Virtual Proctoring
Participation validation made easy!
Confirm who is really completing your online training
Over the past few years, industry has seen an increasing demand and need for online training. With more and more workers working non-standard hours and many companies hiring sizable groups of contract workers, work-based learning has had to become more flexible to accommodate the shift in company needs. While online courses have helped to make onboarding and training processes more efficient, convenient, and cost-effective, with this flexibility has come uncertainty. When workers complete training away from the supervision of a classroom, how can companies be sure the people taking the training really are who they say they are? The challenge has become finding a way to meet the changing needs of industry while still ensuring the integrity of course completions.
The solution may be simpler than you think.
What is Virtual Proctoring?
Virtual proctoring is the use of web-based technology to supervise an exam or the delivery of educational material, including online courses, exams, and even form completions. By using facial detection and recognition technology, the software allows you to verify the identity of the learner and ensure learners are following the session rules. This means that it not only verifies identity, but also whether or not users are paying attention. All of this is done using the capabilities already built in to web browsers and webcams, so no additional software is required to install.
Privacy for Virtual Proctoring
Integrity Advocate uses Application Program Interface (API) technology to request permission to the user’s webcam for the purposes of verifying their identity and validating that they were paying attention during the course. At the start of the process the system will request that the use present their government issues photo identification and their themselves to the webcam. An image of the driver’s licence is digitally stored in an encrypted format and only used to verify the user’s identity, once verified, the encrypted image file is permanently purged from the database entirely. All driver’s encrypted driver’s licence images are purged within 24 hours of the course being taken.
The Potential
Save Time and Money
Converting your training sessions and orientations to an online platform allows workers to complete training before they arrive on site. This not only minimizes the loss of productive time, but also ensures there are no logistical delays involved with preparing and organizing content, booking training facilities, or marking exams. With virtual proctoring, you can also minimize the costs of trainers and exam supervision, all the while ensuring consistent ID verification.
One of our largest industry clients has saved millions of dollars by moving their project’s orientation online and integrating our virtual proctoring tool. To help illustrate the cost savings, the following is a sample budget comparison, modeled after and scaled accurately to the numbers given to us by our client.
Estimated Costs for Instructor-Led Orientation
Approximate Total Cost: $5,000,000
Savings Using Virtual Proctoring & Online Training
94%
Ethics Enforcement
As the user’s webcam records the session, the software monitors for any deceptive behaviour displayed during the session. Deceptive behaviour is then flagged. Examples of deceptive behaviour include users placing images in front of the camera or switching participants after showing their ID. In monitoring and flagging these types of behaviour, virtual proctoring can help you identify and prevent unethical behaviour before it occurs on site. As the statistics below show, 6.4% of participants were flagged during virtual proctoring sessions due to not following the outlined session rules and/or deceptive behaviour.
Session Data Summary*
*Taken from a sample size of just over 15,000 participants across 5 courses (Aug 2016)
**ID or participant image could not be verified
***Participant failed to follow the rules of the session
Validation Levels
Features
Identity confirmed against Photo. ID - The participant must submit an acceptable photo ID.
:
Name and Photo ID MatchParticipant out of view - The participant must remain in view of the camera for the duration of the activity.
:
Remain in Camera ViewNon-Participation - The participant must remain engaged with the session for the duration of the activity.
:
Active ParticipationNo multiple participants - The participant may not receive help from or communicate with other people.
:
No Other ParticipantsThe participant may not use any external resources e.g. books, etc.
:
No External ResourcesNo electronic devices - The participant may not use any other electronic device such as a phone.
:
No Electronic DevicesNo headphones - The participant may not use headphones for the duration of the activity.
:
No HeadphonesThe participant may not use other browsers tabs or programs for the duration of the activity.
:
Screen MonitoringThe participant is prevented from using more than one monitor for the duration of the activity.
:
Stops Multiple MonitorsDuring the activity everything on the participant’s monitor can be tracked and screenshots taken, including outside the browser window.
