Proctorio New Developments: Extension Options (to counter potential AI cheating during exams), Companion App, Mobile App
Here’s a few short updates directly from Proctorio, letting us know about their new developments.
Here's an official statement by Proctorio about their updates:
The Disable Extensions option is an option mainly designed to allow the exam administrator better control over securing the exam environment. Moreover, with this option enabled, the students would not be allowed to use other extensions during the exam, which was intended to minimize the chance of academic misbehavior, as some browser extensions could be used to that effect. One of this feature's main targets is combating the increasingly popular trend of using AI as a helping tool for academic evaluation.
The Companion App is a nascent advanced program detection app that is intended to be used alongside the Proctorio extension to provide control over what is available to the test-taker system-wide. The notion behind this setting is allowing the exam administrator to broaden and strengthen the effect of exam lockdown, seeing as the effect would not accommodate the browser exclusively, but would also extend to the overall computer performance, including the programs running in the background. A considerable remark, however, is that, while this setting does allow control over the programs that are being used during the exam, it neither collects any data from the test taker's computer nor does it have the ability to make any permanent modifications to the system.
The Mobile App is a new channel through which the test takers will be able to take part in Proctorio using mediums other than desktop and laptop computers. With this app, the students will be able to enter the exam using mobile phones or tablets, while also being in the secured testing lockdown environment. While mainly designed for those who use this kind of medium in their primary academic domain, its additional purpose is to make Proctorio more accessible and attainable to the test takers.
To conclude, although the Companion App and the Mobile App are still in development and the complexity of the process they have to succumb to before being released does not allow us to make a solid estimate on when they will be made available, we are proud to say that the Disable Extensions option has been released and is available to our partners upon request.