Remote Proctor

Hi KRainey, I just applied/registered at UWA for a grad degree in school counseling. I saw that you are going for the same. If you can give me any info or pointers that I might find helpful, please do. I am somewhat nervous that I am undertaking this at a bad time, but I need to get it done. Also, please fill me in on the remote proctor issues. I am also not a fan of using this machine but I assumed all schools were going to this given Troy was about to require it the term after I graduated. Thanks in advance... Brook

 

Wonderful!

I just finished. The proctor was a godsend for the Comps. It was really no big deal. I will look forward to selling it back to the university.
Thanks
Dan

 

Dave....I agree

Tru dat!

I quite agree. I have worked VERY hard to earn a 54 credit Psych masters, and I absolutely HATE the idea that anyone would cheat and gain the credential.

 

I don't think any of us were advocating cheating (or admitting to cheating)but rather pointing out the system has some disadvantages. This system does not prevent cheating but rather meets a requirement.

Many of us earned one (or multiple) degrees in a traditional B&M setting, so I for one resent your statement.

As for privacy, read the user agreement. Even the university wants to be absolved from any issues with the use of this device. Doesn't inspire me.

 

Wow.

Can a student opt to take the exam at a local university or college?

I would much prefer taking an exam at a testing center (I use NC State University's testing center) to take my exams versus having someone see my room or office.

Last thing I would want them to see is my cat walking across my paper or doing something embarassing once I forgot the camera.

I also like the idea at a proper testing center, I feel that there is a second person who can confirm that I did not use additional materials and that I basically adhered to all rules of the exam.

 

For me DL technology is becoming counterproductive

For my lifestyle, the paper correspondence courses were perfect. I could study when I was free without deadlines, which reduced the stress of managing schoolwork and real life responsibilities. When I was a soldier I could keep my class in a plastic bag in my rucksack and study whenever and wherever. Later, in civilian life I could take overtime assignments and still complete my schoolwork. Lately, new DL technologies have had the opposite effect. Now, you must have a computer and wifi to study. Classroom management software, like eCollege and Blackboard, create deadlines that for me do not enhance the learning experience. Discussion boards, timed drop-boxes, multiple submissions of the same assignment (drop-box, email to professor, Turnitin.com and so on) do not seem to add anything to the learning experience, but create new headaches and obstacles to learning. Creating a virtual classroom seems counterproductive. DL should eliminate the need for a classroom and let the student learn. Instead, we now have virtual recreations of many of the problems that made DL necessary in the first place. I love technology when it's useful, but proctor devices seem silly, unless you are housebound for some reason. It's certainly not an improvement over a local librarian or other old-fashioned proctor arrangement. I think we'd see fewer washouts with more flexibility and less weird technology that doesn't make you learn more.

 

The device really looks like a prop in a dystopian film!

Maybe it will also make sure that you eat only your Soylent Green!

 

Soylent Green is made from people AAAHHHHH.

 

Sorry to dredge up this thread, but having recently finished a degree from Troy that required RP, I thought I'd just make a couple of points:

1. Despite the initial added hassle and expense (not to mention the Big Brother "ick" factor), RP was actually really helpful. No more having to schedule (and pay for) time with a human proctor. I could take tests at home, whenever I found the time and/or when the mood struck, whether that was right after work or at 11:00pm on a weekend night. When you're done with the exam, unplug the device. No biggie.
2. Could you still cheat with RP? Sure. But it at least puts things more on a par with traditional B&M classes, making it about equally hard to cheat. I've found that this tends to gives online learning a bit more legitimacy in the eyes of others.
3. I ran RP on a Mac. Well, technically I used BootCamp to boot into Windows XP, but it was on my MacBook. Yes, it is a shame that RP doesn't support Mac OS X natively, and hopefully they'll do something about that one day. But the workaround worked like a charm, for what it's worth.

I'll probably sell mine on eBay later, but I'm waiting until it's closer to the beginning of the Fall term. More people searching for RPs on eBay then, I figure.

JJ

 

I realize this is an old post from a one time poster but his statement is untrue - In nine years I can not recall a post that discussed ways to cheat.

 

I talked to my sister today about the remote-proctor. She is also a UWA grad student. She never bought it and drives to UWA to take her exams. She said a lot of people having problems with it.

 

Good question. I'm not sure how that would work. I never had the "urge" during a proctored exam myself, so the issue never came up for me, personally.

But of course, you'd have that same question with a B&M exam, as you mention.

Which is sort of my point--the Remote Proctor doesn't eliminate the possibility of cheating, but it does reduce it down to a level that's similar enough to B&M classes to make the luddites much more comfortable with the idea of online learning. And since some of those folks are probably going to be deciding whether or not to hire me one day, I'm happy for it.

Don't think of RP as a way to stop cheating, or as a way to invade your privacy. IMHO, the dirty little secret about it is that it's primarily a way to manage perceptions about the quality of the class you're taking.

JJ

 

I think that these remote proctors would be good for somebody who's living a long way away from a testing center. However, as many people do find them intrusive, the students should be given a choice between the machine or a human proctor.

 

[*]I ran RP on a Mac. Well, technically I used BootCamp to boot into Windows XP, but it was on my MacBook. Yes, it is a shame that RP doesn't support Mac OS X natively, and hopefully they'll do something about that one day. But the workaround worked like a charm, for what it's worth.
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JupiterJones, I know this is an old post, but if you are reading this....I am the original poster about the RP. I am still taking UWA classes (2 more to go!) and would love to use my MacBook to take exams. Forgive my ignorance, but what is Bootcamp? I will search on my MacBook, but if you could post more on this I'd appreciate it. - Kathy