Ensure the Integrity of Remote Tech Assessment with Online Proctoring

Remote tech assessment gained greater prominence in the past couple of years. Businesses are heavily in favor of it, albeit with online proctoring accompanying it. 

Challenges of Remote Tech Assessment
Software developers and remote testing teams still face challenges in creating those perfect testing platforms.

Collaboration: Multinational companies have team members living in diverse geographical locations. Therefore, time zones vary. Regardless, the testing team members must collaborate perfectly, not just once, but several times. Coming onto a common platform at any given time is not easy.

Updating: Many groups involve themselves in a ‘testing’ project from beginning to end. This means that information about every update on the test script, software, problems, etc., must reach everyone involved in conducting virtual assessments. 

Communicating: According to Michael Saul Dell, CEO of Dell Technologies, “technology now allows people to connect anytime, anywhere, to anyone in the world, from almost any device. This is dramatically changing the way people work, facilitating 24 x 7 collaboration with colleagues who are dispersed across time zones, countries, and continents.” Yet, snags in the testing process and actual testing occur because there are breaks in the communication pathway. The breaks may occur due to sheer forgetfulness, a careless attitude, or technical failures. Regular feedback about applications and tests, whether positive/negative, is essential, too. 

Technical Failures: Anything could go wrong with the specialized assessment software, tools for recording or sharing, Internet connection, etc. Therefore, alternatives must always be in place.

Cross-Cultural Differences: The work culture is bound to differ from one geographical location to another. The remote tech assessment team leader must try to understand cultural variations in executing tasks, behavioral differences, and diversity in mindsets. 

Transparency and Synchronization: Keeping checklists and documenting everything are still crucial for the success of a project. It also keeps everything transparent and honest. Then again, there must be synchronization in keeping various stakeholders and team members updated about the scheduled releases of applications. 

Multitasking: Remote tech assessors must monitor several things simultaneously. This may lead to stress. The result is the occurrence of errors.

Privacy and Security: With the best of intentions and the best tools on hand, organizations are still finding it challenging to prevent privacy and security breaches. This is a significant concern in recent times.

Test Proctoring: A proctor refers to the person who monitors the candidates giving the technical tests. Regarding the IT arena, however, the proctor could refer to proctoring software too. In short, applicants can take the assessment from any geographical location, with a remote supervisor in attendance. Test proctoring ensures the integrity of remote tech assessment in diverse ways. For instance, there is special software to help in confirming each applicant’s identity. A webcam also comes into play for observing the applicant’s behavior throughout the testing stage. Any kind of suspicious attitude/activity immediately becomes visible. Above all, a time limit is set on the examination, especially a pre-hire assessment test.

Advantages of Online Proctored Tests

• They save on all counts – effort, money, and time. 
• There is no need to arrange for physical examination centers. 
• The organization does not have to hire physical proctors. 
• Applicants may take the tech assessment tests from the comfort of their own homes. Even the timings are flexible to a certain extent. 
• Thanks to automation, it becomes easier to maintain the integrity and security of the assessment tests.

How does Remote Proctoring Work?
Remote proctoring can work in three ways. 

Automated Proctoring: Artificial intelligence (AI) takes over here. The audio and video feed monitoring is automatic, enabling any kind of irregularity to come to the fore immediately. AI takes care of screen shares too. In case anything seems suspicious, a human proctor is on hand to review the feed. 

Record-and-Review Proctoring: A video recorder absorbs everything about the test-taking process, from beginning to end. Therefore, both the test taker and his performance are on show. A ‘human’ proctor reviews the recording later.

Live Proctoring: A ‘human’ proctor views the test taker via a webcam. The applicant must have the camera turned on throughout the test. It gives the proctor a chance to observe the surroundings too. The proctor has every right to ask the applicant to share their computer screen. 

Conclusion
Online proctoring for remote tech assessments is splendid. However, there is no denying that every test taker must grant the proctor access to their personal computer to a significant extent. Naturally, test takers have concerns about privacy and security, for they do not want anyone accessing their personal data and passwords. To avoid these concerns, an organization must always hire trustworthy and genuine testing teams and tools.