The Invigilator, an entry-level smartphone application used to monitor online and remote assessments was co-founded by CA(SA) Nicholas Riemer and has taken positive impact and influence to new heights by ranking first on the App stores.

This ground-breaking innovation has conducted over 1.5 million assessments and is the number one most downloaded education application in South Africa in 2021 and in 2022, to date. The application is used by 20 education entities, including the University of South Africa, University of Johannesburg and the University of Cape Town, to name a few.

Launched in 2020, The Invigilator is a tool that mitigates the risk of unethical behaviour during online assessments and examinations, using non-invasive Artificial Intelligence (AI) to prohibit collusion and cheating. Unlike international proctoring systems, The Invigilator was specifically designed to address the socio-economic challenges of an unequal society through an inclusive technology solution.

“The Invigilator was built and priced so that South African universities and schools can move to continuous assessment, improving teaching and learning in South Africa. The creation of The Invigilator meant students could continue writing exams and assessments remotely while in lockdown and can reduce the cost of education going forward due to no physical venue constraints,” explains Riemer.

The Invigilator allows for monitoring of students through an entry-level smartphone and runs AI algorithms to generate automated reports for lecturers should there be any unethical behaviour detected through facial recognition, microphone recordings and GPS mapping. 

Developed with South Africa’s socio-economic challenges in mind, the application does not need a constant internet connection, allowing it to work anywhere in the country and thus enabling students to study for the qualification of their choice from a location that is convenient to them.

“Taking The Invigilator to its full potential inspires and drives me, and as a team, we will not rest until we are one of the biggest educational technology companies in the world,” says Riemer.

Nicholas Riemer is also SAICA’s 2021 Top 35-under-35 overall winner and is proudly making a difference as a young leader.