Study.com webcam/proctoring software question

[AwardTour]

My webcam just arrived. I purchased it on Amazon.com and it was relatively cheap. Maybe it was too cheap lol, you get what you pay for and all of that.......

My question:
Does the Study.com proctoring software indicate if it is currently recording or not? My webcam does not have a status light or anything on the hardware to indicated that it is powered on. It looks the same on or off/plugged in or unplugged. Does the SDC software maybe have a postage stamp size copy of the real-time video output in the corner of the screen or something like that?

My concern is that if the cam goes off or is accidentally disconnected during a test and that I might not be aware of it. The software probably has error handling and relays errors to the end user. I just want to get a sense of how things are before I begin with SDC. 

Thanks.

[bjcheung77]

You just need to make sure it's working before you run their PSI Secure Browser (RPNOW software).
This is how I do things when I do the RPNOW exam with Study.com

1) Your webcam actually works, meaning you can use Windows 10 and see yourself pretty clearly.
2) Run the RPNOW software, it'll show what it captures on the upper right corner of the screen.
3) You need to "speak" so the system knows your mic is working properly so it can capture that.
4) The final thing it does is to make sure you don't have a secondary display and programs running.
5) Actually, you need to show your ID, do a room scan, and lastly, get a mugshot photo taken.

[AwardTour]

You just need to make sure it's working before you run their PSI Secure Browser (RPNOW software).
This is how I do things when I do the RPNOW exam with Study.com  

1) Your webcam actually works, meaning you can use Windows 10 and see yourself pretty clearly.
2) Run the RPNOW software, it'll show what it captures on the upper right corner of the screen.
3) You need to "speak" so the system knows your mic is working properly so it can capture that.
4) The final thing it does is to make sure you don't have a secondary display and programs running.
5) Actually, you need to show your ID, do a room scan, and lastly, get a mugshot photo taken.

Thanks, this is the type of reply I was looking for. Also, because RPNOW does not have a live proctor watching you I hope the ID submission is not too problematic. In the past with a live proctor you would know if the initial requirements like ID submission were satisfied before you could proceed.

[suzycupcake]

Thanks, this is the type of reply I was looking for. Also, because RPNOW does not have a live proctor watching you I hope the ID submission is not too problematic. In the past with a live proctor you would know if the initial requirements like ID submission were satisfied before you could proceed.

They make you take a pic with your webcam of the Photo ID and then they show it back to you and say something like "Is it legible? Can we clearly see your photo and the info on it to know it's you?"

Hope that helps!

[AwardTour]

Thanks, this is the type of reply I was looking for. Also, because RPNOW does not have a live proctor watching you I hope the ID submission is not too problematic. In the past with a live proctor you would know if the initial requirements like ID submission were satisfied before you could proceed.

They make you take a pic with your webcam of the Photo ID and then they show it back to you and say something like "Is it legible? Can we clearly see your photo and the info on it to know it's you?"

Hope that helps!

It does, thanks.

[AwardTour]

If anyone is curious:

My webcam is just too grainy. While I am at minimum spec based on looking at Proctor U's site (just as a reference), the 640x480 resolution is just too poor. You get what you pay for. I am going with Proctor U's recommended specs so I just ordered a new 1280x720 webcam. I know SDC is not using Proctor U, I am just using their recommended specs as a reference.

https://support.proctoru.com/hc/en-us/ar...proctored-

[bjcheung77]

Before you return or purchase a new one, did you go into your settings and see if you can change the resolution around for the Camera?  This is what I get with my very old Dell Laptop on Windows 10.  See picture below...

https://i.imgur.com/bCcYjaY.jpg

[AwardTour]

Before you return or purchase a new one, did you go into your settings and see if you can change the resolution around for the Camera?  This is what I get with my very old Dell Laptop on Windows 10.  See picture below...

https://i.imgur.com/bCcYjaY.jpg

Thanks for the reply, unfortunately 640x480 30fps is the highest setting my cheap webcam can go to. The new one I just purchased today online should do the job.

[Merlin]

I know you're looking at getting another webcam, but there is actually a great tool that people can use to text that their webcam will work with ProctorU or RPnow. It is a website called WebcamToy. It uses the same interfaces that those two applications use to access the webcam so it is a great way to test that everything works as expected.

It's a little gem I picked up from the support folks at ProctorU, so I figured I'd share it while I am thinking about it.

[AwardTour]

I know you're looking at getting another webcam, but there is actually a great tool that people can use to text that their webcam will work with ProctorU or RPnow. It is a website called WebcamToy. It uses the same interfaces that those two applications use to access the webcam so it is a great way to test that everything works as expected.

It's a little gem I picked up from the support folks at ProctorU, so I figured I'd share it while I am thinking about it.

Awesome, thanks for sharing that Merlin. I am going to use that before I take my first Final Exam so I can test my new cam.