Online Examinations are becoming increasingly popular and necessary. Many universities and colleges have given up the traditional method of pen and paper and have adopted the modern methods of online examinations.
Current social distancing norms has resulted in adopting new technology for secure online exams process. Security during online exams is one of the critical success factors for management of academic exams.
However, with the introduction of this new technology, new concerns about security have come up.
Secure online examination system is the need of the hour. While implementing online examination technology, it is essential to take into consideration the various security aspects.
Secure Online examination System would provide better and safe online exams.It also helps to improve the brand image and reputation of the college.
Online examination system without proper information security framework can hamper the overall process and quality of the exam process.
Article Contents
Online Examination Trends
The traditional paper-based examination is getting replaced with online examination due to its numerous and unlike benefits. It offers an effective mechanism to conduct exams with a reduced administrative cost.
Majority of the entrance exams in education institute, recruitment exams for hiring, certification exams from professional certification authorities, psychometric tests to assess personality are conducted online.
While switching from traditional exam to online exam you need to ensure that technology implements best practices of security and it is being verified with a certain use case of application security.
Importance of Security during Online Exam
Online examination system offers scalability and flexibility to manage end to end process of question paper pattern to processing the results.
Exam security means taking measures which ensure that the test is conducted in a fair manner. There should be no scope of cheating by the students while they give the online exam.
Therefore, the security aspect of the online examination process is critical for overcoming malpractices or unauthorized access to the information.
Some of the techniques to make Online Exam Secure
#1. Secure Browser
Secure Browser Technology prevents users from opening any other window while the online examination process is going on. The user is allowed to access only the examination window.
Access to keyboard shortcuts for copy, paste and screen capture is completely prevented.
Eklavvya provides protected browser technology so that the online examination process can be conducted in a secure manner.
There is a feature, that would show a warning message to the user when the user tries to move away from the exam window. It prevents the user from opening other windows during the online exam process.
All these warning messages can be logged. In case of 3 or more such warnings, the online exam of the user can be suspended.
It is possible to have a custom app pre-installed on the machine. User will appear for the exam from the same app. This app prevents Screen Capturing, Recording and Remote Login features. It helps to secure your Online Exam Process.
#2. Remote Proctoring
Online examination process can be automated for invigilation or proctoring process.
In the Remote Proctoring system, a supervisor is not required to be present at the examination centre. The test can be proctored even from remote locations.
There are three main processes involved in this:
Image Capturing :
System captures images of the candidate appearing for the exam after certain intervals (e.g. 30 seconds). It helps to identify and authorize exam candidates sitting at a remote location.
Video Streaming:
Online Examination system can also stream video of the candidate. Remote Proctor can log in to the system to check the live streaming of the candidate.
This technology is very helpful when students are giving exams from remote locations. The proctor can easily keep a tab on students through their web cameras. This also helps to save a lot of logistical costs.
Screen Capturing:
Proctoring can be done even by taking screenshots of the screens of the student’s current access.
Voice Proctoring
Proctor can also listen to the voice of the user attempting the exam. Voice is also recorded in the system for verification purpose.
This enables the proctor to see the page the student is on to avoid any kind of misuse.
#3. Data Encryption
Eklavvya Online examination system’s data has been encrypted to prevent any kind of misuse. Question Bank and exam data are stored in a highly secure and encrypted manner.
Data encryption plays an important role in preventing unauthorized access to question banks. It also helps to avoid result manipulation without valid credentials. It is a vital feature to make sure the security of the examination.
The entire communication between server and examination client is also encrypted with a secure mode of communication.
High-level encryption algorithms are used to encode the data which cannot be decoded easily.
This ensures the confidentiality of the question papers being exchanged between the server and the client.
The decoding can be done only by authorized personals. This assures the security of the examination data to its maximum.
#4. Audit Logging
Eklavvya Online Examination System provides a detailed audit logging facility where activities like Login, Logout, Exam Access, Question Navigation, Answer Responses, etc are recorded in the system.
The system also records details of activities like Question Navigation, Section Changes, and Internet Speed. Using techniques like geotagging it is possible to track the exact location of the user during online exam activity.
#5. IP based Authentication & Authorization
The concept of IP based Authorization and Authentication means that the access and operating of the examination program is restricted or limited to a certain specified number of IP addresses.
In the case of Admin login, it is possible to have IP based Authentication so that users trying to log in from specific IP are allowed to access the system.
This enables access only for certain specific IP addresses and ensures complete safety for the examination.
Secure Online exam process is essential if you wish to get an advantage from technology usage. Employing best practices of online exam security can help to manage the examination process with the highest security. It can prevent the misuse of technology and the prevention of cheating can be achieved.
Eklavvya Online Examination System provides its clients with all the above-mentioned features. Our main aim is to gain the trust of the clients by serving all the necessary services.
We at Eklavvya believe in complete customer satisfaction with pre and post-sale services.
Be a part of the digital world with Ekalavya.
