The ATA Chronicle - September/October 2021 - 38

CERTIFICATION FORUM by Michèle Hansen
Online Exam Proctoring:
Something Old, Something New
With the successful launch of ATA's online certification exam, we're
starting to ramp up capacity and open more spaces for candidates.1
(For basic information about the online exam, check out the Certification
Forum column in the July/August issue.2
) This expanded accessibility
to candidates opens possibilities for proctors as well, since they're no
longer limited by geography. Read on to learn more about this important
role and decide if you might be interested in becoming a proctor.
Proctoring Online
versus In Person:
What's the Difference?
A proctor's role is to (a)
ensure that the translations
produced are the candidate's
work alone, and (b) safeguard
the confidentiality of exam
passages. This means
monitoring what websites are
accessed by candidates during
the exam to verify that no
machine translation, email,
or chat rooms are used. (For a
complete list of resources that
are allowed or prohibited, see
ATA's website.3
)
Proctors at in-person
sittings check in candidates
and hand out envelopes
containing the passages
and the USB drives where
candidate's save their work.
Proctors announce the start
of the exam then walk around
the room observing screens
and monitoring behavior for
the three-hour exam period.
Once time is up, they collect
the USB drives and papers
and check that nothing has
been saved on candidates'
computers. The head proctor
returns all exam materials to
ATA Headquarters.
Proctors at online sittings
have a more focused role.
ExamRoom.AI, the remote
online proctoring company
ATA partnered with, performs
the " onboarding " steps
of checking identification,
reviewing our exam rules
(which candidates already
received by email and agreed
to when they registered), and
logging candidates in to start
the exam. The proctor's job
begins at that point.
Online exam security
is significant, through a
combination of artificial
intelligence (AI) and live
proctors. Proctors view
candidates and their
screens remotely and can
communicate with candidates
to warn them if they engage in
prohibited behavior. It's much
easier to monitor website
use online than in person,
and the AI records every
exam and flags prohibited
behavior. Flagged behaviors
can be reviewed with the exam
recording later if needed.
Candidates' translations
are saved automatically and
candidates' screens have a
countdown timer showing
their remaining time, so
online proctors don't have
to track the time. Because
all materials are online,
proctors are not responsible
38 The ATA Chronicle | September/October 2021
for sending anything to
ATA Headquarters.
The main difference
between an online and inperson
exam for candidates
and proctors alike is that the
staff at ExamRoom.AI serve
as the direct contact and
" first-line " proctors. They
know the system and can
answer all technical questions
quickly. They also have ATA's
guidelines and can answer
basic questions about our
exam rules. ATA proctors can
hear verbal exchanges and
communicate with vendor
staff to relay responses if
needed. Our proctors also
communicate anything they
want to flag to the vendor
staff via private chat.
How Do You Qualify
to Proctor?
ATA proctors for the online
exam must be ATA-certified
translators (CTs). CTs who
plan to test in another
language pair may not
proctor in the year they will
take the exam. Proctors are
paid a $75 honorarium for
each exam sitting and must
attend a training session to
learn about the new online
modality to be eligible.
Once trained, proctors
sign up for predetermined
sittings (i.e., online dates
and times scheduled by ATA
Headquarters). Spots are
opened to candidates based
on the number of proctors
available: currently, at a 5:1
candidate-to-proctor ratio.
Where Do You Sign Up?
We're very proud of our
proctors' dedicated service to
our program! ATA would not
be able to offer a certification
exam, in person or online,
without these key actors. If
you're a certified translator
and interested in helping
fellow translators by joining
their ranks, please contact
Caron Bailey, ATA's
Certification Program
manager, at certification@
atanet.org to learn more.
NOTES
1
For a list of available
exam sittings, see https://
bit.ly/ATA-exam-schedule.
2
Hansen, Michèle. " The
Online Exam Is Here! "
(The ATA Chronicle, July/
August 2021) https://bit.ly/
ATAonline-exam.
3
ATA Computerized Exam
Online Resource List:
What's Permitted and
What's Not, http://bit.ly/
ATA-exam-resources.
Michèle
Hansen, CT is
chair of ATA's
Certification
Committee. An
ATA-certified French>English
translator and editor since
1990, she specializes in the
health-related international
development, medical, and
pharmaceutical sectors.
She previously served as
administrator of ATA's French
Language Division. michele@
globalhealthlanguage.com
www.atanet.org
http://www.ExamRoom.AI https://bit.ly/ATA-exam-schedule https://bit.ly/ATA-exam-schedule https://bit.ly/ATAonline-exam https://bit.ly/ATAonline-exam http://bit.ly/ATA-exam-resources http://bit.ly/ATA-exam-resources http://www.ExamRoom.AI http://www.atanet.org
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