Internet Alternatives to Traditional Proctored Testing: Where Are We Now?

Abstract

Early in 2006, my colleagues and I published an article on unproctored Internet testing (UIT) in employment settings (Tippins et al., 2006). The purpose of that article was to identify the issues surrounding UIT and the ways in which those issues might be resolved. The panel of experts addressed a number of important questions about (a) the uses and applications of UIT and (b) the major issues and known problems associated with UIT, including test security, examinee identification, cheating, ethical use of tests, subgroup and cultural issues, standardization, and context effects. In addition, the panelists attempted to predict the future of UIT, highlight the research needed to facilitate UIT and provide advice to practitioners contemplating UIT. In the present article, “UIT” is used to refer to Internet-based testing completed by a candidate without a traditional human proctor. Thus, nontraditional forms of or alternatives to proctoring may be in place, such as quantitative analyses of response patterns, the use of video cameras, or follow-up testing with traditional proctoring.