Online exam proctoring technologies: Educational innovation or deterioration?

Abstract During the coronavirus disease‐2019 (Covid‐19) pandemic, many universities have adopted online exam proctoring technologies to monitor and control an increasing number of student cheating incidents. Although it looks like a natural and effective solution for a fair assessment of student online learning performance, the authors argue that proctoring technologies are rooted in problematic assumptions about educational fairness and authoritarian pedagogical approaches. The authors have conducted a qualitative case study in a large‐sized, top‐tier university in South Korea to investigate the negative impacts of adopting proctoring technologies on student subjectivities, pedagogical relationships and educational outcomes, which have not been fully discussed in previous studies. By utilising Foucault's theorisation of disciplinary governmentality, the authors effectively demonstrate that the binary subjectification of students as cheaters and the cheated has degraded the value of student engagement in university education whilst creating more competitive and distrusting relationships amongst students and between students and teachers. Nevertheless, without challenging the unethical consequences of online proctoring technologies or fundamentally unfair social and educational systems, students willingly accept and adopt them as docile bodies, which has led to educational deterioration rather than innovation. Practitioner notes What is already known about this topic There is an increasing number of online exam proctoring technologies available with advanced technical features. During the coronavirus disease‐2019 (Covid‐19) pandemic, many universities have adopted online exam proctoring technologies with exam‐related policies and regulations to stop student cheating behaviours. Previous studies have discussed both advantages and disadvantages of adopting online exam proctoring technologies, including specific ethical concerns. What this paper adds Online exam proctoring technologies are deeply rooted in problematic educational approaches such as teacher‐centred knowledge transmission. The adoption of online exam proctoring technologies has produced negative impacts on student subjectivities, pedagogical relationships and educational outcomes. Focusing on student cheating as an individual and interpersonal problem neglects the more fundamental issue of social and educational inequality. Implications for practice and/or policy The negative consequences and damages created by the adoption of online exams and online exam proctoring technologies need to be carefully reflected. The notion of academic fairness needs to be approached with a broader perspective, considering the different social and academic circumstances each student is in. It is essential to critically engage students with the broader conversation about educational fairness to develop them as critical thinkers and future leaders in their chosen fields.