Preparing for the Unknown
As we enter 2022, we face continued uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. And while we know that pandemics typically occur in waves and viruses often mutate to form new variants, we don’t exactly know what the future will hold or how it will impact the higher education and professional testing markets.
When evaluating your ongoing response to the pandemic, consider what you can – and can’t – control. Since access to your exams is critical to helping your test-takers achieve their goals, you need to be prepared. One of the best ways to ensure you’ll be able to act quickly and confidently under pressure is to ask questions – early and often. Here are a few that can help guide your plan:
- How does your organization see the future, and how do others in your market see the future?
- How do you think test-taker behavior will evolve in response to the pandemic?
- How can you help define the new normal for test-takers?
- Do you have a cohesive business continuity plan in place to mitigate the impact of potential service disruptions?
No matter what 2022 has in store, one thing is sure: We must reflect on lessons learned and apply those lessons moving forward. Not only do we need to plan for the future, but we should also consider what we already know. So, as we reflect on the past two years and prepare for the upcoming one, we’ve made four key observations.
Observation 1: Online testing is here to stay.
Test-takers now expect – and will continue to demand – the convenience and flexibility provided by online testing and remote proctoring. It’s non-negotiable; we must keep providing a secure, equitable online testing experience for people around the world. Watch this video to hear four leaders in professional testing discuss the future of assessment.
Observation 2: Exam success requires more than just good software.
As the world continues to operate online, organizations have to be sure their testing provider can scale to meet the needs of their business. To do so, the provider must have:
- Offices around the world
- A global network of trained, certified proctors and support staff who are singularly focused on their individual roles
- Intuitive software
- Quality control measures and a culture of continuous improvement
Check out this video to learn how we’ve provided scalable business continuity throughout the pandemic.
“Once we switched to ProctorU [now Meazure Learning], our system was able to handle the volume again, and we caught up with the pent-up demand from the test-center shutdown.”
Georg Gottschalk, Vice President of Training and Certification at MuleSoft
Observation 3: Crises often create opportunities for progress.
To safeguard your organization’s future and test-takers, you must follow the three As: assess, adapt, and apply. Organizations that learn from crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic emerge better prepared to handle future problems. Read our blog series “Can It Scale? Online Proctoring in a Pandemic” for insight into our initial and ongoing responses to COVID-19.
Observation 4: Flexible and innovative partners are invaluable.
You must have a resilient partner who’s willing to pivot and adapt to meet the evolving needs of your test-takers. Even before the pandemic began, online testing and remote proctoring had gained prominence as secure and convenient alternatives to traditional brick-and-mortar assessment. In “Learning from Experience: 7 Improvements We Made to Serve You Better in 2021,” you’ll discover some of the sweeping changes we’ve made to be a better partner.
“Business continuity is … something we all need to take seriously. And while some say it’s unlikely for another pandemic like this to happen in our lifetime, other events requiring business continuity planning are fairly certain to happen. Meazure has been a great partner who has shown commitment to [the] success of our mutual customers and flexibility to pivot and innovate together to optimize our user experience.”
Mikhail Vaysbukh, Chief Product Officer and Senior Vice President of eLearning Solutions at Elsevier
Moving Forward
As 2021 ends and we spend time reflecting on the past to plan for a better 2022, these questions and observations are critical to consider. But they’re also good reminders about how to respond to future unforeseen events. And even though we don’t have a crystal ball or a magic wand, we do know that despite future uncertainty, we can continue moving test-takers forward if we all make the necessary preparations now.