Monday, June 25, 2007

Big brother comes to Univeristy

Troy University in Alabama has reportedly decided that the way to ensure the integrity of exams taken online is to install a camera in the student's home to monitor them during the exam. In addition the device allegedly locks the student's computer to prevent them searching the web for answers whilst taking the exam.

It won't work of course, for the same reasons drm doesn't work and Internet voting doesn't work. The Open University has been doing distance teaching and assessment for a long time now. We have not yet found a way to do remote exams in the student's place of residence without having an invigilator present. Generally when it comes to exams, students travel to a local centre at a set time and date, along with their peers in that particular geographic area and take their exams like 'conventional' students. People, following carefully crafted procedures, still trump technology when it comes to maintaining the integrity of the examination process.

Thanks to Michael Geist for the link.

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