campus security: [august 2008]
Published: 07/25/2008
- New Systems Keep a Close Eye on Online Students at Home
From the article of the same name by: Foster, Andrea L., Chronicle of Higher Education - In preparation for the modified Higher Education Act, which will likely become law this fall, some colleges that offer online courses are testing technologies that verify remote students' identities. A small paragraph in the HEA, intended to combat cheating, calls for an institution with online programs to prove that the person who does the work in a course is the enrolled student.
Troy University in Alabama has been piloting the Securexam Remote Proctor, which plugs into a standard port on a home computer. It has a mirrored sphere suspended above a small pedestal, which encompasses a groove for scanning fingerprints, a small microphone, and a camera. The technology confirms whether the student's digital fingerprint and picture match those taken at registration. Then, the exam pops up in a course-management system and the student is barred from accessing anything else online. Pennsylvania State University's online division, known as World Campus, is experimenting with another system called Webassessor, which employs proctors, Web cameras, and software that identifies students' typing styles, such as their speed and whether they pause between particular letters. If the keystroke pattern or the student's image do not match those provided at registration, the student is prohibited from taking the test. Multiple colleges are testing a system from Acxiom Corporation that collects data from a variety of sources, such as criminal files and property records, and uses that information to question students about their previous addresses or employers. If students give the right answer, they may take an online exam.
For all these new devices, students are responsible for covering the cost. The colleges using the technology contend that it enables students to take exams anytime, anywhere, whereas now they must go to a specific location where a proctor is watching. However, opponents worry that the technology violates students' privacy and may be too costly.
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