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Online Colleges Could Spy On Students – By Law
skeazer writes "Tucked away in a 1,200-page bill now in Congress is a small paragraph that could lead distance-education institutions to require spy cameras in their students' homes. It sounds Orwellian, but the paragraph — part of legislation renewing the Higher Education Act — is all but assured of becoming law by the fall. No one in Congress objects to it."
Spy camera? Not quite. They're basically just posing a "Hold up a picture of yourself with today's local newspaper so we know you are where you say you are." type challenge to prove that when you sit down for a high-stakes college exam, you are who you say you are.
It's not like they're requiring your iSight camera be on 24/7. So this sensational headline doesn't match the story. Nothing to see here. Move along.
That's all, it doesn't require cameras, just that they can prove who is doing the work. It could be as simple as still requiring the student to go to a proctor to take an exam. There's nothing like trying to make something seem worse than it is. This poster is just like the media. Here's the answer. If you are going to take a class where they require you have a camera on you in the house and you don't like that, take the class somewhere else.
A man with a gun is called a citizen. A man without a gun is called a subject.
TFA is saying that distance-colleges have to have some way to verify that the person on the computer is the person who signed up for the course. This could be a camera, or a fingerprint scanner, a typing analysis program, a photo, or a combo of the above. It's not spying 24/7 or anything like that, just using the devices during some assignments.
"World Campus, the online arm of the Pennsylvania State University system, is testing another system called Webassessor. It uses proctors, Web cameras, and software that recognizes students' typing styles, such as their speed and whether they pause between certain letters. Students purchase the cameras for $50 to $80 apiece. They allow proctors to view a student's face, keyboard, and workspace.
The Phoenix-based provider of the system, Kryterion Inc., employs proctors who remotely observe and listen to as many as 50 students at a time. If the keystroke pattern of a student who is taking an exam does not match the one he or she provided at registration, or if the image of a student taking an exam does not match a digital photograph that the student provided at enrollment, then the student cannot start the exam. A proctor can also stop a student who is acting suspiciously from completing an exam. Students must have a broadband connection to use the service."
I almost NEVER type at the same speed unless I am on a ROLL, and I rarely hit my max of 60+ wpm anymore, especially since I was last connected to FRED, that east-coast-based computer that tracked our Radioman Teletype testing performance in RM "A" School at the (now former) NTC/SSC, San Diego, back in early 1986.
So, how are these proctor exam software expecting to dupe schools, donors, and tax payers into believing that a supposedly critical component -- typing speed/pattern matching -- is realistic. All it takes is pondering, realizing - worrying, being distracted in many and any kinds of ways - to variously and non-deterministically disrupt the pattern-matching algorithm.
Previously: "Linux... Toward the Sunrise..." Now: "Linux... Toward the-- No, now, part of Every Sunrise"
Well I did read the article, and it is a clear cut case of FUD. The law says only that these schools must be able to prove that the person enrolled is the person doing the work.
All that crap about requiring them to put cameras in students homes is just some disingenuous person trying to claim that that is what it would take, because they don't think colleges have that verification responsibility.
What this really comes down to is that most distance learning institutions require students to take their exams at a testing center, where they provide identification and are under the observation of a proctor. And those that don't are raising a fuss because they would prefer not to pay for that.
FUD is exactly what it is -- the are proposing the most ridiculous solution that they can think of to bring them into compliance with such a law, because they would prefer not to have to comply at all.
If fate makes you a motorcycle, you become a motorcycle.
Actually, there are several laws, (or i guess rules would be a better word). Many federal exams, like one you fill out during the process of getting hired at Homeland Security require a "proctored test" with so many requirements on the room, quietness, the people watching and the stuff on the computers, that its almost silly. When they last asked our community college to be a proctor site for TSA exams, we looked at the requirements that stated that we had to use MS Java, which is no longer available or supported, with IE 5, we could download both from their secure FTP site, and no other browsers or plugins or versions of java could be installed (or any other software).. We declined..
What are we going to do tonight Brain?
I did a whole master's degree through a distance program. When I had to take tests, I did need a proctor. Basically, you have someone who meets certain requirements fill out some paperwork, and then they manage the test administration stuff for the school.
For most of that, I used the testing center at the local community college, which did charge. Of course it could have been free, if I found some other impartial person willing to do it, but I liked the isolated independent environment.
Actually, my public library ends up proctoring two to three distance education students per week. For free, of course. A reference librarian goes through the rigamarole with the student and sticks him/her at a table and the reference staff keeps an eye on him/her as we all wander around. If it's a computer-based test, we reserve a computer in the Computer Center for the student and the Computer Center staff watches him/her. Either way, you end up with multiple proctors at the same time (harder to cheat), though we have the same official person sign off on the test every time.
> employers are going to see Yale, Harvard, and Princeton degrees coming
> across their desks with no way of determining whether the coursework
> was completed on site or over the Internet.
Employers already have to deal with Yale, Harvard, and Princeton degrees coming across their desks with no way of determining wether the applicant was actually a top-tier student who earned his way in and aced the coursework; or the spoilt child of an alumnus, whose daddy paid their way into the student body and settled for "gentlemen's C's" across the board.
If an applicant's degree is your sole, or even primary, criteria; then you're a fool.
cya,
john
Imagine all the people...