Over the last few months, The Association of Corporate Treasurers (ACT) has been spearheading use of BTL’s newly launched Online Invigilation Service, an innovative approach to remotely-based candidates, using dual camera monitoring technology.
The introduction of Online Invigilation expands BTL’s existing Test Delivery Services, which already includes the largest computer-based test centre network in the UK for session-based testing.
The ACT has already delivered several successful exam series to candidates in convenient locations around the world using Surpass with Online Invigilation. The ACT has used a combination of live invigilation and the record and review method as part of the programme so far.
ACT selected BTL’s Surpass Assessment Platform based on its globally recognised reputation for a high-quality candidate experience. Having had experience with other Online Invigilation services, ACT was keen for the provider to offer a single point of contact for all services and to provide an exceptional candidate journey. In order to offer the combined technology solution of invigilation and testing, BTL partnered with ProctorExam who have developed an innovative solution which uses the candidate’s smartphone as a secondary viewpoint. Providing an additional candidate perspective is unique to the online invigilation market and significantly enhances test delivery security.
BTL and ProctorExam systems underpin the test delivery process rather than complicate it, and to further enhance the candidate experience, the service has been designed so that all communication comes from The ACT as the familiar point of contact.
On their experience so far, Janet Legge, Director of Awarding Body at The ACT commented:
“At The ACT we are committed to providing assessments which are of the highest quality, giving our candidates a great experience, and meeting the needs of our students who are based all over the world. Since moving our online assessment platform to Surpass, and utilising the online invigilation service, provided by ProctorExam, we are confident in the security and quality of our assessments, and the experience for students has improved significantly. Working only with BTL for a single end-to-end solution is extremely beneficial to The ACT, in that we have only one supplier to work with; the students are supported throughout the process by a team that understands the full solution, and it is cost-effective. We also appreciate the support that BTL have provided in working with our team to design a process that is based on our experience of what does and doesn’t work. In an industry where we are faced with significant firewalls and security measures, we have to have a solution that works for us and our students.”
Janet Legge, Director of Awarding Body at The ACT
As part of the process, in advance of the examination, candidates are invited to download the smartphone app, which is then used during the self-serve security and identity checks. The smartphone camera is a much more versatile means of scanning the candidate’s working environment and ensures all aspects of the room are checked. Once the exam starts, the second camera can record the whole room working alongside the candidate’s computer webcam and screen view.
With live invigilation, a trained invigilator is present for the duration of the test and monitors the candidate via both webcams, whereas with the record and review method, the invigilator reviews the dual-camera footage after the exam is complete. Both of these options present advantages to the awarding body; with live invigilation, issues can be resolved immediately during the examination, however, repetitive actions might not be as obvious as they are with record and review, which involves playback of footage at a higher speed.
Detailed reports are provided to the awarding organisation for auditing post-review, with all footage made available, giving the organisation complete control over decisions relating to potential malpractice.
Ceri Harper, Head of Test Delivery Services at BTL commented:
“We are delighted to have been given the opportunity to expand our already successful Test Delivery Services to include Online Invigilation. BTL has been providing a Test Centre Network for many years, but with some organisations under pressure not to take candidates away from their day job for too long or facing the challenge of having very distributed clusters of candidates, test centres just aren’t always suitable. Online Invigilation enables location independent testing, providing flexibility and convenience for candidates with the reassurance that the test is secure. Since launching the service with The ACT we’ve seen a huge amount of interest from the Surpass Community, and a number of pilots with long-standing customers are already underway.“
Ceri Harper, Head of Test Delivery Services at BTL
By choosing Surpass for the creation and delivery of assessments, alongside BTL’s already successful online invigilation service, organisations can build and securely deliver complex multi-part tests, using a variety of computer and human-marked item types, including support for over 50 languages in the intuitive Surpass test driver.
If you’re already a Surpass user and would be interested in a demo of BTL’s Online Invigilation technology, please get in touch with your Account Manager.
About The Association of Corporate Treasurers
The only professional treasury body with a Royal Charter, The Association of Corporate Treasurers (ACT) set the global benchmark for treasury excellence, leading the profession through their internationally recognised qualification.
Founded in 1979 by a small group of practitioners who recognised the need for a professional association due to the growing significance of treasury management, it had gained 378 members by later that same year. This success continued, and today, The ACT has over 5000 members and 2000 students in 87 countries, and in the UK, in 88% of the FTSE 100 companies.
With a mission to ‘embed the highest standards of professionalism and integrity in the treasury world, and act as its leading advocate’, The ACT enables and supports treasury professionals throughout their careers.
