The Palomar Online Proctoring Service (POPS) offers faculty and students an online proctoring solution that is less invasive than traditional third-party proctoring programs. POPS provides virtual proctoring for online assessments via Zoom and facilitated by paid Palomar proctors.
Online proctoring sessions are held in a Zoom room, where students are placed individually into breakout rooms. They turn on their video in Zoom and share their entire screen in the break out room. Palomar proctors periodically join each break out room, but do not disturb the test taker. Any issues are reported by the proctor and sent to the test takers’ instructor.
Is the Palomar Online Proctoring Service Right For You?
Students: If you are taking a fully online class that has a proctored test, Palomar Online Proctoring Service allows you to take the test without having to download a program that requires specific technology or locking down your browser. Instead, you get to work with a human proctor who can help make the test taking experience a little less stressful. Details about how your exact proctoring will work can be found in your Canvas test instructions or by contacting your professor.
Faculty: The Palomar Online Proctoring Service is meant to serve as a cheating deterrent, not an impenetrable cheating prevention service. Here is a video that addresses the rampant cheating problem and solutions (minutes 23:46 – 30:14) It’s important for faculty to manage their expectations around what’s possible with POPS, and choose their proctoring options accordingly:
| Level of Proctoring Needed | Proctoring Options |
|---|---|
| No Proctoring & Limited Cheating Opportunities | Authentic Assessments; Case Studies; Essays; Research Projects; Group Projects |
| Moderate Proctoring & Cheating Deterrent | Palomar Online Proctoring Service; Test Settings |
| Rigorous Proctoring & Cheating Prevention | In-Person Proctoring at the Math & Science Learning Center (for Hybrid or In-Person Courses) |
How Does the Palomar Online Proctoring Service Verify Students’ Identities?
Verifying students’ identities is an important component of online proctoring for online assessments. When students arrive in the online proctoring session, they will be asked to fill out an Online Proctoring Registration Form to collect their student email and ID number. Additionally, student proctors will verify students’ identities by viewing their student IDs or driver’s license via the camera in Zoom.
Common Concerns
I don’t want to use online proctoring, but I don’t want my students to cheat.
You might consider a different type of assessment that doesn’t lend itself to cheating very easily. Summative assessments like group projects, written papers, case study responses, or research projects, are a few assessments that don’t require online proctoring and are difficult to cheat on, or have someone else do for you.
Additional Resources
- Palomar Strategies to Reduce Cheating in Online Courses
- @One Assessment in Digital Learning Course
- University of Washington Authentic Assessment Guide & Examples
- Queens University Matching Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
- Mueller’s Authentic Assessment Toolbox
My students have concerns regarding security and privacy.
The POPS is conducted within Palomar’s secure Zoom account, and students are never recorded during the proctoring session. Palomar proctors are official Palomar employees who have gone through the hiring and screening process and are committed to Palomar’s Mission to respect each of our students’ experiences and support them to achieve academic success.
What if my students don’t have the technology needed to participate in online proctoring?
Students don’t need high-powered computers to participate. All they need is a smartphone or basic computer with wireless service and a working camera. Palomar also has computer labs and wifi available on its campuses or students are welcome to come to the STAR Tutoring Center.
I have a student who needs accommodations. What should I do?
Direct the student to the Disability Resource Center, which will assess and guide them to get the accommodations they need.
What should I do if I have a student in a different time zone, or has other extenuating circumstances, and can’t make it to an Online Proctoring Session?
We wish the Palomar Online Proctoring Service could be available 24/7, but we don’t have the resources. If a student can’t make our hours, we recommend faculty meet individually with the student to proctor the test.
My discipline has some specific needs for online proctoring. Who can I talk to about that?
Please contact Alex Cuatok (acuatok@palomar.edu) in the STAR Tutoring Center.
This is My first Time Using POPS. What do I do?
Click here to learn the steps to using POPS.
How do I Access POPS for My Courses? or How do I Request for an Online Proctor?
To use Palomar Online Proctoring Service, faculty can submit an Online Proctor Request Form through Schedule Online Proctoring.
After Submitting an Online Proctor Request Form, a proctor will reach out to you shortly with Sign-Up Genius links for you to share with your students. Students will use these links to make appointments for their exams.
To ensure students sign in for their proctoring appointments, you will require an Access Code for students to begin the exam. In the settings of your exam there is a spot to set up an access code. This is a code you will choose and we will provide to students when they arrive in the Zoom. Once you’ve chosen your access code, please share it with us.
We’ll be in touch!