Live Proctoring with SFU Zoom
SFU Zoom is an approved option for live remote proctoring of exams. Although SFU Zoom is not a remote proctoring software it can:
- • mimic physical observation that occurs during in-person exams
- • confirm which student is taking the exam
- • be a reminder of academic integrity guidelines at SFU.
Note that when SFU Zoom or any other method is used for live proctoring the session must not be recorded.
The strongest recommendation for ensuring academic integrity is exams and exam questions that are tailored to require unique student reflection and work. There are also a number of features in Canvas that can be leveraged to discourage cheating or make it more difficult to cheat on exams. To learn more, please visit https://www.sfu.ca/cee/services/online-exam-options.html or reach out to the Centre for Educational Excellence for advice.
The following guidelines have been developed by CEE and ITS to ensure a reasonably seamless experience using SFU Zoom for live remote proctoring.
If you need technical support with SFU Zoom, call the IT Service Desk at 778 782 8888 or send an email to it-servicedesk@sfu.ca. Check www.sfu.ca/itservices for current hours of support.
Scheduling Your Proctoring Session
- Go to https://sfu.zoom.us/ and select option sign in SFU Zoom
- Locate the meetings option in the left navigation menu bar.
- Enter the meeting settings:
- Select registration required
- Meeting password: assign a unique password or SFU Zoom will create a random numeric passcode
- Video: host on, participant on
- Disable enable join before host
- Enable Mute Participants upon entry
- Enable Enable waiting room
- Assign alternative hosts. This will allow others to log-in and get your meeting started on your behalf. Please note, that the most effective way to add them is by entering their computingID@sfu.ca rather than their e-mail alias.
- If you are limiting each proctoring session to a certain number of participants, have others set up additional meetings following the same process. Note that the current Online Exam Procedures (the document equivalent to in-person exam procedures) indicates that for final exams there should be one invigilator for up to 25 students and at least one additional invigilator per each additional 50 students. Additional proctors may also be made co-hosts of the session.
Proctoring for Students Registered with Centre for Accessible Learning
If your class includes students registered with the Centre for Accessible Learning (CAL), please refer to the instructions they have provided on Zoom proctoring.
Share the Registration Link
- Once the session is scheduled, the registration link and invitation are provided. Click Copy the Invitation and paste it into your preferred communication channel with students. We recommend that you do this either through e-mail or through the Canvas learning management system.
- Students will register for the exam session and receive a unique link to access the session. They will need to click that link from a browser (or paste it into a browser) before selecting the option ‘Open zoom.us’ to launch the meeting.
Technology Requirements
Determine the necessary technology requirements for your session. It is possible to proctor with both one device or with two devices to get a secondary camera view of the student workspace. Please be aware of potential student limitations in access to a secondary device with a camera to participate in two device proctoring. A reliable internet connection will be necessary for all students. It is advisable to make a contingency plan for what you will do if there are internet connectivity issues for a student.
One Device Option: Students will need a laptop or desktop with a webcam to access SFU Zoom and the preferred format for exam taking (e.g. Canvas). Joining with a smartphone in addition to your computer may be required if you do not have a webcam.
Two Device Option: A first laptop or desktop with a webcam available and a second laptop, a smartphone, or a tablet to access SFU Zoom for remote proctoring. If you are opting for the two device option, please be clear as to positioning requirements for the second device.
Preparation for Proctoring Session
- Conduct a practice session at least 24 hours prior to the exam period so that you can test out your proctoring solution and ensure everything is working properly. We recommend that you do this as early as possible. Your practice session will be self-serve and should replicate the conditions of the actual exam. CEE and ITS staff will not be able to coordinate this session for you. This session is a great time to remind students of exam expectations so that they are prepared when they begin the exam or could be used as a study session.
- Proctors should join prior to all students.
- Assign any co-hosts during the session.
- Students should be informed to join the session at least 30 minutes early to allow for troubleshooting and resolution of technical issues. We recommend that you have a contingency plan for how you will handle technical issues that may occur during the session.
Starting the Session
- The proctor will log-in and begin the session
- In the top right hand corner, you can change the view to gallery view so that you will see a grid of all the students joining the call. Depending on the number of students, you may need to rotate through the views throughout the session to see all students.
- Once the session is started, proctor will:
- Go to the chat and change it so participants can chat with the host only.
- Admit students one-by-one from the waiting room to confirm their names and identities
- Mute participants if necessary
4. Please note that as you will be monitoring students’ videos, names, and potentially audio, you must not record due to privacy concerns with the collection of such data.
5. Communicate exam expectations. Ideally these will be shared both in the course communications, and in the practice session but it is valuable to re-iterate these expectations prior to beginning the exam. Expectations will include but are not limited to:
a. How to ask questions to the proctor
b. What to do when the exam is completed
c. What is allowed or not allowed during the exam (e.g. using scratch paper, calculators, notes, etc.)
During the Exam
- Proctors can click on individual students’ video boxes to expand the view of that student.
- If a problem arises, students will let the proctor know through the aforementioned method of asking questions, whether that be through the chat, through the hand raising feature, or simply by unmuting themselves and asking a question.
- The proctor can then decide whether the student needs to be moved into a breakout room. If you anticipate that many students will need to use this, you can have TAs in the breakout room(s) ready to assist.
- Select breakout rooms in the SFU Zoom task bar and select the manual creation of breakout rooms.
- It is advisable that depending on capacity, you should only have one student in a breakout room at a time.
Ending the Exam
- Students can Chat with the proctor to inform them they are complete. Proctor can verify exam submission and dismiss student.
- At the end of the exam window, proctor will remind students that the exam window is closing, and they can submit their exam through Canvas or other method outlined by proctor or Canvas will automatically submit the exam for them when the exam time has closed. Once the exam window has closed students can be dismissed at the same time.
If you require additional guidance surrounding SFU Zoom for live remote proctoring, please contact ceehelp@sfu.ca or visit www.sfu.ca/cee and use the ‘How can we help you’ button in the bottom right hand corner to get assistance from an member of the Centre for Educational Excellence. Please note that we only work business hours (8:30 AM – 4:00 PM) and allow 24 hours for a reply from our support portal. If you need technical support with SFU Zoom, call the IT Service Desk at 778 782 8888 or send an email to it-servicedesk@sfu.ca. Check www.sfu.ca/itservices for current hours of support.