History

Prior to using an online proctoring service, CITL administered the delivery of invigilated exams for online courses in-person. There were significant challenges with this method, as many students were not located in urban centres and struggled to find appropriate exam sites and/or individuals to supervise their exams.

In 2012, Memorial initiated a pilot to use an online proctoring service so all students would have easy access to exam supervision. After a four-year pilot, ProctorU was chosen as Memorial’s online proctoring service provider. As part of this process, Memorial’s Information Access and Privacy (IAP) Office approved ProctorU’s privacy practices and protocols. ProctorU also completed a “cloud assessment,” which confirmed that their environment met Memorial’s security requirements.

Initially, online proctoring with ProctorU was only provided as an option to students who resided outside of Newfoundland and Labrador. In the Fall of 2018, this availability was extended. Online proctoring with ProctorU is now available to any student taking online courses that offer this option, provided they reside more than 80 kms away from St. John’s or Grenfell campus.

In the Fall of 2023, ProctorU launched its Guardian browser, a proprietary secure browser that was developed to facilitate online proctoring sessions through the ProctorU platform. The Guardian browser offers enhanced security measures and a streamlined exam launch process. As of Fall 2023, online proctored exams can no longer be done in third-party browsers such as Chrome or Firefox; users must download the Guardian browser to take their exams with ProctorU.