Coronavirus (Covid-19) sounds the alarm for K-12 schools.
Following the rapid spread of coronavirus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has advised nationwide school closures to impede the pandemic. Despite being a significant disruption for K-12 schooling, countries are considering a month-long lockdown to curb the spread. According to Education Week, at least 64,000 U.S schools are scheduled for closure, directly affecting over 32.5 million public school students.
No respite for higher education institutes:
Universities are particularly exposed to the Covid-19 spread because of the proximity of on-campus students and faculty. In line with strict social distancing norms, Princeton University, for instance, moved all its lectures, courses, and seminars online. At the same time, Stanford University and Ohio State University suspended all in-person classes till further notice.
A circular from Harvard University further backs the move by adding that, “The decision to move to virtual instruction was not made lightly. The goal of these changes is to minimize the need to gather in large groups and spend prolonged time near each other in spaces such as classrooms, dining halls, and residential buildings.”
E-learning paves the way for K-12 schools, colleges, and universities.
The novel virus outbreak has, however, given way to a massive distance learning experiment. K-12 schools, colleges, and universities are moving to online classes at a remarkable pace, putting e-learning technology to the test. Teachers are increasingly using online education platforms to share schedules, worksheets, prerecorded video lessons, and live video chat links.
Online learning platforms have compensated the shift away from traditional text-book based classrooms, but what about exams? Is there a way for institutes to administer cheat-free online examinations? Proctortrack, an AI-enabled online proctoring company, believes there is. The US-based company is offering free pilots to K-12 schools, colleges, and universities who want to equip their online assessment software with state-of-the-art live proctoring capabilities.
How can proctoring help with online examinations?
While unscheduled closures come as a relief for students, they have become a headache for exam regulators. Proctortrack leverages automation and live online remote proctoring using AI to deliver the highest level of trusted exam integrity at the core operating level, screen desktop level, user via webcam, and testing environment level. With features like IP protection, browser lockdown, room scan, and continuous identity verification, Proctortrack can close the circle on a “truly online” learning experience.
