Honorlock is an online proctoring solution that is fully integrated into CarmenCanvas. Like other automated remote proctoring tools, it works by recording a student’s screen, webcam and audio marking indicators to flag possible breaches of exam integrity.
The tool allows you to:
- Verify the identity of students taking an exam based on scans of approved identification.
- Record students’ webcam, audio, and computer screen for review after an exam has been submitted.
- Establish specific exam parameters to determine what the tool will flag or ignore.
Note: Settings may be adjusted for a variety of scenarios, such as an open-book exam.
While the system uses AI technology that may assist you in monitoring exam sessions, it is important to note that you are ultimately responsible for ensuring that exams are taken according to course expectations. We suggest that all recordings be reviewed regardless of the flags or results captured by the Honorlock AI technology.
In addition, the Committee on Academic Misconduct (COAM) does not use Honorlock AI-Generated flags as evidence of cheating. Instead, misconduct is evaluated based on the Code of Student Conduct and the specific stated rules for the course and exam in question. Honorlock recordings and records may be included as evidence in a referral to COAM.
Review considerations for planning your online exams and assignments to help determine whether Honorlock is the right solution for your course.
Availability
Honorlock is available in every course at Ohio State, but it is at the discretion of the instructor if the tool will be utilized. We recommend that Honorlock only be used for high-stakes exams.
To enable Honorlock in your course, navigate to your course's Settings Tab. Under the Navigation tab, click the three ellipses next to the Honorlock extension and select Enable.
Beyond Honorlock, Ohio State offers a variety of proctoring options.
Barriers to use
Honorlock offers students the flexibility to take their exams at the time and in the location of their choosing, according to your established exam availability windows. However, there may be some barriers that would prevent students from being able to use the tool. Explore these details below.
Age of student
To consent to use Honorlock, students must be over 18 years of age. Students under 18 can use Honorlock if their parent or legal guardian submits the Online Course Recording Waiver. Federal regulations prohibit the recording of minors without the permission of their parents. Therefore, if a student is under the age of 18, the university requires that you have the consent of their parent or guardian to use such instructional tools. The registrar will notify you at the beginning of the semester if you have students under 18 years of age who do not have an Online Course Recording Waiver on file. You will need to work with these students for alternative forms of proctoring.
Accessibility (ADA) limitations
Additionally, Honorlock may have limitations in its accessibility for students reliant upon screen readers and keyboard navigation. If you have students who require accommodations, work with the Office of Student Life Disability Services to develop an accommodation plan with an alternative form of proctoring.
The Office of Technology and Digital Innovation (OTDI) and the Digital Accessibility Center are currently working with Honorlock to ensure the tool is fully accessible. Due to the current limitations, students reliant upon screen readers and keyboard navigation have the choice to use a different proctoring option.
Technical limitations
Honorlock requires specific devices (PC or Mac laptop or desktop), Wi-Fi access, webcam, microphone, and browser extensions only available with a specific browser (Chrome). Include these requirements in your syllabus. Work with your students to determine who needs an alternative based on their available technology. Refer to Honorlock’s Minimum System Requirements for more information.
- Honorlock does not work on mobile devices. If you have students working on iPads and tablets, or students who will not have Wi-Fi access for an exam, work with your department or college leaders to make alternative arrangements for them.
- Honorlock may not be accessible for students who are completing their coursework from other countries. Additionally, you may want to consider adjustments to your scheduled exam window if you have students in other time zones or overseas.
Student privacy
Due to the nature of Honorlock, and the recording of user’s audio, video, and screen, students must agree to Honorlock’s Privacy Notice and Terms of Use before taking an exam. This is the first step students must complete after they launch an exam and prior to the Honorlock system compatibility checks and authentications.
The Data Collection & Use agreement includes the following language:
During an exam, we may collect information about any websites you visit, and you may be required to enable certain features on your device, such as the camera and microphone, to take audio or visual photos and recordings, and we may also record the screen of your device. When we process your photo and recordings, we may also collect information about your face and/or voice to determine whether there are other people in the room and what words you are speaking. We process this information to provide our services to your testing organization. Please see our Exam Taker Privacy notice for more details.
Honorlock basics
During an exam session, Honorlock monitors activity and then provides you with a summary report of the exam session. The report will flag student behavior and indicate the perceived severity of the violations as part of the summary.
Please note that the number or ranking of flags does not indicate that academic misconduct occurred. Uncontrollable occurrences in the student's environment (such as a siren outside, a loud noise downstairs, or a reflection in a mirror) could trigger potential Honorlock flags even though no misconduct occurred.
We strongly recommend you view the entire recording for each student to ensure that all course policies have been followed during the exam session. Honorlock flags are tools to help you focus on certain moments that may need a closer look, but they are not intended as a replacement for an instructor personally verifying the results.
Using Honorlock
Although students will need to use Chrome browser with the Honorlock extension installed, you as the instructor do not. You can enable Honorlock on quizzes and view exam results from any browser. However, you will need to add Honorlock to your Carmen course and then enable the quiz through the Honorlock tab.
When you enable a quiz, there are two categories to consider:
- Proctoring Settings: Set restrictions on the student’s computer during the exam and on what is required of them to get into the exam (ID, room scan, and so on). Be sure to enable the BrowserGuard setting if you need to restrict students from accessing material outside the browser.
- Student Guidelines: Set what behavior students can do during an exam. The guidelines you set will be visible to students, so they know what is expected of them during the session.
For more information on exam settings, refer to the Honorlock Proctoring Settings guide.
Practice exam and tips
Because adding a proctoring tool like Honorlock can require extra steps and technology requirements, we recommend adding language to your syllabus to ensure your expectations are clear. In addition, you may want to provide students with tips for taking exams through Honorlock to lower their testing anxiety. We highly encourage that you provide students with an Honorlock practice quiz prior to taking a high-stakes exam with Honorlock enabled.
Get Help
Honorlock provides 24/7 help via chat and phone, as well as Knowledge Base guides that can help you set up your Honorlock-enabled exams or troubleshoot issues.
Instructors can call 1 (844) 243-2500 for 24/7 hour support.
For additional assistance with Honorlock, contact the Learning Systems support team.