eExams with online supervision

If you have been scheduled with an off-campus final assessment, your eExams may also have a live online supervisor, depending on the assessment objectives, and whether it’s necessary to ensure academic integrity.

Our eExams with supervision are conducted by Monash-trained staff through our online supervision platform – Monash eVigilation.

How it works

After you log into the eAssessment platform, you’ll need to complete an online check-in process before you can start your eExam. Once you start the check-in process, your desktop and webcam activity will be recorded.

To start, click the Check in for exam button. You’ll then be prompted on screen to:

• review and acknowledge the exam terms and conditions
• share your speakers, microphone, webcam and your entire screen
• photograph and upload images of your exam space to ensure you’re working under exam conditions (this doesn't apply to everyone – you’ll be prompted on-screen if this is required).
• verify your identity by using your webcam to take a picture of your photo ID and face.

During your eExam, your Monash supervisor will have their webcam and microphone switched off, so it’s possible you won’t see or hear them. The supervisor is authorised to interrupt you at any time to ask you to refresh your webcam and screenshare connection, or to provide instructions related to your exam or any suspected breach of the exam rules. You must wear headphones during your supervised eExam so you can hear the online supervisor if they need to communicate with you.

If you want to speak to your online supervisor, click the Raise hand button and they’ll attend to you as soon as they can. You won’t be aware of other students being supervised, and they won’t be aware of you.

Setting up your exam space

To adhere to exam rules, you’ll need a space where you can sit your eExam under exam conditions (conditions that are very similar to what you’d expect in an assessment venue). It’s important that you set your space up in accordance with these conditions, as many off-campus eExams require you to complete a room scan as part of your pre-exam online check-in process:

• You’ll need a quiet, private room where you’re the only person present.
• Let your friends and family know that you’re sitting your exam and must not be interrupted. Interactions with others during your eExam will be flagged and reported to your faculty. Put a sign on your door asking people to come back later and turn your voicemail on.
• The room must have good lighting, but light must not shine directly onto your webcam.
• Study materials must be out of sight and out of arm's reach.
• Ensure there’s no writing, stickers or notes on your desk or computer.
• If you have dual monitors, remove one of the monitors – you’re only allowed to use one monitor in the exam.
• Make sure there are no unauthorised materials on the floor under your desk.

If you don’t meet these requirements, you may be flagged as being in breach of exam rules.

Privacy and security

Monash has designed and built its own eAssessment software platforms (eAssessment and eVigilation), which meet the University’s educational and cybersecurity standards, including the ability to conduct authentic assessment and maintain academic integrity at scale.

Monash is continually assessing and advising on the security and data protection and privacy aspects of our platforms to ensure the University is meeting its security, data protection, and privacy obligations while ensuring the maintenance of academic integrity.

What information we collect

Each time you sit a recorded eExam (with or without online supervision) we may also do the following:

• ask you to use your smartphone and a Monash-developed web app to take a series of photographs of your exam environment to ensure you’ve set up your location according to our exam space requirements
• take video screen captures of your computer and your eExam responses
• take and analyse video and audio recordings of you and any webchat written interactions with your online supervisor (if applicable) or exam support staff
• take a video recording of any handwritten exam responses
• take video recordings of you within your Monash campus exam location.

How the information is used

Where any of our systems or live monitoring identifies a suspected breach of exam conditions or an issue that prevented you from completing your exam, footage of your exam session and session logs may be referred to a Monash faculty administrator for investigation.

How we store and protect your information

All Monash eVigilation recordings and personal information are stored securely and entirely within Monash infrastructure. Regardless of where you sit your eExam, all data is securely stored within Australia only (just as it is when you sit for an exam in a Monash venue). Only authorised Monash staff have access to these recordings after your exam, and a strict process ensures they can use the information only for the purposes of investigating academic integrity matters and in accordance with Monash’s record-keeping obligations for examinations and assessments.

As usual, we require multi-factor authentication (MFA) when you log into eExams. MFA helps keep your personal information private and secure by requiring both a password and another means (factor) to verify your identity when you log in.