generally, comparable to those administered in the various residential programs in which I have been involved.
I took my proctored exam at the local library. They had Saturday hours, they were flexible and free. The difficulty of proctored vs. traditional - I would say the proctored were a little tougher but it really depends on your interests and classes selected.
Concerns Hi goofee girl In a rigorous DL exam regime aimed to minimise fraud, the invigilators are not chosen by the examinee but by an independent agency (in the EBS case, the British Council, associated with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office) commissioned by the examinors to ensure: a) no cullusion between examinee and 'friendly' Proctor, which is invisible to the institution and b) common standards for conducting the examination as is practicable, under warranty from the independent agency. The 'Proctor' system seems slack compared to this and only adds to concerns about examination fraud, which undermines everybody's degree credibility. Even the question of 'how easy' a Protored examination might be to a 'regular' exam is indicative, as if any reputable School could tolerate different standards for the conduct of examinations for DL and on campus students and is worrying evidence of expectations. Most fair minded DL students understand the necessity for these elementary precautions - Caesrar's wife, etc. Prof. Kennedy (EBS)
My first proctor was at the local community college testing department. Very costly ($20/hr testing, $1 for parking, and had to pay return postage), very inconvient, and problems getting timely service. Then I noticed that I was the only one in the class (professor sent out a list of who was unsing which proctor to verify adresses) that was NOT using my comapnies HR department. When I had troubles with my final (offcie closed for Christmas before the exam reached them and was due back before they reopened) I switched to my HR department. Much easier, very inexpensive, and very responsive.
I'll be taking classes from Mountain State University (my other thread didn't get any response) in WV and their stipulations for a proctor are they must have access to an educational facility and must be a professional (CV to be sent to the school). Also, the person cannot be a friend, relative, or student. Would this omit my supervisor at work? We work at a university and she holds several professional degrees. In her letter should she not say anything about being my employer? If nothing else, this would make it cheap and convenient for me to take my exams.
If you work at a University of any reasonable size, then it very likely has a testing center. It may be called the Testing, Educational Assessment, Instructional Assessment or something along those lines Department. I suspect that this Department is very familiar with the concept of proctored exams and would no doubt be happy to provide these services at little or no cost to a fellow employee. Were I in your shoes, this would be the first place I would look. Regards, Michael Lloyd Mill Creek, Washington USA
I found a proctor by contacting area colleges. The very first one was a community college which also has its own distance learning office. After explaining my needs, an instructor in that office agreed to serve as my proctor. There was no cost involved, he was very flexible about setting testing times (within his normal work week) and was very conscientious about providing a testing area that was relatively quiet and secluded from student traffic. Plus, because I did the tests in the late afternoons, even the parking was free. The proctor was quite interested in my college and professional experience, and I did my best to satisfy his curiousity. I ended up taking several classes (both upper and lower division) through Indiana University. Each included proctored mid-terms and finals. And were they difficult? Yes, but no more so than any test taken in a full classroom of fellow students. Good luck, Dan
Mike Albrecht wrote: > My first proctor was at the local community college testing > department. Very costly ($20/hr testing I've never heard of a proctor's taking money. I thought that was against the rules. When we were in California, Rosie used the guidance counselor at the nearest high school as a proctor. The counselor wouldn't take money, even for postage. Here in the Boston area, Rosie uses the Examinations Coordinator at Harvard University Extension as a proctor. Again, he doesn't charge. Rosie also asked at the nearest high school here. She found a teacher who seemed willing, but didn't understand the word "proctor". It may be helpful to keep "invigilator" and other synonyms in mind. Mike, Rosie asks how this $20-per-hour testing works. Referring to her Spanish Proficiency exam from NYU, she asks, "What about my 3-hour exam that I finished in 1 hour? Would I get a refund?"
When I got started last summer I contacted Cal State-Hayward their charge was a flat fee of $40 for an outside student (not enroled at Cal State). In check ing with the local community college (Diablo Valley) the rate was $20/hr based on the actual time taken (2hr exam completed in 1:15 = $25). I checked several other nearby colleges and this was the going rate for use of the testing office. Which is one of the reasons I went to an alternate proctor. The college I am studying under (Colorado State) is fairly lienient on who can proctor exams.
Re: Concerns Although the soundness of Prof. Kennedy's argument is, I think, beyond reproach, I also believe that it is possible to overestimate its importance in educational outcomes. Let's apply a little economic analysis to the issue. In US DL, an exam is typically one-third to one-half of course assessment; in the British system, the value is much higher since, traditionally, they are year-end exams, i.e., constitute evaluation of at least 6 credits--but typically closer to 9 compared to the US system. Thus, the marginal reward for cheating is certainly much higher under the British examination system. The US system compensates laxness with redundancy--that is, to reap the equivalent reward of cheating on a single British exam in the US requires many more hours of persistence and effort directed at cheating. Ergo, the likeliehood of discovery and exposure may compensate for our comparatively slack supervision. Finally, in my experience, I see little or no cheating in DL exam protoring (actually I know of none at all, personally), whereas in traditional American higher ed, it's quite common at the introductory college level, e.g., stealing answers from another's page--something almost impossible with DL. --Orson
