TELEPSYCHOLOGY AND THE VIRTUAL PROCTORING/REMOTE supervision of assessments

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Telepsychology can be defined as “the provision of psychological services using telecommunication technologies”.

(Joint Task Force on the Development of Telepsychology Guidelines for Psychologists, 2013, p. 792)

This practice has been growing in popularity over the last few years and the recent Covid-19 pandemic has boosted the number of psychology professionals having to offer virtual services out of pure necessity. The practice of telepsychology has also raised questions around how to administer assessments virtually and what is acceptable practice. There has been a move to create both practice guidelines (Evans, 2018) and ethical guidelines to support the practice of telepsychology in South Africa (Chipise, et al., 2019), but there is very little guidance around the use of psychological tests. There is thus a clear need for guidance with regards to assessment supervision in the context of telepsychology.

This article aims to address three aspects of assessment supervision, namely:

In the following sections, we use the terms virtual proctoring and remote supervision interchangeably, to indicate the process of administration and completion of assessments under the supervision of a professional using video technology.

WHY SUPERVISION IS NECESSARY

While online assessments have been around for many years, the Covid-19 pandemic has forced us to re-examine the practice of assessment supervision and how it should be done in a world where social distancing, health risks, and isolation have become the new reality. The types of assessments that typically require some sort of supervision or face-to-face administration are cognitive assessments, those assessments used in high-stakes testing, assessments where the risk of cheating is high, and assessments that require behavioural observation.

Typically, these assessments are administered in person, although technologies do exist for the virtual or remote administration and supervision of tests. Many practitioners are in the position to offer virtual administration and proctoring of assessments through video channels such as MS Teams, Zoom, Skype, WhatsApp, or Hangouts (to name a few). While in many cases, this type of supervision would be a suitable alternative to in-person proctoring, there are some cases where it may not be.

When in-person supervision is required

There are certain situations that demand the use of in-person supervision over virtual proctoring to ensure that the above-mentioned points are in place. If the conditions below are present, we recommend that the administration and supervision of the assessment are done in person.

1. When the test owner specifically requires in-person supervision only for the administration of the test.
2. When the test taker requires physical assistance (e.g. people with certain disabilities).
3. When the test taker requires careful instruction, demonstration, and observation due to their ability to understand instructions (e.g. children).
4. When the test taker is likely to experience extreme anxiety or other negative effects using the video technology that would impact on their ability to perform on the assessment.
5. When internet connectivity and electricity supply are not consistent.
6. When the test taker is not computer literate or able to access and use the required technology on their own.
7. When an assessment/ assessment battery is administered to a group of people in one sitting.
8. When the test taker requires specialised equipment to complete the assessment (e.g. virtual reality).

Recommendations for remote supervision

When it is appropriate for remote supervision to be done, we have compiled some basic guidelines for practitioners to use based on our experience and the best practice recommendations provided by the American Psychological Association, British Psychological Society, International Test Commission, and Australian Psychological Society.

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Prior to the assessment

  1. Ensure that you as the practitioner are competent in the use of the required technology and understand exactly how the process will work before engaging with the test taker.
  2. Confirm the date and time with the test taker well in advance. Be sure to allow extra time for contingencies in the appointment booking.
  3. Ensure that the test taker has a stable network and the required technology requirements to support the remotely supervised session.
  4. Inform test takers of their rights and responsibilities. The International Test Commission has produced a very useful brochure for test takers to read before taking a technology-based test that practitioners can provide before the assessment (https://www.intestcom.org/files/test_taker_guide_brochure.pdf).
  5. Brief the test taker regarding the purpose and nature of the assessment, the assessment battery, time required, process of administration, and schedule, including any breaks.
  6. Check with the test taker if there is anything that might hinder their concentration or influence their performance in completing the assessment.
  7. Make sure that the test taker knows whether they need to download any software in order to be able to join the session and that they do so in advance.
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During the assessment

  1. Join the virtual session prior to the starting time.
  2. Check that the candidate has read all of the instructions and requirements before starting.
  3. Explain informed consent and confidentiality issues and limitations
  4. Obtain written informed consent (if the session is to be recorded, this must also be stipulated). This can be in the form of a digital signature or digital acceptance.
  5. Ensure that the candidate shares their screen with you.
  6. Make sure that they have read the instructions properly before starting the assessment.
  7. Stay available to the test taker throughout the session. Provide appropriate assistance as required.
  8. Keep yourself muted and your camera off during the assessment so not to introduce any additional distractions to the test taker.
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After the assessment

  1. Ensure that you obtain feedback on the virtual nature of the assessment. Provide any debriefing of the process if necessary.
  2. Record any anomalies in the testing process.
  3. Ensure that all psychological materials, including the recording of the session, are stored securely. The data storage should meet legal and professional standards regarding the protection of personal data and psychological information.

Resources

For the full list, please download the handout

APA Committee on Psychological Tests and Assessment. (2017, August). FAQ: Maintaining test security in the age of technology. https://www.apa.org/science/programs/testing/test-security-faq

British Psychological Society. (2020). Guidelines: Psychological assessment undertaken remotely. https://www.bps.org.uk/sites/www.bps.org.uk/files/Policy/Policy%20-%20Files/Psychological%20assessment%20undertaken%20remotely.pdf

Chipise, E., Wassenaar, D., & Wilkinson, A. (2019). Towards new ethics guidelines: the ethics of online therapy in South Africa. South African Journal of Psychology, 49(3) 337 –352. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0081246318811562

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