Insight into the challenges of implementing e-Proctoring exams at a regional university during COVID-19

Chand, Rajni K. and Hussein, Mohammed J. (2024) Insight into the challenges of implementing e-Proctoring exams at a regional university during COVID-19. [Conference Proceedings]

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Abstract

COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound effect on the global education sector, requiring
universities to quickly modify their pedagogical approaches. Even though the virus arrived
later in the South Pacific, the effects were still rather severe. Lockdowns that were imposed
throughout the region made it difficult for people to travel and conduct traditional in-person
education, which led colleges to adopt alternate teaching strategies.

During this period, the University of the South Pacific (USP), a regional university with its
main campus situated in Fiji, encountered difficulties. USP had to quickly deploy Emergency
Remote Teaching (ERT) across its 14 scattered campuses due to the unexpected lockdowns.

All institutions faced inherent challenges with ERT, but USP's regional organisation created
additional complications. Campus-to-campus geographical separations, differences in on-site support systems, and regional variations in internet connectivity all contributed to a great deal of stress for the university's personnel, administration, and student body. Travel limitations made things much more difficult by making it impossible for USP faculty members to give in person lectures at nearby campuses.

USP used a combination of their current Learning Management System (LMS), Moodle, and
easily accessible online tools like BigBlueButton (BBB) or Zoom to address these issues.
Since 2006, the university has been using Moodle to ensure that all courses have dedicated
online spaces. Moodle was already a well-known learning management system among USP
academics. During the lockdowns in 2021 and 2022, USP moved all face-to-face (F2F)
classes online, greatly reducing disruptions due to this prior familiarity.

The introduction of online tests represented a significant modification. USP implemented
Proctorio, an e-proctoring programme, to make sure that accreditation standards for courses
that typically required exams were met (Hussein & Yusuf, 2021). This change required more
work than just transferring lectures and course materials to the internet. To guarantee the
seamless operation of e-proctored online tests, USP conducted training sessions, stringent
testing procedures, and a trial programme for the Proctorio system. To integrate the new
assessment system, the university's LMS was also modified, improving user experience and
navigation for both teachers and students.

This paper explores USP's ERT experiences during the COVID-19 lockdowns. It focuses on
the steps involved in implementing e-proctored online exams, including training programs and testing protocols. The LMS changes made to accommodate the new online assessment
method are examined in this research. It also looks at the challenges and successes USP
students had when taking online tests using e-proctoring software. The purpose of this study
is to provide important insights into the special difficulties and effective adjustments that a
regional institution experienced during a worldwide pandemic by looking at these elements,
especially in relation to upholding academic integrity through online examinations.

Item Type:	Conference Proceedings
Uncontrolled Keywords:	n/a
Subjects:	L Education > L Education (General) L Education > LC Special aspects of education T Technology > T Technology (General)
Divisions:	Centre for Flexible Learning (CFL)
Depositing User:	Rajni Chand
Date Deposited:	06 Aug 2025 23:35
Last Modified:	06 Aug 2025 23:35
URI:	https://repository.usp.ac.fj/id/eprint/15081

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