March 30, 2022

Proctorio chosen for online exam supervision after extensive student, staff consultation

Exam invigilation platform meets high standards of student data and privacy protection and adheres to UOW's Privacy Policy

In line with arrangements for exams in 2020 and 2021, the University of Wollongong has advised students that, moving forward, the University will be holding the majority of end-of-semester exams online and remotely. 

This decision aligns with the move to online exams that is taking place across the Australian university sector, on the back of the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic and ensures students can progress their studies safely.

To invigilate (supervise) some of the online exams, UOW will use Proctorio, the online learning integrity tool. The use of online learning integrity tools to supervise exams is consistent with many other Australian universities. The decision to utilise Proctorio as the exam invigilation platform was made after extensive consultation across UOW including a selection panel involving both staff and student representation. The University has also undertaken multiple pilot exams over the last two years with staff and student feedback incorporated for Autumn 2022 and beyond.

Students’ safety, privacy and data during online exams is a fundamental priority. In addition to Proctorio’s in-built protections, UOW has also implemented additional security measures to meet our high standards of student data and privacy protection, and Proctorio adheres to UOW’s Privacy Policy.

• personal information is not supplied to Proctorio by the University
• no third parties will have access to or be provided with personal information
• Proctorio staff cannot access any UOW exam data
• recordings collected by the Proctorio tool are directly encrypted by the web browser and placed in a server that only authorised and trained UOW staff are able to access.
• Proctorio will not have access to the operating system or any data from students' computers, other than what was captured during their invigilated exam browser session.
• Proctorio can determine the amount of keystrokes being pressed, but not which keys, or content of those keystrokes
• students will contact UOW staff if they require assistance, they will not contact Proctorio.
• trained and authorised UOW invigilators check the exam recording, artificial intelligence is not used.
• exam data is erased at the end of the exam period, in line with records management protocols.

You can learn more about these privacy measures, and how Proctorio works on our online invigilation exams website.

UOW recognises that some students may not have adequate access to equipment or a suitable environment to sit an online exam remotely. Students can contact UOW Exams to discuss their options including sitting their exams in one of UOW’s facilities.

More information on UOW’s use of Proctorio and the supervision of online exams is available on our website. Students are encouraged to reach out to the University to ask any questions or express concerns about the move to online exams.