Proctoring Written Assignments (Online & Handwritten)

You basically have three options when it comes to the integrity of online written assignments, like essays:

1. Not knowing if learners are using AI like Claude and ChatGPT
2. Using AI detectors that don’t really work and battling to prove it*
3. Proctoring written assignments remotely just like you would an online exam (blocks AI, locks the browser, detects cell phones, records behavior, etc. while they’re writing)

*What do we mean by “battling to prove it”?

A 2023 study* tested 14 public and commercial AI detection tools against ChatGPT and found that they:

• Often mistake AI-generated text as human-written
• Struggles to detect AI content translated from other languages?
• Manually editing responses, like paraphrasing and swapping words, reduces the accuracy

With those issues in mind, when would you feel comfortable taking action?

If an AI tool shows that 65% of a learner’s essay is AI-generated, would you do something about it, or would you need to see a higher percentage? If higher, what percentage?

Why deal with hassles and uncertainty when you can use Honorlock to remotely proctor written assignments just like you would an online exam?

Proctoring written assignments with Honorlock

Honorlock provides a hybrid proctoring solution that combines AI monitoring with live proctors. AI monitors learners throughout the exams or assignments, and if it detects potential misconduct, it alerts a live proctor to review the situation and intervene if necessary.?

Blocking AI chatbots during proctored essays

You can prevent the use of AI chatbots while they’re writing by disabling copying and pasting, locking the browser and blocking extensions, listening for commands that activate voice assistants like Siri and Alexa, and detecting cell phones.

Locking the browser to restrict access to other applications & sites

BrowserGuard? restricts access to all sites and software except the one they’re writing in, like Microsoft Word or Google Docs, for example. It also allows you to provide access to specific websites or software, such as articles and research journals, while blocking everything else.?

It also records their screens,? limits them to using one screen, and prevents them from using keyboard shortcuts like copying and pasting, which means they can’t paste text they copied from another source into the document.

Detecting phones & other devices

Honorlock’s cell phone detection toolkit means you won’t have to rely on a live proctor to see a phone or other devices, like smartwatches or laptops, in real time anymore. Our AI detects when learners try to use their phones to look up information and the presence of Apple devices in the testing area.?

Listening for voice commands that activate Siri & Alexa

Honorlock’s Smart Voice Detection allows learners to talk to themselves while they’re writing to flesh out ideas without being flagged for irrelevant sounds like doorbells or coughing.

It listens for specific commands that activate voice assistants, such as “Alexa” or “Hey Siri.” Once it’s triggered, it alerts a live proctor to review the situation, records what the learner said, and provides a transcript for review.

Scanning the room for unauthorized resources & other people

Instructors can require a room scan before starting the proctored written assignment to make sure that no unauthorized resources (phones, books, other devices, etc.) or other people are in the room while they’re writing.

Verifying their identity

Honorlock authenticates their identity in about a minute so that you’ll know that the person completing the written assignment is the same as the person getting credit.

Preventing contract cheating through remote access software

Have you ever had a technician remotely fix your computer? It’s a similar situation to contract cheating. The learner pays an expert to remotely access their computer and take a test or complete an assignment for them. This type of cheating is hard to detect because the person getting credit appears on camera while the expert controls the desktop and completes the work.?

Honorlock nips this in the bud in two ways:

1. Displaying countries of test: Honorlock shows the countries where tests and assignments are taken using IP addresses. This identifies possible proxy services if written assignments or tests come from unexpected countries.
2. Requiring keyboard commands before they start writing the test while recording the screen: instructions can require learners to use keyboard commands, such as Ctrl+Alt+Del (Windows) or Cmd+Opt+Esc (Mac), to show all of the applications and processes running on the device.?

Honorlock also records their desktops so that exam administrators can review recordings if there’s any suspicion that someone else took the test on the test taker’s behalf.

You can even use remote proctoring during handwritten essays (or math) using pen/pencil and paper

To proctor handwritten assignments, the instructor turns on the “Scratch Paper Allowed” proctoring setting so that the AI won’t flag learners for looking down at their papers. The learner can show the blank piece of paper before they start writing and upload it after they’re done.?

Other instructions and rules for handwritten assignments:

• Only use a black or dark blue pen and blank/lined white paper
• You can write on both sides of the paper
• Before you begin writing, hold the blank paper up to the camera and show both sides
• Write the question number in the top left corner of the paper
• Hold the paper up to the camera after you finish writing your response to each question

AI is here to stay, but it doesn’t have to put the integrity of your written assignments at risk.?

Learn more about our online proctoring software & services & schedule a demo

*Weber-Wulff, D., Anohina-Naumeca, A., Bjelobaba, S. et al. Testing of detection tools for AI-generated text. Int J Educ Integr 19, 26 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40979-023-00146-z