Exam Integrity#
Verifying the integrity of course assessments is a big part of what you will be doing as a remote instructor. We need to really ensure that the work being submitted is the student’s own, proctored work. There are two components to having an exam with integrity:
Student Compliance with Course Rules
Student Compliance with Academic Integrity Standards
While similar in spirit, we do need to keep in mind that these are separate categories.
Course Rules#
To help prevent and limit cases of academic dishonesty. You will want to establish rules for your course which need to be clearly listed in your course syllabus. The Student’s Guide and Rulebook provides a starting point for what rules should be included, but you can always add on to these.
To make including these rules easy, you can provide the link to the document in your course syllabus:
Why These Rules Matter#
A proper Workstation Setup and Zoom Device Placement are essential for maintaining the integrity of remote exams. When students follow these guidelines, it becomes much easier to verify that their work is their own. Unfortunately, when students fail to comply with the setup instructions, it creates uncertainty—did they cheat, or was the setup simply inadequate? Often, the Zoom video alone cannot provide a clear answer.
Having a clearly defined set of setup requirements, along with documented consequences for noncompliance, gives instructors a fair and transparent way to address cases where students willfully disregard exam protocols—even if there is no direct evidence of cheating.
Judicious#
As instructors, we must be judicious in how we respond to students who fail to comply with remote proctoring protocols:
Offer Sufficient Practice: Students should have multiple opportunities to practice the required workstation and Zoom device setup in low-stakes settings—such as quizzes or practice exams. This not only allows students a chance to fix their setup but also reinforces that these requirements are part of the academic expectations of the course.
Differentiate Between Ignorance and Willful Noncompliance: A student who makes a one-time, good-faith mistake in setup - early in the semester — should be guided, not penalized harshly. On the other hand, students who repeatedly disregard instructions, particularly after being given feedback or practice, demonstrate willful noncompliance justifying a stronger penalty.
Noncompliance Penalties#
If a student demonstrates willful noncompliance with the course rules on an exam or quiz (particularly, a later quiz), then as an instructor, you are justified in penalizing the student.
Zoom Proctor Prescreen Assignment: If a student does not satisfactorily complete this by the deadline, then you are justified in giving the student an F in the course.
The suggested penalty for incorrect workstation setup or Zoom Device Placement is a grade of 0 on the applicable quiz or exam.
Academic Dishonesty#
An academic integrity violation happens when you catch a student cheating or engaging in some other method of academic dishonesty. This goes beyond a course rule violation like discussed above, and requires that you follow the steps detailed in the Office of Academic Integrity’s website.
The following are some common ways students have cheated in past remote classes. (This list is by no means exhaustive and new ways show up every semester!)
Changing their work once they leave the Proctoring Session.
Accessing notes or other prohibited items during the exam that are hidden out of view of the proctor. We often see things taped to walls.
Submitting questions to Chegg or an AI chatbot and then copying down the responses.
Communicating with another person during the exam.
Reporting Process#
There are very specific steps and deadlines that you need to follow when you suspect a student has committed an act of academic dishonesty. Make sure you carefully read through the Office of Academic Integrity’s website for these steps.
Academic Dishonesty Sanction#
In the case that you do decide a student has committed an act of academic dishonesty, you will need to decide on a sanction. This could mean a reduction in grade, a grade of 0 on the assessment, a grade of F in the course. The website for the Office of Academic Integrity has examples of what types of sanctions to impose depending on the case.