Before you start
SMOWL is a quality assurance tool that provides the evidence generated to the institution for evaluation. In no case SMOWL will decide whether a user passes or fails the activity. |
Smowltech provides a monitoring service for online activities. This monitoring collects evidence and allows teaching staff or administrators to set alert levels or filters to classify the evidence taken as incidents during the activity.
This evidence can be found in the activity report of our tool.
Your institution can set up personalized filters for activities and courses. If you want to personalize our reports, you can always use our API for communication with Web Services. You will find more information about it in our API documentation portal. |
In case you have any doubts on how you want to configure these filters, our support team will help you to find the best possible solution.
Course filters
When checking the results of a course or an activity, the filters marked at entity level are loaded by default. However, we can customize these filters for a specific course or activity.
In case you want to apply personalized filters for your entire entity, please contact Smowltech |
To customize the monitoring filters within a course you must access the course and then go to the activity report generated by our tool.
Within the course/activity report you will find a button in the top right corner for Filter settings.
In the tab you will find the filters according to the type of monitoring within the course.
When applying changes this setting is saved for all activities within the same course.
By pressing Reset to default, filters will be configured according to the institution management.
Activity’s filter management
As with the configuration of filters at course level, the configuration of filters at activity level is done within the Activity Report of our tool, selecting a specific activity within a course.
Once the filters are configured within the activity and the changes are applied, they will be reflected only within that activity, without affecting the report of the rest of the activities of the course.
Camera monitoring filter
In the configuration we will find two columns: incidents and configuration problems. These columns compile the different filters that will mark the display of results.
They also include a box with a modifiable number. This number is the minimum number of captures that can be given to mark the result of the monitoring of incidents.
For example, if in the filter configuration problem we assign a minimum of three pictures, it will be marked as incidence in the incident report if we detect three or more captures like that. On the other hand, if there were only two captures with this issue, these two would be marked individually in the full report, but not in the incident report.
Camera incidences
Below, you will find a small detail of what each of the marked filters means. Within the column of incidents we will find:
Incorrect User: User does not match the images in the register.
Several people detected: More than one total or partial person on camera.
Absent user: No one in front of the camera.
Covered webcam: Covered webcam obstructing proper monitoring.
Navigation in other tabs: When an activity has only camera monitoring, SMOWL will indicate that the user has switched tabs and left the exam page.
Incidences with lighting and/or positioning: User badly lit or in a position that does not allow to validate correctly the monitoring of the user.
Banned Elements: The user appears on camera with headphones, mobile phone or other electronic device not allowed during the activity.
Suspicious behaviour: The user behaves suspiciously after an incident as described above, indicating that it may still be effective. For example, several people have been detected in one of the screenshots and later the user is seen talking to an off-camera person.
Min. Correct images required: This filter indicates the minimum number of images required to signal the monitoring as valid.
Configuration problems
On the other hand, in the configuration problems column we will find a series of filters specific to the user's configuration for monitoring an activity.
Webcam rejected: The user has not granted permission in his browser for camera monitoring during the activity.
Configuration problem: SMOWL detected a problem in the camera configuration.
Webcam not detected: The user is accessing the activity without a camera connected to his computer.
Webcam blocked by another app: The camera is being used by another application making it impossible for SMOWL to perform proper monitoring.
Unsupported Browser: The user has accessed the activity from a browser not supported by SMOWL.
External camera incidents
External camera filters work same way frontal camera does, in addition to all the incidents you can set an alarm for you will detect a new option in the incident column:
Webcam in wrong possitioning: The user didn’t place the camera correctly during the monitoring.
Computer monitoring filters “SMOWL CM”
For desktop monitoring we can differentiate between allowed programs and allowed actions.
Allowed programs
Allowed programs refer to the type of programs that the user may have open during the activity. The monitoring of this will be collected and if they are marked as allowed they will not be shown as an incidence in the review of results. Among the allowed programs we can find:
Text Editor: Text document elaboration programs, such as Microsoft Word or Office.
PDF reader: Programs that allow you to open or edit files in PDF format, such as Adobe Acrobat Reader, among others.
Spreadsheet: Programs for creating tables and spreadsheets, such as Microsoft Excel.
Mail: E-mail management software installed on the device, such as Outlook.
Communication and/or conference tools: Those programs designed to make personal or group calls/video calls such as Skype, Zoom or Discord.
Virtual webcam: Tools that allow an external device, such as a smartphone, to be used as the computer's camera. This can be found in programmes such as OBS Studio.
File System: Tools for managing files on a device, the most common of which are Finder and Windows Explorer.
Music Player: Local or streaming music players such as iTunes or Spotify.
Slide Viewer: Software for making and reading presentations such as Microsoft PowerPoint.
Screenshot: Tools that allow live screen capture from a device such as OBS Studio.
Remote Control Software: Software that allows remote control of a device, such as Teamviewer or Anydesk.
Pentesting tools: Tools for security analysis of a device such as Burp Suite or OWASP ZAP.
Code editor: Code editors within an operating system.
Virtual Machine: Programs that allow an operating system to be used inside another operating system as a virtual machine, such as Virtualbox or Vmware.
Database Clients: Database management and/or database reading software, such as HeidiSQL.
Allowed actions
Marking actions as allowed will show these actions in the results and will not be counted as an incident.
For example, if it is marked as allowed to have more than two screens during the activity, it will be shown if the user is using two screens, but they will not be counted as a monitoring incident. Within allowed actions we can find:
Web Navigation: Navigation between tabs/windows while performing the online activity.
Virtual Machine Usage: Performing the activity from a virtual machine on a device.
Virtual Webcam: Performing the activity with a virtual camera.
Multiple Screens: Use of multiple peripheral screens during the activity.
Copy-Paste: Allow or disallow the action of copying and/or pasting text.
Other programs or apps executed: Use of other programs during the activity.
Early Close: Close the SMOWL CM desktop monitoring tool before the end of the activity.
Once the desired filters have been selected, they can be automatically displayed in the activity result.