Dr. William Preston Davis with Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) has overseen a program that served over 21,000 online students in 2011 and will share what he's learned about distance education. Dr. Davis will discuss how online proctoring has helped shape his school's web-based pedagogy and give details about the important part that testing plays in their program. The discussion will also include how online proctoring with ProctorU fills an important instructional need in their distance learning curriculum.

1. Distance Learning and Online
Exam Proctoring at NOVA
Dr. Wm. Preston Davis
Director of Instructional Services
NOVA Extended Learning Institute

2. Who Are We?
• Northern Virginia Community College is the
second largest community college in the
nation, and grants more Associate Degrees
annually than any other community college.
• NOVA has six campuses in the Northern
Virginia region serving 78,000 students
annually.
• NOVA’s Extended Learning Institute (ELI) is
the distance learning section of the college.
• ELI acts as a “virtual campus” serving over
23,000 students annually.

3. Why Distance Learning?
• During Fall 2010 over 6 million students in the
US were taking at least one online course.
• This represents an increase of almost 10% over
the number of students enrolled in an online
course during Fall 2009.
• More than one-third of all higher education
students now take at least one course online…
and this number is growing very rapidly!
Going the Distance, Online Education in the United States, 2011, Babson Survey Research Group

4. Is Distance Learning Effective?
• US Department of Education, “Evaluation of Evidence-
Based Practices in Online Learning: A Meta-Analysis
and Review of Online Learning Studies” (Sept 2010)
http://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/tech/evidence-based-practices/finalreport.pdf
• Most effective modes of instruction, in descending order:
1. Blended learning/hybrid instruction
2. Online learning
3. Face-to-face/traditional classroom learning

5. Features of an Excellent Online Course
• Multimedia content engaging learners with
multiple learning styles (audio, video, text,
interactivity)
• Faculty to student interaction
• Student to student interaction and peer
collaboration (discussion boards, group projects,
synchronous meetings, social media,…)
• Learning activities, not just delivery of content
• Assessment strategy appropriate to online
instruction

6. Why ELI?
• Supporting access mission of NOVA
– Distance delivery creates greater access for working
adults, homebound people, primary
caregivers, service members, work travelers, etc…
• Meeting the educational needs of the community
– Focus on learning outcomes over tradition
– Leading innovation
– Providing full student services and instructional
resources to distance learners

7. Current Snapshot of ELI
• 2011: served over 21,000 students in online
courses, residing in 45 states
• Offer nearly 400 courses in 60+ disciplines
• 40 degrees and certificates available
completely online
• Courses offered in 8-, 12-, and 16-week
formats with monthly start dates
• Statewide delivery of online courses to 11
partner VCCS colleges

8. ELI’s Shared Distance Learning Initiative
• Deliver online courses to
11 partner VCCS colleges
• Adding an additional VCCS
partner school this year
• Services shared between
schools (including exam proctoring)

9. Why Proctor Exams?
• Higher Education Opportunities Act (HEOA) of
2008 established the requirement to “ensure
that the student enrolled in an online class is the
student doing the coursework.”
– Proctored exams provide a means to verify
student identity and ensure that the work
submitted is their own.
– Proctored exams ensure better exam
integrity.

10. Testing Resources
• Six campus testing centers open Monday -
Saturday
• Exam proctoring available at approved physical
sites anywhere in the world
• Online proctoring via webcam available in most
courses through ProctorU

11. Demand for Online Proctoring
• Fall 2010 - 581
• Spring 2011 - 1033
• Summer 2011 - 1933
• Fall 2011 - 2356
• Spring 2012 - 2850

12. ELI Exams Given By ProctorU
7000
6000
5000
4000
3000
2000
1000
0
2010 (May-Dec) 2011 2012 (projected)

13. What ProctorU Does for NOVA
• ProctorU verifies the student testing is the
student enrolled in the course.
• ProctorU uses webcams and screen-
sharing technology to monitor students
taking exams online.
• ProctorU's proctors can see the
student, see what they are doing and
know who they are.

14. Online Proctoring via ProctorU
• Increases access to testing for distance
learning students, especially during
evening and weekend hours.
• Reduces the impact of distance learning
students on campus testing
centers, especially during end-dates and
finals week.
• Caters to the demonstrated need for
flexibility among distance learners.

15. Value-Added with ProctorU
• Continuity of Services
• Additional Option for Most Online Students
• Customer Service for Students
• Technical Support
• Resource to Enhance Assessment as Part
of a Comprehensive College Testing
Program

16. Questions/Comments?
Dr. Wm. Preston Davis
Director of Instructional Services
wdavis@nvcc.edu (703)323-3511
http://eli.nvcc.edu