About online proctoring at IU

On this page:

Overview
Considerations before using online proctoring
Proctoring levels available
Current policy and procedure for using Examity
Request permission to use Examity
Cost of using Examity
Administer an exam using Examity
Privacy and security

Overview

Examity is an online proctoring service that helps to mitigate the issues surrounding the administration of tests to online students at a distance. Examity offers multiple levels of service to support academic integrity, provide authentication, give students live support in using online tests, and provide a complete recording of both the student and all activity on the student's computer during a proctored testing session.

For further details, including helpful resources and contact information, see Examity for IU instructors.

Considerations before using online proctoring

Before using an exam proctoring service such as Examity, faculty should consider reducing the potential for academic dishonesty by adopting one or more of the following approaches in how they think about and implement summative assessments in their online courses:

Consider alternative forms of assessment: Rigorous assessment doesn't have to be limited to administering traditional exams and quizzes. For example, alternatives that draw on students' creativity (such as developing a product proposal or writing a story) can provide rich, viable alternatives to the traditional assessment. For more information and ideas for how you can assess learning without traditional proctored assessment, see Assessing learning.
Use other technologies: In some cases, you still need to employ technologies to assist in providing security or automated screening for academic dishonesty. IU provides a suite of tools like test banks and plagiarism detection with no fee to the department or the students. To explore these alternatives, along with other assessment strategies, contact your campus teaching and learning center.
When proctoring is the only option: In some cases, proctoring may be the only solution for courses in certain disciplines or due to accreditation requirements. If this is the case, IU has contracted with Examity to deliver proctoring services to our students.

Note:

Zoom is not recommended for online proctoring; see Zoom and online proctoring at IU.

Proctoring levels available

The following proctoring levels are available from Examity:

Live Proctoring: After completing the live authentication process, Examity's proctors monitor the test-taker's surroundings and entire desktop throughout the exam.
Automated + Audit: After an automated authentication procedure, Examity's automated system monitors the test-taker's surroundings and desktop and flags particular behaviors. A human proctor then audits the flags and passes the information back to the instructor.
Automated: Similar to Automated + Audit, but without a human audit from Examity. Instead, at the end of each proctoring session, a full video of the exam along with timestamped comments will be posted to the Examity dashboard for review by the test administrator.
Automated Practice: Allows test-takers to get familiar with the interface and procedures as well as ensuring that all equipment works properly. No audit is performed.

Current policy and procedure for using Examity

Costs for Examity at IU Bloomington and IU Indianapolis will only be covered for courses associated with a fully online collaborative degree. If you have questions about whether your course qualifies, contact elearn@iu.edu. Requests for all other uses of Examity for proctoring on the Bloomington and Indianapolis campuses will need to follow the current process of approval outlined below.
Regional campuses will have full access to Examity for all courses coded as OA, OI, DO, or HD per normal procedures. To determine how your course is coded, see the IU Distance Education Classes Search Tool. Examity may be used in regional courses with other modalities, but the cost of live proctoring will be charged to the campus or academic department aligning with the current process of approval outlined below.

Request permission to use Examity

Use of Examity requires setup and permission from your academic school. If, after exploring the other options described above, you believe that live proctoring is the only viable solution for your course assessment requirements, follow these steps:

Contact your school's dean for approval to use Examity, and have them send this approval to your teaching center.
Complete the Online Proctoring Acknowledgement.
Contact your campus teaching and learning center after this approval has been received to set up a time to review options and set up proctoring for your class.
Expect the setup process to take two to three weeks to complete.
If you think your course should be eligible to use Examity, contact elearn@iu.edu.

Cost of using Examity

	Live Proctoring	Automated + Audit	Automated	Automated Practice
Cost per student	$13.00 for first hour; $6 for each additional hour	$7	$5	No cost
Platform	Windows, Mac, Chromebook	Windows, Mac, Chromebook	Windows, Mac, Chromebook	Windows, Mac, Chromebook
Browser	Chrome only	Chrome only	Chrome only	Chrome only
Installation requirements	Browser extension (uninstalls after session); videoconferencing app auto-installs and then auto-uninstalls after session	Browser extension (uninstalls after session); videoconferencing app auto-installs and then auto-uninstalls after session	Browser extension (uninstalls after session); videoconferencing app auto-installs and then auto-uninstalls after session	Browser extension (uninstalls after session); videoconferencing app auto-installs and then auto-uninstalls after session
Authentication procedure	Live	Automated	Automated	Automated
Human audit	Yes	Yes	No	No
Lockdown browser available	Yes	Yes, recommended for automated proctoring	Yes, recommended for automated proctoring	Yes, recommended for automated proctoring
Full recording available	Yes	Yes	Yes	No

Administer an exam using Examity

For step-by-step instructions for administering an exam using Examity, see Examity for IU instructors.

Privacy and security

Important:

As an instructor, if you use an application managed by a vendor with whom IU does not have a contract, and it collects protected student data, you may be subject to sanctions, according to university policy Disclosing Institutional Information to Third Parties (DM-02). If your intended use will collect any FERPA-protected data in a third-party tool, do not use it before working through appropriate institutional offices to get a contract with the service. For guidance, see Cloud resources for teaching and/or consult your campus teaching and learning center.

When using Examity for online assessments:

Government or student IDs, security questions, and video feeds of the test-taking environment are encrypted to ensure the data is protected from unauthorized access.
If your exam is using live proctoring, your instructor may choose to require a room scan. The proctor will ask you to complete a 360° room pan and desk sweep with your webcam. This is to ensure your workspace is clear of any materials unauthorized by your instructor. If you are using automated proctoring, no room scan will be required.
Only properly authorized people--instructors and the service administrators--have access to the information and the videos that are stored.
All videos are saved for 60 days and then deleted.
The individual proctors employed by Examity work in proctoring centers with supervisors overseeing them, and everything they do is recorded on video and audio.

For more, see Privacy & Security.

Examity has a contractual agreement with IU that ensures the service abides by IU security and policy expectations. Students with specific questions about Examity are encouraged to review the Examity privacy statement for clear details about what the service does and does not do.

Examity is also routinely monitored to ensure they are abiding by their contractual agreements and privacy statements, and IU representatives meet with them regularly to discuss any issues and coordinate a timely resolution. Faculty with additional questions regarding privacy and security of online proctoring at IU can contact elearn@iu.edu to learn more.