Online proctoring perfected, spun off by tech-savvy university

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama - Andrew Jackson University www.aju.edu has solved the problems inherent in remote online exam proctoring, claims university president Don Kassner. “After months of actually proctoring exams online we ironed out the initial problems, including cost, accessibility, and technical simplicity,” said Kassner. “We use web proctoring every day and our students love it,” he said, “and to make it available to other schools we spun the service off into a separate company, Pupilcity LLC www.pupilcity.com , and branded the service as ProctorU.”

After first hearing about remote exam proctoring from a representative of Kryterion, a first-mover in remote proctoring, at a 2007 conference, Kassner recognized the problems web cam proctoring would solve and said he would sign up. When Kryterion responded that they were not ready to launch the service Kassner’s technology department decided to take a stab at developing something similar. The development work was successful, and Andrew Jackson University began using its home grown web cam proctoring software and coupled it with widely available equipment in early 2008. Kassner says 61% of the exams taken by his schools’ students in October 2008 used the ProctorU system.

Andrew Jackson University student Terry Hughes says, “The online proctoring service offered by AJU is outstanding. It has been an effective and efficient way for me to take my tests. I think it is a lot better than using a traditional proctor. It is not necessary to travel extra miles to see a proctor when you can be proctored at home or in your office.”

When the recent Higher Education Act legislation included provisions for verifying identity of distance learning students, the companies supplying remote proctoring services scrambled to add this service to their offerings. Pupilcity addressed this new challenge by partnering with Acxiom Corporation to provide a low priced identity authentication service. This service is described at www.acxiom.com/studentidentity .

Acxiom’s Mike Jortberg says, “Unlike recording devices that require a user registration process, complex software installation and special training for both students and instructors, Pupilcity’s ProctorU solution is a much simpler approach for the distance learning student and instructor. We are excited to have the Acxiom Fact-Check-X student identity solution embedded into ProctorU. If an institution is considering using face to face proctors for their students, this is the next best thing to expensive, in-person human observation of a test taker.”

According to Pupilcity business development manager Jarrod Morgan, the ProctorU solution successfully addresses concerns regarding cost, ease of use and availability. “There is no startup fee and the system works with most existing technology platforms and web cams, like Microsoft’s inexpensive LifeCam,” said Morgan. “ProctorU uses a quick three step process to ensure academic integrity. We watch the student, we monitor their screen, and we authenticate who they are, all the while keeping the process quick and simple for students.”

The ProctorU service has garnered attention from schools with some of the nation’s largest online enrolments and will first provide its proctoring services for students at other institutions in January 2009. For more information contact Jarrod Morgan, at jmorgan@puplicity.com or 205-870-8122.

Contact Information

Jarrod Morgan

Business Development Manager

Pupilcity LLC

Contact via E-mail