Over 42,000 students are taking the exams from Monday to Thursday across the region. This initiative aims to strengthen controls against new forms of academic fraud linked to advanced digital technologies, specifically targeting almost imperceptible devices like micro-earpieces, active mobile phones, and AI-powered glasses that facilitate unauthorized communication.
Rosa de la Fuente, Vice-Rector for Students at the Complutense University of Madrid, explained that institutional concern focuses on devices that evade conventional visual inspection. The detectors will be used randomly to locate radiofrequency signals without disrupting the normal exam process.
“"When a proctor activates the detector and it identifies a potential signal, the device will vibrate as an indicator. If the device cannot be precisely located or reasonable doubts persist, the proctor can reposition themselves in the classroom to confirm and pinpoint the detection more accurately."
The Complutense University has emphasized that any action taken against alleged fraud will adhere to a guarantor protocol respecting student rights. In cases of substantiated suspicion, the exam will be flagged, and the student will be allowed to continue until the relevant tribunal assesses the facts, thus preserving the presumption of innocence.
These measures aim to ensure equal merit among all students participating in the PAU, a crucial test for access to higher education.
University centers have developed these special measures with advice from secondary education institutes, responding to the proliferation of sophisticated digital tools that can be misused in academic settings. The Vice-Rector acknowledged that technology evolves rapidly and the protocol will require periodic revisions, though she is confident in the system's deterrent effect.
Classroom proctors have received specific instructions to exercise more active surveillance during exams, significantly more intense than in previous calls, with particular attention to behaviors that might have previously gone unnoticed.
The Complutense University views this implementation as a pilot experience to test the operational effectiveness of the detectors and evaluate their future application in subsequent PAU calls.
