The invigilator app and some VUCA elements it triggers in students and lecturers during online examinations: a case study of an English studies module at UNISA

Abstract

This study reports on the experiences students registered for a first-year, undergraduate English Studies module and English Studies lecturers had with the Invigilator app during an online examination in the first semester of 2023. Current research indicates that e-proctoring induces anxiety and uncertainty in students when they write online examinations. However, there is a paucity of research on the VUCA elements that the Invigilator app triggers in students and in lecturers during online examinations. The study was informed by a critical data surveillance framing, and it used convenience sampling to collect data through semi-structured interviews with seven lecturers (n = 7) for various undergraduate English Studies modules. Additionally, it employed purposive sampling to collect data from five (n = 5) email queries sent by five first-year, undergraduate English Studies module students to their lecturers when they experienced problems with the Invigilator app during their online examination. The findings indicate that lecturers and students struggled with the Invigilator app as an e-proctoring tool. Future research should focus on other less-invasive and better AI-proof assessment methods of maintaining academic integrity in online assessments.