As many courses continue operating in virtual and hybrid settings, online testing security has become a major concern for educators. How do you ensure that students are held to the same standards of integrity, showing that they have truly mastered the content? Below, we outline a few key security measures to consider when creating online tests:

Password Protection
Consider setting different passwords for each student that they must enter to access the exam. In a lab setting, proctors may choose to even enter the password for the student, creating an additional layer of protection.

Lockdown Browser
Lockdown browsers prevent students from printing, copying, or accessing other websites and applications while taking the assessment. Hawkes recommends utilizing Respondus LockDown Browser.

Proctoring Service
Especially when used in conjunction with a lockdown browser, proctoring services can drastically increase security. These services allow instructors to monitor students’ screens, ensuring that they remain on-task and don’t access forbidden resources during the test. Several proctoring solutions can be utilized in conjunction with Hawkes WebTests. Learn more about them, and how to set them up, here.

Test Time Limit
Hawkes offers the ability to limit the time frame in which online assessments may be accessed, which prevents early exposure to test material. This setting can be changed on a per-student basis.

Question Variety
By default, questions in Hawkes WebTests are presented in a unique order, with unique values, to each student. Further, each question type has up to 50 iterations, minimizing the chance that multiple students receive the same question.

Mastery-based learning requires certain security standards to ensure individual achievement. Try implementing some of these measures in your online exams to help students demonstrate their personal understanding of course content.