Online Proctoring Programs Try to Ease the Tensions of Remote Testing

It was a windfall for online proctoring companies, but thrust the pitfalls of the practice into the spotlight. Being watched by a faceless stranger or artificial intelligence provokes anxiety or worse, according to some students and teachers. Educators and privacy advocates raised concerns about the software's efficacy, invasiveness and potential to discriminate against some disabled candidates. Online proctoring companies are now updating their user experiences, partly to address some of the critiques. "In 2020 we were like a train going 100 miles an hour, and we couldn't stop it," said Proctorio Inc. founder and chief executive Mike Olsen, noting that the number of exams proctored by the company in April 2020 rose 900% from a year earlier.