Using Proctorio in Canvas: A Faculty Workflow

Introduction

Proctorio integrates with Canvas so instructors can add proctoring requirements to online assessments and review results from within their course. A successful Proctorio assessment requires configuring the Canvas quiz, selecting appropriate proctoring conditions, preparing students for the testing experience, and reviewing results in context. Using a representative practice quiz before the first high-stakes exam can help students identify technical problems before exam day.

Prerequisites

Before configuring a Proctorio assessment:

• Your Canvas course must be approved and activated for Proctorio.
• Secure Exam Proctor must be available in your course.
• Install the Secure Exam Proctor browser extension on the computer you will use to configure and review assessments.
• Use a supported Chromium-based browser, such as Chrome or Edge.
• Create the Canvas quiz or exam you want to proctor.

If Secure Exam Proctor is not available in your course, see How to Get Proctorio for Your Course for information about licensing and course activation.

Configure and Administer a Proctorio Assessment

To configure, administer, and review a Proctorio assessment, do the following. The process includes preparing the Canvas assessment, configuring Proctorio, creating a practice experience, preparing students, and reviewing completed attempts.

Prepare the Canvas Assessment

1. From your Canvas course, select Quizzes.
2. Create a new quiz or open the assessment you want to use.
3. Configure the Canvas settings for the assessment, including availability dates, due dates, time limits, attempts, question presentation, and applicable accommodations.
4. Open the assessment for editing and locate the Secure Exam Proctor option.
5. Enable Secure Exam Proctor for the assessment.

Canvas controls the assessment itself, while Proctorio controls the proctored testing environment. Proctorio settings are configured separately for each assessment.

Configure Proctorio Settings

1. From the assessment, open Proctorio Settings.
2. Review the available recording options and enable only the recordings required for the assessment.
3. Review the verification options and select the checks students must complete before beginning the assessment.
4. Review the lock-down options and select restrictions appropriate for the resources students are permitted to use.
5. Confirm that permitted materials, websites, notes, or other resources will not be blocked by the selected settings.
6. Save the assessment by selecting Save.

Choose settings based on the testing conditions you actually need rather than enabling every available control. For example, an open-note assessment should not use restrictions that prevent students from accessing materials you have explicitly permitted.

Review the Assessment Before Publishing

1. Open the configured assessment from Quizzes.
2. Verify the Canvas availability dates, due date, time limit, and allowed attempts.
3. Confirm that Proctorio is enabled.
4. Confirm that the required recording, verification, and browser restrictions match your intended testing conditions.
5. Review any permitted resources and student accommodations.
6. Correct any settings that would prevent students from following the exam instructions.

Consider both whether the configuration works technically and whether the requirements are appropriate for what students are expected to do during the exam.

Create a Practice Quiz

1. From your Canvas course, select Quizzes.
2. Create a short practice assessment with a few simple or non-graded questions.
3. Edit the practice quiz and enable Secure Exam Proctor.
4. Apply the important Proctorio settings students will encounter during the actual exam.
5. Make the practice quiz available several days before the first proctored assessment.
6. Ask students to complete the practice quiz using the same computer and testing setup they plan to use for the real exam whenever possible.

The practice quiz should reproduce the testing experience rather than the academic difficulty of the real assessment.

Prepare Students for the Assessment

1. Add Proctorio requirements to an appropriate course location, such as the syllabus, a module, or the assessment instructions.
2. Tell students that Proctorio will be used and identify the required browser or extension.
3. Explain whether a webcam and microphone are required.
4. Clearly identify which materials and resources are permitted or prohibited.
5. Describe the expected testing environment and whether breaks are allowed.
6. Provide a deadline for completing the practice quiz.
7. Explain how students should report technical problems that affect their ability to complete the assessment.

Proctorio enforces the settings you configure, but the instructor remains responsible for communicating the course and assessment expectations.

Configure Accommodations and Exceptions

1. Open the assessment from Quizzes.
2. Use the applicable Canvas controls to configure approved additional time, attempts, availability, or other accommodations.
3. If a student requires different Proctorio conditions, configure the appropriate Exam Exception before the student begins the assessment.
4. Confirm that the student's approved testing conditions do not conflict with the configured Proctorio restrictions.

Complete accommodations and exceptions before the assessment opens whenever possible.

Administer the Assessment

Students access a Proctorio-enabled exam through Canvas rather than through a separate Proctorio website.

1. Students open the assessment from Quizzes.
2. Students begin the assessment and complete the required Proctorio pre-checks.
3. Depending on the settings you configured, students may be asked to verify their browser, extension, camera, microphone, identity, or testing environment.
4. After successfully completing the required checks, students proceed to the Canvas assessment.

A representative practice quiz helps ensure that the actual exam is not the student's first experience with these requirements.

Review Completed Attempts

1. After students complete the assessment, open it from Quizzes.
2. Open the Proctorio Review Center.
3. Use the available indicators to identify attempts that may require closer review.
4. Select an individual student's attempt to review the available session information.
5. Examine recordings or identified events in the context of the assessment instructions and permitted testing behavior.

A Proctorio flag indicates that an event may warrant review. It does not determine that academic misconduct occurred. Environmental noise, accessibility needs, technical problems, permitted resources, or ordinary student behavior may generate activity that requires review.

Any academic-integrity determination should follow normal course and institutional procedures.

Refine Future Assessments

1. After the assessment, review whether students had difficulty with any pre-checks or restrictions.
2. Determine whether the instructions clearly identified permitted resources and testing expectations.
3. Confirm that the practice quiz accurately represented the real assessment experience.
4. Identify settings that caused unnecessary problems or generated unhelpful review information.
5. Update the next assessment's Proctorio Settings based on what you learned.

Reusing settings can save time, but each assessment should use proctoring requirements that match its specific testing conditions.

Troubleshooting

If Secure Exam Proctor does not appear in your Canvas course, confirm that the course has been approved and activated for Proctorio. See How to Get Proctorio for Your Course for information about licensing and activation.

If you cannot configure or review a Proctorio assessment, confirm that the Secure Exam Proctor extension is installed and that you are using a supported browser.

If a student experiences a Proctorio-specific technical problem during an exam, direct them to Proctorio's available 24/7 support resources, including live chat. Students should contact support while the problem is occurring whenever possible so support staff can diagnose the issue.

If a technical problem affects a Canvas deadline, consumes an attempt, causes lost testing time, or prevents completion, the instructor must determine the appropriate course-level response. Proctorio support can address Proctorio technical problems, but course decisions remain with the instructor.