The Need for New Guidelines and Training for Remote/Online Testing and Proctoring Due to COVID-19.
INTRODUCTION Following the emergence of COVID-19, colleges/schools of pharmacy (C/SOP) quickly shifted delivery and assessment of the curriculum online. The rapid shift to students testing off-campus and away from traditional in-person proctored environments required institutions to evaluate and modify current examination policies and procedures to address new methods of test administration and proctoring. In fact, challenges associated with online testing and proctoring have been frequent topics of discussion through the Assessment SIG listserv, with 24 separate postings/replies to topic threads titled “exam day policies,” “Exam Monitor” policies, and “remote/exam monitoring” appearing on the listserv since spring 2020. Given the frequency of posts and the engagement with these threads, it is evident that guidance is needed. While previous guidance exists for administering and proctoring paper and electronic exams, these recommendations lack guidance on administration of exams without an in-person proctor. Therefore, it is important for C/SOPs to explore strategies for maintaining academic integrity in this new online testing environment, since examinations assess mastery of content for entry into the profession. Additionally, ACPE Standard 10.17 requires C/SOPs to “ensure that assignments and examinations take place under circumstances that minimize opportunities for academic misconduct.” The purpose of this article is to review options that exist for remote testing and proctoring, as well as suggest new guidelines and training that should be developed to accommodate this new testing method.