Zoom "Focus Mode" for Exam Proctoring

Hint: It is highly recommended that you practice and experience this with a group of colleagues prior to the actual implementation involving your students.

Zoom's Focus Mode may be a practical option for live exam proctoring. Once enabled, the Focus Mode will allow the host (instructor) to see all the participants (students), or their screens, but the participants can only see the host (and the co-host, if any). Participants can unmute their microphone to ask questions from the host and everyone can hear them (which resembles student asking a question in the middle of the exam, in a face-to-face classroom, if something is unclear). 

You may enable this feature by going to your Zoom web portal: zoom.us >scroll down a bit to see and click on Sign in with Google > go to 'Settings' > under 'In Meeting (Advanced), turn on the Focus Mode: 

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1. In the Zoom meeting, under the 'More' button, find the Focus Mode option to start it: 

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2. Adjust the share screen settings, so if you ask a student to share their screen, it will just be visible to you (the host). To do so, expand the 'Share Screen' option, by clicking on the little arrow next to it, and choose 'Advanced Sharing Options'. 

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3. Choose the option 'Multiple participants can share simultaneously...'. As you will see, the rest of the options will be greyed out and no longer editable. 

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4. While in Focus Mode, you can ask the participants to share their screens. From the 'View Options' menu, you can view which students are sharing their screen with you, and you can toggle back and forth between them. Alternatively, you may stop their screen sharing by clicking on "Stop Participant's Sharing". 

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5. To end the Focus Mode, click on the 'More' button again. Click 'Stop Focus Mode'. All participants (students) should be able to see each other now. 

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