:
Full View of Monitors
Name and Photo ID Match
Remain in Camera View
Active Participation
No Other Participants
No External Resources
No Electronic Devices
No Headphones
Screen Monitoring
Stops Multiple Monitors
Full View of MonitorsLevel 1
Identity +Participation
:
Name and Photo ID Match
:
Remain in Camera View
:
Active Participation
:
No Other Participants
:
No External Resources
:
No Electronic Devices
:
No Headphones
:
Screen Monitoring
:
Stops Multiple Monitors
:
Full View of MonitorsLevel 2
Identity +Participation
:
Name and Photo ID Match
:
Remain in Camera View
:
Active Participation
:
No Other Participants
:
No External Resources
:
No Electronic Devices
:
No Headphones
:
Screen Monitoring
:
Stops Multiple Monitors
:
Full View of MonitorsLevel 3
Identity + Sole Participation + Restricted Resources
:
Name and Photo ID Match
:
Remain in Camera View
:
Active Participation
:
No Other Participants
:
No External Resources
:
No Electronic Devices
:
No Headphones
:
Screen Monitoring
:
Stops Multiple Monitors
:
Full View of MonitorsLevel 3+
Identity + Sole Participation + Restricted Resources
:
Name and Photo ID Match
:
Remain in Camera View
:
Active Participation
:
No Other Participants
:
No External Resources
:
No Electronic Devices
:
No Headphones
:
Screen Monitoring
:
Stops Multiple Monitors
:
Full View of Monitors
Legal Protection
When you make proctored sessions mandatory for your online training sessions, you are able to prove compliance to regulatory requirements. Usernames and password are not enough to confirm identity, nor an individual’s participation in training. But with virtual proctoring, if an incident occurs despite the allocated training, you possess recorded proof of the individual undergoing and completing the required training, which provides a defense against potential litigation.
Due Diligence
The importance of safety compliance is nothing new to HSE professionals. We know that we must do everything reasonably practical to prevent workplace incidents, but having policies in place and offering training is not necessarily enough. Meta-analytical investigations have shown that the level of engagement in safety training is directly related to safety performance within organizations. Ensuring workers are engaged with online training is made easy when virtual proctoring is implemented.
“An online course that does not identify the participant does not meet the minimum standard.”
“Identity verification and proctoring technology is particularly critical when organizations use web-enabled educational materials as part of risk control strategies that seek to ensure that employees are competent in regulatory critical activities (e.g., standards of business conduct, financial accounting requirements, reporting requirements, disclosure, health and safety or environmental requirements).”
“Employers must be able to show both that the training was adequate, based on training content, and that the employee received the training.”
“Court cases such as R. v. Rose’s Well Services Ltd. illustrate that employers need to ensure that they do more than provide training access. These cases show that there is a need to ensure that the personnel requiring the training are the ones receiving it.”
“When training is delivered online an employer needs to confirm that the individual taking the training is the intended recipient, and that the employee did not just click play and walk away, or have others complete the training or answer comprehension testing questions for them.”
Partnerships Matter
As a provider of training courses for hundreds of companies across North America, BIS believed it was necessary to provide this extra level of assurance to our clients by partnering with Integrity Advocate. As one of the 6 finalists of the 2016 OSPA (Outstanding Security Performance Awards) in the Best Integrator/Solution Provider category, Integrity Advocate has added to the multifaceted network of services we offer.
The deliberate integration of a third-party identity verification and proctoring provider ensures that the integrity of verification results is outside of the influence of both BIS and/or its clients, and eliminates the centralization of personal information, thus maintaining compliance with legislative privacy requirements globally.
Together with Integrity Advocate, BIS offers the ability for any customer who purchases a course on our system to upgrade their training experience to a proctored version of that course.
Ready to Get Started?
With many workers working non-standardized hours, our Virtual Proctoring will allow your company to keep your employees focused and in attendance. Virtual Proctoring also allows your employees to engage with some of the many Online Courses we have with no fear of them missing information.
Find out how to use this system with these three easy steps.
Step 1 - Contact Our Team
If you are ready to utilize Virtual Proctoring for yourself or your employees, reach out to our team and let them know you would like to get started!
Step 2 - Launch Your Branded Portal
Using your companies colors and assets as inspiration, we can design a custom branded portal for your forms, automated workflows, reporting, and more.
Step 3 - Professional Onboarding
Our team of dedicated onboarding specialists will work with you to ensure your business understands the BIStrainer system and how to utilize it to the fullest.
Learn more about the power of virtual proctoring!
If you’d like to learn more about the power of virtual proctoring or see how you can host your onsite orientation through us, let us know!
