Terms Of Use SMOWL

Terms of use for SMOWL remote supervision exam

SMOWL is a Spanish provider of remote supervision software, whose data processing takes place on AWS servers. This data processing is covered by an adequacy decision of the EU Commission since 11 July 2023.
You can only take the Remote Supervision exam with SMOWL if you have completed a registration or if your application for the Remote Supervision exam has been accepted.
You can only take the SMOWL remote supervision exam if you accept the terms of use (here) and the exam guidelines.

This software is currently being tested. Details will be clarified or researched over the next 2 months. Questions to e-pruefungen@tu-darmstadt.de.

SMOWL is released for voluntary use. For some Master's entrance exams, its use is strongly recommended.
In some cases, exam administrators may give you a choice between Proctorio and SMOWL, but you will have to decide which software to use on the day of the exam. However, it is common practice to require the use of the remote access software. Further details are given in the examination course.

Preparation and behaviour during the SMOWL remote supervision exam

No talking is allowed during the exam:
- Behave as you would during an on-site examination.
- Unprompted talking may be interpreted by the examiner as an attempt to cheat.
Adjust the front camera correctly. Pay particular attention to the following points:
- The shot should include the whole face and part of the upper body.
- The shot must be frontal.
- The shot must be well lit. Make sure shutters, lights, etc. are set correctly beforehand.
- Test your computer setup with a camera application or zoom session
- Failure to follow the recording rules may be interpreted as an attempt to cheat or may result in the exam being cancelled.
The smartphone camera must be set correctly.
- The field of view should cover the work area (mouse, keyboard, monitors and other permitted aids).
- Your head can be seen from the side, it is sufficient if you are recognisable in some way.
- The position of the smartphone camera is usually to the side of you, so that all requirements can be met.
- The desktop is to be shared and recorded.
Recommendation: It is best to have a second input device in case the first one stops working. Otherwise you will not be able to type during the exam.
Recommendation: Write down on a piece of paper the technical support hotline number provided in the course in the event of a network failure.

Moodle and SMOWL:

SMOWL will never automatically disqualify you from an exam. Any attempts on cheating will be decided by the exam administrator.
In the event of a disconnection or similar: You will always be able to re-enter the exam until the exam has been submitted, unless the exam administrator decides otherwise.
You must be using a Chromium-based browser. Examples: Chrome, Edge, Chromium,...
You agree to install and not tamper with SMOWL.
You agree that SMOWL will record your webcam, computer microphone, desktop, browser history and programs executed on your device during the exam and encrypt them with a symmetric key from the exam course. The encrypted data is stored in a European data centre in the Amazon cloud. Only the Exam Administration and Remote Vigilance Administration and the SMOWL server farm in Spain, which performs the post-processing, have unencrypted access to this data. The processed data is stored in encrypted form in the Amazon cloud and is not available to the cloud operator. *You agree that the recordings may be filtered for suspected cheating and reviewed by the Examination Office. Any incriminating recorded material will be used as evidence in cases of suspected cheating.
When using SMOWL, the number of screens may be limited. If not specified in the examination guidelines, you may use multiple monitors.
Turning off your webcam, smartphone camera or microphone during the exam will be considered an attempt to cheat.
If the webcam, smartphone camera or microphone fails due to a technical problem, this may result in the exam attempt being cancelled.
You acknowledge that SMOWL gives little feedback about cheating during the exam.
All incidents will be analysed afterwards. All decisions regarding the outcome will be made by the exam administration. *SMOWL will review your behaviour and highlight any anomalies. Behave appropriately in accordance with the permitted assistive devices.
SMOWL will record if you move out of the field of view of the cameras. The auditor will check the logs to see if the absence was authorised.
SMOWL will examine your user behaviour in terms of audio levels, conversations and interaction with the browser and programs to detect anomalies.
SMOWL and Exam Moodle provide information about your internet connection and location to the exam administration. If several people are using the same internet connection, their submissions will be compared particularly closely.
The data collected by SMOWL will be deleted once any outstanding cases of cheating, conditionally passed exams and appeals have been resolved.
The traffic data and log entries collected by the Moodle examination instance will be deleted once all appeals, incidents of cheating and conditional examinations have been resolved.
Access to the data collected by SMOWL must be requested from the Examination Office.
The settings for SMOWL are published in the Examination Guidelines.

Support meeting via Zoom and hotline

A Zoom meeting and/or telephone hotline can be set up as a feedback channel for technical problems.
The hotline is reserved for serious problems, i.e. where the network connection is so poor that the Zoom meeting cannot be accessed for troubleshooting.
The examiner can specify in the exam guidelines whether the meeting is mandatory or voluntary. If nothing is specified, it is voluntary.
Questions must be submitted via chat.
Unless otherwise instructed, the camera and microphone must be switched off in the support meeting.
You must have a Zoom account with a TU Campus licence to join the support meeting. The campus licence for Zoom is set up via the HRZ: Zoom X HRZ
Questions about content will only be answered in exceptional cases. Questions of understanding will be answered. These should be addressed to the examiner via Zoom chat.
Announcements during the examination will be made via Zoom Chat and, if necessary, a verbal reminder will be given to pay attention to the chat.
The invigilator reserves the right to take chat histories, screenshots or video clips if there is a strong suspicion of cheating.
In the case of individual problems caused by external factors such as construction noise, etc., the invigilator or the board of examiners must be informed and they will record the incident. The chief examiner will decide how to proceed.
Toilet visits must be reported to the proctor via Zoom Chat and will be approved or arranged by the proctor. Report back when you return on your desk/exam.
You must comply with all instructions relating to the assessment immediately upon request.

Identity check

Please note: The SMOWL registration process also applies to SMOWL demo exams. Always complete the registration carefully!
The registration is available if you have signed up for the remotely supervised exam in step 2.
A photograph of you and your photo ID will be taken once at the start of the test/exam.
The combination of a video recording sequence, picture of your face and photo ID will be compared once by SMOWL.
This combination is used as a reference material to compare the footage of you during the exam. After the examination, the examiner receives feedback on the cases that could not be decided positively automatically and must review them.
If necessary, a follow-up ID verification session will be arranged. Student ID and official photo ID must be presented. The meeting requires the use of the Zoom Campus licence.

Illnesses

In case of illness, a medical certificate must be presented before the exam. Cancellations at a later date will not be considered. If you fall ill during the exam, you must provide a doctor's certificate. *Candidates who are in quarantine will be asked to sit the exam by remote invigilation only.

By entering the exam, you confirm that you will complete the submissions for the exam alone and without the assistance of others. You will not use any unauthorised aids. More detailed rules on aids and sources can be found in the Examination Guidelines.